Hillary's "I'm a Woman" Card is Ridiculous and Insulting

Hillary plays the "I'm a Woman" card every chance she gets, like somehow the fact she has different genitals than most of her running mates makes her a better candidate. Has she forgotten there's a woman running on the GOP side? I'm not more likely to throw my vote to her than I am any other GOP candidate. Why would someone's gender make any difference on the Democratic side?

When you're asked, Hillary, what makes you different than Obama, the correct answer is not, "I'm a woman." And when you're asked if you can be considered establishment, the correct answer is not, "I can't be because I'm a woman." Why would you ever suggest that voters would support you because of what's between your legs or on your chest vs what positions you actually support?

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight against the Keystone pipeline?

No. Hillary didn't take any stance on the Keystone pipeline until finally coming out against it in September, 2015. Meanwhile, Bernie was against it from the very beginning. 

Does being a woman make you more likely to rail against the greed of Wall Street?

No. Hillary refuses to reinstate Glass Steagall, and during the last debate said she'd only look at breaking up big banks if they posed a risk. Meanwhile, she has several ties to Wall Street she may be reluctant to sever and Bernie has been wanting to break up the banks since the fallout where they already proved their risk to the economy.

Does being a woman make you most qualified to lead us in clean energy?

No. Hillary has yet to name a stance on fracking. Meanwhile, Bernie's climate plan goes further than Hillary's in addressing clean energy on a global scale and on transportation in addition to home energy sources.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight for better health care?

No. Hillary wants to "build" on the Affordable Care Act and "reduce costs" with no clear end goal other than to make it better. Meanwhile, Bernie has a plan for universal healthcare for all Americans that should have been enacted years ago.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight for fair trade policies?

No. Hillary only came out against the TPP October, 2015 after hoping it would set a gold standard. Meanwhile, Bernie has been against it at least since December, 2014. And he's always been suspicious of unfettered free trade policies where as Hillary has back-peddled on NAFTA. Only Bernie has actually spoken about the real horrors of the bill - being negotiated behind closed doors and giving corporations the power to challenge environmental laws, to name a few- while Hillary only said it would hurt American workers.

Does being a woman make you more likely to stand up for LGBT issues?

No. Hillary was against same-sex marriage until 2013 and up to that point only supported civil unions. Meanwhile, Bernie approved Burlington's first gay pride parade in 1983.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight against mass incarceration?

No. While Hillary and Bernie fair equality in supporting reductions in jail sentences for non-violent drug offenders and deprivatizing our criminal system, Hillary refuses to decriminalize marijuana, making it legal only for medical purposes. Meanwhile, Bernie wants it off the list of outlawed drugs altogether.

Does being a woman make you more likely to keep us from another complicated and costly war?

No. Hillary is supportive of having the US lead the charge against ISIS, bringing up questions of how well she's really learned from her mistake in voting for the Iraq war. Meanwhile, Bernie has said that regional nations should lead the charge with US assistance. He has also questioned the US's role as "world police" and the amount of instability that is brought to a region when a regime is toppled.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight for a living wage?

No. Hillary wants to raise the minimum wage to $12 and hour. Meanwhile, Bernie wants to raise it to $15, which is calculated to get working families out of poverty and off welfare.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight for affordable education?

No. Hillary wants to implement debt-free college, meaning students and their families will still have to play. Meanwhile, Bernie wants to remove any barriers to achieve a college education by making it tuition-free.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight to take big money out of politics?

No. While Hillary has said she wants to overturn Citizens United, she has taken large corporation donations throughout her political career and during her current campaign. Meanwhile, Bernie has sworn off such donations. During his political career where he's been offered corporate money, he's either refused it or donated it.

I'm asking, Hillary, because these are the issues I care about. And when placed side by side, you are weaker on these issues than Bernie Sanders. The two of you fair equally in your stances on Social Security, police reform, and women's issues. But why stop there? When it comes down to it, there is another candidate who will fight more for the positions I care about and who has a consistent record to back it up (you don't). Yes, he happens to wear pants. So do you, by the way. Why would you insult the intelligence of your voters, especially women voters, by suggesting your vagina makes any kind of a difference?

