It’s an election year! Fortunately, this means it’s time for those who have just gained the right to vote to express just how much they care about being an informed voter. Unfortunately, not many people actually care about being informed voters.
The media has been focusing largely on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Why? They make news happen! Not only do they say or do things that get them noticed, but they also have people paying them a lot of money to ensure that they support their views. There’s one candidate in this presidential election who is not playing by anybody’s rules: Bernie Sanders. If you’ve been on Twitter or to any hipster coffee shop, I’m sure you’ve seen #FeelTheBern stickers. While this is a catchy phrase and Bernie is definitely hitting the mark with Millennials, there is so much more to the man.
Bernie is a long-time advocate for free college tuition. As a Democratic Socialist, Sanders realizes that other countries have made free college tuition a reality even in this age and he wants to model what they have done. While the Bernie Sanders' website does not go into complete detail into how this can be managed, it is clear that a lot of the goals of the Sanders' campaign are meant to appeal to Millennials. This could be because Millennials are the largest group of registered voters. Unfortunately, Millennials are also the least likely age group to go to the polls.
Sanders wants us to #FeeltheBern about the environment. I can’t remember the last time a candidate has spent so much time talking about the environment, but I have to say that Bernie Sanders is talking about things that we need to hear. Sanders says, “We have a moral responsibility to make certain that our kids and grandchildren can live on a habitable planet.” While many people don’t consider the environment to be a large issue, it is important to consider that we are almost at the planet population limit and we have depleted our source of usable water significantly. Bernie Sanders is proving to be a forward thinking candidate, who actually cares about the future of our planet.
Bernie Sanders wants to even the playing field with the distribution of wealth. Sanders has a plan to raise taxes significantly for those in the top 1% of wealth in the United States. While the maximum 52 percent income tax bracket is daunting to think about, it is important to consider how those tax increases could help provide funding for schools, healthcare, and other necessities for everyone to enjoy. The common remark from many is, “If I’ve earned money, why should I lose more money to taxes?” This is certainly a question that I look forward to hearing an answer to if Bernie Sanders claims the Democratic Presidential Candidacy.
Sanders has a strong liberal platform that seems to bode well with younger generations or more liberal states. The hope now for the Sanders' campaign is that all of those younger people will make their way to the polls in time for elections in the coming months and that they can turn historically red states over to a bright blue.
While this article only covered three topics that Sanders believes will help to bring America up from the ashes, there are many other topics in his platform. Bernie has covered everything from the Black Lives Matter movement to wars and minimum wage. Just in case you’re still wondering about Bernie Sanders and what he’s all about, check out his website. Go forth and #FeelTheBern.
