Can You Imagine A Presidential Election That Wasn't A Search For The Lesser Of Two Evils?

Bernie Says It's Not Time For A New Party Yet... But The Dems Are Getting Worse

I still vote. I mean I fill in my ballot, partially. There are fewer and fewer candidates I want to vote for lately. Sometimes there's a good candidate for City Council. I wrote in Roland’s name for president in November. Kamala? Not on your life! I didn’t vote for her in a primary or a general when she ran for D.A., when she ran for attorney general, when she ran for senator, when she ran for vice president or when she ran for president. I hate inauthentic politicians who stand for nothing but their own careers. It doesn’t even matter to me that Trump is a brazen bull brought to life in this dimension— an empty vessel of cruelty designed to amplify the screams of a nation while setting it ablaze. Yeah, he’s that. I live in California and he’s not winning our electoral votes anyway.

Bernie’s not going to run for president again. And I’ll always hate the Democratic Party— Obama, the Clintons, Clyburn… everyone who stole the 2020 nomination from him. He wrote an OpEd for The Guardian yesterday about 9 steps to make America as healthy as it is wealthy. Tell me if could envision something like this from Kamala, who, as you probably know, is already plotting how to win the 2028 nomination— which would be tantamount to handing the Oval Office to JD Vance.

The first step: Medicare For All, pissed on by senile old Biden, betrayed by worthless Kamala. Bernie, never those shits or any of the corporate shits like them: “Healthcare is a human right. The function of a rational healthcare system is to guarantee quality healthcare to all, not huge profits for the insurance industry. The United States cannot continue to be the only wealthy nation that does not provide universal healthcare. It is not acceptable that, while spending almost 18% of our GDP on healthcare, millions of Americans delay going to the doctor and 60,000 Americans die each year because they can’t afford the care they need.”

Nice and simple, also popular— and the Democratic Establishment has fought against it even harder than the Republican Party establishment, which basically ignores it and lets the stupid Democrats do the first work. Here’s are Bernie’s other precepts for… a health America; also for winning an election without depending on the villainy of the opponent:

• Lower The Cost Of Prescription Drugs

As Americans, we should not be paying, by far, the highest prices in the world for life-saving medications. It is absurd that while the pharmaceutical industry enjoys huge profits and benefits from US taxpayer research, one out of four Americans cannot afford to purchase the prescription drugs their doctors prescribe. We must cut prescription drug prices in half by making sure that we pay no more for medicine than the Europeans or Canadians.

• Paid Family And Medical Leave

Workers should not have to go to work when they are sick. Mothers and fathers should have ample time to stay home with their newborn babies. A parent should not get fired when they stay home with a sick child. We must guarantee at least 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave to every worker in America.

• Reform The Food Industry

Large food corporations should not make record-breaking profits making children addicted to processed foods, which make them overweight and prone to diabetes and other diseases. As a start, we must ban junk-food ads targeted to kids and put strong warning labels on products high in sugar, salt and saturated fat. Longer term, we can rebuild rural America with family farms that are producing healthy, nutritious food.

• Raise The Minimum Wage To A Living Wage

Millions of workers should not have to worry about how they’ll pay the rent or buy food for their kids. Working-class Americans live far shorter lives than the rich because of the stress of trying to survive on a paycheck-to-paycheck existence. Stress kills. Stress makes us sick. We must raise the minimum wage to at least $17 an hour.

• Lower The Work Week To 32 Hours With No Loss Of Pay

People will live longer and healthier lives if they can spend more time with family and friends and have the opportunity to enjoy their leisure time. Advancements in technology, automation and artificial intelligence must benefit workers, not just billionaires on Wall Street or in Silicon Valley.

• Combat The Epidemic Of Loneliness, Isolation And Mental Illness

Too many Americans are struggling with intense anxiety and “diseases of despair”— alcoholism, drug addiction and even suicide. Not only do we need to greatly increase access to mental healthcare, we must rebuild our sense of community and create a culture in which we better enjoy and appreciate each other as human beings. We must also take a very hard look at the impact smartphones and social media are having on our mental and physical health.

• Address The Climate And Environmental Crisis

Every American is affected when the Earth’s temperature rises and the air we breathe is polluted. Climate crisis and extreme weather disturbances will cause more widespread suffering and disease, economic disruptions and population dislocation. Air pollution is a major risk factor for respiratory and heart disease, cancer and other health problems. The fossil-fuel industry cannot be allowed to continue making us sick, shortening our lives and destroying the planet.

• Create A High-Quality Public Education System

Life-long education is a human right and should be obtainable for all in a wealthy nation like ours. Health, life expectancy and economic wellbeing are often tied to educational attainment. Instead of spending $1 trillion a year on the military we should make certain that all Americans, from childcare to graduate school, are able to enjoy free, high-quality education and job training.