We Can Do Better Than This

Let's be very clear. A vicious and premeditated class warfare is being waged today against the American middle class. Poverty is increasing and tens of millions are working longer hours for lower wages. Meanwhile, the richest people have not had it so good since the 1920s, and the gap between the very rich and everyone else is growing wider. For the first time in the modern history of our country it is likely that the younger generation will have a lower standard of living than their parents as the American Dream becomes an economic nightmare. The time is long overdue for members of Congress to look beyond the needs of their wealthy campaign contributors and begin addressing the issue of income and wealth disparity.

The statistics on income distribution in the U.S. are staggering in their inequality. According to the latest analysis, in 2005 the top 1 percent earned more income than the bottom 50 percent of Americans -- with the top 300,000 earners making more money than the bottom 150 million. While the top-earning 0.01 percent received an average income increase of $4.4 million in 2005, the bottom 90 percent saw their average income decline by about $172.

The unfair distribution of wealth is even more appalling. Forbes magazine recently found that the richest 400 Americans were worth $1.54 trillion in 2006, up $290 billion from the previous year. In other words, while inflation-adjusted real wages declined for the vast majority of workers, the top 400 wealthiest individuals saw, on average, a $750 million increase.

Today, disgracefully and despite all the rhetoric of "family values," the United States has, at 18 percent, the highest rate of childhood poverty of any major country. Since George Bush has been president, nearly 5 million more Americans have slipped into poverty, 8.6 million have lost their health insurance, 3 million have lost their pensions and median family income has declined by about $2,500. So much for the president's "compassionate conservatism."

A two-income family has less disposable income today than a one-income family did 30 years ago. Home foreclosures are now the highest on record. More and more workers are now spending more than half of their limited incomes for housing, leaving less for other basic needs.

As 35 million Americans struggled to put food on the table last year and the number of hungry Americans continues to rise, the richest people in our society are emulating the robber-barons of the late 19th century as they garishly look for ways to spend their fortunes. Instead of moving toward a more just and egalitarian society, we are rapidly moving in the opposite direction -- extreme wealth and extreme poverty and growing desperation in the middle.

Robert Frank, a Wall Street Journal reporter, has detailed the lives of the rich and famous in the book Richistan. He writes that households with a net worth of between $100 million and $1 billion last year spent an average of $182,000 on watches. Meanwhile, in the real world, 400,000 qualified students were unable to go to college because they lacked the funds.

Frank also details how during this one-year period the economically elite households spent $311,000 on cars, $397,000 on jewelry and $169,000 on spa services. At the same time, President Bush presented a budget in which he proposed cuts that would deny child care to 300,000 families and food stamps for 280,000 families.

The decline of the middle class combined with growing income inequality is a national scandal -- which Congress must address. While there are many actions that must be taken, let me focus on five that I will be pursuing:

1) Getting our national priorities right: By rescinding Bush's tax cuts for the rich and cutting back on wasteful and unnecessary military programs, we can raise about $130 billion a year. This money should be spent on the needs of our children, disabled, seniors, veterans and other vulnerable populations - as well as deficit reduction.

2) Ending the race to the bottom: We must move from unfettered free trade to fair trade and change trade policies which benefit multi-national corporations at the expense of the working people of this country and the poor abroad.

3) Allowing workers to form unions: Due to unfair labor policies it is almost impossible for workers to organize unions. Labor law reform is needed to allow workers to exercise their constitutional right for collective bargaining.

4) Health Care for all: Despite spending twice as much per capita, we are the only major nation on earth that does not provide health care for all. We must move toward a national health care program guaranteeing health care for every man, woman and child.

5) Reversing global warming and rebuilding our infrastructure: We can create millions of good paying jobs by investing in energy efficiency and sustainable energies such as solar, wind and geo-thermal. We must also rebuild our deteriorating physical infrastructure and rail system.

Comments

[fedupnburnin]

What can Congress do? I don't think many of them even read their e-mail. The 2-major parties are the parties of the same ol' same ol'. As long as we are stuck with them nothing will change.

[realitytrumpsbull]

Bernie, the BushCo Shining Path doesn't include
a 'middle class'...only the duchy, and their
fiefdoms...rich people, and a sea of indentured
proles...disposable 'consumers' who WILL obey
the will of BushCo, or face dire consequences...

[AuntSally]

True, Senator Sanders,

But until Congress deals with the national scandal dwarfing all others, we can make no meaningful progress on the others. Get us out of Iraq, please. You can start by finding congressional leadership for the job...

[MetalPhil]

This man is one of the only people in the public light who seems to really be addressing the REAL problems in our country. It drives me nuts that the "left" and right all agree on economic policy. How can we change this system if our political parties don't address the real problems of poverty and the income gap?

[eddiestardust]

Senator,

The truth is that it should have been done

YESTERDAY!

Politics is the art of compromise.

If you can't get it, you aren't trying hard enough and I'm sorry but you are not.

[Peabodies]

As usual, Senator Sanders, you speak for me. Thank you for your revolutionary eloquence. Wish your wishes, five points, would be seriously considered by serious people, in this admin. Are there any?

