Bernie Sanders (00:03):
My clients right here in Greeley, meatpacking workers, shouldn't have to live with disfigured hands because of the company's brutal line speeds. My clients across Colorado shouldn't have to pay 100 bucks a month, 200 bucks a month in illegal and hidden junk fees to the richest corporate landlord in the country. My client shouldn't have had to sell her late husband's wedding band in order to pay off medical debt to a billion-dollar hospital system. And my client shouldn't hear that the next time he asks for a paycheck, he'll get a bullet in the head and a call to ICE. None of this should be happening, not in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, not a couple of hours from Aspen where a 100 billionaires own homes. But billionaires have rigged the system to avoid being accountable to us.
(01:15)
Amazon says that it doesn't even employ my clients, that they work for third-party middlemen so that when they unionize, Amazon can cut the contracts. Corporations pack our terms and conditions, the fine print, with clauses that say we can't hold them accountable in court even when they steal from us, even when they break the law. And they pump money into our politics to try to avoid being accountable to us even at the ballot box. Donald Trump just named one of Amazon's top union-busting lawyers as the top lawyer for his labor board. Is that what Jeff Bezos's million-dollar inauguration gift buys? A million dollars that he earned on the backs of my clients peeing in bottles. None of this should be happening, but we can't give up. And it starts right here in Colorado.
(02:28)
Governor Polis has threatened to veto the Worker Protection Act, a law that would make it easier for workers to unionize. So call him, tell him he can stand with us or he can stand with Donald Trump and Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. And it's not just that. We don't need the same old poll-tested stale talking points. We need leaders with the courage and the vision to hold corporate power accountable, to break up monopolies, to enforce the laws that built the middle class, to protect our planet, and to crack down on the oligarchs that have seized our country and stolen the American Dream from us. They have spent billions, billions protecting the power of their wealth. So let's show up with more of us and more of us and more of us and hold them accountable to us. I love you guys.
Song interlude (04:14):
Introducing AOC.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (04:39):
Hello, Greeley. How are we doing today? Are you ready to fight? Are you ready to win? Are you ready to build a better world? Let's do this. Thank you all so, so much for making the effort and taking the time out of your day to be here in community with us today. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Now Greeley… Well, first of all, my name is Alexandria. Some of you may know me as AOC, but I'm so happy to be here today and thank you so much for welcoming me to Greeley. I really appreciate it. Now I hear that you have a representative who has not done a town hall. I'll say usually your first three months on a new job, you are on your best behavior and working your hardest and doing your best. I don't know if anyone's had like a probationary period at a job before. Could you imagine if we had those for members of Congress?
(06:25)
Anyways, all of that is to say if this is the best that you all are getting, I think you deserve better. I think you deserve better. Now, my home is a ways from here, but in truth, I think the distance between us is a lot shorter than we think. And even that we're told. And in fact, I think that we are all here together because we share in the frustration and the heartache that comes from watching those in power actively tear down or refuse to fight for everyday working Americans like us. And I really get it. I was born in a working class family. My mom cleaned houses. My dad worked really hard to try to start a small business in order to do their best, to give a better future to my brother and I. And they worked really hard and for a minute there, a minute, it looked like our American dream was within grasp.
(07:44)
We grew up and we really struggled, but my parents worked so hard and it really started to feel like things were starting to work out. I worked really hard. I was able to get into college, and suddenly my dad was diagnosed with a really rare cancer out of nowhere. And by the time I was 18 years old, he had passed away. And I think this is an experience… While it is really difficult, I think a lot of us have had experiences like these where we work so hard and we are one event away from feeling like the whole rug got pulled out from under us. And we shouldn't have to live like that. We shouldn't have to live like that. After my dad passed away, my mom then overnight was basically a single mother to two kids. She was cleaning houses, she started driving school buses. And when I graduated from college, I started waiting tables in order to help make ends meet. And this was right after the great recession. And folks know how hard it was to come by a job at that time.
(09:03)
And so that's when I started waiting tables to make ends meet. And I know that we just deserve so much better than this. We do. We deserve so much better than this. And we're here together because an extreme concentration of power and corruption is taking over our country like never before. And we are here because we do know that a better world is possible. But to get there, we need to be honest about where we are right now. We are witnessing an oligarchy in America. And that is when those with the most economic, political, and technological power destroy the public good to enrich themselves while millions of Americans pay the price. And our political system is ill-prepared for this abuse of power. In fact, much of our political system enables it, starting with the role of money in politics.
(10:20)
But I'm here to remind you, Greeley, that we are not powerless in this moment. People are starting to put the pieces together. And I do think that… Sorry. People are starting to put the pieces together. And in fact, ironically, most of the divisive forces in our country are actually bringing more of us together than ever before. And that's important because the same billionaires are taking a wrecking ball to our country and they derive their power from dividing working people apart. They specialize in getting us to turn on one another and they get us to turn on one another along lines of left and right, race and gender, creed and culture. They'll throw out every label and judgment and cultural debate in the book to keep us distracted because the last thing they want us to realize is that the division that is actually hurting our country the most is how endless greed is costing the lives of everyone else.
