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NYT Opinion: Bernie Sanders: I Know Where I Came From. Does President Trump?
My political agenda has been shaped by my family’s experiences of struggling to make ends meet.
By Bernie Sanders
Mr. Sanders is a senator from Vermont and a Democratic candidate for president.
June 2, 2019
Excerpt:
Today our rate of childhood poverty is among the highest of any developed country in the world, millions of workers are forced to work two or three jobs just to survive, hundreds of thousands of bright young people cannot afford to go to college, millions more owe outrageous levels of student debt, and half a million people are homeless on any given night. Over 80 million Americans have inadequate health insurance or spent part or all of last year without any insurance, and one out of five cannot afford the prescription drugs they need.
While wages in the United States have been stagnant for over 40 years, we have more income and wealth inequality than at any time since the 1920s. Gentrification is ravaging working-class neighborhoods, forcing many struggling Americans to spend half or more of their incomes to put a roof over their heads. The rent-controlled apartment I grew up in was small, but at least we could afford it.
As the working-class son of an immigrant, I know where I came from. My values as a candidate were shaped by the experiences of my youth — and by the realization that many Americans face the same struggles today.
Conservatives dishonestly try to link the policies I favor with those of authoritarian regimes. But I am calling for a true democracy, one that abides by the principle of one person, one vote, and that doesn’t allow billionaires to buy elections. F.D.R. did it. We can do it again.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/02/opinion/bernie-sanders-trump.html
