An Economic Agenda for America: 12 Steps Forward (by Senator Bernie Sanders)

[Triana]

As Vermont's senator, here are 12 initiatives that I will be fighting for which can restore America's middle class.

1. We need a major investment to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure: roads, bridges, water systems, waste water plants, airports, railroads and schools. It has been estimated that the cost of the Bush-Cheney Iraq War, a war we should never have waged, will total $3 trillion by the time the last veteran receives needed care. A $1 trillion investment in infrastructure could create 13 million decent paying jobs and make this country more efficient and productive. We need to invest in infrastructure, not more war.

2. The United States must lead the world in reversing climate change and make certain that this planet is habitable for our children and grandchildren. We must transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energies. Millions of homes and buildings need to be weatherized, our transportation system needs to be energy efficient and we need to greatly accelerate the progress we are already seeing in wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and other forms of sustainable energy. Transforming our energy system will not only protect the environment, it will create good paying jobs.

3. We need to develop new economic models to increase job creation and productivity. Instead of giving huge tax breaks to corporations which ship our jobs to China and other low-wage countries, we need to provide assistance to workers who want to purchase their own businesses by establishing worker-owned cooperatives. Study after study shows that when workers have an ownership stake in the businesses they work for, productivity goes up, absenteeism goes down and employees are much more satisfied with their jobs.

4. Union workers who are able to collectively bargain for higher wages and benefits earn substantially more than non-union workers. Today, corporate opposition to union organizing makes it extremely difficult for workers to join a union. We need legislation which makes it clear that when a majority of workers sign cards in support of a union, they can form a union.

THE REST:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-bernie-sanders/an-economic-agenda-for-am_b_6249022.html

[woo me with science]

1. Amen, Bernie Sanders!

I would add one more very important thing to this list. This is Bernie last month (also talked about this recently on Moyers):

To keep the billionaire class from turning our democracy into an oligarchy, we must also focus on campaign finance reform and public funding of elections. Billionaires like the Koch brothers and others should not be able to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on campaigns while candidates who are not rich or dependent upon the rich are unable to have their voices heard. That's why we need public funding of elections. That's why we need a constitutional amendment to overturn the disastrous 2010 Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United that let billionaires and corporations spend unlimited sums to tilt elections in their favor

Finally, a real representative of the people in a sea of liars and corporate sellouts.

[Snarkoleptic]

2. Sanders-Warren 2016

'Cuz I'm sick of this DLC half a loaf (which later turns out to be crumbs) corporate crap!

[BrotherIvan]

3. Thank you, Sir

I hope America isn't too stupid to see your vision of the future is the path we need to take.

[NYC_SKP]

4. KICK!!!!

[JDPriestly]

5. Wonderful!

[C Moon]

6. President Bernie Sanders, I wish.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Full of common sense solutions to the economic problems

It's what the Democratic party, and the USA, needs.

[Scuba]

8. Meanwhile, the leadership of the Democratic Party is pushing trickle-down.