My supporters and I want real change in this country.
By Bernie Sanders
Information Clearing House
June 24, 2016
As we head toward the Democratic National Convention, I often
hear the question, “What does Bernie want?”
Wrong question.
The right question is what the 12 million Americans who voted
for a political revolution want.
And the answer is:
They want real change in this country, they want it now and they
are prepared to take on the political cowardice and powerful
special interests which have prevented that change from
happening.
They understand that the United States is the richest country in the
history of the world, and that new technology and innovation make
us wealthier every day.
What they don’t understand is why the middle class continues
to decline, 47 million of us live in poverty and many Americans
are forced to work two or three jobs just to cobble together the
income they need to survive.
What do we want?
We want an economy that is not based on uncontrollable greed,
monopolistic practices and illegal behavior.
We want an economy that protects the human needs and dignity of
all people — children, the elderly, the sick, working people and the
poor.
We want an economic and political system that works for all of us, not one in which almost all new wealth and power rests with a handful of billionaire families.
The current campaign finance system is corrupt.
Billionaires and powerful corporations are now, through super PACs,
able to spend as much money as they want to buy elections and
elect candidates who represent their interests, not the American
people.
Meanwhile, we have one of the lowest voter turnout rates of any
major country on earth, and Republican governors are working
overtime to suppress the vote and make it harder for poor people,
people of color, seniors and young people to vote.
What do we want?
We want to overturn the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court
decision and move toward public funding of elections.
We want universal voter registration, so that anyone 18 years
of age or older who is eligible to vote is automatically registered.
We want a vibrant democracy and a well-informed electorate
that knows that its views can shape the future of the country.
Our criminal justice system is broken.
We have 2.2 million people rotting behind
bars, at an annual expense of $80 billion.
Youth unemployment in a number of inner-cities and
rural communities is 30 to 50 percent, and millions of
young people have limited opportunities to participate
in the productive economy.
Failing schools all around the country produce more
people who end up in jail, than graduate college.
Millions of Americans have police records as a result of
marijuana possession, which should be decriminalized.
And too many people are serving unnecessarily long
mandatory minimum sentences.
What do we want?
We want a criminal justice system that addresses the causes
of incarceration, not one that simply imprisons more people.
We want to demilitarize local police departments, see local
police departments reflect the diversity of the communities
they serve and end private ownership of prisons and detention centers.
We want to create the conditions that allow people who
are released from prison to stay out.
We want the best educated population on earth, not the
most incarcerated population.
The debate is over. Climate change is real. It is caused by human
activity, and it already is causing devastating damage in our country
and to the entire planet.
If present trends continue, scientists tell us the planet will be 5 to
10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer by the end of the century — which
means more droughts, floods, extreme weather disturbances, rising
sea levels and acidification of the oceans.
This is a planetary crisis of extraordinary magnitude.
What do we want?
We want the United States to lead the world in pushing our energy
system away from fossil fuel, and toward energy efficiency and
sustainable energy.
We want a tax on carbon, the end of fracking and massive
investment in wind, solar, geothermal and other sustainable
technologies.
We want to leave this planet in a way that is healthy
and habitable for future generations.
What do we want?
We want to end the rapid movement that we are currently
experiencing toward oligarchic control of our economic and
political life.
As Lincoln put it at Gettysburg, we want a government
of the people, by the people, and for the people.
That is what we want, and that is what we will continue fighting for.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44947.htm
And we want Bernard Sanders as our next President!
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