Don Crawford

Don Crawford

President of Crawford Broadcasting and the voice of the STAND Podcast

Socialism: Senator Bernie Sanders

“SOCIALISM ONLY WORKS IN TWO PLACES:
HEAVEN WHERE THEY DON’T NEED IT
AND HELL WHERE THEY ALREADY HAVE IT.”

the words of our former President Ronald Reagan who was a master of the euphemism.

Bernie Sanders believes deeply in socialism. Bernie Sanders is a socialist, and proud of it. For some longtime Americans, hearty believers in capitalism, it is hard to believe that the great State of Vermont would elect an avowed and open socialist as senator. They did, the people did and here he comes, a force indeed on the American political scene and of course the Democratic Party.

Sanders, like Trump pulls no punches. He is aggressive, confrontational and determined. Clinton never took him seriously, but now she does and so do the Democrats.

Sanders and Trump are very similar, at least in one respect. Each is a catalyst, an outsider so they say. Each is tired of WASHINGTON AS-IS, both political establishments, the good old boys who run both parties and the same-old-same-old in the DISTRICT OF CORRUPTION including that hated word compromise and political inaction. Trump has been robust in his strong criticism of the Republican Party from party chairman Reince Priebus all the way down. Trump has disposed of his two main competitors Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio at least in part because he has successfully labeled them as PART OF THE ESTABLISHMENT. The Washington establishment, especially as it is, has been the target of both candidates and at least in the case of Trump, the majority of American primary voters, angry and discontent agree. Many Democrats and Independents and even some Republicans on the edge agree with Sanders who wants change, more radical change than even Obama, and more change, he says, than Hillary Clinton will bring to the presidency. Trump has captured the Republican Party and seems an absolute certainty to get the nomination while Sanders battles on, never giving up and promises to fight through and including the Democratic Convention. Clinton, once dismissive, now pays serious attention to this formidable foe, eager to criticize her and of course beat her.

Sanders is on record as having stated that Hillary Clinton is not qualified to be President. He asks bluntly the Democratic establishment, against which he rails constantly, to essentially overturn the will of Democratic voters, if it comes to that, those who have cast more votes for Mrs. Clinton than for him and vote for HIM. A bold move indeed. Sanders is loud and shrill, TRUMP-LITE which led then Wikler, Washington Director for the liberal group moveon.org to state:

“It’s time for Senator Sanders to tone it down and stop criticizing her.”

Others agree but Sanders, not intimidated, rails on, like Trump. In fact, Sanders refers to the Washington District of Corruption political stalemates as a Congress and a President which has produced:

“A steady state of sludge.”

Time for more change, more radical change says Bernie, more radical than Obama and much more radical that Clinton will bring to the Presidency, so he says. At the very least, Sanders has indeed energized the Democratic Party which six short months ago was nothing more than Hillary. In fact, Sanders popularity has pushed the supposedly center-leftist Clinton further, and in some cases much further to the left perhaps with an eye on some of the tenets of socialism trying her best to neutralize at least to some extent the Senator from Vermont.

A voter can only wonder how much more the government can do. How much more can the government provide, support and entitle. A shocking fact is that 50% of we the people are subsidized by federal or state governments. 50%! Those subsidies and entitlements include:

1. SOCIAL SECURITY
2. MEDICARE
3. MEDICAID
4. UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
5. OBAMACARE
6. EDUCATION

Among others.

No matter such socialism at work, Sanders wants more, MORE CHANGE, things more radical, anti-capitalism, greater government control of this country’s and consequently the world’s finances, something more than Obama, different than Obama who comes at least in part from some of the most radical progressive and socialistic thinking ever in the form of Saul Alinsky. Clinton on the other hand seems anxious to continue what Obama has started and in fact emphasizes current Democrat-Obama policies and principles at best promising to push them left to some extent, though not as much as Sanders. If Bernie Sanders were elected President, we the people would not recognize our country in four years. We would indeed turn from a Democracy to a nation fundamentally socialistic and permanently so. Ronald Reagan reminds us that socialism only works in two places:

HEAVEN WHERE THEY DON’T NEED
AND HELL WHERE THEY ALREADY HAVE IT

What do you think about Bernie Sanders, and Sanders versus Clinton? What do you think about ever-growing socialism in America and what America should be for your future and the future of your children and grandchildren? What do you think?

Sanders has said that if he wins the Democrat nomination for President, he would seriously consider, even like to nominate Elizabeth Warren, Senator from Massachusetts as his running mate. Warren is deeply progressive, liberal-radical and what a socialist pair they would be. Clinton on the other hand has said nothing about a running mate due in part to the fact that she can not be sure of the nomination at this point. We have a fascinating political six months ahead of us, do we not my fellow Americans? Four of those months will likely see a BATTLE ROYALE between Clinton and Trump for the most important position in the entire world. Assuming those choices, who would you vote for, and more importantly, WHY?

But what exactly does Bernie Sanders believe? He is socialistic to the core but how would our Constitutional rights, our blessed freedoms and our Amendments be CHANGED?

