Senator Bernie Sanders: "The Speech"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-03-31/senator-bernie-sanders-speech
The economy, the federal budget, and the growing national deficit are touchstone issues defining politics in Washington today. Lawmakers are proposing cuts to programs that benefit middle class and working families. In December, President Obama signed into law an extension of tax cuts -- including cuts for the very wealthiest Americans. One Independent senator delivered an eight-hour speech on the Senate floor decrying the tax deal and what he believed it symbolized: corporate greed and the collapse of the middle class. U. S Senator Bernie Sanders talks about his appeal for a fundamental change in national priorities.
Guests
Sen. Bernie Sanders
Independent U. S. Senator from Vermont.
![Image of (THE SPEECH BY Sanders, Bernie(Author))The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class[Paperback]Nation Books(Publisher)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/414gg9YQijL._SL75_.jpg "(THE SPEECH BY Sanders, Bernie(Author))The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class[Paperback]Nation Books(Publisher)")
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Ask yourself what is special about Vermont that allows a progressive like Sanders to run and be elected. Maybe the people of Vermont realize that it is better to vote for someone who tries to make us all winners rather than a person who is a corporate favored projected winner. We'll have to turn off media, exit our houses and organize rallies to get real representation. A really good candidate who reaches people in person would not need one TV ad. Ask Bernie about this idea.
How much is his campaign budget?
If SS is truly broke, the wealthy and corporations need to pay more FDIC. We can't have elderly folks, orphans and the disabled dying by the curb. It just ain't healthy.
Thank you for hosting the Best Damn Senator in America.
Fantastic, glad you're giving Bernie a platform. How about Dennis Kucinich next?
Senator Sanders has pointed out that if the cap on Social Security taxes, currently about 104,000 dollars, were eliminated, the trust fund would be solvent for 75 years. By actuarial standards that would mean the fund is solvent.
But the "powers-that-be" sure do not want to see their taxes increased. I guess we should feel compassion for the big wage earners . . . .
Let's hope that the Senator gets to make that point.
As a former VTer and long-time supporter of Sanders since his co-founding of the Liberty Union Party in Vermont, I think VT has much to be proud of in Senator Sanders. He is alone in the Senate in standing up for the working and middle-class in this country. He calls it like it is, and he's a sanity check against the Tea Party know-nothings who have become so inexplicably enamored of Wall St and billionaires.
At last! The Speech was one of the most under-reported major events in the history of Congress. At the time, it got barely a mention in the mainstream media, including NPR and PBS. The Speech is a tutorial which should be read and taken to heart by the hitherto spineless Democrats in Washington, to remind them of what and whom they should stand for.
I'm still confused how cutting revenue i.e. Taxes for some of the highest grossing companies help the country? GE isn't paying anything, but they can becuase they have built a few wind turbine? I not sure i understand this form of making money.
WOW, Senator Bernie Sanders is right on. Bernie is saying everything that I have would like to say myself to the government and the corporations. Thank you Bernie and thank you Diane Rehm for having him on your show. Dan
Socialist in the extreme preaching to the quire including Diane.
Fear monger, sickening!
When the republicans swept the elections last year, they were never given the green light by Americans to go ahead and strip the middle class and unions of decent wages and benefits. The reason why states and federal gov't are cutting everything except for things which benefit the rich and their corporations is because there is less money to go around. Why? It is because we are witnessing the largest transfer of wealth in the history of the U.S., a 1.7 trillion transfer going only into the pockets of the rich and Wall Street corporations in the last few years alone.
The Chutzpah. To title your OWN speech "The Speech" and to call it "historic". I have to chuckle.
Who is listening to Senator? I am, and as far as I can see, he is one of the few people in this Country speaking sense. Kudos to you Senator
Please allow Senator Sanders to explain what a difference it would make for the US if election campaigns were publicly funded. I believe this is the most important change we need to progress in the 21st century.
Thank you!
Caryl in Florida
Thank you for Bernie Sanders and those Yankee Vermont folks!
As a student of German History, I am catching a strong whiff of the same destruction of the middle class by the fascists and the nazis. Hitler and Mussolini both pandered to the wealthy elite by being "pro business" and "punishing" folks who were outside the elite: the middle class, the poor, Jews, gypsies - and the list goes on.
Isn't it interesting that those folks who want to invade the middle east to protect US interests (ie, oil) don't pay for it via taxes?
Senator Sanders is a National Hero! He is actually trying to govern. He has what is called "INTEGRITY". If it were not for the annual snow fall in Vermont I would move there! I only wish there were more like him in our legislature!
Fiscally conservative Tea Party Compassionate Conservative,
I listened to over 4 hours of Senator Sanders speech on C Span. I added him to my Facebook account for a day.
This is a man of character, insight, fairness and speaks balanced truth that I could work with and would encourage elected Tea Party officials to cooperate with this man.
More people like Senator Sanders on the left, middle and right would result in a dramatically better ran country.
Thank you Mr. Sanders
John
Mr. Sanders, if not for you I would have no hope in our political system. Thank you Ms. Rehm for having a true independent voice of reason on your show.
