When trying to decide what I would write for my weekly article to The Odyssey, I was watching "The Hunger Games" on television. For the very few that do not know, "The Hunger Games" is a film about an all-powerful government that is controlled by political elites in the capital. (Does that ring a bell?) The government controls a nation called Panem, which is divided into 12 districts. Each district in Panem is in charge of manufacturing and producing certain goods and services for the Capital. Each district must send a boy and a girl to fight to their death to serve as a reminder that they have no power; that their food and jobs come from the government, and they must pay that debt with their life. What many people do not know is the striking similarity between the leader of Panem, and the Socialist senator from Vermont who wants to be the next leader of the United States.

The leader of this cruel, Marxist regime in "The Hunger Games" is President Snow, an older white male who claims to have intentions of protecting the poor and vulnerable. However, deep down, like any power-hungry Socialist, President Snow is only concerned with controlling his oppression over all of Panem. The only income inequality that exists is that between the Capital and the 12 districts. Everyone that is able to work is guaranteed a job. If you need food then you are guaranteed it, as long as you add your name again to the reaping bowl. The ideology of President Snow is one that ensures that everyone barely has something to eat, a shack to sleep in, and a workplace that ensures a short life.

The dangerous thing about President Snow is that there is an American just like him. His name is Senator Bernie Sanders. Senator Sanders claims he is a warrior for the less fortunate. He claims that the government should be massively expanded and that your freedom should be lowered in the name of equality. The truth is, Senator Sanders wants to grow America’s capital. Just like President Snow, Senator Bernie Sanders’ goal is to create wealthy political elites that will reside in Washington D.C. He argues against “trickle-down economics,” but he campaigns for “trickle-down government.”

Senator Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, is an advocate for the same policies that governed Panem. Is he calling for the death of two teenagers from each state? No. Does he support the economics that Panem is ruled by? Yes. Does he support the big government surveillance that the citizens of Panem were under? Yes. So remember when you are checking for the candidate that represents your values. Is it a fighter like Senator Rand Paul? Or is it, a President Snow AKA, Bernie Sanders?