“If somebody promises you something for free, read the fine print,” said the candidate who gave multiple speeches to Goldman Sachs for $225,000.00 a pop. As an audience member at the Democratic Debate between Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Secretary Hillary Clinton held in Brooklyn, that particular quote stood out to me as the epitome of her entire campaign. Indeed, it was clear that Clinton and her supporters believe that we should dismiss Sanders’ ideas as unrealistic; they would instead have us focus on more “pragmatic” solutions. I wholly reject that mediocre argument and urge New York voters to cast their ballot for Sanders on April 19. The establishment can no longer afford to be disconnected from the desires espoused by the Democratic base, too much is at stake.
Let’s start with Sanders’ plan for free public college tuition, an idea that is prevalent in other countries and was once a reality in many parts of our country. One remedy for our fast-paced, widening income and wealth gaps is to make post-secondary education accessible to all, regardless of income. Making college available to all not only levels the playing field, but also taps into the genius of our future leaders by allowing them to reach their full potential. Too many students either give up the hope for a better future by attending college, or leave school with crippling student debt. The prospect of receiving an athletic scholarship should not be the means by which a large proportion our young people envision themselves going to college.
The senator’s college plan is a great deal for states. Through a nominal fee on Wall Street speculation, billions can be raised to cover the anticipated $70 billion attached to tuition costs of public colleges and universities. The federal government would then provide two-thirds of the costs to the states, and the states would cover the remaining third.
Now, the opponents of this plan will say that Republican governors will never go for it. While, it is true that some states may not immediately buy into this plan, I trust that Republican intransigence will be overcome when they see a massive exodus of students from their states. As students cross state borders to attend out-of-state colleges or universities, they will leave behind a vacuum of well-educated workers. The state’s business community will have difficulty hiring highly-qualified employees for the types of jobs today’s economy demands, and the state’s economy will suffer. Regardless of what happens in other states, this proposal works for New York, and it is something that we overwhelmingly want our elected officials to pursue.
And instead of scoffing at the idea that all U.S. citizens should receive health care as a right by saying that it will “never, ever come to pass”, we need to keep in mind that it is possible. The Affordable Care Act was a great start and was the most that we could achieve at the moment, but do not let that hinder us from our original goal. President Obama initially set out to obtain universal coverage and we should keep our eyes on that prize. Predictably, Clinton once thought that single payer health coverage was a good way to move forward.
So, let’s stop playing games. We once sent a man to the moon. We have wasted trillions of dollars in Iraq. Thinking big and putting money behind our ideals is nothing new to Democrats. We must now invest in big ideas that will bring about the moral economy that we need.
All of Sanders’ other ideas are equally possible. Attaining greater peace and security would require the United States of America to not be the police of the world and for war to be a last resort. Transforming our energy system to combat climate change would mean that we would have to cease providing subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. And in terms of mass incarceration, we can start by banning private prisons and decriminalizing marijuana. From there we can divert government resources from jails and incarceration to jobs and education.
It’s so much better to vote for a candidate than against one and that is why on April 19th, my presidential primary vote will be cast FOR U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Additionally, I’m running as a delegate in the 16th congressional district, so if you live in Southern Westchester or Northern Bronx, I would appreciate your support as well. A win for Sanders in New York is a complete and total game changer. The type of win that will go down in history as one of the greatest ever. I am happy to do my part to challenge the Democratic establishment to do and be better.
In solidarity,
Councilman Jared Rice
Twitter @CouncilmanRice