It's Not Just Us -- The World Feels the Bern!

It's not just us--the world feels the Bern! It truly does. The submissions we've received over the past year have come from all over the planet. "Berners" are found all over the globe, and yes, it's been almost one year since The Bernie Blog began. Next week we'll celebrate that particular anniversary, but this week we have another very important anniversary to announce:

Happy Anniversary Jane and Bernie!

 Aw, ain't those lovebirds cute? 

Best wishes for many more happy years of marriage, Jane and Bernie! Many Berners donated $28 to Bernie's campaign on the May 28 for Jane and Bernie's 28th anniversary.  What gift could be more appropriate? (Did we set yet another fundraising record? Probably!)

Let's begin our trip around the world and across the "Berniverse" of Bernie supporters with our first stop: Australia.



Here's what Tai Sui has to say about their song for Bernie:

Feel the Bern--Bernie Sanders Song

Alexis -- Tai Sui

 www.facebook.com/taisuimusic

Bernie Sanders represents a type of leadership that arises in society when we find ourselves both individually and collectively faced with the tough question, "Are we content with things remaining in their current state, or is there some form of change required ?" It's a question that many of us find both confusing and unsettling, as there are many variables to consider and inevitable risks involved, regardless of the ultimate decision made.

 America is one of many countries around the world who is currently amidst a time of great deliberation and systemic restructure. Like the transitional metamorphosis that we see in the animal world, we too must participate in an evolutionary process that requires us to shed that which no longer serves us or the greater community by which we are part of.

 Bernie Sanders has been the metaphorical stone cast into the lake, his long standing progressive ideology and impassioned values on equality have rippled far beyond the constraints of geographical location and perhaps further than opposing parties had initially anticipated. Shock! There are blatant constraints and deviate misappropriation of the facts on mainstream media and as such, you may or may not be aware that people from all corners of the globe are rallying and becoming actively engaged in this particular movement. Why you may ask? Because Senator Bernie Sanders has provoked within ourselves the need to ask the big questions: Where are our national leaders who speak and advocate with such honesty? Who is representing our needs and acting on behalf of those in our community who do not have a voice?

 As we watch on from Australia, we are truly envious of the gift that presents itself to your country in the form of a meritorious and gallant 74-year-old gentleman who displays more integrity, candor and compassion towards his fellow citizens than we have ever witnessed from any political leader in our country.  Leadership should never have to be granted based on a choice between a lesser of evils, yet sadly this is the common practice in current campaigns all over the world. We find ourselves asking the questions: Who will do the least amount of damage? Who is least likely to commit us to war? Who is less of a liar?

 We wanted to proactively contribute to this campaign because of its strong focus on equality, compassion, human rights and care for the community as a collective. These are considered extremely relevant issues regardless of ones birthplace or societal status. Our song Feel the Bern has been donated and can be freely used for the Bernie Sanders campaign.  To our brothers and sisters in America, we wish you all the very best in the coming months ahead.  This campaign has ignited a fire within so many us, and we will be drawing upon the inspiration of Bernie Sanders and those alike to continue our fight for equality and sustainability for future generations. 

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And now a trip to the Netherlands for a word from an ex-pat who sees the strength in Bernie's leadership on health care. 

Clinton vs. Sanders: 

A Matter of Style
by George Oeser

As the Democratic primary race has tightened nationwide, my Facebook feed has been filled with angry rants from both Clinton and Sanders supporters. (I freely admit that some of those rants were my own.) As I have thought about the two candidates, though, my anger has subsided a bit. While there are good reasons to vote for either candidate, there is one important difference that has helped me to make my decision and might help you with your decision as well. That difference is the opposite political style of the candidates.

Style is a word that sounds frivolous in this context, but I think it is the word that works best. I'm not talking about hair or clothing, I am talking about the candidates' approach to governance, and their approaches are considerably different.

Let's look at health care for an example of this difference and why it matters.