(11:53)
They want us to think that our lives are suffering because of the LGBT kid down the street or because of the mixed status family or the dreamer down the block who's just trying to make a better life for themselves. But we're smarter than that Greeley. We know better than that. And I understand that this kind of disdain that the wealthiest, wealthiest people in this country have for the working class doesn't just come from them not being raised right. It's shorthand for the right wing's entire political agenda and a certain ugly kind of politics, a politics that involves lying to and screwing over working and middle class Americans so that they can steal from our healthcare, Social Security, and veterans' benefits to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest and bailouts for their crypto billionaire friends. And Greeley, there's a word for this kind of thing, corruption.
(13:12)
I know how seeing all of this stack up from how overwhelming and selfish all of this is, from seeing the notifications on our phone popping up, Monday the Department of Education being rolled back, Tuesday trying to end birthright citizenship, I get how all of it can make us feel despair. And I get how even it can make the best of us feel like giving up and giving in. And trust me, that is by design. That is by design. When the system is stacked against you, it's hard to feel like anything you do matters. It's hard to feel like we matter in this democracy, and it is easy to give in to despair. And I can tell you there, I can tell you that for a while there, when I was working double shifts, tired to the bone, I did. I did. I did try to give up. I tried to stop caring. I tried to just keep my head down and work my shifts and accept that this is just it and this is how things are. But that is no way to live. It's no way to live. And what I do know is that we do not have to live like this. In fact, we cannot live like this anymore. And I'll say Donald Trump does see the immense pressure that working people are under. But his answer is an America that operates on the principle of every man for himself, divide and conquer. And now that Trump is back in power, we see it clear as day. He's handed the keys to Elon Musk and is selling off our country for parts to the wealthiest people in the world for a kickback. And in exchange, those billionaires and oligarchs will back his campaigns and bankroll those of his allies. They scratch his back and he scratches theirs. And all of us are left behind. And the clever thing that these guys sell is making working people like you and me believe that we're just one step outside from that club, that we're just a little bit out from being able to be a billionaire too. Any billionaires in this room? I didn't think so.
(16:05)
Now it's this idea that if we just work hard, we too can have nation-state level money, except these kinds of spoils aren't earned really. They aren't working for these billions. They're stealing them. They're stealing them. They're stealing them from you and you and me. Just look at what Elon Musk and Donald Trump are doing to our healthcare, our veterans' benefits, and Social Security. They are slashing programs that we and you have spent a lifetime paying into. And by the way, not them, because those billionaires haven't paid their fair share of taxes in years. And mind you, even if you're not on Medicaid or Medicare, this also raises your private health insurance costs too. And let's talk about Medicaid and Medicare for a second because your representative, Dave Evans, you know that guy that hasn't been showing up for the last couple months? Maybe he hasn't been showing up because he voted to cut Medicaid.
(17:36)
In fact, every single House Republican voted to cut Medicaid and they'll tell you, "No, I didn't. I didn't say that," but here's what it is. They voted on a budget that cuts $880 billion from the committee that's in charge of Medicaid. And so now they're trying to play a game and say, "We didn't do that," because they did by proxy. So let's set the record straight. And you see these budgets aren't just fights about numbers. They are fights over the values that define us as Americans. Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security were built on promises that we have made to each other about who and what kind of country we want to be and what kind of society we want to live in. Healthcare and Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security, these are not promises from politicians to people. They're not charities or handouts from billionaires to the working class.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (19:02):
This is our money. They're promises that we have made to each other as Americans, from neighbor to neighbor, teacher to student, friend to friend. And what we can say to Elon Musk is, "Get out of our healthcare." Because to me, Greeley, the strength of our country is not just measured by the height of our best days. It's measured by who we are and who is there for us on our worst. And that's why I'm here with you today. So let me share with you exactly what I mean, because what these folks want to call radical and crazy, I think are just common sense. We live in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. So I believe that when a person gets sick, they shouldn't go bankrupt. Common sense. I believe that a minimum wage should cover the minimum cost to live. Common sense. And by the way, we should see that not paying a living wage is also a form of corporate welfare and handouts, because big companies like Walmart and Amazon rely on food stamp programs and public assistance to cover the wages that they won't pay. Greeley, here's another crazy radical idea for you. I believe that homes are not slot machines for investors and Wall Street to extort working families out of every last dollar that we have. Home is sacred. And when your landlord doubles your rent overnight or when housing prices skyrocket, because Wall Street treats our housing market like a casino, your government and your public servants should fight to help you keep an affordable roof over your head.
