Representing Vermont in the House of Representatives for 16 years, from 1991 to 2006, and in the Senate since January 4, 2007, Bernie Sanders is the longest serving Independent in U.S. congressional history. Sanders ran for president in the 2016 election for the Democratic Party, and as a self-identified “democratic socialist,” his positions on social issues are very left of center. Bernie Sanders has a long history of fighting for LGBT equality. By the 1980s, Sanders was considered an ally to gay activists, and in June of 1983, he approved a resolution that declared June 25 to be Gay Pride Day. He strongly opposed the Clinton Administration’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which was instituted in 1994. In 1996, Bernie opposed the federal …show more content…
During his presidential campaign, Bernie has stated that he will appoint Supreme Court justices who support Roe v. Wade and women’s reproductive rights. He advocates for the expansion protection of reproductive rights by increasing funding for Planned Parenthood and the Title X family planning program. In 1993, Sanders co-sponsored the Freedom of Choice Act, which intended to stop states from restricting the right to “terminate pregnancy before fetal vitality, or at any time when the termination is necessary to protect a woman’s health.” In 2009, Bernie supported the Prevention First Act, which increases funding for family planning and access to birth control and tried to prevent STDs and unwanted pregnancies. He was also a cosponsor of the Protect Women’s Health from Corporate Interference Act of 2014, which ensured an employee’s independence in making decisions about contraception and other health services. This bill also guarantees that women have access to contraceptive coverage through employment-based insurance, and prevents employers from refusing to insure health coverage including birth control. Fighting for pay equity, Sanders also outlined his plan to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020 and raise the tipped minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2023. Women make up over 2/3 of all minimum wage workers and tipped workers. Bernie is a co-sponsor of the …show more content…
His policy initiatives included “whistleblower visas to workers who report abuse and employer violations, humanitarian parole to ensure the return of unjustly deported immigrants and unify broken families, and health coverage for immigrants under the Affordable Care Act.” In 2007, Sanders opposed the immigration bill from then-Senator Kennedy and Senator McCain, asserting that it would “drive down wages for lower-income workers.” The guest-worker program that was proposed in this bill would allow foreign workers to enter the United States in two-year periods, but “force them to leave for a year in between each renewal.” It gave these workers limited protections. Bernie worked with Republican Senator Grassley on a restrictive immigration amendment, banning companies “that have laid off workers en masse from being approved for new worker visas.” In 2013, he voted for the 2013 bill for lower-skilled immigrant workers, an agreement between labor and the United States Chamber of Commerce; he hoped to see improvements in the guest-worker programs that hurt American jobseekers. Sanders’ position on immigration is less aggressive compared to his Democratic competitors Hillary Clinton,
Bernie Sanders is running for President of the United States of America as a democratic candidate. His competition for the primary elections is Hillary Clinton, a well-known politician with plenty of experience under her belt. Bernie is running as a non-traditional candidate, which is a main factor of why his campaign is extremely successful and popular with the American people. A recent political ad released by Sander’s campaign team called “Real Change” emphasizes his family values and dedication to the working class, fighting for the votes of the average American. The ad implies Bernie is the right man for the job due to his long history of experience and commitment to the issues he believes in. This political ad illustrates how Bernie
The definition of grit is simple; it means being passionate about long term goals, and showing stamina to pursue them, but should students in public schools have a class dedicated to a grit-focused curriculum? This has become a major topic of discussion among teachers and mentors. Angela Duckworth, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, claims grit is not a fixed quality but one that can be developed. Many disagree with her statement. Grit is something everyone all have within themselves, but some just do not utilize this characteristic as often or as well as others. Grit is a puzzling concept. Duckworth has had an obsession with grit for over a decade. Her obsession started when she visited West Point,
Bernie Sanders is promising an opportunity to all Americans to obtain healthcare. Universal health care will be a great relief for those who do not have health care and cannot afford it. Many people and families go on living without having health care because it is too expensive. For those who do not have Health care, are constantly in fear knowing that if they get sick, it complicates the situation of where to go and get help or better themselves because it is so expensive for them. As of right now, there are approximately Over Thirty-Three Million Americans that still do not have insurance, Seven million, which happen to be immigrants coming from poor families. (Barry-Jester, Casselman). Bernie Sander believes “ Health care is a right, not a privilege.” (Sanders). He stands for equal treatment, everyone should be able to obtain health care at a reasonable and affordable price so that all people can get the help that they need without having to struggle their way to pay for it. Not everyone chooses where they are born and what family income they come from, it shouldn’t have to be that way with healthcare. The Affordable Care
Barack Obama reads a speech in Las Vegas that has a four part plan for “common sense” comprehensive immigration reform proposal states strength borders, seek companies that hire undocumented workers Third, require undocumented workers to pay their taxes and a penalty, move to the back of the line, learn English, and pass background checks. Lastly, streamline the legal immigration system for families, workers, and employer” (Reuters 2013) An example of a bill provision would be of immigrants who want to change their status from illegal to legal would have to demonstrate an understanding of English. Obama is essentially letting the public know that if they get their comprehensive plan through congress will sign it, but if Congress refuses to act he will send his own bill and expect a vote on it. It’s evident that undocumented workers will boost the economy on several accounts. For example, undocumented workers do not invest in any big tickets like houses and property, as they fu...
After the protest in New York City, the issue of raising the minimum wage has come up once again. Seattle is spearheading this cause with a proposal of raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour. This will help minimum wage workers a great deal by increasing their income. However, there are concern that this move could hurt certain businesses, which can lead to higher unemployment and contraction of the economy. The ethical issue surfaced as this will benefit some at the expense of other.