NBC Fourth Democratic Debate Recap - The Bernie Debate

Remember when I said I didn't understand why we like to decide who won debates? Well, I have to take it back because I really felt like Bernie killed this debate. For once, I wasn't staring at the screen listening to candidates talk about their different perspectives or yell at one another. This time, something more came through, and I really felt like Bernie came out on top. Here's a break down:

Before the Debate

Lots of things happened before the debate, and I think they added to the momentum.

First there was the MLK roundtable with Cornel West, Killer Mike, and Nina Turner. The link before is the full discussion, but there's another shorter version with clearer audio that the campaign also released.

Before the debate, Bernie also found time to join a march in Charleston for living wages.

Also, Bernie released some details on his health care plan.

And before all of that happened Bernie issued a statement for the resignation of Michigan governor Rick Snyder as a result of the Flint water crisis. If you'd like to help the city of Flint, you can check out this article.

The Debate Itself

If you missed the debate, you can watch it here.

If you're just looking for the highlights, the debate got pretty firey with punches coming left and right from Clinton while Bernie dodged them all with grace.

One moment that went viral during the debate was Bernie's "side eye" that he gave Hillary after she accused him of calling Obama "weak." I actually missed this moment because I was giving Hillary a similar look from my couch.

Another moment that got shared a lot was Bernie's answer to how he would make sure that cases of police violence were reviewed and prosecuted fairly.

The debate on Wall Street and campaign funds is also worth watching.

Check out Bernie and Hillary's disagreement on how to handle Iran.

And Bernie and Hillary's disagreement on health care.

After the Debate

Even if while watching the debate you weren't sure who came out on top, the after effects of the debate were clear.

If the first time since the Democratic debates started, Bernie ended up with more speaking time than Hillary.

NBC Today called the debate "clearly the Bernie debate."

During the debate, Bernie was the most searched candidate in every state across the country.

Bernie did so well, that the campaign released this moving video.

During the debate, Bernie raked in $1 million in campaign donations.

What is Bernie Sanders' Plan for the Deficit / Budget / Debt?

I've seen this question pop up a lot in one form or another. So, first let's have a little vocabulary lesson.

The budget is when the government plans where to spend money and how much to spend for the fiscal year. This isn't concrete. The government can over or under spend in areas just like you or I.

The deficit is when the government spends more money than it takes in.

And the debt is when the government borrows money to account for the money it overspent.

When a country doesn't have a deficit, this does not mean that leftover money automatically goes toward the debt. The government has to decide to what to do with that extra money, and it could just as easily (and probably more likely) be spent on something else than go toward the debt.

For 2015, the US is estimated to have a deficit of $583 billion and a debt of $18.6 trillion.

General Provisions

I don't know what Bernie Sanders plans to do about this in the way of specifically setting aside money to pay back the debt or putting in careful calculations to make sure we don't have a deficit. But I do know he's looking for specific ways to cut spending.

Military Spending

We currently spend more money in military spending than the next 9 countries combined. The Military budget for 2015 was $598.5 billion. Bernie Sanders wants to cut that. He hasn't said how much, but we could cut the budget by 60% and still lead the world in defense spending. If we did that, we'd have $359.1 billion in savings.

https://www.nationalpriorities.org/campaigns/us-military-spending-vs-world/

Mass Incarceration

The 2.4 million people we imprison in this country, costs us $80 billion a year. If we ended the War on Drugs and gave people medical treatment instead of putting them behind bars (as Bernie Sanders wants to do), this would cut our prison costs by over half, saving $41.3 billion a year. (Ah! You say. But what about health care costs? We'll get there.) This would also save money in welfare costs as about half of US states provide welfare for convicted felons who struggle to find jobs once released.

Ending Off Shore Tax Havens

Bernie Sanders wants to put an end to offshore tax havens, which allow corporations and rich Americans to store money overseas. They then pay less taxes to other countries, which costs the federal US government $150 billion year and state governments a total of $39.8 billion a year (source).