(21:36)
How's that for crazy? And I believe that our elected officials should take on abuses of corporate greed everywhere we find it. We must get big money out of politics. And really, that's why I don't and never will take money from industry lobbyists or corporations. Mass media and Fox News, and the right well have you believe that these American values are something out of the Communist Manifesto. They believe that we think these things, because we went to some fancy college and read them in a book somewhere. But I'll tell you, I don't believe in healthcare, labor and human dignity, because I'm an extremist or a Marxist. I believe it because I was a waitress, because I've scrubbed toilets with my mom to afford school, because I've worked double shifts to keep the lights on, because I lost my dad to cancer as a kid and had to see my mom open hospital bills in the days after. And I don't want us to live like this anymore, Greeley.
(23:11)
We deserve better than this. And this isn't just about Republicans. We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us too. But, Greeley, that means our communities choosing and voting for Democrats and elected officials who know how to stand for the working class. And I want to thank the entire state and each and every one of you for working so hard to make that happen. And I'll tell you, when people want to think that there's no hope out there, trust me that there are moments of bravery that are emerging. Last week, Republicans put on the floor a Draconian, awful budget bill that cut billions from healthcare and from working people. In fact, one of the worst parts of what Republicans voted for, including Gabe Evans, voted for last week, is cutting benefits for the PACT Act, for veterans exposed to burn pits.
(24:40)
Who does that? That's like cartoon villain stuff right there. But I will say, Colorado, that when other Democrats caved, your senators, Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper stood strong against the DC pressure and voted no. They said, "Colorado deserves better than this."
(25:11)
Thank you for putting in that work. And in fact, all the Democrats, all the Democrats in the state of Colorado and Congress, who represent a congressional district in the state voted against that bill too. House senate, everybody. So I want to thank Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Jason Crow, Brittany Pettersen. Defend them Colorado. And don't stop there. I want you to look at every level of office around and support Democrats who fight, because those are the ones who can actually beat Republicans.
(25:57)
But our work isn't done here, because you know which Coloradans did vote to gut Medicaid and jack up healthcare costs? Gabe Evans and Lauren Boebert right next door. So folks, you know what that means, right? We need to come together and spend every day between now and election day working to educate our neighbors, and give Evans and Boebert the boot, and replace them with a brawling Democrat who will stand for Colorado. In fact, if you will indulge me for a moment, since Gabe hasn't been around here, if we could just say hi to him for a moment. Can we just say, "Hi, see you in November."
(26:52)
Thank you. I'll make sure he sees that. But beyond elections, Greeley, our task here is to build community. That's the deeper, the deeper, deeper, deeper mission that we have. Elections, they come and go. We do our work, we set the board, but in the meantime and during, throughout, before and after all of that, we need to build our bonds with each other as communities. Building community, block associations, neighborhood groups, volunteer groups, church organizations, PTAs, because community is the most powerful building block we have against fascism, to defeat authoritarianism and to root out corruption. If you don't know your neighbor, it's easier to turn on them. That's why they want to keep us separated, alone and apart. Scrolling on our phones, thinking that the person next to us is some kind of enemy, but they're not. So I'll end where I began. We might all come from different places, but we share a lot of the same experiences. So to all of those who came here today, unsure of whether this is where you belong, I want to tell you that you do. You do. Honestly, no matter who you voted for in the past. No matter if you know all the right words to say, no matter your race, religion, gender identity, or status, no matter if you disagree with me on a couple of things. If you are willing to fight for someone you don't know, you are welcome here.
(29:06)
If you are willing to fight for working people regardless of who they are, how they identify, or where they come from, you are welcome here. But I will say this, those leaders on either side of the aisle who are willing to put their fellow Americans down, so that they can get ahead or feel better about themselves, those folks may best find a home somewhere else. Because in this house, we stand together, we know that, that it's our only choice because we know that without exception, if we stand together, it is the only way that we can win. So I hope that you see this movement is not about partisan labels or purity tests, but about class solidarity.
(30:09)
It's about the thousands of you who came out today to stand together and say, "Our lives deserve dignity and our work deserves respect."
(30:22)
No matter who we are or where we come from, we are here today to make a sacred promise to each other. Because our goal here today, and what I don't want for us today, what I want more for us today, is not just to come together, share a few inspiring words, and then go back to how things were. Can't do that. Our goal here today is to commit to building the kind country we all deserve. So I'm going to take another second here, and I want each of you to turn to the people around you and get a good look. And I want you to greet someone you don't know.
(31:11)
And this is awesome. And I think it's, I don't want to interrupt, but it's because if I can offer one assignment today before we all depart here, it's to leave this place connected to a new person you didn't know coming into this. Because, Greeley, we do need to make that promise. We do need to take care of each other on our worst days and to share the successes of our best. And in making those promises to each other, that's how we're going to do it. No silver bullet, not from the top, but block by block.
(32:13)
So thank you for having me and it is my honor to introduce to you the senator, the man, the friend, the person who has helped bring all of us here together today. Senator Bernie Sanders.
