Bernie is a treasure to Americans. If ever there was a time to push hard on these issues, IT IS NOW, while the bipartisan attention and support of the populace has been roused after the events of...
Bernie is a treasure to Americans.
If ever there was a time to push hard on these issues, IT IS NOW, while the bipartisan attention and support of the populace has been roused after the events of December 4th.
The majority of Americans are fully aware that they are being screwed over on healthcare, but RIGHT NOW everyone is looking around, and able to see that so many others are looking back at them, thinking the same thought, feeling the same anger over the same injustice.
It's interesting - I think recent events have showed that there are many people among the "right" that are quite left-wing on economic issues. The only politician that attempted to court this...
It's interesting - I think recent events have showed that there are many people among the "right" that are quite left-wing on economic issues. The only politician that attempted to court this electorate was independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn (who, mind you, was still libertarian on social issues and said it's none of the government's business.)
The issue of how healthcare is handled in the USA, and how many people from all walks of life know someone with a horror story of being financially devastated or otherwise being harmed, gives the...
The issue of how healthcare is handled in the USA, and how many people from all walks of life know someone with a horror story of being financially devastated or otherwise being harmed, gives the current state of healthcare/health-financials (and the need to change it) a great deal of widespread appeal.
Maybe I'm just a cynical bastard, but I'm rather tired of hearing this stuff from Sanders. He's very astute at pointing out the injustices and flaws of our system, but I never hear anything...
Maybe I'm just a cynical bastard, but I'm rather tired of hearing this stuff from Sanders. He's very astute at pointing out the injustices and flaws of our system, but I never hear anything approaching a strategy to actually get any of this shit implemented. He might as well be writing a utopian fantasy novel at this point.
Introduce your bills, Bernie. We'll throw a party when the 1,000th bill to fix our oligarchy is killed in committee by some John Birch Society ghoul. I hope it brings everyone great comfort to know we tried to change things in the approved manner, for all the good that does us.
Nothing short of amendments to the Constitution will suffice to actually address the myriad problems in how elections, taxation and industry are regulated. The SCOTUS will see to that. So what can...
Nothing short of amendments to the Constitution will suffice to actually address the myriad problems in how elections, taxation and industry are regulated. The SCOTUS will see to that.
So what can Bernie do outside of authoring bills that will be promptly taken behind the woodshed and shot in committee, or else drowned in a sack by the Supreme Court for infringing on the right of billionaires to bleed the rest of us dry? He could use his position to call for a constitutional convention, for one. That's the only avenue left open to us besides relying on a Congress so out-of-touch, corrupt and dysfunctional that they can't even agree to pay the electric bill without holding the country hostage every 18 months.
I haven't lost faith in Sanders, I've lost faith in his claim that the system can be fixed using the apparatus of regular government. I think that Rubicon is crossed.
But there's no foreseeable path in which that would work, either? Bernie is one of the most progressive members of Congress, so he's at his most effective when he's making noise and shifting the...
So what can Bernie do outside of authoring bills [...]? He could use his position to call for a constitutional convention, for one.
But there's no foreseeable path in which that would work, either?
Bernie is one of the most progressive members of Congress, so he's at his most effective when he's making noise and shifting the Overton window leftward. I'm sure he realizes that his vision won't be reached in his lifetime.
I suppose that's something. My fear is that it won't be enough, though. From where I'm at, it seems the usual process of government is coming apart at the seams. I'm having a harder and harder...
I suppose that's something. My fear is that it won't be enough, though.
From where I'm at, it seems the usual process of government is coming apart at the seams. I'm having a harder and harder time accepting Sanders's faith in the ability of a corrupt and crumbling system to fix itself, no matter who we vote for. Even the most ardent faith can be wrong, after all.
I think that's what my issue with Sanders really comes down to: he has faith in the ability of Americans to rationally self-govern, and I don't think I believe that anymore.
In our current political environment, I would be quite afraid of a constitutional convention. Why? The Heritage Foundation (the group that created 'Project 2025') has wanted a constitutional...
In our current political environment, I would be quite afraid of a constitutional convention.
Why?
The Heritage Foundation (the group that created 'Project 2025') has wanted a constitutional convention for quite a while now and has been planning and preparing towards being able to hold one to further cement their agenda and remove the guard rails in their way.
Given we are moving into a period of at least the next 2 years of the GOP holding both houses of congress, I would see any constitutional convention as the result of the same current GOP playbook: take advantage of the current ills, say 'we need to change because X is terrible, now give us the power to do so' and use that power to make X (along with Y and Z) so much worse while gaslighting the American people about what they are doing.
Here are some of the bills he’s sponsored in the current session: Medicare for All - https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1655 Raising minimum wage -...
