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City Politics

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By David Mark Greaves

Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton

Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton

Senator Bernie Sanders is making Secretary Clinton a far better candidate than she ever would have been without him.  And even if he does not win the nomination, he’s moved the Clinton self-described “pragmatism” needle to the Left, which would not have happened if he were not there. With the Republican “base” unbelievably on the verge of confirming Donald Trump as their best choice for the Office of President of the United States, Secretary Clinton would be tempted to coast as the “I’m not Trump” candidate, without having to be pressed on issues that Senator Sanders gives voice to.  Sanders’ call for a revolution in campaign financing and the financial industry involves more than “one issue”, as anybody on the street can tell you.   Campaign spending alone touches every aspect of our lives.  The lobbyists and the access that hundreds of millions of dollars buys influences everything that goes into our bodies, comes out of our pockets and how we relate to nations around the world.

And the casino-like aspect and sheer greed of the financial industry has become far too dangerous to. There is no tax break financiers and bankers won’t lobby for, as they repeatedly break rules, for which their companies pay fines, while leaving the dreams of families in ruins.  And despite what the senator’s critics say, it is not a crime to tax the rich, it’s just being equitable.  A one-percent tax on wealth, a little something on a stock transfer, and as a modest proposal, because billion-dollar paydays are based on systemic imbalances, the Social Security tax on every dollar earned, no upper limit.  Now I’m no economist, but I bet you three things would happen:  rates for everyone would plummet, benefits would rise and there would be no more talk about a threatened system.

Senator Bernie Sanders

Senator Bernie Sanders

Sanders challenges the notion that incremental change is all that can be achieved and encourages the thought that peaceful revolutions are possible and to see that one is needed, we need look no further than the WMBE program in New York.  President Richard M. Nixon established the Office of Minority Business Enterprise on March 5, 1969 to encourage minority businesses.  As we approach the 47th year of MBE programs, African-Americans, comprising 22.8% of the city, have only .3% of New York City vendor spending.  This is an example of “incremental change” on an almost geologic timescale and it’s why the pragmatists have to be pushed and prodded and led to new possibilities.

 

 

 

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