Song interlude (32:47):
… to the people. Power to the people. Power to the people. Power to the people. Power to the people. Power to the people, right on. Say you want a revolution, we better get on right away. Well you get on your feet and into the street, singing power to the people. Power to the people. Power to the people.
Bernie Sanders (33:43):
Thank you, Greeley. I was told that you have a little bit over a hundred thousand people in Greeley. And between the 6,000 who are outside and the 4,000 who are here, I think we got 10% of the community at this rally right now. Thank you. Now I want to say a word about Alexandria. When Alexandria was a kid, you correct me if I'm wrong, she cleaned houses with her mom in order to make enough money for the family to survive. And then after she graduated college, she was a barista working paycheck to paycheck. But what she did as she looked around her and in her community in Bronx, New York, is she saw that change had to come. And so, what she did is decided to run for Congress. And people said, "What, are you kidding?"
(35:06)
The guy who represents the district was one of the most powerful members of Congress. He had access to unlimited kinds of money. How much money did you have when you started?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (35:20):
None.
Bernie Sanders (35:20):
None. All right. But she did what real politics is about. Real politics is not sitting at million dollar fundraisers. It's working with people in your community. And she worked hard and her friends worked hard and she pulled off and major upset. And since then she has been a great member of Congress. But not only that, she has been an inspiration to millions of young people all across this country.
(36:14)
Now, the reason I say all of that is not just to praise Alexandria and I love her, but is to tell you and the people of America that what Alexandria did, you can do. There are millions of young people out there who love this country, who are disgusted with what they are seeing, who are prepared to get involved in the political process. So Alexandria, thank you for being that inspiration. So why are Alexandria and I, why are Alexandria and I here today? Why will we be in Denver later this evening? Why were we in Tempe last night, where there was an unbelievable number of people coming out, Las Vegas earlier than that? We'll be in Tucson tomorrow. Why are we doing that? And we're doing that, because this country faces a set of enormous crises
Bernie Sanders (38:00):
… crises, and how we respond to this moment will impact not only our lives, but the lives of our kids, future generations, and in terms of climate change will impact the future of this planet.
Audience (38:23):
Yeah.
(38:25)
Whoo.
Bernie Sanders (38:30):
What I have to tell you is that given the huge turnouts we have seen already on this trip, it is clear to me that the American people are outraged at what's going on, and the American people are saying loud and clear, "We will not accept an oligarchic form of society. We will not accept the richest guy in the world running all over Washington, making cuts to the Social Security Administration-
Audience (39:22):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (39:22):
… cuts to the Veterans Administration-
Audience (39:26):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (39:28):
… almost destroying the Department of Education-
Audience (39:31):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (39:34):
… all so that they could give over a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the wealthiest 1%."
Audience (39:42):
[inaudible 00:39:42].
(39:42)
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (39:46):
But it's not just oligarchy we've got to deal with. Under Trump, this country is moving very rapidly to an authoritarian form of society.
Audience (40:02):
Boo.
(40:02)
[inaudible 00:40:03].
Bernie Sanders (40:02):
Today we have a president who is undermining our constitution every single day-
Audience (40:09):
[inaudible 00:40:10].
(40:09)
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (40:13):
… who is threatening freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.
Audience (40:17):
[inaudible 00:40:17].
(40:17)
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (40:20):
I look back at the Civics class that I took in the sixth grade a few years ago. You probably took the same class. We studied American History, we studied the Constitution.
Audience (40:33):
[inaudible 00:40:37].
Bernie Sanders (40:36):
It's important to remember what we learned back then, and that is that the Founding Fathers of this country way back in the 1790s, they had fought a war against the all-powerful King of England and the British Empire, and they're thinking, "How do we create a new country in which one person will never ever have the kind of power that the King of England has?"
Audience (41:06):
Yeah.
Bernie Sanders (41:06):
So with a lot of debate, and these were really smart guys, a lot of debate, they said, "You know what, we are going to do is create a government and a constitution which has a separation of powers."
Audience (41:27):
Yeah.
Bernie Sanders (41:27):
That means we're going to have a executive branch and a president, a lot of power. We're going to have a Congress, a lot of power. We're going to have a judicial branch, a lot of power.
Audience (41:38):
[inaudible 00:41:39].
Bernie Sanders (41:40):
That is what they put together, and that is precisely what Donald Trump today is trying to undermine.
Audience (41:50):
Yeah.
(41:50)
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (41:55):
First Amendment to the Constitution is the all-important freedom of speech.
Audience (42:01):
Whoo.
Bernie Sanders (42:06):
In a way that is unprecedented, Trump is trying to intimidate the media and anyone who speaks out against them.
Audience (42:17):
Boo.
(42:17)
[inaudible 00:42:23].
Bernie Sanders (42:22):
He loves the media when they fawn all over him.
Audience (42:29):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (42:29):
But like other cowards, he can't stand to be criticized.
Audience (42:33):
[inaudible 00:42:35].