Here are some of the bills he’s sponsored in the current session:
Check in with me next December for a post mortem on all that superlatively useful legislation our boy is introducing. I'm sure all three branches of our totally sane and reasonable government will...
Check in with me next December for a post mortem on all that superlatively useful legislation our boy is introducing. I'm sure all three branches of our totally sane and reasonable government will see the light and rush it through ASAP.
Ok, but now you're moving the goalposts. You say he should be quiet unless he has solutions. People show you the solutions he's working on to the best of his ability, and you say that's not enough...
Ok, but now you're moving the goalposts. You say he should be quiet unless he has solutions. People show you the solutions he's working on to the best of his ability, and you say that's not enough either. Given that he's on the far left of the party currently not in control of any branch of the federal government, what else are you expecting him to do before he can talk about these issues?
I'm not sure what else you are hoping he does. He puts forward legislation. He brings issues to national attention. He is one of the few senators consistently working for the rights of Americans....
I'm not sure what else you are hoping he does. He puts forward legislation. He brings issues to national attention. He is one of the few senators consistently working for the rights of Americans. I'm genuinely what bugs you about him, because if it is that things get shot down, shouldn't be the other, oppositional senators that you're upset with?
I'm not hoping he does anything. I'm hoping for someone with more imagination or ability to come along and offer a better solution than offering up bill after doomed bill on the altar of a broken...
I'm not hoping he does anything. I'm hoping for someone with more imagination or ability to come along and offer a better solution than offering up bill after doomed bill on the altar of a broken god.
Don't mind me. I'm just backsliding into cynicism and misanthropy after a brief reprieve. I'm done making myself miserable with this topic now.
Bernie gets many amendments passed that push things in the right direction whenever it’s politically possible. He’s incredibly pragmatic about making progress. See...
I don’t know exactly what you want him to do, but he’s been by far the most effective left wing politician of the last generation in America. You aren’t going to get FDR level government reforms and change if people aren’t electing FDR level Democratic majorities.
I've said elsewhere in this thread what I think could actually be effective to address our government's problems at the root, and it isn't introducing more bills in Congress. All three branches...
I've said elsewhere in this thread what I think could actually be effective to address our government's problems at the root, and it isn't introducing more bills in Congress. All three branches are too damn sick to heal themselves.
Do I think my suggestion would work? Not really, but I suspect it stands a better chance than another century of two parties batting the electorate back and forth like some hellish game of Pong.
It's a real shame these all come down to "stop ripping off Americans and pay them what they owe for making America Great", and that has to be "controversial" because a dozen rich guys disagree....
It's a real shame these all come down to "stop ripping off Americans and pay them what they owe for making America Great", and that has to be "controversial" because a dozen rich guys disagree. Healthcare is a bi partisan issue until a name appears on the bill, the vast majority of the working class would only benefit from working less hours and earning more money (and importantly, energy. Physical and mental).
As a slight reservation:
A good place to start would be to ban junk food ads targeted to kids and put strong warning labels on products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat.
It's a good start, but historically these warning labels haven't had huge effects. My knowledge may be a bit outdated, but attacking this at the source would be much more effective. Slash the subsidies put in corn syrup (used in so many processed foods) and add subsidies for various greens and fruit products with less than x added sodium/sugars. That will go a long way to making the right foods cheaper and the guilty ones more costly.
Bernie is a treasure to Americans.
If ever there was a time to push hard on these issues, IT IS NOW, while the bipartisan attention and support of the populace has been roused after the events of December 4th.
The majority of Americans are fully aware that they are being screwed over on healthcare, but RIGHT NOW everyone is looking around, and able to see that so many others are looking back at them, thinking the same thought, feeling the same anger over the same injustice.
It's interesting - I think recent events have showed that there are many people among the "right" that are quite left-wing on economic issues. The only politician that attempted to court this electorate was independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn (who, mind you, was still libertarian on social issues and said it's none of the government's business.)
The issue of how healthcare is handled in the USA, and how many people from all walks of life know someone with a horror story of being financially devastated or otherwise being harmed, gives the current state of healthcare/health-financials (and the need to change it) a great deal of widespread appeal.
Maybe I'm just a cynical bastard, but I'm rather tired of hearing this stuff from Sanders. He's very astute at pointing out the injustices and flaws of our system, but I never hear anything approaching a strategy to actually get any of this shit implemented. He might as well be writing a utopian fantasy novel at this point.
Introduce your bills, Bernie. We'll throw a party when the 1,000th bill to fix our oligarchy is killed in committee by some John Birch Society ghoul. I hope it brings everyone great comfort to know we tried to change things in the approved manner, for all the good that does us.
What strategy is there for a senator to pass legislation other than to introduce/sponsor a bill and drum up public support for it?
