Vermont Envy

There are a multitude of reasons to envy the State of Vermont, including it's scenery, downhill skiing, and independent tradition.   Lately, I've found another reason; the US Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders.

A recent quote from Senator Sanders will demonstrate why I admire the guy and wish we had 30 more of him in the Senate.

“I think it’s very clear that the function of the Republican Party today in congress is to represent the wealthiest people in this country & the largest corporations. They couldn’t care less about the middle-class & working families… the President can not keep trying to compromise with people who do not want to compromise.”

Senator Sanders caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate, but does not belong to a political party and is officially an Independent.  He has had the courage to publicly declare his admiration for "European social democracy" and argues forcefully for the rights of middle-class Americans.


Another of Bernie's recent observations:

"Enough is enough! The American people must fight back. We need a government which represents all people, not just the wealthy, campaign contributors & lobbyists. In these tough times, despair is not an option. This fight is not just for us, it is for our children & grandchildren & for the environmental survival of the planet."

I wish every State had a Senator Sanders.

Democracy For All! Except...

The ability of a people to control their own destiny, generally includes the right to band together for mutual support and assistance.   Like forming a union to bargain for employment rights.  Or demanding a dictator leave the country.  The 'crisis du jour' among the Republicants this year seems to be blaming the current economic disaster on the middle class and public employee unions, rather than the riverboat gambler bankers of Wall Street.

So it's interesting to view what's going on in the Middle East side by side with what's going on in a number of States  (Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio) around this country regarding the efforts to strip collective bargaining rights from public employees.  This effort purports to be for the purpose of needing to "balance the State budget."   In fact, union contracts for public employees have nothing to do with State budget imbalances, which are mostly caused by the current economy and the collapse of tax revenues.

It's ironic that the nation is hand-wringing over the poor demonstrators across the middle East who are oppressed by those nasty dictators, while the democratic process is being defiled around this country by zealots bent on destroying the ability of employees to band together for their benefit and protection.   Hypocritical to say the least.

Cartoon by Clay Bennett of the Chattanooga Times