The "free stuff" argument is a deliberate lie.
Manipulation of the truth, willfully ignorant statement, any of these would accurately apply.
We have seen various posts, statements from public figures - and so on, that suggest that Sanders is offering, "Free this, free that, free everything." Or suggesting that both he and his supporters are ignorant of the reality that these things will require work, raising taxes, new taxes, etc. This ("free stuff" argument) is so ridiculously false and inaccurate that we should all acknowledge it as the pile of crap that it is.
No one believes that we're going to get a bunch of "free stuff" for nothing. We are all aware of the fact that progressive change requires hard work, that these proposals will require funding through progressive tax legislation, through hard work, through marching in the streets if it comes to that. We are not promising "all this free stuff for nothing", nor are we suggesting that "you don't have to work for it".
To paint these proposals and policies (and the people representing them) in such a way as to suggest we are ignorant of hard work, of having to pay for/fight for what we want, is just silly. Most Sanders supporters come from the ranks of the poor, the working class, the middle class. Very few come from the elite, entitled, enormously wealthy 1%.
We are tired of not having access to healthcare. We are tired of being forced to take on crippling debt for a necessary education. We are tired of the gender gap in wages. We are tired of not having paid maternity leave, of working full time for absurdly low wages. We are tired of the financial corruption of our political system.
It can be honestly argued that these things we want will be hard to accomplish. It can be honestly argued that they may be impossible, given political and economic realities. It can honestly be argued that these policies will likely take many years to put into play.
It cannot, however, honestly be argued, suggested or implied... that we are offering "something for nothing", or that we're simply demanding "free stuff".
As a poor, working class, exhausted, frustrated member of the 99% (with no health insurance, no union representation, no access to many of the things the 1% take for granted) , I am sick of the lie that we are simply demanding free stuff, as if we were so deeply ignorant that we believed we could create unicorns out of thin air. It is nonsense, it is ignorant, untrue - and deliberately insulting to a very large group of voters, tax payers... and hard working Americans.
We'll work for it, we'll fight for it, we'll pay for it. None of us deny that all of these things are necessary. Further, any suggestion that it's just "free stuff" is deliberately misleading. Everyone making that argument is well aware of the reality of the situation. I've worked my whole life for what I want, so don't tell me I'm demanding free stuff for nothing, thanks.
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gee, i should write that one down. 
Look, if people want to know some core issues behind our problems with both health care AND honesty, maybe Googling just this one sentence might be a good start on wisdom.. Don't argue, just do it..
" 'a service supplied in the exercise of governmental authority' means any service which is supplied neither on a commercial basis, nor in competition with one or more service suppliers."
Curious whether that is enough to get people started - so please let me know where that brings you and if its enough to gather the core facts with..
As well as other, IMO nastier wedge issue to pit us against each other, so that we, the 99% that earn all the wealth can be easily duped into directly giving it to, or allowing the Aristocracy (Oligarchy if you prefer) to steal it without a fight is fast becoming not only a GOP tactic, but now the most favored tactic of Right wing Democrats most notably the Clinton campaign (Possibly on the advice of noted slime merchant and wedge issue expert David Brock).
They do it because they know the only way an extremely small minority of people can continue aquiring nearly all the wealth (that we the majority create) is by stopping us from uniting against the real enemy, those few that have stolen all the wealth. Divide and conquer, keep us fighting each other, discourage the unity that MLK knew was our only hope.
I wrote about the strategy of divide and conquer vs the strategy of uniting for the benefit of all,l if anyone would care to read about it.
HERE
we'll just have to live with the shame.
have you checked out who you're supporting?
The Bernie supporter strategy seems to be "if something is not working just do more of it."
Seems to me his supporters have made a lifetime work of insulting and condescending to every single progressive group of voters you can think of. It's mind blowing that you folks think that is a good strategy to support Bernie.
But, as a Clinton supporter, please do carry on. LOL!