Bernie Sanders (42:39):
Trump has sued ABC, CBS, Meta, and he sued the Des Moines Register because he didn't like a poll that they did.
Audience (42:49):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (42:52):
His FCC is now threatening to investigate PBS and NPR.
Audience (42:59):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (43:04):
He has called CNN and MSNBC illegal.
Audience (43:09):
Boo.
(43:09)
[inaudible 00:43:13].
Bernie Sanders (43:13):
In other words, the so-called leader of the free world is afraid of freedom.
Audience (43:22):
Yeah.
Bernie Sanders (43:26):
Well, Mr. President, if you are too cowardly and too vain to accept criticism, then get out of politics because that is precisely what democracy is about.
Audience (43:54):
Yeah.
Bernie Sanders (43:54):
That's what the beauty of democracy is about. It's your ideas and my ideas, and we argue about them and we vote on them. It's not do as I want or I'm going to investigate you.
Audience (44:08):
[inaudible 00:44:10].
Bernie Sanders (44:10):
But it is not just the media that he is going after. He's going after the constitutional responsibilities of Congress. Congress under the Constitution has the power of the purse, and every day he is challenging that, slashing funding without authority that only Congress can do-
Audience (44:33):
Yeah.
Bernie Sanders (44:35):
… trying to wipe out agencies that Congress has created and only Congress can eliminate. But it's not only the media in Congress that he is going after. The third branch of government is the judiciary, and what they are supposed to do, what the federal courts do is rule on whether laws are constitutional in their judgment or not, what the president does, constitutional or not. There have, let me tell you, been many decisions coming down from this Supreme Court that I abhor.
Audience (45:16):
Yeah.
Bernie Sanders (45:16):
Their Citizens United decision, one of the worst decisions ever rendered.
Audience (45:25):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (45:25):
Their decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a horrible decision.
Audience (45:29):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (45:33):
But those of us who live by the rule of law understand they have their powers, we have our powers. But now for the first time what Trump is doing is saying to a judge who issues a ruling, "We don't like that ruling. We're going to get you impeached."
Audience (45:53):
Boo.
(45:53)
[inaudible 00:45:59].
Bernie Sanders (45:58):
President Trump, millions of Americans, millions of Americans have fought and died to preserve American democracy. We're not going to let you take it away from us.
Audience (46:13):
[inaudible 00:46:19].
Bernie Sanders (46:21):
And we thank all of those veterans who put their lives on the line to defend democracy. But it's not just oligarchy and authoritarianism that is on our minds. All over this country people are standing up and they're saying, "We will not accept a society of massive income and wealth inequalities, a society in which the very rich are getting much richer while millions of working families are struggling to put food on the table."
Audience (47:08):
Whoo.
Bernie Sanders (47:08):
What people are saying is that in the richest country in the history of the world, we are going to fight for and create an economy and a government that works for all of us, not just the 1%.
Audience (47:21):
Whoo.
Bernie Sanders (47:35):
All right, I'm going to do something radical now. You ready?
Audience (47:38):
Whoo.
Bernie Sanders (47:38):
All right.
Audience (47:38):
[inaudible 00:47:40].
Bernie Sanders (47:41):
I'm going to tell you the truth.
Audience (47:42):
Whoo.
Bernie Sanders (47:44):
I know, pretty radical, but what the hell. Only go around once.
Audience (47:47):
[inaudible 00:47:50].
Bernie Sanders (47:50):
I want to take a few minutes to describe to you what is really going on in this country.
Audience (47:56):
[inaudible 00:47:57].
Bernie Sanders (47:57):
It's something that you don't see much in the corporate media and you certainly don't hear discussed in the halls of Congress, and that is in America today we have two separate Americas. On one hand, we have an America in which the wealthiest people have never, ever in the history of our country had it so good.
Audience (48:22):
Yup.
Bernie Sanders (48:23):
Today we have more income and wealth inequality than we have ever had. Today we have three multi-billionaires, Mr. Musk, Mr. Bezos, Mr. Zuckerberg.
Audience (48:43):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (48:43):
These three combined-
Audience (48:44):
[inaudible 00:48:46].
Bernie Sanders (48:48):
… own more wealth than the bottom half of American society, 170 million Americans.
Audience (48:59):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (48:59):
Now we don't talk about it much for obvious reasons, but the idea that so few have so much and so many have so little is not what this country is supposed to be about.
Audience (49:15):
Whoo.
Bernie Sanders (49:25):
Further, let's take a look at concentration of ownership in the economy. You know what we hear kids read in school books? We are a society, people go out and they start their own small businesses, free enterprises, great. Everybody competes against each other. That ain't the case.
Audience (49:41):
No.
Bernie Sanders (49:41):
Today you have more concentration of ownership in America than we have ever had in the history of this country in sector after sector, whether it is agriculture, transportation, media, financial services, what you have is a small number of extraordinarily large corporations who charge us outrageous prices for the products that we have to buy.
