Source: commons.wikimedia.org
The 2019 Bernie Event was, needless to say, all about the life of Bernie Sanders, the 78-year-old politician, intellectual leader, and popular socialist democrat. Hundreds of supporters, including his family, friends, political allies, and followers were present and just wanted to wish him well after his recent heart surgery. It can be recalled that a few days before his surgery, Bernie told his friends at a campaign event he was in that he didn’t feel well and that his chest was painful. When he was brought to the hospital, it was later discovered that he had a blocked artery; hence, the stent insertion surgery was done. When he faced the public during the event in his honor, he was talking and thankfully in good spirits. The Democratic well-wishers were there to support him and his family, some of which prepared short speeches, mostly hoping that he would soon be in great shape.
Who Is Bernie Sanders?
He is a 78-year-old Brooklyn-born American who now lives and works in Washington. He was a former mayor who then had a seat at Congress in 1990. In 2006, he became a Democratic senator. Finally, in 2016, he was runner-up to Hillary Clinton for Democratic Presidential Primary.
Bernie, The Democratic Socialist
Up until today, being one has no precise definition, but Democratic socialism has become a strong force in the political life of America. Generally speaking, it can be described as within the classification of social democracy and communism, which is also common in Europe. Democratic socialists, as Bernie Sanders is being described, do not agree with the principles of capitalism. This means that they encourage workers to have control over the means of production. Although they can be somehow communistic, they also believe that socialism must be attained democratically.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
His Student Loan Debt Program
One of Mr. Sanders’ reasons for being popular was his proposal to eliminate the tuition fees of the public university and college students. When Senator Elizabeth Warren pushed to trash this proposal, Mr. Sanders pushed it more by helping introduce the legislation to eliminate all of America’s student debts. He earned praises for this plan and gained more supporters, especially those coming from the education sector, although some analysts were doubtful of the plan’s feasibility.
The Medicare For All Bill
When he became senator, Mr. Sanders then reintroduced his previous Medicare-for-all plan in order to shift America to a single-payer healthcare setup, one where one government-enforced program gives insurance coverage to all citizens of the United States. His plan visualizes a future where every citizen has insurance coverage and will pay nothing from their own pockets when they visit their physician. The Medicare For All Plan consists of a benefits package that is much more unsparing than the rest of the single-payer countries such as Canada, which offers this to their citizens, including employers and employees with new income taxes.
Source: thenation.com
At a time that Mr. Sanders reintroduced this plan, Democratic representatives and American voters were increasingly supporting a government-run healthcare program. He then introduced his bill with the support of 14 co-sponsors, including his former rival, Elizabeth Warren. What others also refer to as the Sanders Plan also describes the kind of coverage the American people would receive. However, it lacks more detail as to how it would fun quite a generous healthcare benefits package. He instead released a paper that contained a list of financing alternatives, like a different tax rate for ‘extreme wealth.’
“The only way we can win this election and create a government and economy that work for all is with a grassroots movement — the likes of which has never been seen in American history.” – Bernie Sanders