As the first elected official from Westchester County – home of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – to officially endorse U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders for president, I truly understand the importance of this year’s election. Although it would have been much easier for me to either support Clinton or remain neutral, I feel compelled to support the candidate who has the best plan to move this country toward a more equitable future. Eight years ago I was motivated by then-Sen. Barack Obama, and now I’m inspired all over again by Sanders. Like millions of others, I am part of the grassroots movement to elect him as our next president.
I was initially drawn to Sanders, as a criminal justice attorney, because of his commitment to real reform in our criminal justice system. His proposed legislation to ban privately run prisons exemplifies the bold leadership that is needed as we move into the heart of the 21st century and seek to end mass incarceration once and for all. With only 5 percent of the world’s residents and 25 percent of the world’s prisoners, the U.S. holds the shameful distinction of incarcerating more of its citizens than any other country (the majority of them being black and brown males). Corporations should not have a financial incentive to lock people up. Instead, they need to be incentivized to create jobs for our unemployed. To the contrary, Clinton's Ready for Hillary PAC received hundreds of thousands of dollars from private prison lobbyists and only stopped because of activist’s pressure.
But what really sold me on Sanders was his passion toward economic justice. Unlike any other presidential candidate, he so deftly articulates his opposition to income and wealth inequality. Our country has reached a financial crisis as 58 percent of the newly created wealth over the last five years has been accrued by the top 1 percent. We are witnessing our once cherished middle class turn into our working poor. Meanwhile, the rules are rigged to redistribute wealth and income to the ultrawealthy. These are horrible circumstances for the health of our economy. The economy has greatly improved since President George W. Bush left office, but times are still very tough for working people. We need a president that will be committed to fighting for an economy that is less about Wall Street and more about Main Street.
In addition, as a city council member, I appreciate that Sanders is calling for necessary investments on infrastructure as our roads and bridges are inadequately resourced. The millions of new jobs that can be created by this crucial spending are exactly the kinds of opportunities needed for the unemployed and disconnected youth in our cities. His commitment toward investment in mass transit is consistent with Transit Oriented Development, a model of mixed-use development that is designed to maximize access to public transport by creating inclusive, environmentally sustainable, walkable and livable communities. These are the types of ideas that would benefit my city, New Rochelle, and thousands of other cities across the country.
Sanders seeks a foreign policy where war is the last option, and where the U.S. works with our world partners instead of policing them. He wants to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. He believes that people of color should not be treated any differently by law enforcement and is a strong advocate for community policing. He has a plan to make public colleges tuition-free, which would allow all of our young people to reach their potential in life. He believes health care to be a human right and seeks to ensure that all Americans are insured.
Sanders is superior to all of the other candidates on the issues.
In today’s day and age, when so many voters are genuinely concerned about the future of this country, we do not need business as usual. We need a leader who has a record of fighting for all Americans.
As Sanders has said time and time again, this election is not just about any one single candidate. This campaign is about bringing people together to confront the major issues of our time. We must work together as a nation to achieve equity and justice for all. Join me and #FeelTheBern.
Jared Rice is a New Rochelle City Council Member and 2016 Deputy Mayor, Criminal Justice Attorney, and Co-Chair of My Brother’s Keeper New Rochelle.
Twitter @CouncilmanRice
