Westlake Word

On Tuesday, February 19, 2019, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont publicized that he would be giving it another go, launching his campaign for the 2020 United States presidential election.

 

Although the race may still be premature, Sanders has already begun to establish his position as a frontrunner of the Democratic Party, alongside United States Senator, Kamala Harris. Since his beginnings as Mayor of Vermont in the early 1980s, Sanders has served as a social activist, fighting for programs including medicare for all, free college tuition, as well as the total expulsion of assault rifles nationwide.

 

In less than a week, over one million American citizens have pledged their devotion to Senator Sanders’s campaign, and over six million dollars have been raised towards his cause within the first twenty four hours; these numbers will only continue to grow. However, Sanders has received much backlash from right-wing conservatives regarding his extreme socialist values.

 

According to news outlet, Penn Live, Sanders, as well as many other Democratic contenders, are promising a multitude of “free” services to the American people without even a hint of the heavy taxation that these socialist programs will impose on the American people.

 

Webster’s Dictionary defines socialism as a “political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.”

 

In recent years, socialists have been the victims of criticism from many who consider socialism to be a “dirty word,” spoken by civilians who are blinded from the economic burden that could come from this system’s takeover in America.

 

I made it my mission to find out what teachers and staff members of Westlake High School thought about Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign as well their views on this new, mainstream version of socialism by sharing a quote from Senator Sanders himself:

 

“What being a socialist means is that you hold out a vision of society where poverty is absolutely unnecessary, where international relations are not based on greed, but on cooperation.. Where human beings can own the means of production and work together rather than having to work as semi-slaves to other people who can hire and fire.”

 

One teacher stated, “There are some aspects to it that are great. I like the notion of my kids not having future loans to pay but the question is, where are they going to get the money from? If the government can find ways in their budget to ease student loans and offer some level of aide in health care, that would be great, but I do not believe in full fledged socialism.”

Another stated, “I believe that there are certain programs that should be socialized, but not every service in the United States. First and foremost, I believe that health care should be our number one priority. In a perfect world, every citizen would be provided with free college tuition and free health care however, this is not a perfect world. There is an economic controversy, as I don’t know where Bernie and these other candidates think this money will come from.”

The general consensus established from my interviews and research is that most citizens would adore free services such as Medicare for all and free college tuition; however, socialism is just not economically feasible enough to exist in modern America.