I've thought long and hard about putting fingers to keys and writing this article.

I almost decided against it because I know people get tired of seeing others post and share posts that both outline their political views and celebrate their political preferences.

I know people get tired of the political bickering that occurs on social media as well.

However, this article isn’t meant to shoot down other’s political views or to incite any bickering; the purpose of this article is to simply facilitate conversation, and I intend to do that by sharing my political opinions and the reasons behind them.

Often, we’re too quick to make sweeping generalizations about the ‘other side” (I’m guilty of this as well) and launch attacks based on these hasty generalizations. I believe if we sit down, preferably in person but also behind computers and smartphones, and have good, clean conversation we can learn a lot of valuable information about each other.

Now, if you’ve ever seen any of my posts or read any of my statuses you probably know that I fall on the left end of the political spectrum; further left than some as I am a supporter of Bernie Sanders and his future vision of America. As a ‘liberal’ and a supporter of Bernie Sanders a lot of attempted insults I hear launched my way, and towards others that share my views, are “you’re just another millennial with a sense of entitlement,” “all you want is free things,” “you’re too dumb to understand how harmful socialism is,” or “you’re too politically correct.”

These are just a few of the sweeping generalizations that many make about me (and those who share my views) based on political stances.

What is the real reason I support Bernie’s proposed plans and hold the political views I have?

I choose which politicians and policies I support not based on my personal beliefs or my social class, but based on what I believe is best for the greater good of the United States of America. I do this because I realize that my interests and beliefs may not be shared by everyone in the US; simply put, what I want done for my own selfish reasons may not benefit the entire country.

I truly believe Bernie’s proposed plans will benefit the greater good of the United States. I also believe his policies and visions are necessary for America to truly live up to its claim of being a land of equality and equal opportunity and to ensure the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that are mentioned in the Declaration of Independence.

You’ve undoubtedly heard Bernie mention the massive, and growing gap, between the rich and the poor in this country and no matter what side of the political spectrum you fall on you have to admit he is right. The difference is that some view this gap as a serious problem, and others view it as “the way things ought to be.” The truth of the matter is, if you plot developed, high income nations on a map, income inequality on the x-axis and social problems on the y-axis, there is a positive correlation between countries with high income inequality and countries with high levels of social issues (crime, mental illness, infant mortality, teenage pregnancies, etc.)

And yes, America is at the top of this graph.

I believe that developed nations should be located towards that bottom of such a graph, so I view it as incredibly logical to want a president that will do whatever is possible to bridge the gap between the wealthy and the poor.

Notice the countries at the bottom of the graph. Most of them have an abundance of social programs in place and have some form of social democracy implemented in their countries.

I believe Americans should have access to free health care. If we truly want to call ourselves the greatest country in the world all citizens should have health care…regardless of their income. I believe Americans have the right to a college education (if they wish to pursue one) regardless of their income. These are things that should be guaranteed in developed countries.

Now, do I realize that nothing is truly ‘free’? Yes, I realize nothing is truly ‘free’, but I also realize that there are ways to fund these social programs that many choose to overlook. For example, I realize the top 1% of America, which owns over 40% of America’s total wealth, can endure said tax hikes. I also realize that the pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer, has planned a merger with a corporation in Ireland which would allow them to dodge nearly $35 billion in corporate taxes.

I'm not an entitled millennial or liberal because I believe we should have free education and health care in America. I don’t personally need higher education to be free (plus I’m graduation soon anyway) but I realize a free college education would grant so many opportunities to Americans that can’t obtain a higher education under the current system. I don’t personally need free health care, but I realize there are people out there who can’t afford health insurance (and not because they’re too lazy to work).

I want these things for America because I know it will make our country a better place to live.

The other day I had a conversation with a girl about politics and we got to the topic of social programs like health care and education. She said her father grew up in a trailer park and the reason her family was now in the upper class was because her father worked hard to get them there. She said it was ridiculous to expect people who have worked hard for their money to just give it away to lazy people that simply don’t want to work. Sure, many believe if you work hard enough you can realize the ‘American Dream’ and climb the ‘social ladder’, but the American Dream can only be realized if all of our ‘ladders’ are in mint condition. Now, there are certainly lazy people who just sit on their couches and collect welfare checks…don’t get me wrong, but hard work isn’t always all it takes to climb the ‘social ladder.’ If I may continue to use the ‘ladder’ analogy, you have to realize that some people own ladders that have broken rungs, some people own ladders that have sunk so far down in the mud that even if they reach the top they will still be behind others. Hard work isn’t always enough to bridge the gap. The only way for the American dream to be realized is for all to start out on an equal playing field, or at least one that isn’t so skewed. My American Dream is true equal opportunity.

To me, this isn’t a sense of entitlement. This is just a sense of humanity.