Thursday, September 18, 2008

Senator Bernie Sanders: An Economy in Crisis


I subscribe to Senator Bernie Sanders' regular newsletter. The below article is one I just received today and I found it to be of great value, truth, and power. I have the utmost gratitude and respect for Senator Sanders. He is among the few in Congress who I deeply trust. It is one thing to talk spiritual values and can be quite another to walk the talk. It is, therefore, quite heartening to be witness to those in positions of power whose words and actions are authentic and truly aligned with integrity, courage, wisdom, truth, compassion, and fierce caring for all. Senator Bernie Sanders is among those who unmistakably walks his talk. And I am grateful.
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Amid one of the worst financial crises in American history, Senator Bernie Sanders laid out a four-part plan to cope with the collapse of financial institutions and avoid future failures of businesses “too big to fail.” First, Sanders proposed a surtax on the very wealthy to pay for bailouts of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and American International Group. “The wealthiest 400 families in America saw an increase in their wealth of $670 billion since President Bush has been in office. They have seen extraordinary benefits under Bush’s reckless economic policies. The middle class, whose standard of living has declined, should not be paying for these bailouts. Rather, we need an emergency surtax on those at the very top in order to pay for any losses the federal government suffers as a result of necessary efforts to shore up the economy,” Sanders said. Second, he called for stronger oversight of financial institutions and an end to President Bush’s deregulation policies. Third, huge businesses like Bank of America, which is swallowing up other large corporations, should be broken up so no company in the future could bring the American economy down with it. Said Sanders, “This country can no longer afford companies that are ‘too big to fail.’ Fourth, he called for an immediate economic stimulus package which would put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, and moving us to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. -- READ MORE

Issue September 18, 2008 - http://sanders.senate.gov

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