I always considered myself a capitalist. Ever since I was a little kid, capitalism was held up as the gold standard in economic systems. It was free. It led to economic prosperity. I never let myself question the fairness of a system that concentrates more wealth in the hands of one percent of its citizens than in the hands of the other ninety-nine percent. I never let myself think about the “casualties” of such a system, about the people who do not stand a chance to give themselves or their families a better life because of a system that writes them off as statistics.

I believe that healthcare is a human right. Nobody should struggle to get medical care because they can’t afford it, or because they work at a job that doesn’t provide an adequate insurance package. I believe that access to education is a human right, and that in a society that values a college degree as much as it did a high school degree just decades ago, that right should extend to college. We have a government, that, with the right changes, is capable of providing these rights to its people, without running into the GOP boogeyman–heavy tax increases on the middle class.  

When most Americans hear the term “socialism,” their minds leap to communism and red lights begin to flash. The system proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders is not akin to Stalinist Russia. A social democracy promotes capitalism while providing a safety net to protect citizens from the unstable nature of a capitalist system.

Contrary to what many Fox-fed Republicans will tell you, Senator Sanders actually does have a plan for raising the capital necessary to implement his plans, centered around tax increases on the one percent and Wall Street*. I always find it ironic to hear Trump supporters spouting false rhetoric; the most I have heard from The Donald on how he plans to pay for his multi-billion dollar wall is, “We will make Mexico pay for it.”

Our government is controlled by money. Whether it is the National Rifle Association or Big Oil lobbyists, our society has time and time again felt the negative consequences of interest groups and companies pouring money directly into Congress. It is not plausible that over half of the U.S. House of Representatives believes that climate change, a proven scientific fact, is a hoax. Because of laws and court decisions such as Citizens United, a company like ExxonMobil can donate millions of dollars to the campaigns of politicians. By doing so, these corporations unduly influence their votes on crucial topics, such as when the Senate blocked President Obama’s climate change regulations in November 2015.

In addition to his economic policies, Senator Sanders has been a steadfast supporter of crucial social movements such as the push for marriage equality, criminal justice reform and women’s rights. Our country cannot afford a Republican president who would seek to take us back to the dark ages.

Senator Sanders is the only candidate who will take concrete steps to stem the tide of corruption in Washington. He does not take money from PACs. He is real. I know that he believes what he says. While I do not buy into the rhetoric perpetuated by the GOP about Hillary Clinton, her past practices suggest that she will do nothing to control money in politics–she has accepted millions of dollars in speaking fees from Goldman-Sachs.

Look, I think Hillary Clinton would be a fine president. She is not a murderer, and I don’t care about her emails. However, electing Clinton would be giving in. It says that the status quo is OK. I often hear from Clinton supporters that “radicals” like Senator Sanders have no chance of winning a general election, and that he would not be able to get anything done. According to this logic, we should all just give up hope and get in line to accept the inevitable. Nothing is ever going to change, so why bother, right? We might as well give up our voting rights. It is cowardly to give up on progress or dreams because it is going to be hard or might not work out.

Don’t get caught up in labels. Don’t give up hope. Don’t lose faith. We are not far from real change. Just as Barack Obama offered in 2008, Bernie Sanders offers the American people an avenue to needed change.

*https://berniesanders.com/issues/how-bernie-pays-for-his-proposals/