Taking America Back

This week we hear from a variety of voices expressing a feeling  that Americans haven't lost their optimistic ideals--our ideals have been taken away from us by forces oblivious to the real damage they've created. It's time to "take America back" from those who would harm her in the name of greed, hate and selfishness. It's time to restore America to her greatness and to her people.

The Real Reason Millennials Want Bernie
by Ryan Hlavacek
I am a Millennial. I am voting for Bernie Sanders. I do not want "free stuff." I just wanted to clarify that point since apparently that is the only reason we "kids" are voting for Bernie. The claim that young people are only voting for Bernie because we are lazy and want things handed to us is both insensitive and flat out wrong.

The real reason Millennials are eager to get Mr. Sanders into the White House has more to do with the fact that our lives as adults have been littered with mistakes by our government, which has left the deck stacked heavily against us. These mistakes have made young people especially pessimistic about government, with little trust for those we see as being in power. From the Iraq war to social issue after social issue, young people today see politics and politicians through jaded lenses. Enter Bernie Sanders. This crotchety senator, old enough to be some of our grandfathers, has struck a chord with Millennials. He has stood up for us, and championed the many issues that we see as important. Free public colleges, equal rights, raising the minimum wage--these issues ring strong with the generation that was taught “if you work hard and go to college, you will find your way to the American middle class,” a lesson that many of us to know to be anything but true. His stance on social and racial justice seem almost obvious to young people. Equal rights for all is an area where I would personally like to see another generation claim to be more progressive than Millennials. 

It’s also rather ironic that the group most critical of Millennials, the Baby Boomers, grew up reaping the benefits of our greatest Democratic president, FDR. His economic policies led to a booming economy, resulting in one of the most comfortable living statuses in American history. 

Well guess what Boomers? FDR was just as “socialist” as Bernie Sanders. FDR fought for those who couldn't fight for themselves. He instated policies that helped all the people, not just those on the top. FDR paved the road for the Baby Boomers to have the opportunity to succeed, and that is all Millennials want. We want that same opportunity and to have a government that works for all people. Let’s not also forget that it was the Boomers who were greatly responsible for the election of Ronald Reagan, who started the ball rolling towards the obstacles that Millennials face today.

Millennials have an outlook on the social and political climate of America that hasn't been seen since the 1960s. We are not happy. We have played by the rules and not seen the results. We are not begging for hand outs; we are asking for an opportunity. An opportunity to see a government that works for all of us. We have a chance to get that opportunity, but we will work for it. We will work for it by voting for Bernie Sanders.

Bio: Ryan works for Bernie2016TV.  Both his online commentary and his beard have become legendary.

Bernie's Plans on Climate Change Will Take America Back to its Position as Global Leader

by Joe Brunoli 
a.k.a. The EuroYankee

I grew up in the 1970s when America was leading the world in green technology and environmentalism. The ozone layer was disappearing, and we solved the problem by leading the world in eliminating CFCs.

Jimmy Carter had a program under which homeowners would get a tax deduction for installing solar heating panels on their roof. While in college I actually had a summer job selling these systems. They were very popular! And our President led by example as well: Carter installed solar heating panels on the roof of the White House.

Under Carter, America started to move to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, and lead-free gasoline was introduced to work together with catalytic converters to lower the pollution caused by automobile exhaust.

Then Ronald Reagan was elected. Almost on the first day, he ripped out the solar panels on the White House and set about getting America back into the fossil fuel camp. SUVs were introduced, and the size of American cars swung to the other end of the size spectrum.

When I graduated college, I got my first job as European Sales Representative for Allied Signal, an American company that made catalysts for automobiles. The US was 15 years ahead of Europe in clean-car technology, and we sold our catalysts to Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Renault, Peugeot and FIAT. I must say it was a wonderful feeling to be respected as an American by my colleagues and customers: respected for the technology that only America could have pioneered.

Sadly, those days are gone. America is now “Number 1” among advanced countries only in areas like gun violence, obesity, military spending and, of course, the denial of climate change.

Bernie Sanders has a plan to take America back to our rightful place as a pioneer and an innovator in clean technology. Under Bernie’s leadership, the US will lead the world once again in stewarding the planet. America can and will become the “indispensable nation” not just in terms of military security but also in climate security. The world needs radical change in terms of our relationship with the planet and our environment. The world is counting on America not just to develop the technologies we need, but also to, once more, provide a shining example of what can be achieved when American ingenuity is combined with sensible public policy.

 #FeelTheBern – Bernie2016!

Bio: Joe Brunoli, a.k.a. The EuroYankee, is a US ex-pat with dual US-EU citizenship. Originally from Connecticut, Joe currently splits his time between his ancestral residence on Lake Como, Italy, and his apartment in Barcelona, Spain. He travels Europe extensively for his work and tries to find time to comment on trends, attitudes, politics and points of interest - especially as they may affect or regard the US. 

 This Woman is Bernie Strong!

a weekly commentary from Bernie Sanders' female supporters

This week we'll read the first part of a letter written to Hillary Clinton from a Bernie supporter from California, Allison Place.

Dear Mrs. Clinton,

Instead of condemning young females for not supporting you, perhaps you should look into the issues of why young females are not supporting you. To say that we support Mr. Sanders because “that’s where all the young boys are” as  stated by Gloria Steinem is simply insulting, and you of all people should understand the damage this sort of rhetoric can do.

 Your image in politics serves great purpose to inspire women to have a voice and to get involved in the political process, but that does not subject us to having to vote for you. We aren’t going to vote for you because you’re owned by Wall Street. (Why would we vote for someone that answers to men before us, the very people you are trying to get us away from voting for?) You have an appallingly bad plan for foreign policy. Your experience, though vast, really doesn’t offer a flattering picture of your capabilities, and for many reasons, you have proven yourself untrustworthy in the eyes of the American people.

Madeleine Albright so lavishly took to the stage for you this past weekend, in an attempt to sway young feminists in igniting a “real” revolution, and to that I say, “Wrong.” A revolution requires change. You are a moderate, and you don’t really desire change in the political system. Things are going pretty well for you the way the current political system stands. You asked for $300,000 to speak at a public university (UCLA), the very institutions you say prices must be lowered for students. You say that America cannot respond to corporate interests, and yet you're entangled in a mesh of commitments to various sectors of Wall Street. You attempt to utilize the rhetoric that works so well for Mr. Sanders and try to apply it to your own campaign. To your chagrin, however, you’ve probably noticed  it doesn’t work. 

Bio: Allison Place says this about herself:
"I am 19 years old; I am a Media Studies major at UC Berkeley; I have worked in social media brand management. I am from Redding (the most conservative county in California). My support for Bernie and my interest in politics took off once I came to UC Berkeley for school. Ever since Bernie started running, I have been considering a minor or double major in political science. I usually write comedy articles for my blog, but since getting more involved in politics I do a mix of both comedy and political pieces now."

Here's the story of another young woman who supports Bernie Sanders and is using her design talents to help his campaign:

My name is Zahra Wright. I live in DC, I am a junior in high school, and I designed shirts in support of Bernie Sanders -- all proceeds will be donated to his campaign! I just recently created my website for the shirts: (www.booster.com/dc-4-bernie). I support Bernie Sanders for many reasons, but most importantly, as a young person, the prospect of attending college is exciting, except when you and all of your friends are facing six figures of student loan debt. I was hoping you could share my page with other Bernie supporters.

Glad to do so, Zahra. Isn't it inspiring to see how active and talented our young people are? Don't they deserve a chance to obtain a higher education? Bernie Sanders thinks so. #Feel the Bern and #VoteTogether Nevada and South Carolina in the coming days!