Ending Corporate Welfare

No one knows for certain how much money is paid to corporations each year in subsidies, but it's estimated to cost $110 billion a year. The top 8 paid corporations (such as Boeing, Nike, Shell, and Intel) made up $22 billion of that cost last year. (And while you're at it, here's a Top 30 list.) A number of these companies are Fortune 500 companies that don't need government handouts, and some of them aren't even US companies (source). Bernie Sanders isn't against business, but he is against giving tax payer dollars to corporations that already making millions or billions of dollars in profit.

Raising the Minimum Wage

It's estimated that $152.8 billion a year is spent in taxes on welfare programs for minimum wage employees who don't make enough to support themselves or their families. Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would eliminate that cost.

Tax Reform for the Rich

No one knows the exact numbers, but it's estimated that 25% of millionaires and at least the top 400 billionaires pay less in taxes than the average middle class American. Bernie Sanders wants to fix this by raising income taxes on the richest Americans, abolishing tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, and changing the cap on and raising the estate tax. It's estimated reform on the estate tax alone would bring in $31.9 billion a year. We don't currently have numbers for the other areas.

Tax Wall Street

Bernie Sanders wants to implement a Financial Transaction Tax (a.k.a Robin Hood Tax), which is a small tax (.003%) on each transaction of a stock or bond. This would bring in $35.2 billion a year.

Specific Programs

The following includes a number of programs that Bernie Sanders wants to implement a discussion on how they may or may not contribute to deficit. You can read more specifics about these bills in a previous post.

Green Energy Initiatives

The Climate Protection Act and Sustainable Energy Act implements a number of green energy initiatives. This would be paid for by implementing a $20 carbon tax per ton of carbon emissions, rising by 5.6% per year over 10 years. The bill would also end fossil fuel subsidies. The revenue from these bills would generate approximately $300 billion to go specifically toward debt reduction.

Tuition Free College

Bernie's College for All Act would be paid for by taxes on Wall Street. While the bill costs $47 billion, the taxes on Wall Street is projected to bring in hundreds of billions of dollars a year. And extra revenue could be used elsewhere.

Create Jobs Rebuilding America's Infrastructure

Bernie Sanders' Rebuild America Act would cost $1.6 Trillion (paid for by the development of a National Infrastructure Development Bank that would then give out loans). However, this bill would presumably provide jobs for those who are unemployed, saving in welfare costs. This bill would also build up our infrastructure to allow it to compete with the rest of world. A study by Duke University estimates that every dollar spent into transportation infrastructure pays back $3.54 in economic impact. It's not clear how exactly this would impact the deficit, but it's information worth having.

Health Care

I don't know how much Bernie's American Health Security Act would cost (someone smarter than I will have to look at it). But is it estimated that the US spends $3.1 trillion on health care. That includes $374 billion in prescription costs, which Bernie wants to lower. It also includes $836 billion in Social Security costs for Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance (CHIP). The American Health Security Act would replace these programs along with Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB), TRICARE, and provisions under the Affordable Care Act.

Whatever the cost of Bernie's American Health Security Act, it's important to note that its cost wouldn't go on top of what the US already spends in health care. The American Health Security Act would absorb the programs we already have. In effect, the money the government currently spends in health care programs would simply be transferred to the American Health Security Act, and our previous health care programs would be eliminated. So, one way or another, the cost of this new bill should come out as a general wash.

Conclusion

Bernie Sanders has a lot of changes he wants to make for America. It's easy to take them at face value and miss the cost savings underneath. Pass this article around for those who have questions.

UPDATE 09/19/15: Added more headings and a more of Bernie's programs

How Does Bernie Sanders Plan to Pay for all this "Free" Stuff?

Bernie supporters know that all this "free" stuff isn't really free. Someone has to pay somehow. But is it true that all this "free" stuff means higher taxes? If you came here with questions, here are your answers.

UPDATE 1/13/16: Bernie's Campaign released a handy dandy chart on how his plans will be paid for and the revenue they are expected to bring in. Feel free to use the information there in conjunction of this blog post.

Tuition-Free College

Tuesday, May 19, 2015, Sanders introduced legislation to help make public 4-year colleges and universities tuition free, called the "College for All Act." You can view a newsroom article here, summary of the bill here, and the full bill here.

