Bernie Sanders and I are unique in one aspect of our lives. He is 80, and I, at 75 of age, are liberals who believe that the nation’s future is in the hands of younger Americans who believe that significant change is needed if our nation is to survive. Although we are both “old, white men,” we have watched the changes in the country’s government over decades and are committed to saving the nation of the Founding Fathers. Unfortunately, some of it involves waiting for old men like Moscow Mitch McConnell and Chuck Grassley to die.
Accepting the status quo in Washington is tantamount to agreeing with the goals of many of the old, white men and women in our federal government who are antagonistic and backward-thinking politicians whose rejection of change is destructive.
Presidents Ronald Reagan, George W Bush, George WH Bush, and Donald Trump had no concern about the national debt if it benefitted special interests. However, when Democrats and Independents propose legislation that would help the working class, the fake conservatives screaming about money matters are violently opposed to the very existence of such a bill.
Take a look at some of Senator Sanders’ proposals, and ask yourself honestly if they would serve you, your family, and your friends. You and I are the United States of America, not our corrupt politicians.
Sanders has campaigned for fair taxation for decades. He is a realist. The bloated profits of the nation’s major capitalists have destroyed our economy and created an enormous gap in income inequality. Is it fair that you pay a larger percentage of taxes based on your income than our wealthiest citizens? Is it logical that our most prominent corporations, including Walmart and Amazon, paid zero dollars in taxes in 2019 and approximately 15 percent in 2020?
Bill Clinton supported a 35 percent corporate tax rate between 1993 and 2001, and when he left office, our nation’s treasury had a surplus. Moreover, he had eradicated the national debt created by Reagan and Bush 41.
I know, for you and I, who continue to struggle each year, this is boring. However, it does affect us and those we love. The price of necessities is controlled by the wealthiest of our nation’s people. Capitalism in America has virtually no controls. Therefore, without fair taxation, plutocracy replaces democracy. You and I are no longer of importance in America. Keeping the super-rich wealthy is paramount for the nation’s corrupt government.
Sanders is right: only a form of “Democratic Socialism” can save most of our nation’s people. But, first, American workers must share in the profits of corporations whose profits reach unrealistic levels of as much as 500 percent per year.
If fair taxation becomes a reality, our nation can afford universal healthcare and free or inexpensive higher education. Sanders is also entirely correct when he supports a federal minimum wage of at least 15 dollars per hour. But, most importantly, our nation’s biggest demographic, millennials, support him.
Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are traitors to their party. Manchin is especially under fire because he refuses to respect the wishes and needs of the people of West Virginia and Democratic supporters in general. So, when Sanders recently and justifiably criticized the fake Democrat, a war of words ensued.
On Friday, he spoke to the people of West Virginia and explained why he is angry with their Senator, Joe Manchin. How President Biden’s plans would help the people of his state, and Manchin appears uninterested.
Last month, Manchin announced that he would not support the president’s budget proposal or plan to repair our infrastructure.
“This isn’t the first time an out-of-stater has tried to tell West Virginians what is best for them, despite having no relationship to our state,” he said in a tweet. Really? Is this his defense for ignoring the will of the people?
Manchin is obviously not aware that he represents all of the people of the United States of America. The truth is that what is suitable for all of our nation’s people is also good for the people of West Virginia.
Records reveal that Manchin is a tool of special interests and is therefore aligned with the Trump Party. If the Fourth Estate existed today, Manchin, Sinema, and others like them would have been exposed on the front page of every legitimate news publication in America.
All of you must learn that our nation is under attack, and except for our votes, we are unarmed. America is no longer a nation, thanks to right-wing politicians, it is a business, and profits override the needs and wishes of our nation’s people.
I am right about what will cure our nation’s ills, and so is Sanders. The government must be reinvented and serve the majority.
Op-ed by James Turnage
Sources:
Charleston Gazette-Mail: Sen. Bernie Sanders: Let’s stand together to protect working families (Opinion); by Bernie Sanders
The Guardian: Manchin hits back at Sanders criticism in fight over Biden investment plan; by Edward Helmore
Featured and Top Image by Troy Page Courtesy of Truthout.org’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image Courtesy of Hayden Smith’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Second Inset Image Courtesy of Third Way Think Tank’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