[TJTelecaster]

As far as the economy is concerned our real growth minus the MEWS' the Mortgage Equity Withdrawls is crap..tow of the last 3 years less than 1% and this past year jut over 1%..

We are like salmon that eat their own flesh to gain strength to swim upstream spawn and then die..

That's us..

Simple as that..

[Steppenwolf]

Please have the government give truthful inflation figures.

Scrap the "core rate" concept.

Maybe the price of goldfish food isn't increasing -- but prices for gasoline, health care -- the stuff that people really need -- is really hurting the middle-class.

[Waubay]

Here is why this won't change: The vast majority of the people representing us fall into the 'rich' category. All of their friends and families fall into the 'rich' category. Do you think that they will pass legislation that will cost them, their family and friends? Voters need to get off their bums and realize that elections aren't popularity contests. The only reason you should be voting for anyone is that they are the most qualified for the job. How many of you feel that anyone you voted for was the most qualified person for the job?

[jazzman]

Believe me Bernie, all these statistics will elicit a yawn from our Democratic Leadership. They're too busy passing resolutions censuring MoveOn.org, dressing down Representative Stark, and passing security bills that give amnesty to giant corporate telecom companies, to concern themselves with real problems like these.

[bolderdash]

Senator Bernie Sanders is telling it like it is: America's giant Middle-class is threatened to extinction. The true back-bone of America's Democratic system for the majority of its citizens has always been its Middle-class. The majority of America's household's are in that $20 thousand to $80 thousand annual income. With the cost of living increasing, and the standard of living decreasing to this giant middle-class that represents 70% of America's society, our nation will end up eventually like a third-world country. When the economic desparity between the rich getting richer, and the poor getting poorer, as it's doing now in the USA, our so-called Democracy of government for the people, and by the people, will end.

As i see it, unless our country stabilizes the cost-of-living increases, like inflation, our debts and loans to keep up with he demands of everyday living costs, will out-pace the majority of America's wage-earners incomes.

the Trillion Dollar's in our national debt truly mirrors the middle-class household debt in the thousands, and this will increase in our future unless the leader's in our Congress and Federal Executive Branch starts reforming our out of control economic system.

A few examples are highly recommended: One is to completely revise the IRS Income Tax Code, and eliminate all tax breaks/and/or tax adjustments to a simple three teir tax table. Those individuals earning less then $50 thousand, 15% across the board, those individuals earning over $50 thousand to $250 thousand, 25% across the board, and those individuals earning more then $250 thousand, 35% across the board. this annual income is the accumulated gross adjusted income, and no more subtractions of whatever tax breaks you think is fair-game to net-adjust. this would eliminate 100's of pages of IRS laws, rules, regulations, and get to a 'meat and potatoes' 25 page-simple-and-basic IRS system.

This example would be a good start to bringing fairness and sanity back to our sick and ailing economy.

[mbaty]

If only we could agree that these are all very good things. Most people, though, seem to agree on the basic things that we need to address as a society and a global community.
No one can succeed without their health;
no one can afford a house or college tuition or even a new car without a loan it seems---
and public transportation is probably fairly important in our booze-pedalling society, so we could work on that.
Why even have a government if it isn't serving all of us, if it isn't a communal resource? As the world heats up, we have to realize that we are all in this together.

[SimonOne]

The Neo-Con's want to rewrite the Constitution... The Preamble would go something like this:

We the Rich People of the United States, in Order to reserve All Revenue for Ourselves, establish Justice for Ourselves, insure domestic Tranquility for Ourselves, exclude from the common defence those who may Lower our Profit, promote Welfare for Ourselves, and secure the Blessings of Liberty Exclusively to Ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

[Troubledgoodangel]

It is not difficult to infer what motivates Sen. Sanders, the desire to benefit his Party and himself. But he happens to be right that unequal distribution of wealth is Capitalism's greatest cancer! Did you know that 3 richest people today have more money than 48 poorest countries, and that 1.5 trillion dollars are in 500 hands? This says it all! Greed is mankind's universal disease! Millions upon millions are suffering because the world's leaders are unable to rein in the unequal distribution of wealth! How this can be done? The only way I see it, is a universal agreement. It might work like this: each government would mortage its billionairies' assests in such a way, that they would own the money nominally, but their assets would simultaneously be working for common development of all people, beginning with the poorest! As an example, Bill Gates has 60 billion that could be put to build roads and bridges in the U.S., water wells in Africa, or schools in Iraq. Bill gates would lose nothing, for his assets would be guaranteed, doubled by governmental investment, and returned to him in reasonable amounts at a later date! If this new feature was added to Capitalism, and all private property was mortaged as was once counselled by John Paul II (a speech in Uruguay), the world would look much better in the next decade!