Hillary Clinton's daughter Chelsea Clinton made a speech for her mother's campaign in which she said Bernie Sanders wants to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. This was a bit disingenuous, as it made it sound like Sanders wants to return to the completely broken system that existed before the ACA was passed. In fact, he wants to expand health care coverage and lower costs by instituting a single payer system, but the statement said a lot about the political style of the candidates.

Hillary Clinton would claim that Sanders is a radical with his head in the clouds. There is no way he could get a single payer system passed through Congress. However, she says this in a way that implies trying to put a single payer system in effect would destroy the ACA. I believe that it would do just the opposite. Even if Sanders failed to implement a single payer system just the effort put into trying would do a considerable amount to protect the ACA. Let me tell you why.

As soon as the ACA became law, Republicans started to attack it. A lot of Democrats seem to take a bit of joy in the fact that the Republicans keep failing to repeal the ACA, but we shouldn't get too cocky. The Republicans have already managed to reduce the effectiveness of the ACA with a US Supreme Court case in which a majority of the justices ruled that states could not be required to expand their Medicaid programs. 

In my home state of Tennessee, this has meant many still can't find health care they can afford. This means that they are being fined for not having health care, which also means they still can't afford to go to the doctor or hospital when they need care, which means that hospitals in Tennessee are laying off health care workers or shutting down completely because they aren't receiving an increase in patients to compensate them for the reductions in Medicare payments required by the ACA. 

So yes, the Republicans have failed to repeal the law, but that doesn't mean they haven't done quite a bit of damage to it and limited its effectiveness. We should also remember that an attempt to repeal the law didn't just pass in the House, it also passed in the Senate. Luckily it didn't pass with a high enough margin to make it veto proof, but it is a sign that the Republicans could be getting closer to their goal. So how will Clinton and Sanders respond to this?

Clinton seems to be interested in taking a defensive position to deal with this issue. She wants to continue to hold off the Republican attacks on the ACA with her veto power and rallying Democrats in Congress to not vote for the Republican bills. This has worked so far for President Obama, but we don't know that it would continue to work for Clinton. Clinton is not well liked by Republicans, in fact they may dislike her even more than President Obama. Putting the word "president" in front of Hillary Clinton's name is only going to enrage them even more. She may face a tougher fight than Obama has to protect the ACA, and we have no idea how many Democrats there will be in Congress to help her. 

We know it would be almost impossible for Democrats to gain a majority in the House because of gerrymandering and regaining a majority in the Senate will not be at all easy. We could even lose seats in both houses. This could mean Clinton would have a massive battle on her hands that we can't be certain she will win.

Sanders, on the other hand, wants to introduce legislation to set up a single payer system. If he succeeds, we will have a new health care system that will provide universal coverage, lower costs and might even find support in the business sector as it would prevent them from having to provide health insurance to their employees and create considerable savings for them. Of course, it will face a very negative response from Republicans and no one could say with a straight face that it would be an easy piece of legislation to pass. Of course, just focusing on if it could pass or not doesn't tell the entire story.

Under a Clinton presidency, Republicans would be free to put considerable time and effort into repealing or weakening the ACA, and they might wind up being successful. Under a Sanders presidency, the Republicans wouldn't be able to focus on repealing or weakening the ACA because they would be forced to fight against Sanders' single payer plan. If Sanders' plan didn't pass, well guess what? We would still have the ACA in effect. We might also, as the fight against the single payer plan unfolded, manage to get the Republicans to agree to some measures strengthening the ACA in order to prevent a single payer plan from taking effect. In other words, the Republicans would have to stop fighting to move us backwards on health care and instead would have to fight against moving forward on health care. 

I like our odds in that fight a whole lot more, and I believe if nothing else Sanders' single payer plan would effectively safeguard the ACA from future attacks, at least for a while.

Of course Sanders' style of playing offense has advantages across the board. We have to try for more to even know what we can get. If we keep the Republicans in a defensive stance, if we make them fight against progress and fight against making people's lives better, their popularity will suffer. If we go with Clinton and take a primarily defensive position, it puts the programs we support in peril. We give the Republicans a strong advantage. You can only score when you have the ball. We have let the Republicans hold on to the ball for far too long.
 
