I was born in and grew up in the great state of Michigan. When Michigan was founded in 1837, the citizens decided that they did not believe in the death penalty, and they enshrined that decision in the state constitution. Although Michigan has fallen on rough times in recent years (Thanks, NAFTA!!!), it has generally been a modern state with equitable taxation and progressive values like no death penalty.
Last night, the people of Michigan awarded Bernie Sanders a win in their Democratic Primary. With Bernie having won 4 of the last 6 state contest, we can only hope that this is a sign of building momentum and a belated though welcome recognition that Bernie’s message is powerful and he will make an excellent President of the United States.
Unfortunately, my financial situation has been worse than bad for the past several years thanks to the Bush Recession, which was triggered in part by the evisceration of Glass-Steagall and the relaxation of effective regulation and control of our financial industry. It’s a good game, for the financial players, in that they can freely gamble vast sums of money with no worries that they’ll be held accountable. After all, they reason, taxpayers will bail us out!! Nice work if you can get it, eh?
To the point, though. My half-million business with 4 employees eight years ago shrank to just me working part-time. Things got so bad, I sold my wedding ring to one of those fly-by-night “we buy gold” operations to keep food on the table. I almost lost my house and had contacted an attorney for a bankruptcy filing.
Political donations were something other people did. When I heard that Hillary Clinton was seeking $1 donations to rig her average donation amount downward, all I could think was “In your dreams!”. When Bernie asked for a $27 donation, I almost cried at how much $27 is when you literally have nothing. In fact, kind Kossacks TrueBlueMountaineer and Geema0712 made donations to Bernie on my behalf earlier this year. I can’t thank them enough.
The good news is that I’m finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve been able to secure contract work performing marketing technology audits for a few clients and this month, March 2016, I will be able to pay all of my bills for the first time in a dog’s age.
Even better, I finally feel secure enough to donate $27 to Bernie on my own behalf. His win in Michigan confirms my long-held belief that although he’s still a long shot, he does have a shot and every little bit we can throw his way helps make that shot a bit more achievable. So my $27 first-ever donation to Bernie is on its way.
After all, America is worth it. Global warming needs to be addressed. Competitiveness through college education is critical. The 33 million Americans without health insurance deserve coverage. Gen Y and Millennials deserve a future that secure and productive. And really, that’s what we’re fighting for here — the future of our younger generations. The future of America.