We, the Editorial Board at Talon Marks newspaper, are proud to endorse Bernie Sanders for President.

Sanders is no stranger to standing up for what he believes is right for the American people, in 1964 Chicago Sanders alongside 159 others were arrested during a series of demonstrations protesting segregation in public schools. As a congressman for the state of Vermont, he consistently stood up for the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community, along with passing/proposing legislation that supports them.

Sanders has been very vocal about how we, young adults, are the future of the United States. One of his most appealing policies is College for All.

Bernie Sanders calls on the country to take immediate action. He seeks to strengthen and empower the individual no matter the demographic.

He sets goals and milestones once perceived as unattainable, but now appear more in reach than ever before. His outstanding leadership is and always has been what sets Bernie apart from other politicians. Rather than use his rhetoric to separate and divide Americans.

College for All: Senator Sanders is adamant about wanting to make college education more accessible and free for all. He is fighting for debt-free education, free public colleges, universities, HBCUs, Minority Serving Institutions and all trade-schools.

Nearly 45 million Americans still face student debt, totaling around $1.6 trillion. As president, Sanders will cancel all student loan debt and place a cap on student loan interest rates going forward at 1.88 percent.

He plans to pay for this plan as part of his Wall Street speculation tax, which according to his campaign website, will generate over $2.4 trillion dollars in just ten years.

He believes that if taxpayers had to bail out the same Wall Street firms that collapsed the housing market in 2008, then Wall Street can pay for a 0.5% tax on all stock trades.

Sanders plans to end equity gaps in higher education attainment and ensure students are able to cover non-tuition costs of attending school by: expanding Pell Grants to cover non-tuition and fee costs, tripling funding for the Work-Study Program, and more.

Another vision that has gained our support is Sanders’ message of “Healthcare as a Human Right” in the form of Medicare For All.

Medicare for All: Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All proposal, which will enact a single-payer national health insurance program will provide health insurance to all Americans including more than 30 million people who still have no insurance. Sanders wants to relinquish the burden of medical costs, which is the number one cause of bankruptcy in the US.

While other Democratic candidates have made their own proposals, like Buttigieg’s “Medicare for all who want it,” Sanders still stands out with his comprehensive national health care plan that promises complete coverage. As someone who “wrote the damn bill,” it’s a good bet that Sanders knows his own policy quite well and can see its implementation through with the support of grassroots organizing and a unified party.

A common concern shared by voters is how Sanders plans to pay for Medicare for All. He first plans to add a tax on Wall Street speculation, removing offshore tax loopholes through the Tax Dodging Prevention Act, and removing the cap on Social Security payroll taxes, generating more income into the program from millionaires and billionaires.

In addition, Sanders cites the fact that the US pays much more per person on prescription drugs than any other major country. This motivated him to construct ways to also lower the price of prescription drug prices by negotiating with drug companies, helping patients buy prescription drugs from other countries and creating a standard median drug price through the Prescription Drug Price Relief Act.

Healthcare matters little as long as human existence is threatened by the ongoing climate crisis.

Green New Deal: Senator Sanders’ policy on combating climate change focuses on moving away from fossil fuels entirely, along with creating 20 million jobs and investing in the conservation and protection of public lands and forests. His arguments are coherent, specific and offer the nation a principled defense against the climate crisis.

Sanders promises to declare climate change a national emergency. He will protect the environment in launching the Green New Deal which seeks to implement 100% renewable energy in the United States by 2030. Under Sanders, the United States will rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, along with reinstating protective agencies defunded or destroyed by the Trump administration.

President Trump has made it very clear that he has no plan to move away from fossil fuels, no plan to combat rising sea levels, no plan to protect and care for the current and future victims of climate disasters. He has made it very clear that he thinks climate change in general is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, completely ignoring the countless warnings of 97% of the scientific community. For the sake of natural habitats in oceans and wildlife thriving in the US, we cannot subject the country to four more years of lifted protections and deregulated pollution.

In contrast to increasing environmental regulations, Senator Sanders wants to end the long-standing policies of criminalizing black and brown communities through the War on Drugs.

Marijuana Legalization and Decarceration: Since his initial 2016 campaign bid, Sanders has promised to legalize marijuana and use the tax revenue from that market to support the communities hurt most by the war on drugs. In addition to legalization, Sanders will also use his power of office to “Vacate and expunge all past marijuana-related convictions.” He aims to release the thousands of men and women convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.

Senator Sanders is facing widespread attacks from powerful people across the media in subtle and disingenuous ways. We encourage voters to listen to his message and decide for themselves which candidate has a sincere vision of moving the United States forwards in this crucial historical moment.