Sanders is not a communist
Wow, the anger that comes out of the Roaring Fork Valley sometimes when it comes to political opinions; specifically Robert W. Wilson (Sanders is a socialist communist, Post Independent, March 9).
Let’s begin with just the facts please.
1) Bernie Sanders is a lot of things, but he is not a communist.
2) Communism in its current form was authored by Karl Marx in the 1840s. If you read some of his writings, you realize pretty quickly he was a bit of a whack-o, as in nuts.
3) Lenin brought communism to prominence because Russia had a bunch of bad winters all in a row, and Czar Nicolas and the royal family knew of the mass starvations and did nothing to protect his people, so Lenin formed an army and took over the government, which became the government of paranoia and oppression.
4) Bernie Sanders and his wife did not have their honeymoon in Russia. Facts are facts, Mr. Wilson.
They went on a trip to Yaroslavl, Russia, to see about having a sister city in the U.S. — Sanders’ home town of Burlington, Vermont, all arranged by the mayor of Burlington and mayor of Yaroslavl.
5) Bernie Sanders and his wife honeymooned in St. Lucia a year later.
6) Personally, I really don’t like Sanders’ politics all that much. He has some big, bold ideas about what to do about student debt, Medicare for all, tax the wealthy just like they did in the 1940s and 1950s; about 37-50%. This trickle down hocus pocus has been around since the Reagan years, and it did not work. What did work was wealthy people had to pay very little tax and it never hit the middle class. True story, just look it up. It only made the wealthy wealthier. Sanders cannot fund all the programs he wants, the money just isn’t available.
Lastly, let’s all just face the facts. Our democracy, when you are a Democrat or Republican, is a form of government where we try very hard not to cause great harm to our citizens. We provide them with free health care (Medicare) already when they reach a certain age. We also provide free health care for those who are poor in the form of Medicaid. We provide free breakfasts and lunches to poor children who need to eat. SNAP program for additional food for the underserved. Our government also provides food stamps (free food) for those who need it. Federal grants for those students who do not have the ability to pay for college. And the biggie; Social Security. Note the first word “social.”
Now do you see the light, Robert? Our democracy has embraced socialism since the 1930s.
Get used to it.
Steven F. Gluckman
Glenwood Springs