Audience (50:09):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (50:11):
Let me mention just one example of concentration of ownership today.
Audience (50:15):
[inaudible 00:50:17].
Bernie Sanders (50:17):
Nobody talks about it. Today you've got three Wall Street firms, BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street. You ever hear of these companies?
Audience (50:25):
Boo.
(50:25)
[inaudible 00:50:29].
Bernie Sanders (50:28):
Combined, combined, these three investment firms are the majority stockholders in 95% of American corporations.
Audience (50:43):
[inaudible 00:50:41].
(50:43)
Boo.
(50:43)
[inaudible 00:50:44].
Bernie Sanders (50:43):
These guys, I want to tell you something because I bump into them in my line of work, they are not nice guys.
Audience (50:50):
[inaudible 00:50:52].
Bernie Sanders (50:52):
I know on TV they come across … And in your community, they make a donation to the hospital or the Boys & Girls Clubs or the food shelf. They're just very nice. But they're not.
Audience (51:03):
[inaudible 00:51:04].
Bernie Sanders (51:05):
In America today, as I think all of you know, sadly and tragically, and we've got to deal with it, we have major epidemics dealing with addiction. I think we lost a hundred thousand Americans last year because of drug overdose. It's a serious problem in my state. We have people addicted to alcohol, serious problems with alcoholism. We have people who were addicted to tobacco. My father smoked two packs of cigarettes a day and he died before he was 60. People addicted to food. But I will tell you this, in the midst of all of these addictions, the worst and most dangerous addiction we have is the greed of the oligarchs.
Audience (51:50):
Whoo.
Bernie Sanders (51:58):
Now everybody wants to do well in life. Everybody wants to make money. But you would think that if you had a few billion dollars or $10 or $20 billion, you would not feel obliged to step on the backs of poor people to become even richer.
Audience (52:26):
Whoo.
Bernie Sanders (52:26):
But that is exactly what they are doing right now. They are prepared to destroy Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, the Veterans Administration in order to make themselves even richer.
Audience (52:38):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (52:42):
These guys have no sense of what goes on in the real world. They live in another planet. They own mansions all over the world. They go on vacations to their own private islands. When they want to go someplace, they don't go into their car. They go into the planes or the helicopters that they own. Send their kids to the best private schools and colleges. That is their world.
(53:09)
Let me tell you about another world, the other America that we don't talk about, and that is today in the richest country in the history of the world, 60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck.
Audience (53:27):
Yes.
Bernie Sanders (53:27):
You all know what paycheck to paycheck is?
Audience (53:29):
Yeah.
Bernie Sanders (53:30):
Some of you live in paycheck to paycheck.
Audience (53:33):
Yeah.
Bernie Sanders (53:34):
I grew up in a family, lived paycheck to paycheck. Know a little bit about that. What that means is people today are wondering how are they going to pay their rent if their landlord raises the rent by 20%?
Audience (53:50):
Boo.
(53:50)
That's right.
(53:50)
[inaudible 00:53:51].
Bernie Sanders (53:52):
How are they going to pay $20,000 a year for childcare when they're only making $50,000 a year? People want to buy decent, good quality food for their kids. Walk into a grocery store, can't afford that food because the prices of food are sky high.
Audience (54:10):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (54:13):
People get sick. Their kids get sick. They're uninsured or underinsured, and they're saying, "How in God's name am I going to be able to take my kid to the doctor's office?" At the end of the month, people have thousands of dollars in credit card debt, paying 20, 30% interest rates. How the hell do I pay those rates?
Audience (54:34):
[inaudible 00:54:36].
Bernie Sanders (54:35):
What happens if my car breaks down? Something as simple as that happens every day. I go to the car shop and the guy says it's a thousand bucks to get it fixed. I don't have the thousand bucks. What do I do? What do I do if I can't get my car and I can't get to work? If I can't get to work, I get fired. If I get fired, how do I take care of my family?
Audience (54:59):
[inaudible 00:55:01].
Bernie Sanders (55:02):
You know why the American people are angry and they are angry all over this country? They are angry because, believe it or not, despite a huge increase in worker productivity over the last 52 years, if you could believe it, real inflation accounted for wages today are lower than they were 52 years ago.
Audience (55:25):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (55:28):
Meanwhile, there has been a $75 trillion transfer of wealth from the bottom 90% to the top 1%.
Audience (55:40):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (55:40):
That is what a rigged economy is about, and that is what we are going to change.
Audience (55:53):
Whoo.
Bernie Sanders (55:56):
So let's also take a look at other aspects of American society. Anybody here think our healthcare system is working well?
Audience (56:04):
Boo.
Bernie Sanders (56:06):
It is a broken and dysfunctional and cruel healthcare system. We are spending twice as much per capita on healthcare. We're spending $14,000 for every man, woman, and child, yet 85 million are uninsured or underinsured. Do you know what underinsured means? How many people here have high deductibles?
