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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Homeless-serving groups get together ... Hanson Howard Gallery in Ashland features bird art ... Ashland woman trying to save family in Kenya ... Homeless-serving groups get together ... Hanson Howard Gallery in Ashland features bird art ... Ashland woman trying to save family in Kenya ... COMMENTARY Chris Honoré: I feel the Bern — but then … Comment By Chris Honoré DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré Posted Apr. 18, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Chris Honoré Posted Apr. 18, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Each time I hear Bernie Sanders deliver his stump speech — his conviction heartfelt — I find myself nodding in agreement. His vision for America mirrors mine and a label such as “democratic socialist” seems meaningless and irrelevant. His words resonate, his abiding humanity is self-evident as he puts forth a litany of proposals that appeal to the best in all of us. The surprising wave of support — the “Feel the Bern” movement — indicates that he is not alone in wanting to begin a “political revolution.” Millions yearn for change. I am in favor of universal, high quality pre-K programs for all of our children. But then I believe that public education is the silver bullet that could rescue so many of our youngsters and level what is a scandalously uneven playing field. Our educational infrastructure beckons and we too often turn away. I favor overturning Citizens United. All political campaigns should be financed with public money. Taking money out of politics is vital to our democracy. Today’s federal minimum wage ($7.25) is untenable given the cost to house and feed a family. Raising that wage to $15 per hour is the right and moral thing to do. We are long overdue to completely restructure our immigration policy. The 11 million people living in the shadows, ever fearful of deportation and of seeing their families fragmented as a result, deserve comprehensive legislation and a viable path to citizenship. To do less is not who we are. I believe we should have Medicare for all. The Affordable Care Act is a start, but it is also a tortured accommodation to special interests such as big pharma and insurance companies. Like Bernie, I would strengthen and expand Social Security. There are countless people who labor physically all of their lives and when they reach their early sixties the right thing to do is give them the option to retire. Congress should openly address its continued solvency, including the income cap. I also agree with Bernie: “Wall Street should pay its fair share.” In a column by Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times, he references a recent academic study that found tax dodging by major corporations costs the U.S. Treasury some $111 billion per annum. Imagine. Less than one-fifth of that annually “would be more than enough to pay the additional costs of full-day prekindergarten for all 4-year-olds in America ($15 billion), prevent lead poisoning in tens of thousands of children ($2 billion), provide books and parent coaching for at-risk kids ($1 billion) and end family homelessness ($2 billion).” Kristof points out that American companies game the system, including moving profits to overseas tax havens. “Over all, the share of corporate taxation in federal revenue has declined since 1952 from 32 percent to 11 percent. In that same period, the portion coming from payroll taxes, which hit the working poor, has climbed.” I do indeed “Feel the Bern.” But I also understand that the American people, in all their questionable wisdom, have elected a Republican Senate and House and, should Bernie be elected, his proposals would hit a wall of hardened, ideological GOP obstructionism. In a piece in the New York Times, Steven Rattner explained how President Obama has put forward numerous “constructive proposals,” including an infrastructure bank that would have led to the creation of thousands of construction jobs. Called the “American Jobs Act,” it arrived on Capital Hill only to be decidedly ignored by the Republicans. That is but one example. I fear that for all of Bernie’s idealism, his words, his vision that have touch millions of voters, the young especially, would meet a riptide of conservative resistance. Think shred. There are currents moving through American society that make a Donald Trump or Ted Cruz viable to countless voters. When I watch their rallies, and then contrast them to those of Bernie’s, I am convinced that the Republicans, during a presidential campaign and certainly afterward, should Bernie win (a scarily debatable outcome), will do all in their power to hollow out his presidency and make sure that his wish list evaporates like so much mist in the early morning. Chris Honoré of Ashland is a Daily Tidings columnist. By Chris Honoré DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré Posted Apr. 18, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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