Bernie Sanders. The free-college and universal healthcare toting democratic socialist has taken the world by storm. Social media is filled with "dank memes" favoring him as the democratic nominee over Hillary Clinton. College students and young voters overwhelmingly support him. People who hate our political system and have refused to engage in political conversations are #feelingthebern and are actively listening and learning more about politics. With all this being said, after last Tuesday's devastating defeat in New York, many people are left wondering: Has the Bern burned out?
Over the course of the last couple of months, I've heard a number of reasons why people who initially supported Sanders or think that he is an all right candidate have shied away and looked for other alternatives. One complaint is that Bernie Sanders is too old to run for president. Many people are afraid that he will die in office and feel like they're vote was useless. Some people don't believe that a man who leans too far left will ever make it into the White House; we need moderates. Others have said that his political agenda is too irrational, and it could never happen. It would be best for him to pack up his campaign and go back to Vermont, but will it though?
Bernie Sanders has brought up a lot of relevant issues over the last year of his campaign. Issues that we should hold the next president accountable for. He believed that we should further President Obama's free community college plan and make all college free. This will better align the United States with the rest of the major countries to ensure that if a student wants to go to college, they could without worrying about the cost. Education is one of the best investments that we can make to ensure that our workforce is educated and qualified for many of today's positions. Today, many jobs require some form of a degree, but some people cannot afford to go to college and get the degree that would allow them to make enough money to afford basic necessities. This forces them to stay in their current socioeconomic status and not have to opportunity to escape poverty because you have to have money to make money.
Bernie is also fighting to raise the minimum wage to a living wage. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, a person who makes under $11,880 is living in poverty. In the United States, a person who makes minimum wage ($7.25) and works 40 hours a week, makes $15,080 before taxes. After taxes, this number is roughly $10,000, well below poverty. That means that a person who works full time, still cannot make enough money to pay their bills afford basic necessities. The sad part is if you work 40 hours a week, you should be able to pay for everything that you need to. The reality is, very few people who make minimum wage actually work a 40-hour week and are instead sentenced to a life of extreme poverty.
Bernie Sanders believes that healthcare should be a right not a privilege as he advocates for universal healthcare. Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has helped many previously uninsured Americans find affordable health care, there are still 29 million Americans who don't have health insurance. In Mississippi alone, around 18 percent of Mississippians do not have health insurance making it one of the highest rates of uninsured in the country. This is largely due to the Medicaid gap. The number of Mississippians who live in extreme poverty cannot afford ACA, and according to the ACA, the state must provide them with Medicaid. The only problem is the state chooses whether to opt-in or not, and Mississippi opted out. Forcing a number of its citizens—who already cannot afford to pay for insurance—to not to go to the doctor as well.
I voted for Bernie Sanders because I am a poor black female born in central Mississippi. People born in poverty in my county have a 4 percent chance of not living in poverty when they are an adult. You read that right, there is a 4 percent chance that I will not live in poverty when I am an adult. I am at Millsaps at an affordable price because I got lucky and had people who did not mind giving me handouts. My scholarships are not based on merit. They're based on other people's kindness. While at Millsaps, I have been in numerous honor societies, member of numerous clubs, and on the dean's least a number of times. I am currently an honors student working on my honors thesis. Next year, I will be editor of our literary magazine, The Stylus, as well as co-president of our International Buddy program. I have the opportunity to make change in this world and the chance to escape my family's systemic intergenerational poverty because someone did something radical and gave me enough money to get an education. We need radical change now. The only way to better our country is to equip each citizen with the things they need to be successful like health care, education, and a living wage.
Bernie Sanders has brought some very important issues to light, not just the ones I've mentioned, but also climate change, immigration and caring for our veterans, the disabled and the natives. His plan to address the legal system's attack on people of color is what got me because way too many of my family members have been unjustly targeted and jailed. Although these topics may not always garner national support, they are important and must be discussed because they affect our fellow citizens of the United States. Bernie Sanders has given a good fight, and he is worthy to be called President, but should he drop out? Well, there is something admirable to be said for a man who chooses to campaign until the last vote is counted.
