Bernie Sanders has overtaken Hillary Clinton as the Democratic front-runner, polling at 41 percent, according to CNN. Sanders, a self-described Democratic Socialist, is gaining support with millennial voters. He promises socialized healthcare, free college and higher minimum wage, as well as supporting social issues such as Black Lives Matter and pro-choice groups. All sound appealing. But, unfortunately, none will actually work.

Common sense would dictate that these extremely liberal policies like single-payer healthcare have been tried before and have not worked. Healthcare in places like the UK and Canada may be cheap, but the quality is poor. In Canada, for example, thousands are on the waiting list for healthcare. Waiting time averages at 18.2 weeks, according to the Foundation for Economic Education. People are often not able to get services they need, like in this case in the UK. Also, single-payer healthcare costs the average Canadian family around $11,735 in taxes each year, says the Fraser Institute. So much for "free."

Free college is probably the most attractive of Mr. Sanders' policies to millennials, who know just how outrageous the cost of college is. However, once again, "free" college would cost the taxpayers $2.4 billion by 2018, according to the American Enterprise Institute. People save their money to send themselves or their own children- they do not want to use it to send people who did not work for it to school. And many people who paid or are paying for their own college, or who worked hard in high school to earn scholarships, view free college as a slap in the face; they did not do all that work so that everyone else would not have to. Furthermore, community college is already little better than a glorified college anyway- making it free to all would drive the quality of education down even further. Just look at free public high school- the standards are terrible.

Common sense would dictate that a $15 minimum wage such as Mr. Sanders proposes would cost people their jobs and increase costs. Don't believe me? Look at Seattle. 1300 Seattle workers have lost jobs since the city raised minimum wage to $15 an hour, according to the American Enterprise Institute. Minimum wage is not meant to be a "living wage"- it is meant to be a temporary point for people who are in school or working towards a better job.

The national debt is currently $18.1 trillion. Increased government spending will only increase the debt. It debt will ruin our generation, not help us.

Socially, Mr. Sanders has expressed his support for abortions. The pro-choice argument is "women control their bodies, not the government." However, abortions violate the most basic human right of all- life. As abortion survivor Gianna Jessen asked Congress, "If abortion is about women's rights, then what were mine?" Mr. Sanders has also tweeted his support for Planned Parenthood in spite of the fact that the organization allegedly sells baby's body parts. If this man wants to lead the United States, why isn't he fighting for the rights of all Americans, including those in the earliest stages of development?

Mr. Sanders also supports the Black Lives Matter movement. The intentions of this movement may be good, but it has turned as violent as the people they protest. When Mr. Sanders expresses support for this movement, he is not expressing support for less racism and less police brutality; he is expressing support for people who generalize all cops and all white people as monsters and think killing cops and destroying cities is justifiable.

Bernie Sanders can promise free things and claim to be a champion for women and minorities, but his policies are not as grand as they appear to be.