The bill would provide $47 billion a year to states to reduce college tuition and fees:

"Today, total tuition at public colleges and universities amounts to about $70 billion per year. Under the College for All Act, the federal government would cover 67% of this cost, while the states would be responsible for the remaining 33% of the cost." (bill summary) 

The College for All Act also proposes to cut student loan interest rates in half, expand student work-study programs, and create a pilot program to eliminate a student's need to apply for financial aid every year.

Funding for this legislation would come from a 0.5% tax on stock trades, a 0.1% tax on bonds, and a 0.005% tax on derivatives. "It has been estimated that this provision could raise hundreds of billions a year."

Universal Health care

Monday, December 9, 2013, Sanders introduced legislation to provide health care to every American through a single-payer, Medicare-for-all system, called the "American Health Security Act." You can view a newsroom article here, a summary of the bill here, and the full bill here.

The bill would establish a state-based health security program (and it looks like states can choose to opt out). The bill would also establish various organizations to develop procedures, evaluate quality, and perform research.

The bill would provide comprehensive health benefits (starting on page 17 of the bill) including preventative and long-term care. And as such, would eliminate health benefits under the Social Security Act (Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance), the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and TRICARE. It would also repeal health insurance coverage and exchange provisions under the Affordable Care Act.

Funding for this bill (starting pg 166) would be paid by a 6.7% payroll tax on employers a, 2.2% - 5.2% income tax on employees (dependent on income bracket from less than $200k a year to over $600k a year), an 5.4% tax on modified adjusted gross income exceeding $1 million, and a .02% tax on securities transactions.

It is also worth noting that with all the programs Bernie bill would eliminate, the costs of those programs would essentially transfer to Bernie's health program, providing additional funding.

UPDATE 1/28/16: Bernie released official details on his health care plan including saving and taxes.

Green Energy Initiatives

From FirstCarbonSolutions.com

Thursday, February 14, 2013, Sanders introduced legislation, along with Barbara Boxer, in a two part proposal on Climate change, called the "Climate Protection Act" and the "Sustainable Energy Act." You can view a press release here and summary of the proposal here. You can view the first bill here and the second here.

The bill proposes weatherizing 1 million homes per year (creating jobs and saving households on energy usage and costs), tripling the budget for ARPA-E, creating a Sustainable Technologies Finance Program to invest in green energy initiatives, investing in domestic manufacturing, funding $1 billion a year in worker training, and creating a family Clean Energy Rebate Program.

Funding for this proposal would be paid on $20 carbon tax per ton of carbon emissions, rising by 5.6% per year over 10 years.

"This fee would apply to only 2,869 of the largest fossil fuel polluters, covering about 85 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Congressional Research Service. The Congressional Budget Office estimates this step alone could raise $1.2 trillion in revenue over ten years and reduce greenhouse gas emissions approximately 20 percent from 2005 levels by 2025." (bill summary)

Imported fuels would be charged the same carbon fee, unless the exporting country has a similar climate program and already charges a fee on carbon. The bill would also end fossil fuel subsidies. From this, "approximately $300 billion would go to debt reduction over ten years" (summary).
________________________________________________________________________________

Sanders also introduced a bill on Tuesday, July 7, 2015 to make solar energy more accessible to low income families, called the "Low Income Solar Act." This bill would cost $3 billion spanning from 2016 to 2030. You can view a news article here, summary of the bill here, and the full bill here.

Funding: This proposal gives the Secretary of Energy authorization to allocate an amount of funds ($200 million) each year from the Department of Energy for 15 years to provide low-income families with grants or loans (no more than 50% can loans, and they must meet certain eligibility requirements) to install solar panels on their homes.

Job Creation

From ThyBlackMan.com

Tuesday, January 27, 2015, Sanders introduced legislation to create 13 million jobs, called the "Rebuild America Act." You can view a press release here, a summary of the bill here, and the full bill here.

The bill proposes to spend $1.6 trillion on rebuilding America's roads, bridges, railways, airports, waterways, ports, national parks, and electric grids from 2015 to 2022. Funding for this proposal appears to come in the establishment of a National Infrastructure Development Bank to give out loans.
______________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, June 4, 2015, Sanders, along with Jon Conyers, introduced legislation to create jobs for youth, called the "Employ Young Americans Now Act." You can view a press release of the bill here, a summary of the bill here, and the full bill here.