Democrats have taken the position as fighters for a long time. It is time we have a leader instead of a fighter. Political style makes a tremendous difference, and I believe that Bernie Sanders has the exact style we need right now.  

Bio: George Oeser is a photographer, born and raised in Tennessee but currently living in the Netherlands. He spends much of his time thinking about how much he misses good Southern food.

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This Woman is Bernie Strong!

a weekly commentary from a female Bernie supporter

 An Alternate Campaign Tactic 

To Fight Mainstream Media Distortions

 by Rose Benson

Here is a way to campaign for Bernie, it's simple and requires minimal time - with good results. It's easier if one uses social media.

The mainstream corporate media is discounting and/or dismissing Bernie as a possible nominee. The articles, even in more reputable publications, are focusing on Hillary as the Democratic candidate. Mainstream media is using techniques that twist the facts and cause people to believe that it is all over for Bernie. One common misrepresentation is to refer to delegate votes as the collective of both superdelegate and actual delegate votes. This makes it look as though Hillary is only a few votes away from winning the nomination. Many people don't understand the delegate process and believe what they are told.

I recommend we provide accurate information in the comments section for each article we read that contains such distortions. We can reference reputable polls, to correct media errors and distortions: 

-- Reputable poll references - http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/
-- In truth, neither candidate is likely to secure the 2383 delegates required to secure the nomination.
-- There are 781 pledged delegates in the remaining primaries.
-- Hilary needs 615 delegates to win the nomination.
-- Sanders needs 889 delegates to win the nomination.
-- It's likely both will go to the DNC convention without attaining the 2383 delegates needed.

If more of us start commenting on misleading articles it will be very helpful to Bernie's campaign. I do it a couple of times per day. Many news outlets require sign in with Facebook or Twitter, others with just email. The more outrageously distorted sites don't allow comments at all.

In poll after poll, it is clear that Bernie can win over Trump. The problem is that people believe Hillary already has the cat in the bag in terms of the nomination. And she can't beat Trump. So people are starting to consider Trump because the media has convinced them that Bernie is out of the picture.  We need to change that perception.  Will you help me?

So far, I have had some positive feedback, and of course, a few nasty comments to my comments. But I believe and hope eyes can be opened by providing the facts, by educating the public.

*

Right you are, Rose. By providing facts, we are helping voters see the whole picture and not just the slanted view of the corporate propaganda machine. If we keep sharing the facts and keeping the discourse civil, eventually we will get through to rational voters who are tired of all the manufactured controversy and the very real corrupt activities surrounding certain candidates. (Bernie Sanders is a welcome breath of fresh air by comparison to the shenanigans of Clinton and Trump.) 

One way to share facts simply and effectively is by leaving the link to the Feel the Bern web site: www.feelthebern.org   It's a great way for voters to click on a particular issue that interests them and find out all about Bernie's stand on the issue and his history on the issue in just a few clicks.

#FeeltheBern and keep up the good work of presenting Bernie to the world in a positive manner, Berners. The last big primary week is soon upon us.. Get back to those phones!

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Let's end our trip around the Berniverse with a rousing song and testimony from our good friend from Ireland,  Manus Brennan. We'll rise and follow Bernie! (And continue phonebanking, Facebanking and canvassing, too.)

Why I Support Bernie Sanders for President, Part 2

Why I Support Bernie Sanders for President, Part 2

By George Oeser

To recap:  I have been living in the Netherlands. The time I have spent here has allowed me to see, first hand, what happens when a country takes a different path than America: To see the results of certain policies and programs with my own eyes instead of just watching what one talking head or another with a particular agenda has to say on TV. I have been surprised by many of the things I have seen here, and my mind has changed on several issues. It has affected who I will be voting for. I hope you can find this information valuable to your own decision making process. 

