{Political_Views} Bernie Buzz: 2011 Year in Review

--- On Wed, 12/28/11, Senator Bernie Sanders <bernie_sanders@sanders.enews.senate.gov> wrote: If you are having trouble viewing this message, you can view the message online. December 28, 2011 The Year in Review The year 2011 has been a tough one for many Americans. In the midst of the most severe recession since the Great Depression, it is no secret that the people of our country are angry and frustrated with Washington and their government. They correctly perceive that we face enormous problems: a collapsing middle class, increased poverty and a growing gap between the very rich and everyone else; sky-high unemployment; 50 million Americans without health insurance; a deteriorating infrastructure; the continued loss of our manufacturing capabilities; ongoing mortgage and student loan crises and the planetary challenge of having to reverse global warming. They want action to address these problems but, tragically, very little is happening. During the last year, Bernie was active in the Senate in a wide number of areas. One of his major concerns was to protect the needs of the elderly, the children the sick and the poor. He founded the Defending Social Security Caucus, which helped prevent Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits from being cut as part of a misguided deficit reduction deal. Bernie knows the nation's $15 trillion debt must be addressed, but he has fought to make sure that it is dealt with in a way that is fair to America's struggling middle class. In his view, the country's wealthiest people and largest corporations, many of whom are doing extremely well, must be asked to contribute their fair share toward deficit reduction and job creation. It cannot just be working families who are asked to sacrifice. Bernie has also taken on the Wall Street banks, the Federal Reserve, the oil and coal companies, and the pharmaceutical industry as part of his efforts to make our government represent the 99 percent, not just the top 1 percent. As the year concluded, Bernie introduced his first ever constitutional amendment. The amendment is designed to reverse the Supreme Court's disastrous Citizens United decision which ruled that corporations are people and have first amendment rights to spend, without disclosure, unlimited amounts of money in the political process. Interactive Timeline: Learn More » SHARE THIS What do you think? TAKE THE POLL Do you support or oppose a constitutional amendment to undo the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United vs. the FEC? In Other News A DIFFICULT YEAR Listen to Bernie and Thom Hartmann look back at how the battered economy shaped "a really strange and difficult year." » ARE CORPORATIONS PEOPLE? Watch Bernie introduce the Saving American Democracy Amendment » Sign the petition to show your support » A RAISE FOR RETIRED AMERICANS After two years without a cost-of-living adjustment, tens of millions of seniors are finally receiving a 3.6 percent increase in their Social Security benefits. Bernie, who founded the Defending Social Security Caucus, has been a leader in the fight for this increase » EPA CRACKDOWN ON POLLUTERS The nation's oldest and dirtiest coal- and oil-fired power plants will be forced to reduce emissions under a Environmental Protection Agency rule » SAVING THE POSTAL SERVICE A five-month moratorium on Postal Service closings will give Congress time to take up reforms Bernie and others proposed » Upcoming Events THOM HARTMANN PROGRAM Listen on Fridays at noon ET for "Brunch with Bernie" » Please do not respond to this email, it is not a monitored address. If you would like to send Senator Sanders a comment click here. To unsubscribe to all newsletters from this sender, click here. Privacy Policy

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