The bill proposes $4 billion in grants to state and local government to promote job growth and offer services such as transportation or child care to help eliminate barriers to participating in jobs. An additional $1.5 billion would go to local areas to promote jobs for low-income or disadvantaged youths. Funding for this bill seems to come from an allocation of funds within the U.S. Treasury.

Minimum Wage Increase

From 10news.com

Wednesday, July 22, 2015, Sanders introduced a bill to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour over a period of five years, called the "Pay Workers a Living Wage Act." You can view the press release here, the summary here, and the full bill here.

This bill proposes the follow wage adjustments:

+ Minimum wage - $9 in 2016, $10.50 in 2017, $12.00 in 2018, $13.50 in 2019, and $15 in 2020.
+ Tipped min wage - $3.15 in 2016, then increased $1.50 each year until matching standard minimum.
+ Youth min wage - can be no less than $3.00 less the standard minimum.

Business are expected to adjust their finances to cover this cost.

Others

Bernie Sanders also has proposals to reduce the deficit. These include:

+ End offshore tax havens
+ Establish .03% tax on Wall Street speculators
+ End tax breaks and subsides for big oil, gas, and coal companies
+ Establish as estate tax on inherited wealth over more than $3.5 million
+ Tax capital gains and dividends the same as work
+ Repeal 2001 and 2003 Bush tax breaks for the top two percent
+ Establish a currency manipulation fee on China and other countries
+ Reduce unnecessary spending at the Pentagon
+ Require Medicare to negotiate for drug prices
+ End mass incarceration (costs billions of dollars a year)

 Conclusion

None of Bernie's proposals will raise taxes for average Americans, except for the health care bill. I don't know many people who make more than $200,000 a year. So consider that 2.2% income tax alongside what comes out of your paycheck for your employer's health insurance and what an average visit to the doctor's office costs (and then imagine what it costs for x-rays and surgery and things of that nature, and heaven forbid you have a medical emergency). Is 2.2% really that high? I've been told Briton pays 10%.

The top 2% of Americans will have some higher taxes. Taxes and fees will go up on large oil, coal, and fossil fuels companies. And Wall Street has a minuscule tax on its transactions.

When someone asks you how Bernie plans for pay for things, give them this article. And when someone tells you electing Bernie Sanders means higher taxes or increasing the deficit, tell them they're wrong.

UPDATE 09/19/15: various updates to funding info

A Bernie Sanders Supporter's Debate Kit

It's hard to change people's beliefs. People don't want to let go, even when presented with hard, cold evidence. With that thought, I believe our efforts in promoting Bernie Sanders are best spent getting the word out to people who haven't heard of him rather than trying to convince someone who is against him to come to our side. But, sometimes you can't help finding yourself in a debate. On social media especially it can become inevitable, and nothing is more frustrating than not having sources to back up your claims. Here's some common arguments I've come across and resources to refute them.

This is a pretty long article. My suggestion for using it would be use a (Ctrl+F) function or a (Command+F) and type in a key word. That will help you find the section most useful to you without having to scroll through the whole article. If you don't find anything the first time, try a few other key words. And if you read through this article and still can't find what you are looking for, leave a comment.

When someone criticizes Bernie for running as a Democrat:

Use this article.

When someone says Bernie wants to tax at 90%:

They are usually citing this video. If they are, remind them that video is out of context. Then give them the full interview. Then follow up with this interview where Bernie shuts down the 90% rumor.

If they aren't citing the original video, just give them that last one.

When someone mentions Bernie "rape essay:"

Tell them it was a bad dark satire essay on the danger of gender norms. And then give them this.

When someone says we don't want another old, white man as president:

Ask them what's more important, someone's looks or their polices? And give them this.

When someone argues raising the minimum wage would destroy the economy/increase unemployment raise prices/cost small businesses/cost jobs/aren't deserved by unskilled workers:

Check out this myth buster master list.

Show them this video of a billionaire arguing that raising the minimum wage is a good thing. Also, here's the same guy confessing that billionaires are not job creators, the middle class is.

Here's another video you can share.

And a study by EPI

Just look at this.