[RogerHWerner]

What the good Senator documents for the America goes doubly for the nations off shore. The mixed economies of the formerly Asian Tigers are now largely economic basket cases with radical increases in the number of working poor and homeless. This situation can be documented in Russia, China, most of South America, and South Africa to name other places. It isn't hard to understand why the inequities Sanders has identified occur and indeed the cause is greed. More specifically, it is institutionalized greed that operates under the guise of unfettered free market capitalism. This historically bankrupt economic system has been the meat and potatoes of Milton Friedman's University of Chicago School of Economics for the past 30 years and both Republicans and Democrats can and should be blamed for its widespread acceptance and use. The key tenets of this system are: Tax cuts, removal government regulations, and dropping trade barriers.

In America, it's hard to know whether we even have a government anymore because so much of what has been traditionally thought of as integral public services have been privatized. This hasn't improved servicesat all merely increased private for large corporations. Bush and those who think like him would just as soon as have no government at all and these are the people Americans elect to operate their government? is it any wonder government is no longer functioning? As a society, once and for all, we need to reject unfettered free market capitalism and the theories of Milton Friedman because they don't work in a democratic society where reasonable economic equality is essential.

[Pdubya]

It is not true capitalism-free-market that we have been purported to experience. It is corporate welfarism, pure and simple. Its either GUNS or BUTTER, depending upon which party gets in the White House. Both will bankcrupt us and both are corrupt to lobby interests. We need tort and lobby reform to begin with. We need to balance the budget using our poor Federal Reserve system by balancing expenditures in each policy, first.

Then, we need to make competitive the silver and gold standard as a competing currency against the Fed Reserve Note. Fiat money systems never ever work and require a constant tinkering even if debt isn't carried upon it. Well, we're carrying a huge debt upon it to foreign countries, thus expanding the impact of internal inflation, devaluation of the dollar, the growing wallstreet rich stories, and the shrinking of the middle class, who are paying for it.

Unless we change our monetary system and base our dollar on a commodity, it will never ever change. Either party and either position, GUNS or BUTTER lead to the same demise.

tort reform and lobby reform and bring back the constitution and make silver and gold standard fully leagal again!

blue dog dem for ron paul

www.ronpaul2008.com

www.dailypaul.com

[MrXfromplanetX]

I think the biggest problem is the government has been bought off so we can't trust them.

I thought we could count on the government to help us, but we can't. All they're going to do is police us and take our rights away, on behalf of the big corporations who have paid them off.

You left out ronpaul.meetup.com

[joebhed]

First, please understand that I do support Ron Paul and Dennis K.
But I don't get Mr. Paul's monetary policy.
What Bernie is saying here is that Corporate Capitalism is robbing the American worker of his just desserts.
The reason is because so-called free CAPITAL has only one purpose - more capital.
It doesn't care about people and communities.
Back when the Fed was created, both Progressive and Conservative forces opposed this private central banking system.
And BOTH wanted a public money system.
You know, like the Constitution says: "ONLY the Congress shall have the power to coin money and to regulate the value thereof".
Paraphrased and emphasis added.
Unfortunately, Ron Paul, and other Libertarian economists, fail to see that clause as a call for people-controlled economic democracy.
Populist money.
It works with or without the gold standard.
Had we such a system, then WE could actually do something about the conglomeration of wealth that Bernie rails against.
One thing we need is more worker-controlled businesses, especially those utilizing the cooperative business model.
That right there spells the end to offshoring.
If we're going to DO something, and stop just complaining about things, then we need to posit new institutions to replace those that allow corporate greed to control our lives.
Constitutional Money Now!

[ThoughtCriminal1967]

What party? I thought Bernie was an Independent?

How about we just tax the wealthiest fairly, put reasonable regulations on business practices, and take care of the most basic needs of al our citizens? Novel idea, but it might just work.

[marika]

Senator Sanders is a party of One. He is an Independent! A real independent who works tirelessly for the American people. I admire the people of Vermont for sending him to the Senate as much as I am disguisted with those in Conn who voted for old Mealy Mouth Lieberman and gave the Senate majority to te Rebugs.

[Kendo Nagasaki]

Dear Senator Saunders,

You are just telling us what we already knew at least six years ago.

What took you so long ?

[TankerRat]

Good Grief Sen. Saunders. When did you turn into Ross Perot and Lou Dobbs.

Keep swinging.

[TankerRat]

Sorry for the missed spelling. Of course I meant Sen Sanders.

[dirtystrat]

Allowing workers to form unions
How will that help us compete with foreign workers that have no unions?

Health Care for all
Why stop there. How about a chicken in every pot. Oh, somebody already tried that.

Reversing global warming
Now that's just plain silly to think your more powerful than the laws of nature.

[GuiltyUndertaker]

I hope this is satirical.

A chicken in every pot was never tried. It was only promised. Sort of like No Child Left Behind.

[dleonard123]

Help me out here. Why did you pick 6 years ago as your starting point? Do you mean 6 years ago (on the heels of the Clinton admininstration) when we didn't have nationalized health care (but have since added a senior prescription drug benefit)? Are you referring to the time frame when the Senate had rejected Kyoto 99-0? Are you harking back to the days when NAFTA had been established? You didn't pick 6 years simply because you think you're getting political points by tweaking the Bush administration's nose now did you?