People in the Netherlands work hard and take risks, not because of a lack of a safety net but because a strong safety net exists. In America, if you start a new business and it fails, you can lose everything. This prevents many people from starting a new business or trying to turn their ideas into great new inventions. The rewards may be great, but the risks are just too high. In Holland, you know that if your business fails you at least will still be able to feed and house your family and send your kids to college. This makes taking risks much more worthwhile. The entrepreneurial spirit is very much alive and well in Holland.

In Holland, almost everyone speaks English extremely well, along with their native Dutch and often times German and French as well. This allows the Netherlands to be very competitive in the global market. This is only possible because the Dutch place great importance on education. Schools are well funded; teachers are well paid; higher education is kept affordable. All of this allows the Netherlands to be a center of high tech industry and a world leader in innovation. 

The Dutch education system is amazing. Children go to schools that are funded by the government but normally run by private organizations. Often times these are religious organizations or civic groups that are required to meet government regulations while at the same time being allowed to bring their own culture into the educational process. Higher education is also funded by the government through a series of exceptionally high quality universities and technical schools. Higher education is not free, but costs are regulated so that everyone can afford to get an education if they choose to. 

You need well-educated people to compete and lead in the world today. America is falling behind in this area. Sure, we have of the best paid college presidents and coaches in the world, but many students can’t afford college or are forced into crushing debt to attend, and our country has suffered as a consequence. 

In Holland, seeing your primary physician never costs you a penny. This means that people are willing to go to the doctor sooner, which means a simple problem can be kept from turning into a serious condition. This also means less sick days and a more productive workforce. Adding to the high productivity levels are a minimum of four weeks paid vacation per year, paid maternity leave, and higher wages that make employees willing to work harder because they don't feel like they are being cheated every time they see one of their pay stubs. This allows more families to have a parent who is able to be at home with the kids at all times, which of course is better for the children who become the next generation of well-educated, well-paid, and highly motivated workers and entrepreneurs. 

Workers in the Netherlands are pretty much just as productive as workers in America, but American full time workers put in an average of 46.7 hours a week while Dutch workers average just 29 hours per week. Think about overtime pay and regular pay combined—are American companies really saving money by paying their employees less and offering them fewer benefits?

I know what many of you are thinking: “What about taxes?” It is true that taxes are considerably higher in the Netherlands than in the United States, no doubt about that. But to stop the conversation there wouldn't tell the entire story. You have to compare the cost against the benefits. For example, if someone could move into a city and be closer to work, have more free time and spend less on fuel because of a shorter commute, spend more time with their family, get an extra hour of sleep every day, and generally live a higher quality of life, but they refused to do so because their rent would go up by 10%, something they could easily afford, you would think they were crazy. Americans should think the same way about taxes. 

Yes, taxes in the Netherlands are higher, but they result in lower healthcare costs, lower educational costs, lower transportation costs, a higher quality of life, and many other benefits that greatly outweigh the higher tax rates. The problem isn't high taxes—the  problem is feeling like you get nothing in return for your taxes. In America, we could lower our taxes by 90%, but if we didn't feel like we were getting anything for our money we would still think our taxes were too high. This is why the higher taxes aren't a big problem in the Netherlands. They feel like quite a bargain. 

While the national government of the Netherlands is quite strong, it does not hold all of the power. Local governments, the sections of the government closest to and most connected to the people, have considerable power. The national government may provide funding to local governments that has to be spent on roads or on education or on cultural initiatives, but the municipalities get to determine how those funds are specifically spent in their areas. This allows tax money to be spent in the most effective ways possible so it can benefit the largest number of people. 

As I mentioned earlier, I believe that we could learn a tremendous amount from a country like the Netherlands, but so far in the presidential race it only seems one candidate has paid attention to these lessons. Bernie Sanders has stood up for workers and American families. He supports policies that will benefit the middle class and help the poor work their way out of poverty. He is the only candidate who is not being supported by billionaire donors who want to maintain the current policies that are benefiting them in the short term but destroying America over time. This means he is the only candidate who can act on these lessons because he isn't beholden to the 1%.

