As Long As We're “Thinking Big”...

The Bernie Blog would like to welcome our first contributor who asks us to "think big" about Bernie Sanders.

As Long As We're “Thinking Big”...

by Philip Morrison 

Bernie Sanders has published more bold proposals for America's problems than any presidential candidate in my memory.  By doing so and by telling us, his supporters, to “think big”, he has supplied a wonderful scaffolding on which to create fantastic dreamscapes.  Here is my creation which builds on some of the great man's ideas.

Election reform:  

    -- Overturn Citizen's United (Bernie's idea).

    -- Make federal elections exclusively publicly funded (Bernie's idea).

    -- Have a national holiday for voting (Bernie's idea).

   --  Destroy the revolving door by banning candidates who have worked for lobbying organizations in the last ten years, (Sorry to see you go, John Kasich—not!) Banning office-holders from joining lobbying organizations for ten years after they hold office. 

    -- Abolish the Electoral College. The President should be elected by popular vote.  (Expansion on Bernie's idea.)

     -- All House of Representative district lines for all states should be drawn by an independent federal commission. (California and Arizona have their district lines drawn by an independent commission.)

     -- Take the execution of federal elections out of state governments' hands.  (Just an idea: The U.S. Postal Service's post offices could serve as our polling places.)  How much state government-inflicted corruption of the voting process for federal elections would be eliminated by this idea?

     -- Standardize voting machines, periods where candidates could campaign, and voting days.

Financial Reform:

     -- Break up the Big Banks (Bernie's idea).

     -- Have the USPS provide banking services (Bernie's idea).

     -- Pass a new version of the Glass–Steagall Act. (Bernie is co-sponsor of Elizabeth Warren's bill.)  

     -- Use the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to break up monopolies/oligopolies in every economic sector.  Let's see what happens when we trade our current laissez-faire capitalism for the real deal.

     -- Cap the pay of CEOs/CFOs/Management.

Trade:

     -- Reverse our trade policies which favor corporations over American labor: NAFTA, CAFTA, WTO, China's favored status (Bernie's idea).

     -- Can you say tariff?  Tariff the heck out of countries that manipulate their currencies, use forced labor, or ban/terrorize labor unions.

     -- Start a campaign to see how close America can come to creating everything we consume.  Start by bringing the steel and textile factories back. 

There's more where that came from, but I have a feeling I've exceeded my limit of words!  Also, I can't be the only idea person around here.  Why don't some of you try to expand on Bernie's already grand vision in these areas or others?

Bio: Web programmer Philip Morrison hails from Canton, North Carolina. His hobby is songwriting: “I've got one called GOP Hypocrisy which Bernie supporters might like. I think Bernie would see it as negative campaigning, however.” :)