Sanders is the best choice

The numbers of Americans who lived through and experienced the aftermath of The Great Depression are dwindling. My hope is that this will serve to remind and/or enlighten as we choose our next President.

When a major corporation or billionaire invests their money, they expect a return on that investment. When they contribute to any political candidate, a return on that investment is also expected. It’s called “quid pro quo.” Otherwise, why would they do it? Certainly not out of the goodness of their collective hearts.

Over the past several decades, we have seen the practice of “lobbying” mushroom into a career path winding back and forth from the Capitol to the Boardroom. We have also seen the rise of SuperPacs with unlimited funds for spending to promote the candidates that will work to further their agendas.

The 2010 Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United has made a total mockery of our election process, allowing unfettered spending to promote those candidates who will provide the highest level of “quid pro quo.” It even opened the floodgates to wealthy individuals and entities outside of the United States to influence our elections.

Under our two-party system, both Democrat and Republican officeholders are under these influences. The scales are tilted very far in favor of these entities.

There is a candidate who has refused contributions from corporate donors and refused to allow a SuperPac to be formed to advocate for him. All of his campaign funds are donated by working Americans and small business owners, and that is Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Senator Sanders is a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist. Some think “Socialist” is a dirty word. Look around. We have had socialist programs in place since the end of the Great Depression.

In the August 1st, 2011 episode of “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell,” referring to our current mixture of capitalism and socialistic programs under which we now live, he said: “Not that we choose the socialist option every time, but we do consider socialism a reasonable option under certain circumstances; in fact, under many circumstances. As any introductory economics course can tell you, there is no capitalist economy anywhere in the world, and there is no socialist economy anywhere in the world, not even Cuba. We are all mixed economies; that is, mixes of capitalism and socialism, and we all vary that mix in different ways.”

We experience it every time we drive on our roads, cross our bridges, go to a sports event in a municipal stadium or arena, visit a public park, register for unemployment, cash our Social Security check, show our Medicare card, seek disaster aid, send our children off to public school and the list goes on and on.

One of the best examples of this mixed form of governance is our Interstate Highway System, started by President Dwight Eisenhower. Paid for by tax dollars and built by private enterprise, this combination is still a huge part of the fabric of our everyday life.

Unfortunately, neglect has resulted in a crumbling, unsafe infrastructure throughout the highway system which was such a great advance in the `50s & `60s. The crumbling infrastructure of our cities and towns has also seriously added to dangerous, potentially deadly conditions like what we now see in Flint, Mich.

Sanders puts these issues high on his priority list, which would restore our highways, bridges and other infrastructure to safe standards, create millions of well-paying jobs and bolster our economy.

In 1932, in need of a lifeline to rescue our country from the throes of financial ruin due to bank failures and other failed economic policies leading to The Great Depression, the people elected Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a Socialist. His successes are written in the history of our recovery and his popularity was so great that he was re-elected three times, leading to legislation creating presidential term limits.

This country is still on the road to recovery from The Great Recession, the worst economic disaster since the `30s, once again caused by big banks, bad Wall Street investments and other big business factors. Once again, our country needs a lifeline. Sanders has the best plan to further this economic recovery, mirroring some of those successful programs instituted by Roosevelt.

Millions of his supporters believe and trust that America must return to and embrace the premise of our forefathers: a government “of the people, by the people and for the people” with “freedom and justice for all.” And, he advocates a Constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and give our election process back to the people of our country.

As a third generation proud American, I believe it is time to give “We the People” the government and programs we need so desperately. Once again, we need a lifeline. It’s time to elect a president with integrity, vision, consistency, empathy and strength; one who truly cares about and is committed to these values. It’s time to nominate and elect Bernie Sanders as President.

This story was originally published February 15, 2016 at 8:36 AM with the headline "Sanders is the best choice."