Bernie  Sanders sees the ripple effects of policies.  Fight poverty and you can't help but be fighting racism at the exact same time. Increase educational opportunities and you increase business opportunities as well. Creating a better public transportation system creates more jobs and gives people more access to opportunities. All of these things could happen in America. All of these things could benefit everyone in America, even the wealthiest among us. Bernie Sanders wants to combine the best ideas from countries like Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands with the drive and ambition of America so that the United States can work better, be more efficient, and make opportunity available to everyone.

Bernie Sanders is the only candidate who wants to help America live up to its potential, and he is the only candidate who will be able to do anything other than simply serve the desires of the wealthy. Bernie Sanders is the one candidate who really understands and supports the American dream. That's why I support Sanders for president.

Bio: George Oeser is a photographer, born and raised in Tennessee but currently living in the Netherlands. He spends much of his time thinking about how much he misses good Southern food. His web site: George Oeser Photography

Why I Support Bernie Sanders for President, Part 1

"Bernie Gives the Poor in the United States a Voice Again."
In red it says, "Socialist Catches up to Hillary in Polls."
(The Dutch love Bernie!)

Why I Support Bernie Sanders for President

By George Oeser

America is a great country. Our history is far from perfect, but our people have a hopeful spirit, and we believe in our ability to accomplish things and move forward. We believe in entrepreneurship and innovation. We believe in taking risks and doing things differently. We celebrate the success of those who have achieved great things and believe that if our own list of successes is not that vast it is only because our time has not yet come. 

All of these things have led to America becoming what it is today—the wealthiest nation in the entire history of the world, a place where people have lifted themselves out of poverty to become titans of industry, and a place where we know that hard work combined with ambition and determination can make a real difference. We have freedoms and liberties undreamed of in some other countries, and we take great pride in who we are. This is why America is a great country, and it fills me with pride to be an American.

   

I am also filled with sadness to see all of this threatened by a government controlled by individuals who care less about what makes America great and more about what increases the size of their personal bank accounts. We are now in the midst of a presidential campaign, one that started off looking as though we would have no choice other than to elect someone who was a wealthy, well-connected member of a political dynasty, one who would continue the status quo and push us further down the path that has led us to our current position. 

Luckily for America this election has turned out to be much more interesting and lively than anyone could have expected. It looks like we may wind up having a real choice, a real chance to alter the path our nation is on. We might actually find that our votes don't have to be for just one side of the coin or the other. 

This is a great thing for America, if Americans put the effort into really learning about the issues we face and how the people running for president will respond to these issues. My own research into the issues and the possible solutions, along with which candidate stands for what, along with some additional information I have that many Americans don’t know, has led to select Bernie Sanders as the candidate who I think is best for America and her future.

Americans are faced with making a very important decision. We are being offered a real choice this time around and the outcome of this election will undoubtedly impact the future of our country in some very important ways. We will turn to the nightly news and our friends and coworkers to get their opinions. We can study the candidate's voting record or history in the business world. We can look for answers in the Bible or the Koran. We can listen to the speeches and late night talk show appearances the candidates make. All of these things can help each of us reach a decision on who to vote for, and I have been paying attention to all of them. 

I also have another set of information that I can rely on that isn't available to the average American, and I want to share this information with you so it can be included in your decision making. It might sway you or it may not, but what I have seen and experienced over the last couple of years makes me believe that it is very much worth considering, and that if we all included this information in our decision making process, it could be very beneficial for America.

 

The information I want to share comes from living outside of the United States for a couple of years. Specifically, I have been living in the Netherlands, a small country in Northern Europe wedged between Germany, Belgium, and the North Sea. The time I have spent here has allowed me to see, first hand, what happens when a country takes a different path than America: To see the results of certain policies and programs with my own eyes instead of just watching what one talking head or another with a particular agenda has to say on TV. I have been surprised by many of the things I have seen here, and my mind has changed on several issues. It has affected who I will be voting for. I hope you can find this information valuable to your own decision making process.

