On Wednesday, March 30, Senator Bernie Sanders came to speak at Carthage College. It was both an honor and a privilege to have him on campus, whether or not you agree with his political beliefs. I happen to agree with Sen. Sanders, and here is why I will be voting for him.

"Billionaires are able to buy elections. That is not democracy, that is oligarchy."

Due to the Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case, billionaires can spend unlimited amounts of money to elect candidates who represent the agenda of the wealthy and the powerful. Bernie Sanders wants to overturn this decision in favor of public funding of elections. He has managed to raise over $100 million dollars by simply asking working families for donations. He has received 6 million contributions, each donation averaging just $27.

"If I can't win on my ideas, I don't want to win."

Sanders is running an honest, straight-forward campaign. He has not been bought out by corporations or private interest groups; he is not dependent on big-money corporation contributions. Sanders is constantly talking to real people across the country about his ideas to get support. He represents the middle and lower classes of American today, not the billionaire class.

"A nation is judged not by how many millionaires and billionaires it has, but by how it treats the weakest and most vulnerable among us."

Our country today has more income and wealth inequality than ever before, and our generation will be the first in modern American history to have a lower standard of living than our parents. The middle-class disappearing, with more and more wealth going to the top 1 percent. Today, the top 0.1 percent of Americans owns as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent; that is to say, the twenty wealthiest individuals own more wealth than the bottom 150 million Americans. Sanders calls it a "rigged economy," and he is working to create an economy that works for everyone, including young people, women, and the elderly.

"Right now, we need a massive effort to have the U.S. government lead in the world in combating climate change."

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues our world is facing today. Sanders wants to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels in favor of cleaner alternatives, like wind and solar energy. He also supports the elimination of fracking in America.

Bernie Sanders is the most forward-thinking candidate in this election, one who refuses to accept the status quo. I believe he will bring the change our country desperately needs by getting people together to bring change from the bottom up.

However, regardless of which candidate you prefer, remember the importance and value of your vote, and exercise that right.