First, who is Bernie Sanders? He is a Democratic candidate for President of the United States. He is serving his second term in the U.S. Senate after winning re-election in 2012 with 71 percent of the vote. He previously served as mayor of Vermont's largest city for eight year before defeating a Republican to be the sole congressperson for the state in the U.S House of Representatives. He lives in Burlington, Vermont with his wife Jane.
A large reason I support Bernie is I believe he is truly passionate about the issues he is speaking about, and not just trying to win votes. In January 1962, as a Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) officer, a 20-year-old Sanders lead students in a multi-week sit-in to oppose segregation in off-campus housing owned by the University of Chicago. He also heard the "I Have A Dream" speech firsthand. Bernie Sanders is now 74 and is still actively speaking out against systematic racism, police brutality and for-profit prisons.
Sanders also has been supporting marriage equality for a very long time. In July 1996, he was one of only 67 votes against the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act, which denied federal benefits to same-sex couples legally married. He has also been standing up against major pharmaceutical companies for many years. In July 1999, he became the first member of Congress to take seniors across the border to Canada to buy lower-cost prescription drugs. These individuals were able to purchase their medications in Canada for almost one-tenth the price charged in the States. Sanders supports the idea that drug companies should be required to publicly report the information that affects their drug pricing. Bernie and I believe it is time to enact prescription drug policies that work for everyone, not just the CEOs of the pharmaceutical industry.
Sanders speaks very passionately about income and wealth inequality in the United States as well. America now has more wealth and income inequality than major developed country on earth, and the gap between the very rich and everyone else is wider than at any time since the 1920s. To help reverse wealth inequality in the United States, Sanders will demand that the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share in taxes. As president, Sanders will stop corporations from shifting their profits and jobs to avoid paying U.S. income taxes, especially when many people in the U.S. need work.
Planned Parenthood. Everyone has seen that name across the news for months now. I find it insane that votes are being made in favor of defunding the non-profit organization that provides health care to millions of men & women, (including millions of people who wouldn't be able to afford that health care elsewhere) Planned Parenthood health centers provide a wide range of safe, reliable health care - the majority being preventive, primary care. Care that is used to prevent pregnancies in the first place. Not end. Prevent. And people who are against abortion want to now prevent from people....from being able to prevent pregnancy? It doesn't make sense to me and it doesn't make sense to Bernie. Planned Parenthood also treats and reduces the spread of sexually transmitted infections and they screen for cervical and other cancers. They do very important, life-saving work in hundreds of communities.
I strongly believe the decision to have an abortion should not be a political issue. There are many reasons an individual may choose to end a pregnancy - one of them being she simply does not want to bring a child into the world. And then that still has no business being a government's choice. It's a conversation the parents and doctors need to discuss, without political backlash.
Many "pro-life" individuals believe that having an abortion is avoiding the responsibility of a child. If you think getting an abortion is "avoiding responsibility" that implies you believe it's a woman's responsibility to have a child if she chooses to have sex. To me, that sounds more like your dictating what a woman's role and purpose is, and a lot less like you're making an argument for the life of an unborn child. Overall, I support Sander's policies of to protect women's health, access to contraception, and the availability of a safe and legal abortion.
Bernie has a plan to pay for all of his proposals that I believe will benefit everyone: https://berniesanders.com/issues/how-bernie-pays-for-his-proposals/
I strongly support Sander's policy of moving away from a policy of unilateral military action, and toward a policy of emphasizing diplomacy, and ensuring the decision to go to war is a last resort.
I strongly agree with this quote from a college student on an article on how many millennials are supporting Sanders:
In closing, I don't think Mr.Sanders is perfect. Nobody is. But I do think he is the most consistent mainstream politician right now, and he means what he says. I believe a large difference between him and Clinton is he truly wants change in the U.S. and she is more interested in the presidency itself. Do I support Clinton? I support some things she says and does, but if I was 18, I would vote for Bernie in a heartbeat over Clinton.
He has been putting what he says in his campaign into practice since the 1960s, and I believe he would continue to do so as president. That is why I #FeelTheBern.
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