We’re a generation of visionaries. We’ve grown up in a country where we’ve been taught since our youth that if we want something bad enough, then nothing can stop us from attaining it. Here, we’ve learned that all life is sacred and that every man, woman and child should be given an equal opportunity to succeed. We live in the land of the American dream.

Or do we?

With Bernie Sanders on the rise and still a strong candidate for the Democratic nomination, it’s time for the American people to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Does Bernie’s vision for America really line up with what we want? Do his ideas even make sense? Are they right?

Warning: this article is not for everyone. If you are easily offended or do not want to read an article that differs from your views, then feel free to stop reading. If, however, you’d like to hear me out … here we go.

Many millennials today are becoming more and more liberal. It seems to be a trend, like it’s “cool” to view the world in this certain way. Now, I’m not bashing all liberal viewpoints, and I’m certainly not lashing out at liberals themselves (being a college student, I have many liberal friends myself). In fact, I don’t think every liberal idea is completely wrong. However, I do believe liberals, including Bernie, are going about addressing many problems in the wrong way.

There are several domestic issues that America faces today. One obvious problem involves the economy, which has taken a turn for the worst in the last few years. Our country is trillions of dollars in debt. Just pause for a second and think about how big of a number that is. In response to this staggering economic crisis, what does Bernie say? To paraphrase, he tells us, “We’ll make everything free!” Free college, free healthcare, free whatever!

Sorry, Bernie, but I think you missed something there. Nothing is ever actually free. The money has to come from somewhere, whether that be from each individuals’ pockets or from the government. If Bernie tells us we don’t have to pay, then that means the government will pay. But how can it pay if it’s already trillions in debt? It just doesn’t add up.

To add to that, does Bernie not support working hard to earn your money? This has never been a country of people who are reliant on handouts, so now is not the time to start. While, yes, providing extra assistance to people who are financially unstable is a good thing to do, this tactic should not be used in excess. If Bernie was president, we would soon see people taking advantage of food stamps and checks from the government. Ideally, this would never happen; but in the real world, people will surely find ways to misuse the system. Instead, we need to provide a healthy amount of support to those struggling in our society while also teaching them how to help themselves. As the saying goes, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”

In addition, if Bernie was president, I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable writing this article. He wouldn’t be able to restrict me from writing it, as freedom of speech is written into the first amendment, but the “political correctness” trend that has been going around would surely become more extreme. It seems that any idea that differs from the liberal norm or might offend that side of the political spectrum is off limits to the rest of us. To that, I have one thing to say: if you want us to silence ourselves because we offend you, why shouldn’t we just be able to say that doing so would offend us? It’s a vicious cycle, and instead of going back and forth, we need to accept that we all have different viewpoints. It’s what makes America a democracy and what makes America so great. So, yes, I am free to support whichever candidate I choose and the views that go along with that candidate, just as you are free to support Bernie, if you would like. All I ask is that no one feels restricted or silenced just because what they believe isn’t popular. Equal opportunity is what this country was built upon.

There are many other issues, such as abortion, marriage, and religion in our country, that are more based around individual opinion and ethical concerns, and for which I can’t necessarily provide as much hard evidence to sway liberals' opinions. It is up to each one of us to reflect on these issues for ourselves. Some of you may still decide that you “feel the Bern” more than ever, and you can’t wait to see Bernie as president. And that’s your decision. However, a lot of Bernie’s ideas and proposals directly go against the way of the American dream. If Bernie became president, Americans would lose their sense of pride for their country and possibly even themselves. In a handout society, there would be no feelings of accomplishment. No one would feel any need to actively work to make our country better; instead, we'd just sit idly by waiting for the government to do something. Bernie would not let us rise to our full potentials. We would never be able to get where we always hoped to be. If Bernie became president, he would bring all of us down.

And that’s why I don’t “feel the Bern.”