I wanted to first applaud Senetor Sanders on standing up on this issue and also not accepting coporate money in his political career. I have been so disappointed to learn about the tax loop holes that big corporations like GE and EXON have used to not pay their fair share. In an economy where so many of the cuts have been to social service and human services, I find it appaling that the focus of the budget has to been to cut and not to take your reccomendations. What can I, as a citizen do to take action-what do you reccomend ? I have been active on moveon.org and signed petitions and contacted local legislators, I have strong feelings and concerns and want to be part of making a change, but I often feel powerless.
Wow!! The hardball questions coming from Diane for Bernie! Geez. Ease up Diane!
Someone needs to tell the wealthy and corps that their taxes are their dues for the privlege of living and doing business in this country. They gladly pay their country club dues of 100k but fight to avoid taxes. The taxes are their dues for living in country club America with all the benefits they enjoy everyday in freedoms, capitalism, education, association etc. If they really "loved" their country they would pay their dues instead of sucking it dry.
As a MI resident working in the public sector, probably about to be laid-off, and with a baby on the way, I am so disillusioned and am concerned about my child's future. I consider myself an independent and just feel helpless that greed is winning and will continue to win. What does the senator suggest people like me do to get involved? The democrats lose me, as do the republicans. I can barely watch the news, it's so maddening!
Rigoberto, it's simple. It's not about making money for the country. It's about making money for themselves.
Regarding the business owner who will "fight so his family can enjoy the fruits of his hard work," how many employees do you have? How much of "your" fruits have actually been planted, tended too, and picked by them? Sure, you initially bought the grove, but then you take the entire crop for yourself and redistribute it to the people that do the actual work. And those are the people that are getting screwed by your insistence to fight so your family can indulge in "your fruit". They need expensive health care because they're so stressed trying to make ends meet as their resources are spread thinner and thinner and you continue to fight them. Everything is connected, you obviously can't see this because as you say all you care about is fighting to keep your family sheltered from the reality of your greed. Your narrow mindset affects us all, I pray you see that someday, and I'm not even religious.
Thank you, Senator Sanders, for your lucid exposition of the problems facing us, and your candid explanation of the growing disparity of wealth in America. Seems the Democrats are more right center than center these days, but nothing to quibble over. As long as there are people like you in the halls of power, it gives me the heart not to give up and do what little I can.
Thank you, Ms. Rehm for hosting the Senator. In this time of "fair and balanced" media, it is so wonderful to hear an intelligent thoughtful man discuss public policy for an hour uninterrupted.
Cheers for you both.
Thank God for Senator Sanders. What a fantastic change from disingenuous comments like Mitch McConnell's repeated statement that the US has the highest corporate taxes in the world (while neglecting to mention that companies like GE pay virtually no taxes by way of loopholes). It's time for NPR to step up and point out that the oft-repeated lies are more than simply not true, they are LIES that enable what is nothing short of theft.
To those that discount conspiracy theories, ponder this: in 1963 JFK was assassinated because he professed the belief that the US could come to a peaceful accomodation with the Soviet Union. That was anathema to the right wing. The social reforms of FDR are anathema to the right wing, and they are continuing to do their best to dismantle all social reforms that benefit anyone other than themselves. They wish to demolish NPR and a non-commercial form of communication that promotes free thinking. They wish to dismantle unions and bring our wages in line with those of China and third world societies. They wish to destroy regulations that protect the air we breathe and water we drink. In other words, there are greedy individuals that want profit over patriotism and CEO bonuses over middle class livelihoods.
Senator Sanders has some good points but still misses the main problem; The federal government, through some giant ego trip, believes that they can fix peoples improper behavior and save them from themselves! I travel a lot and there are so many people in this country who still have excess wealth that it's not even funny! The real middle class is not in decline, they have just slowed their spending. The decline is in the millions of lemmings who tried to live like those who saved and built wealth, and who did so because the government enabled them with all sorts of easy credit! I hesitate to call it a conspiracy but all of the aid from government caused people to over-spend on everything from houses, to cars and college. It's the only reason people have leveraged their income out some 20 years...they can never pay it off. And now the underlying assets are not worth enough to get out. It will take at least another 5 years for people to learn to save and live within their means. The tax breaks to wealthy corporations DO have to stop, but the government will have to be required to stop deciding who wins and let the free market work!
Craig
Thank you for having Senator Sanders on your show. It is refreshing to hear a different stance amidst the unilateralist partisan Congress. This conversation hits home. I think that this country has lost sight that the American dream is based on the idea of living a comfortable middle-class life and not on the greedy idea of becoming rich. In our household we are finding the hard way that this dream is in peril now more than ever. I have been in the U.S. for ~ 13 years and both my husband and I possess graduate degrees and have “good” jobs and make attractive incomes. We are very practical with our money and yet we find ourselves saying: “we cannot afford this”. There is something amiss here, we leave our home at 6:30 and do not return until 6:30pm to feed and put our children to bed. Like any hard-working American family. What is amiss here? Where is the dream? Can you imagine what would be of other with less income and less opportunities?
Is there a "class war" going on in this Nation?
Sure feels like!
Senator Sanders, Thank you for your words of common sense. I want to know what we can do to change this decline of the middle class. Voting is no longer enough against the advertising dollars of the wealthy and the corporate giants. What are the options and how can we activate the people to action?
Thank you for your time
David Crandall
Battle Creek, MI
It's chior, Monte, not quire...