9 out of 10 Americans think that the most important issue facing America is:

THE ECONOMY
EMPLOYMENT

And bringing jobs back to America from overseas. Sanders responds claiming that as many as 20 million high paying jobs must be brought back to America so that in his words:

THE AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS WILL NOT BE DESTROYED!

Sanders goes on to state:

“In Vermont and throughout the country it is not uncommon for people to be working two or three jobs just to cobble together enough income to survive on and some healthcare benefits.”

Sanders believes strongly in unions, protectionism and rails against free trade, which provides far too many benefits for foreign countries robbing American of jobs and employment opportunities.

Sanders rails against POVERTY. He criticizes Washington for producing phony numbers, politically driven and especially with regard to UNEMPLOYMENT. Sanders states the following:

“The truth is that real unemployment is not the 5.4% you read in newspapers (or from the government. It is close to 11% if you include those workers who have given up looking for jobs or who are working part-time when they want to work full-time. Youth unemployment is over 17% and African-American young unemployment is much higher than that.”

So many Americans agree. The Washington establishment lies to we the people when it comes to the fundamental state of our economy and especially unemployment and jobs. America, says Sanders, has 45 million people living in poverty, that is below the poverty line in constant need of subsidy and support from governments federal and state. If Obama has been criticized for the redistribution of wealth, Sanders would take it to the next level.

Sanders goes further stating that he has introduced legislation which would invest ONE TRILLION DOLLARS over five years to modernize our country’s physical infrastructure and create, he says, 13 million good paying jobs. He does not, however, bother to tell us how that one trillion dollars would be raised but he really doesn’t have to, now does he.

Bernie Sanders would raise MINIMUM WAGE to $15 per hour, that so over the next several years. California, for example, has already done that, raising the current minimum wage in escalated fashion over four years so that by 2021 its minimum wage will be $15. Many employers large and small recoil and fear a disastrous economic impact, greatly improving the cost of the production of goods and services which of course will be paid for by the consumer. Nonetheless, Sanders presses on.

The Senator from Vermont promises to close the pay equity gap for women. He claims that women earn $0.78 on the dollar compared to men who perform the same work. He cites no facts or illustrations and promises to revise laws with respect to overtime, sick leave and, in novel fashion GUARANTEED VACATION TIME FOR ALL. Sounds good, but again, he fails to tell us who will pay for all of this good stuff.

Even more, Sanders would expand social security and other safety nets. He would expand social security benefits and would have government provided universal pre-K education for all of the children of this country. But he doesn’t stop there. He turns his attention to college education and states the following:

“That is why as President I will fight to make tuition in public colleges and universities FREE as well as substantially lower interest rates on student loans.”

Student loans are already a mammoth expense, a serious debt burden for our country and Sanders would expand that. Guess who pays for that, my fellow Americans.

And as with all socialists, Sanders then turns his attention to TAXES. And of course, the rich must pay more. Sanders recommends much higher taxes than even the radical Obama has. In at least one proposal, Sanders has suggested that the top income tax rates should be at or about 55% for individual, and rather than lowering corporate tax rates, Sanders would increase them and would provide more taxes and penal legislation for corporations which move assets, jobs or monies overseas, out of the country. Sanders then makes the audacious statement:

“That is why we need a tax system which is fair and progressive (read drastically higher) which makes wealthy individuals and profitable corporations begin to pay their fair share of taxes.”

Then come the banks, the big ones. Break them up. Break up these financial casinos which “gamble trillions in risky financial instruments” among others.

Sanders says:

“If a bank is too big to fail, it is too big to exist.”

Sounds ominous for Wall Street, does it not.

And away with free trade and the reintroduction of tariffs and protectionism which Sanders claims will bring back ten million jobs to the United States. And even more from him, much more. Sounds like a man to be reckoned with, a scary one. If Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont, an avowed-radical socialist were elected President of the United States, America as we now know it would be gone with the wind. There are many, millions who want that to happen. Are you one of those Americans? We have, for the first time perhaps ever in the history of American politics, choices, real choices for our country. We have had in past elections CONSERVATISM-LITE from the Republicans and LIBERALISM-LITE from the Democrats. Trump promises an energized and fundamentally changed Republicanism, conservatism only where it works and Sanders promises aggressive socialism, liberalism gone radical. Where do you stand, my fellow Americans? What do you think, in what do you believe and how will you vote? You will get some, perhaps much of Bernie Sanders-socialism in Hillary Clinton and you will get a brand new form of Republicanism under Donald Trump. One or the other will be your choice in 2016. So, how will you vote?

More than ever, it is so critical that YOU-ALL OF US understand the issues which are far more important than either candidate and how you will vote not only for them, but for House and Senate as well. No matter what happens, we will have further change in this great country with the ever-growing possibility of radical change.

So, my fellow Americans, you must:

VOTE

You must. You can not stay on the sidelines for NOT TO ACT (vote) is to act. It is your country and perhaps for the last time you may have a vote which either produces more radical change or a vote which causes America to:

CHANGE BACK

You now have a Republic driven by principles of Democracy:

IF YOU CAN KEEP IT

My fellow Americans. So:

WILL YOU KEEP IT
OR
WILL YOU LOSE IT?

Share this post