The Netherlands is a democracy with a very strong work ethic and capitalist background. In its colonial past, the Netherlands acquired new territory mainly through making business deals instead of through military force. Its cities and villages are filled with businesses run by large corporations as well as by individuals and families. Making money is considered a very worthwhile pursuit in the Netherlands. If a demand exists, a business will also exist to meet that demand. In many ways it is very similar to the United States, but there are some important differences as well.

In Holland, everyone has health insurance. It is not typically provided by the government but is instead provided through employers by private health insurance companies. The health care system is effective, efficient, and care is provided with less waiting time than it is in America. It isn't free, but costs are kept under control so that everyone can afford it, and everyone is required to be part of the health care system. 

The cities and villages around the Netherlands are all very well connected by a public transportation system that makes it easy and affordable to get from place to place, and it is well utilized by all sectors of society. This allows many people to have the option of not owning a car, saving them large amounts of money they would have spent on fuel, insurance, maintenance, taxes, and parking. Instead, they can put this money towards other things that they feel are more important.

Homelessness is very rare in the Netherlands, as the government will find places for you to live and make sure you have access to healthcare and food if you can't afford it any other way. Unlike the situation in America, if you are homeless in Holland it is much more likely to have been an actual choice on your part.

Crime rates, when compared to America are exceptionally low. Muggings and pick-pocketing exist, but shootings and other violent crimes are very rare. You feel safe when walking the streets at night in the vast majority of places.

As in much of Western Europe, there are more regulations imposed by the Dutch government than in the US. This doesn't mean that business are more highly regulated here than in America, though. There are numerous regulations handed down by the American government that businesses must follow, but on top of that, America is a country where lawsuits, sometimes frivolous and sometimes not, are exceptionally common. These lead to a secondary layer of self-imposed regulations that most businesses follow. The next time you see a warning label on a product remember that there is a very good chance that it wasn't placed there by the government. Instead it was placed there by a group of lawyers doing their best to try and protect the company from getting sued. This, from what I have seen, leads to businesses in America being much more highly regulated and restricted than they are in the Netherlands.

Wages in the Netherlands are higher than in America. This probably comes as no surprise, but they have also instituted a tiered minimum wage system. If you are 16 year old student the minimum wage for you is not as high as it is for a 25 year old. The 25 year old is much more likely not to be living with his or her parents, and might have a family to support and other additional expenses, so he or she needs to make more money to make sure they are a productive part of society. This allows young people to find jobs easier in entry level positions where few skills and little experience is needed while making sure that older, more experienced workers can make a real living wage. However, the 16 year old still makes more than minimum wage in America. 

The infrastructure in the Netherlands is amazing: not just the roads and public transportation systems, but also the electrical grid, internet speeds, telephone service, water and sewage, and airports. No one in the Netherlands lives very far from an international airport. Since the phone, internet, and electrical lines (except for high voltage transmission lines) are underground, storms rarely cause outages. Internet speeds that would be too expensive for most to afford in America are commonplace and cheap. All of this exists because the government is involved. In my hometown of Nashville, I had very little choice in what business I could obtain high speed internet service from. In Holland, since the lines are controlled by the government but open for many companies to utilize, I have a wide variety of companies to choose from, and the competition keeps the costs down to very affordable levels.

I could go on and on, but this should give you an idea of how the government makes life better for people in the Netherlands. At the same time, the Netherlands is a place where you are free to practice your religion—or not. To say what you think or keep your mouth shut if you choose. To own a gun, provided you are willing to meet the requirements for owning a gun. It is a very free country—possibly more free than America in many ways because the elected officials in the government aren't allowed to be bought and sold by billionaires. This means that officials respond to the wants and desires of the majority of the people they represent instead of only representing a tiny minority of the people. The Netherlands is far from a perfect place, but I think there are many things America could learn from it. 

What else can America learn from the Netherlands? You’ll find out in Part 2 next week on The Bernie Blog.

Bio: George Oeser is a photographer, born and raised in Tennessee but currently living in the Netherlands. He spends much of his time thinking about how much he misses good Southern food.

His web site: George Oeser Photography