Also remember that when minimum wage was first enacted by FDR, it was meant to start a living wage standard for American works, not be "starter wage" for teens or unskilled workers.

This blog post is also from the perceptive of a small business owner, who says that raising the minimum wage can be done without hurting small businesses if it's done right.

When someone says Bernie doesn't pay his interns $15 dollars an hour.

Traditionally, interns are paid nothing. From what I am aware, Bernie is the only presidential candidate paying his interns. Further more, Bernie's minimum wage bill phases the $15 an hour wage over 5 years, $9 in 2016, $10.50 in 2017, $12 in 2018, $13.50 in 2019, and $15 in 2020. If the raised minimum wage were in effect today, Bernie would be paying his interns MORE than the minimum.

Also, ask them why they are harping on Bernie for paying his interns $12 an hour and not any other candidates for paying their interns nothing.

When someone says Bernie's economics don't work:

Just give them this whole playlist.

When someone claims social security is bankrupt and dragging down our economy:

Tell them these are lies that have been passed around to get people to favor privatizing social security. Then show them this video.

When someone claims Bernie is a gun nut or wants to take away guns:

Tell them Bernie is for background checks and banning assault rifles. Then give them this video on Bernie's "Common Sense" gun control.

When someone claims Democrats did nothing during Obama's terms and that it's an obvious reason not to trust them again.

Tell them Democrats couldn't get the laws they wanted passed because the Republicans blocked them. Then give them this article.

When someone claims the rich already pay somewhere between 50% to 90% of taxes:

Give them this article on 2015 tax brackets that also includes a link to view other tax brackets.

And also this list of tax brackets from 1913 to 2013.

And then ask them where they got that tax percentage for the rich.

When someone says something incorrect on Bernie's stance on guns:

Give them this article and direct them to the handy chart.

When someone says Bernie is pro-Israel:

Tell them Bernie has stated a number of time that he believes in a two-state solution, that both sides have a right to exist in their own state. You can give them this article with video links on the subject.

When someone says socialism destroyed Greece:

Remind them that Greece failed because it had a huge debt they refused to acknowledge and kept adding to (give them this article). And then ask them if that reminds them of any other country they know of.

When someone mentions Venezuela:

Give them this article.

When someone claims no one wants a Socialist for president and that Bernie will never win:

Tell them most Americans agree with his views and give them this article.

When someone claims socialists "steal from the rich and give to the poor" or support "big government:"

Remind them that we're just asking everyone to pay their fair share and put money into social programs that are beneficial for everyone. No one is asking for the government to own or control anything. Give them this article.

When someone asks you to provide examples of successful socialism:

Remind them of our fire stations, our police force, our libraries, and national parks. Or just give them this list of 75 examples.

When someone says Socialism will destroy this country:

Just give them this list of 75 examples of socialist programs we all ready have.

When someone starts talking about Communism:

Remind them that socialism and communism are not the same thing. Give them this link.

When someone asks how Bernie plans to pay for everything he wants to implement or says electing Bernie means higher taxes:

Give them this.

When someone is disputing Bernie's stance on immigration/women/civil rights/LGBT/Veterans/elderly/poverty/children/mental health/incarceration/indigenous people/Foreign Aid:

Everything you need is in here.

When you just need a snappy photo at the right moment:

Go with this or this.

When someone cites the Wall Street article that says Bernie's proposals cost $18 Trillion: 

There's been a number of articles posted, so I will link them for you and you can pick from them.

No, Bernie Sanders is not going to bankrupt America to the tune of $18 trillion
An Open Letter to the Wall Street Journal on Its Bernie Sanders Hit Piece
Wall Street Journal’s Scary Bernie Sanders Price Tag Ignores Health Savings
 What ‘The Wall Street Journal’ Gets Totally Wrong About Bernie Sanders’s Agenda

UPDATE: Added source for Bernie's stance on guns.
UPDATE 7/22/15: Added source Bernie's stance on Israel-Palestine
UPDATE 7/24/15: Added another minimum wage link, economics, "rape essay," Venezuela, and white man as president
UPDATE 9/15/15: Added wall street article
UPDATE 10/14/15: Added minimum wage links