Audience (56:31):
[inaudible 00:56:33].
Bernie Sanders (56:33):
What kind of deductible do you have, ma'am? Do you know?
Audience (56:35):
7500.
Bernie Sanders (56:37):
$7500. What do you got?
Audience (56:39):
20,000.
(56:39)
[inaudible 00:56:40].
Bernie Sanders (56:40):
How much?
Audience (56:42):
20,000.
Bernie Sanders (56:42):
$20,000.
Audience (56:42):
[inaudible 00:56:46].
Bernie Sanders (56:46):
Deductible. What do you got?
Audience (56:47):
9,000.
Bernie Sanders (56:47):
9,000.
Audience (56:48):
8,000.
Bernie Sanders (56:50):
8,000.
Audience (56:50):
7,000.
Bernie Sanders (56:51):
7,000. All right. What does all of that mean? It means that even though you have insurance, when you get
Bernie Sanders (57:00):
… sick, you still can't afford to go to the doctor. How insane is that? And you know what the result is? We don't talk about it much. 60,000 Americans die each year because they don't get to a doctor on time, because they're uninsured or they're underinsured.
(57:17)
And I want to deal with another issue. You'll excuse me for being professorial here and a little bit boring, but it's important that we know this. And here's, again a fact, never or very rarely talked about. All right? Here's the fact. Despite spending so much on healthcare, our life expectancy, how long we live, is about four years younger, four years shorter, than other major countries. That's bad. That is bad. But I want to tell you what is even worse. And I want you all to think about it, and help me out here. If you are working class in America, you will live on average about seven or eight years shorter lives than if you are wealthy. In other words, being working class in America is a death sentence. All right. Question. Why is that? Why is that? Raise your hand. Tell me why. Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (58:39):
Stress.
Bernie Sanders (58:43):
Stress? All right, stress. Let me deal with that. All right. The woman here said stress, and she's absolutely right. What kind of stress are working class people living under today? Who wants to help me out on that? Hold on. Hold on. Whoa, whoa, whoa. I can't get you all. Yes, I see your hand there, ma'am.
Speaker 2 (59:02):
Survival.
Bernie Sanders (59:03):
Survival. Okay. Stress means you're trying to survive every week. Okay, more. Ma'am?
Speaker 3 (59:09):
I own a small business and I can't get corporations to pay their fucking bills.
Bernie Sanders (59:16):
I own a small business and I can't get corporations to pay their stash, their bills. Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 4 (59:24):
Financial stress.
Bernie Sanders (59:27):
Financial stress. Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 5 (59:29):
Taxes.
Bernie Sanders (59:30):
Taxes.
Speaker 6 (59:30):
Tuition.
Bernie Sanders (59:31):
Tuition. Yep. Way back there, ma'am. What?
Speaker 7 (59:35):
Safety.
Bernie Sanders (59:38):
Safety. Okay. Yes.
Speaker 8 (59:39):
[inaudible 00:59:41].
Bernie Sanders (59:41):
What?
Speaker 8 (59:43):
Dental work.
Bernie Sanders (59:45):
Dental. Dental work. Thank you for raising that issue. Anybody have a problem with the cost of dental care in America? Bloody right. All right. Other issues? Yeah, I see your hand. Young man back there. Yeah.
Speaker 9 (01:00:01):
Workplace safety.
Bernie Sanders (01:00:03):
Workplace safety. Okay. Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 10 (01:00:04):
Mental health.
Bernie Sanders (01:00:05):
Mental health. All right, look. All right. We could spend two hours going on here. All right. But here is the bottom line. When you are struggling paycheck to paycheck, you are worried about how you survive every single week. And doctors call this almost the physiology of poverty. That stress that you live with 24 hours a day eats away at your body and your mental health, and that is the major reason why working class people are dying seven years earlier than the rich. It is a shame, but it's more than a shame. It is unacceptable. And the point that I want all of you to get ingrained in your heads. Look, if we were a poor country, a country like Haiti, a really poor country, I would say to you, "Well, I'm sorry you don't have good health care. Sorry you don't have good dental care. Sorry you can't send your kids to college. We're a poor country. We can't afford it." Brothers and sisters, we are the richest country in the history of the world. There is no excuse for working class people dying seven years earlier than the rich.
(01:01:41)
There is no excuse that one out of four Americans cannot afford to fill the prescriptions that their doctors write for prescription drugs. There is no excuse that in the richest country on earth, 800,000 Americans are homeless, and 20 million people, including people in this room, pay 40, 50% of their incomes for housing. No excuse. No excuse that our childcare system is a disaster, outrageously expensive, while workers there are being paid low wages. No excuse that our public schools are struggling trying to get teachers. No teacher in America should make less than $60,000 a year.
