First-time voters encouraged to consider all options before casting ballots

EDITORIAL 

     Most seniors and some juniors will have the opportunity to vote in the upcoming election. With that in mind, it’s important to remember to do your research on all candidates- especially in the primaries- as opposed to voting the way your parents did just because you think they know everything. 

     In this election, many democrats are saying, “vote blue no matter who” in reference to the general election to outvote Donald Trump. However, this alone may not be enough. The democrats need to elect a candidate in the primaries that will appeal to independents, swing states, and -you guessed it- first-time voters. 

     Before Super Tuesday, most would have thought Mike Bloomberg to be the best democratic option due to him being a moderate. However, due to how poorly he performed, he dropped out on March 4 and endorsed Joe Biden. And while he seems like a more practical choice for democrats than Bernie Sanders because of his “less extreme” views, after research on Sanders’ ideals, they’re not as extreme as many would like you to believe.

     While many members of the GOP are quick to call Sanders a socialist and even a communist, it’s important to remember that his ideas aren’t really that extreme. Even independents support him over Trump, 46 percent to 28 percent (Political Polls). And while he identifies as a Democratic Socialist, his views actually place him as a Social Democrat. A chart using data from Political Compass comparing the views of all 2020 candidates with political groups of other countries places Sanders closest to the Scottish National Party (SNP), a social-democratic party. 

     What’s the difference between a democtraic-socialist and a social-democrat? Well, according to The Atlantic social democrats “support practical, progressive reforms of capitalism.” This is exactly the truth, Sanders’ ideas are not as absurd and unachievable as conservatives make them sound. It’s just a more forward thinking version of capitalism. 

     Sanders’ plan for Medicare for All and his plan to make public college free and cancel all student debt raises one big question: how will we pay for it? The easy answer is taxes, but really it’s going to take a raise in taxes and adjustments to current spending. Sanders has said himself, “when it comes to spending $716 billion on the military- more than the next ten countries combined-all of a sudden there is a deafening silence from my Republican colleagues about the deficit,” in reference to conservatives saying there’s not enough money for free college and Medicare for All.

     He is every bit correct. The US spends far too much on the military, and the current president is not helping. According to militarybenefits.info, in 2018, “The $700 billion plan exceeded the budget cap of  $549 billion as established Budget and Control Act (BCA) of 2011.” Essentially, the president spent much more than he was supposed to. The extra $151 billion in the budget can go towards Medicare for All and free college. Not to mention Sanders plans to spend even less than that in office.

     Is it really that awful and terrible to pay a little more in taxes so that future generations have the opportunity to go to college, regardless of their race, class, gender, and whatever else? Or so that people who cannot afford health insurance receive the help they need, without the fear of being in debt for the rest of their life? Spoiler alert: it’s not. Your parents are just selfish.

     According to sanders.senate.gov, under Sanders’ Tax plan, the only changes to income taxes will be to the richest one percent. Those who make more than 20 million annually will be taxed at a rate of 52 percent. This stretches down to the bottom of the one percent, those making between $400,000-500,000 a year, who will be taxed at a rate of 35 percent, which remains unchanged from the current tax plan. 

     Jeff Bezos, for example, will pay $40.5 billion in income taxes annually after earning $78 billion a year, leaving him with $37.5 billion and still earning more than the second richest man in the world, Bernard Arnault.

     According to bernietax.com (feel free to try this on your own to calculate YOUR savings under Medicare for All), a middle-class family of four earning $100,000 a year and pays $30,000 in healthcare, a little more than the $28,166 average, will have an increase of  $26,976 in annual disposable income. This family would save money under Medicare for All. In fact, as long as your family makes less than $650,000 you’ll be saving money! And according to the Yale School of Public Health, “a single-payer, universal health care system in the US would save more than 68,000 lives and more $450 billion annually.”

     So we established that Medicare for All and free public college are not extreme ideals (not to mention the US is one of the only major countries without universal healthcare), what else could there possibly be to say about Sanders? Well, now it’s time to talk about his supporters.

     Sanders has the most diverse group of supporters out of any of the candidates. According to a poll among democrats at the end of January, Sanders was backed by the most LGBTQ+ voters. A survey from back in August shows his supporters are the least white (49 percent) and mostly female (53 percent). Not to mention that in the Nevada Caucus, Sanders was backed by more than 50 percent of Hispanic voters.

     The last thing there is to say about Sanders is his reliability. Sanders has obviously been involved in politics for a very long time and he has always been fighting for the same causes. He hasn’t changed his views when it becomes “convenient” and when watching some of his speeches from even 20 years ago you can tell he’s remained consistent. 

     As it says on his offcial camaign website, “As Mayor of Burlington in 1985, Bernie signed a groundbreaking housing and employment proclamation protecting LGBTQ+ people from discrimination– one of the first of its kind in the country.” LGBTQ+ rights were unheard of back then. Sanders fought for his beliefs even when no one else would. 

     And lastly: Sanders’ funding. He very proudly states that his campaign isn’t funded by any billionaires, it’s just funded by regular, ordinary people. Why is this a big deal? Well, it’s important to take note of who donates to a campaign because it has a lot to do with what issues that candidate will support. For example, if an oil company donates to a campaign, then that candidate will be in support of fracking. Since Sanders isn’t backed by any big companies, we know that he is more likely to actually be a president for the people because they are who funded his campaign. 

     Now, let’s say you read this whole thing and still don’t support Sanders. That’s okay! You don’t have to agree, it’s just something to think about. If you are voting in the upcoming election, try taking this quiz at “isidewith.com/elections/2020-presidential-quiz” to get an insight on who you actually support instead of just voting for Trump because mommy and daddy said so.