“Man masters nature not by force but by understanding. This is why science has succeeded where magic failed: because it has looked for no spell to cast over nature”. From the beginning of time man and nature has been in conflict with one another because, as a whole, there is no cooperating. Each one tirelessly wants its way. The Man is fighting for dominance and nature w never yielding its authority. In American Literature, many authors illustrate this theme in their writing. Specifically the writers Jack London in The Law Of Life, Stephen Crane The Open Boat and Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Fin. Each explores the relationship between humans and nature but with slightly different methods. Mark Twain uses nature in a realistic way, Jack London in a naturalistic way and Stephen Crane constitutes a combination of both.
My fellow Westport citizens, Martin O’Malley announced his candidacy for the 2016 presidential elections on May 30th. O’Malley was born and raised in Washington, D.C. and since then has held many government jobs; his most recent being: governor of Maryland. He has fought for many issues, such as gun control; which is a widely supported topic in Connecticut. He created a proposal for a ban on assault weapons and a requirement for gun owners to license their weapons. He is dedicated to his work and demonstrates his ability to act on certain ideas, such as gun control.
Have you ever felt stuck? Wherever you are, it’s the absolute last place you want to be. In the book Into the Wild, Chris McCandless feels stuck just like the average everyday person may feel. Chris finds his escape plan to the situation and feels he will free himself by going off to the wild. I agree with the author that Chris McCandless wasn’t a crazy person, a sociopath, or an outcast because he got along with many people very well, but he did seem somewhat incompetent, even though he survived for quite some time.
Colin Robinsons expresses that Sanders is a democrat and has democratic views, and will vote for democrats more so than another party (Robinson 40). Advocate Adolph Reed sees possibilities for Bernie Sanders policies, like basic economic demands (raising minimum wage), universal health care, offering free college to students and fighting for racial equality (Robinson
From her first official campaign video to her recent speeches, she has tried to bill herself as a progressive Democratic candidate. This has suffered a blow due to Sanders' part in the race. As a self-identified "democratic socialist," Bernie Sanders is far to the left of Clinton, making her progressive pitch harder to make. But nothing is quite making a dent in her polished brass facade like her recent comments on China. Reuters reported on her Saturday speech during a campaign stop in New Hampshire where she accused China of cyber attacking America.
... great need to put a new policy into effect, which addressed the changing immigration issues of family, visas, workforce, citizenship and other legal matters. In June 2013, the U.S. Senate approved a policy called S.744 which is called “The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013”. This reform bill will now be sent to the U.S. House of Representatives. The majority of the Republican Party is expected to oppose this bill. This reform includes, as Traurig and Reiff (2013) stated, “A path to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants, an innovative temporary worker program, increased visa numbers for skilled foreign workers, and a nationwide employment eligibility verification system”. One thing is for certain; we can all agree that immigration reform is a must. It is apparent that his bill is a step in the right direction.
As president, Bernie Sanders promises to reduce income and wealth inequality by 13 main factors, some including that the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share in taxes, increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15, creating 1 one million jobs for disadvantaged young Americans, by signing the Paycheck Fairness Act into law for women should get equal pay, and other important variables regarding income and wealth inequality. Sanders wishes to fulfill many solutions when it comes to the reoccurring issues in this country of America (Bernie Sanders). The important questions of our time need to be answered and Bernie has the way to a better future for generations to come through and live without many worries. Issues that need to be addresses are the ones on racial justice, LGBT rights, women’s rights, the care for our veterans, climate change, the wage the average family lives on, making college tuition free and debt free, reforming wall street, war and peace, and more (Bernie Sanders). The rights Sanders is willing to fight for the minority of Americans, such as LGBT, African Americans, Hispanics, etc., can have a major impact on his votes, for all votes matter, that even the smallest group of Americans can be all or nothing.
Socialism is a social and economic system where the means of productions are shared indivisibly throughout the community or enterprise rather than in the names of a few individuals. Or more simply put Socialists believe that the Chief Executives of a corporation are not the ones who deserve the big pay check. They believe that the working men and women deserve more money because they are they ones out in the field doing the work. The main goal of socialism is to more evenly distribute the wealth. They care more about having more people living comfortably than just a few individuals getting wealthy. Socialist ideas in todays politics are what they believe will make it easier for Americans to live in America.
Politics is one of the most debated topics in the country today. With the wide variety of values present in America, it is bound to be a difficult topic to discuss. I’ve grown up in a family of democrats with religiously republican grandparents. Considering myself an Independent leaning democratic, I can usually calmly talk politics with my family. This year’s election has made any conversation surrounding politics toxic to my family and creates a large argument of one side or the other and no in between.
From the conservative side, social welfare is a necessary evil for extreme circumstances, but the more far left attitude towards social welfare, one where the state and market operate hand in hand, as opposed to being as estranged as possible, is not necessarily as catastrophic as might be expected by Americans. The current European economic crisis, besides the collapse of the Soviet Union, is often pointed to as the premier example of how government involvement in markets is catastrophic. However, it is not necessarily the case that welfare spending caused the collapse (Krugman, 2012). The welfare states were criticized for slower economic growth, but their abundance of social safety nets also helped to slow down the recession (Bennhold, 2009). It has not been proven that what Americans consider an excess of social welfare is as deleterious to the society and economy as is assumed.