Bernie Sanders Constitutional Perspective: Income Inequality Threatens U.S. Constitutional Sovereignty

Bernie Sanders’ perspective on income inequality, as an affront to U.S. Constitutional rights, is one of urgency directed toward a singular problem that is pervading every aspect of life in America. As he sees it, Americans have very few problems that are not connected to income inequality and the move toward oligarchy. If poverty could reduce rather than increase, and if we had a growing rather than shrinking middle class, most other issues would take care of themselves. The introduction on the Bernie Sanders Issues page of his website really summarize his stand on virtually everything important.

“The American people must make a fundamental decision. Do we continue the 40-year decline of our middle class and the growing gap between the very rich and everyone else, or do we fight for a progressive economic agenda that creates jobs, raises wages, protects the environment and provides health care for all? Are we prepared to take on the enormous economic and political power of the billionaire class, or do we continue to slide into economic and political oligarchy? These are the most important questions of our time, and how we answer them will determine the future of our country.”

Bernie Sanders has spent many decades considering the impact of income inequality and a decline of U.S. Constitutional rights, as an increasing corporate takeover of America. He has studied how that takeover has impacted ordinary citizens. Health care costs, rent costs, and the overall cost of living continue to increase, while wages, when adjusted for inflation, have been declining for over a decade, after perpetual stagnation since the 1960s. Pew Research paints a clear picture of economic woes in America. As profits increase for the very rich, they remain low for everyone else.

Bernie Sanders believes income inequality impacts every aspect of life, and undermines U.S. Constitutional rights, especially when people do not have enough. Suddenly, finances become far more important than they should be, simply because people cannot live without money. Learn Vest cites a survey by the Marist Institute, stating that the price of happiness is about $50,000 a year. That’s not a lot. It isn’t a six figure income, and it doesn’t pay for a McMansion, but it is enough to keep the wolves away from the door in most families. That is what Bernie wants for the American people. He also wants protection from medical bills in the event of illness, and access to college without racking up debt. Happiness, education, health, and financial security for ordinary Americans could solve a lot of problems. Bernie believes relieving income inequality would reduce crime, increase free enterprise, and encourage self-actualization, creativity, and truly free enterprise for everyone instead of mere survival.

Bernie Sanders has been quoted on medical care as an implied U.S. Constitutional right, by On The Issues. Americans suffering and dying of treatable illness in the name of corporate profit, in the face of income inequality, and unapproachable health care costs hardly matches the spirit of the U.S. Constitution. How can people pursue happiness when they are sick and cannot afford treatment to get well?

“Every other major country providing health care to all people as a right, except the United States. You see every other major country saying we are going to have medical and family paid leave.”

Bernie Sanders also considers the decline of small and local business in favor of big corporate ownership and corporatization of everything from hospitals to hamburgers, and from pensions to prisons. There is no community and no local structure without considerable local ownership. Equally importantly, there is no way for ordinary individuals to increase their income, or feel any sense of self actualization, without the hope of small business ownership or advancement and increased salary within a company that values labor. There is also no way for them to exert influence. Without community and opportunity, U.S. Constitutional rights and individual freedoms are at serious risk.

“[The U.S.] has long been a world leader in entrepreneurship and innovation, which in turn are the engines that drive our economy.”

Bernie Sanders was quoted On The Issuecs, discussing how unfair it was that American taxpayers bailed out Wall Street, and got nothing but more abuse in return. He considers student debt, credit card debt, and upside down mortgages. How much money do the bankers make off every citizen’s tiny attempts toward success, or self-validation? Yet instead of relieving that debt, the government chose to bail out banks, not people. He took into account the wages lost to exported jobs, and how much profit chain restaurants and big box stores make off mostly minimum wage workers, while smaller businesses languish. At one time, increases in stock market profits meant more expansion, more jobs for Americans, higher wages for Americans, more tax revenues for government, and more prosperity for everyone, but since globalization devalued labor, and government lowered corporate taxes, it means nothing for citizens, except for those who own quite a bit of stock.

“It was wrong to ask the middle class to bail out Wall Street. I want Wall Street now to help kids in this country go to public colleges and universities, free with a Wall Street speculation tax.

“The casino capitalist process by which so few have so much and so many have so little by which Wall Street’s greed and recklessness wrecked this economy? No, I don’t [feel I am part of that.] I believe in a society where all people do well. Not just a handful of billionaires.”

Bernie Sanders is a U.S. Constitutionalist, not a Communist, as many conservative pundits have attempted to paint him. He is concerned with economic inequality because it is a threat to the sovereignty of the nation, as well as the suffering economic inequality causes the citizens the constitution was designed to protect. He is a Democratic Socialist, and the changes he wants to make are in the spirit of FDR, who was an example of a Democratic Socialist, who also believed he was serving a U.S. Constitutional mandate when he created Social Security and Medicare. The U.S. Constitutional Preamble declares the government should promote the overall well-being of the people. It is just as much a part of our founding father’s desires as any other freedom.

Bernie Sanders backed U.S. Constitutional principles even in a case where it was unpopular with his Democratic audience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZjsl5QSCkM

Bernie Sanders backs Other Constitutional rights, too, not just those based in income inequality. He backed gun manufacturers and gun shops, against Hillary’s proposal in the recent debate, simply because it would be unconstitutional to force the entire gun industry out of business. It is not his desire to abolish banks, hospitals, and insurance companies out of business, either. We need those industries, but it is his desire to stop them from dictating government policy. The U.S. Constitutional Preamble is familiar to Americans, but perhaps citizens need to consider the whole meaning of it.

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Bernie Sanders is in line with the U.S. Constitutional intent in his plan to conquer income inequality in America.

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