(01:02:49)
So my friends, why is all of this happening? Why is it that the rich get richer and working class people die younger than they should? Well, it has everything to do with the fact that we're living in an oligarchic form of society. You know, I've been talking about that for a few years, but I think the rest of the world is catching on to what I was talking about. And the reason is you've got to be dumb and blind not to see what's going on. You got a President Trump getting inaugurated. And I must tell you one of the more bizarre experiences of my life was I was kind of pushed into the front row of that. And there I am, there's Trump, and right behind him, you got Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg, three wealthiest guys in the country. And then behind them, you got 13 other billionaires who Trump nominated to head up various government agencies. Abraham Lincoln talked about a government of the people, by the people, for the people. Well, Trump has a government of the billionaires, by the billionaires, and for the billionaires.
(01:04:20)
And what these guys are busy doing right now is going after Medicaid, going after Social Security, going after nutrition. The rich want to get richer and they don't care who they step on. Now, it is imperative that we fight Trump every step of the way. And by the way, it is not just on domestic issues. This country has a 250-year history, and never before have we had a president ally himself with a terrible dictator like Vladimir Putin. And on top of that, Trump wants to continue the disastrous policies of the Biden administration and provide more funding for the Netanyahu government to destroy the people of Gaza.
(01:05:27)
All right. Our job, though, is not just to play defensive. We've got to get on the offensive as well. And that means having a vision of where we as the wealthiest nation on earth, the longest-standing democracy on the planet, where do we want to go? What kind of nation do we want to become? And for a start, the profound issue that must be dealt with is we must end this corrupt campaign finance system. Now, I don't care if you are a Republican, Democrat, or independent, I don't think there's anybody who thinks it vaguely makes sense that the richest guy in the world could spend $270 million to get Trump elected and then become the most powerful person in the government. That's not just Republicans. Let's be clear. Billionaires are funding the Democratic Party and preventing that party from standing up for working families.
(01:06:46)
Bottom line, we need to end Citizens United, move to public funding of elections. Trump wants to give massive tax breaks to billionaires. Our view, it's time that the billionaires started paying their fair share of taxes. Republicans refuse to raise the minimum wage. We want to raise that minimum wage to a living wage, at least 17 bucks an hour. Musk and Bezos and others want to break unions. We believe in the trade union movement. Workers all over this country want to join unions. They're being stopped by the illegal activities of corporations. We've got legislation in that will end that. Let's pass the PRO Act.
(01:07:50)
Trump and his friends want to cut Social Security. We're going to expand Social Security by lifting the cap. Trump and his friends want to cut Medicaid. Well, we got a different idea. We're going to join the rest of the industrialized world, guarantee healthcare to all. It's a human right. We're going to fight and pass Medicare For All, single payer. In a competitive global economy, we need the best educated workforce in the world. Young people should not go broke or in debt because they want to go to college or a trade school. We desperately need doctors and nurses and teachers and carpenters and sheet metal workers and construction workers. We need to make sure our people get educated without going into debt. We need to make our public colleges, universities, and community colleges tuition-free. We need to save the planet and create millions of good paying jobs by transforming our energy system.
(01:09:27)
All right. We need an EMT, please. All right. We got a medical issue. Medical issue. Somebody fainted. All right, we need some help here, please. Security.
Speaker 11 (01:09:50):
On the way. On the way.
Bernie Sanders (01:09:50):
All right. All right, they're on their way from the back. Let's take a break for a moment. Are we okay? Okay, good. All right, thank you.
(01:10:33)
You know, Trump and his friends talk about freedom. Well, in a free society, we must absolutely guarantee that it is the women of America who control their own bodies, not the government. Look, let me end on this note. And the note is that this is a very difficult time in the history of our country. It's not the first difficult time that we've had. Remember, we've gone through a Civil War, we've gone through slavery, we've gone through workers trying to form unions and getting beaten up and killed. We've gone through a depression. We've gone through 1941, being attacked and not knowing how to respond. We've gone through a lot of things. But this is what I believe, the essence of, I think, what we are about. And that is if we stand together, if we care about each other, if you care about my family and I care about your family, if we don't believe that the goal in life is just to make billions and step on other people, and to lie, cheat, and steal, if we believe that love and compassion is what motivates us…
(01:12:39)
Now, if there are some Republicans here, Republicans watching and on the livestream, Republicans did not vote for Donald Trump in order to give tax breaks to billionaires and cut Social Security. Believe me, they didn't. And the reason that Trump has been successful and why demagogues around the world are successful, you know what they do? They play one group off against another. They're telling you who you're going to hate. And our job is to do exactly the opposite. The right wing wants to divide us up based on the color of our skin or where we were born, or our religion, or our sexual orientation. And our job is to come together. Now, I don't have a PhD in mathematics, but I do know this, that 99% is a hell of a lot larger number than 1%. So if we stand together, are strong, are disciplined, are smart, I have every reason to believe deeply in my heart that not only will we defeat Trumpism, but we can create the kind of nation that we deserve. Thank you very much.