Nothing short of amendments to the Constitution will suffice to actually address the myriad problems in how elections, taxation and industry are regulated. The SCOTUS will see to that.
So what can Bernie do outside of authoring bills that will be promptly taken behind the woodshed and shot in committee, or else drowned in a sack by the Supreme Court for infringing on the right of billionaires to bleed the rest of us dry? He could use his position to call for a constitutional convention, for one. That's the only avenue left open to us besides relying on a Congress so out-of-touch, corrupt and dysfunctional that they can't even agree to pay the electric bill without holding the country hostage every 18 months.
I haven't lost faith in Sanders, I've lost faith in his claim that the system can be fixed using the apparatus of regular government. I think that Rubicon is crossed.
But there's no foreseeable path in which that would work, either?
Bernie is one of the most progressive members of Congress, so he's at his most effective when he's making noise and shifting the Overton window leftward. I'm sure he realizes that his vision won't be reached in his lifetime.
I suppose that's something. My fear is that it won't be enough, though.
From where I'm at, it seems the usual process of government is coming apart at the seams. I'm having a harder and harder time accepting Sanders's faith in the ability of a corrupt and crumbling system to fix itself, no matter who we vote for. Even the most ardent faith can be wrong, after all.
I think that's what my issue with Sanders really comes down to: he has faith in the ability of Americans to rationally self-govern, and I don't think I believe that anymore.
I don't know where that leaves me.
In our current political environment, I would be quite afraid of a constitutional convention.
Why?
The Heritage Foundation (the group that created 'Project 2025') has wanted a constitutional convention for quite a while now and has been planning and preparing towards being able to hold one to further cement their agenda and remove the guard rails in their way.
Given we are moving into a period of at least the next 2 years of the GOP holding both houses of congress, I would see any constitutional convention as the result of the same current GOP playbook: take advantage of the current ills, say 'we need to change because X is terrible, now give us the power to do so' and use that power to make X (along with Y and Z) so much worse while gaslighting the American people about what they are doing.
Here are some of the bills he’s sponsored in the current session:
Medicare for All - https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1655
Raising minimum wage - https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/2488
Paid sick time - https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1664
Paid vacation - https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4003
More available here.
Check in with me next December for a post mortem on all that superlatively useful legislation our boy is introducing. I'm sure all three branches of our totally sane and reasonable government will see the light and rush it through ASAP.
Ok, but now you're moving the goalposts. You say he should be quiet unless he has solutions. People show you the solutions he's working on to the best of his ability, and you say that's not enough either. Given that he's on the far left of the party currently not in control of any branch of the federal government, what else are you expecting him to do before he can talk about these issues?
Never said it, nor implied it.
That's right. I don't think it is, and I wonder why anyone does anymore.
I'm not sure what else you are hoping he does. He puts forward legislation. He brings issues to national attention. He is one of the few senators consistently working for the rights of Americans. I'm genuinely what bugs you about him, because if it is that things get shot down, shouldn't be the other, oppositional senators that you're upset with?
I'm not hoping he does anything. I'm hoping for someone with more imagination or ability to come along and offer a better solution than offering up bill after doomed bill on the altar of a broken god.
Don't mind me. I'm just backsliding into cynicism and misanthropy after a brief reprieve. I'm done making myself miserable with this topic now.
Bernie gets many amendments passed that push things in the right direction whenever it’s politically possible. He’s incredibly pragmatic about making progress. See https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/mar/24/bernie-sanders/bernie-sanders-was-roll-call-amendment-king-1995-2/
But nobody hears about that kind of stuff.
I don’t know exactly what you want him to do, but he’s been by far the most effective left wing politician of the last generation in America. You aren’t going to get FDR level government reforms and change if people aren’t electing FDR level Democratic majorities.
I've said elsewhere in this thread what I think could actually be effective to address our government's problems at the root, and it isn't introducing more bills in Congress. All three branches are too damn sick to heal themselves.
Do I think my suggestion would work? Not really, but I suspect it stands a better chance than another century of two parties batting the electorate back and forth like some hellish game of Pong.
It's a real shame these all come down to "stop ripping off Americans and pay them what they owe for making America Great", and that has to be "controversial" because a dozen rich guys disagree. Healthcare is a bi partisan issue until a name appears on the bill, the vast majority of the working class would only benefit from working less hours and earning more money (and importantly, energy. Physical and mental).
As a slight reservation:
It's a good start, but historically these warning labels haven't had huge effects. My knowledge may be a bit outdated, but attacking this at the source would be much more effective. Slash the subsidies put in corn syrup (used in so many processed foods) and add subsidies for various greens and fruit products with less than x added sodium/sugars. That will go a long way to making the right foods cheaper and the guilty ones more costly.