U.S. Senate race: Still fighting for Vermont values

Posted Friday, November 2, 2018 6:27 pm

Bernie Sanders

Independent from Burlington

My name is Bernie Sanders. Being your U.S. Senator and serving Vermont in Washington, D.C. for almost three decades has been the honor of a lifetime.

As your U.S. Senator, I have fought to ensure that every American who works 40 hours per week does not live in poverty. The truth is that in America today, 43 percent of households cannot afford to pay for their housing, food, childcare, healthcare, transportation and their cell phone without going into debt. With nearly 80 percent of workers living paycheck to paycheck, I strongly believe we need to increase the minimum wage to a livable wage of $15 an hour. Additionally, I am dedicated to fighting to ensure pay equity for women and to protect the rights of our country's unions. We must create a more just economy, and while progress is being made, there is still much left to accomplish.

For years, I have fought against the injustice that is healthcare in our country. The United States is the only major country on Earth which does not guarantee healthcare to all its people as a right. As a nation, we spend more per capita on healthcare than any other advanced nation in the world. Americans should not have to choose between paying their bills or picking up their prescriptions. Americans should not have to avoid going to the doctor because they cannot afford their co-payments. The United States must move to a Medicare for all, single-payer healthcare system.

Not only should we join the rest of the developed world in providing healthcare to all of our citizens, but, we must invest and prioritize our education system. It is counter-productive to the best interests of our country that hundreds of thousands of bright young people cannot afford to go to college, and that millions of others leave school with a mountain of debt that burdens them for decades. Every student who studies hard in school should be able to go to college regardless of how much money their parents make and without going deeply into debt.

There is much work still to be done in Washington, but I cannot do it alone. Together, we must fight for a society that works for the many, not the few - based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice.

Four years ago Vermont had the lowest midterm turnout since 1950. Our job is to do everything we can to get people involved in the political process. Instead of having the lowest voter turnout in modern history, let us do everything that we can to have the highest voter turnout.

With your support, I would be honored to continue to represent Vermont as your U.S. Senator and fight for Vermont values.