Editor’s note: This commentary is by Bob Stannard, a former lobbyist, who is still an author and musician. This piece first appeared in the Bennington Banner.
[B]y now we all know that Freddy Gray’s arrest was illegal and the officers who arrested him have been charged with his death. Whether or not they will be convicted is another story.
The real question is what is going on with Baltimore (and other major cities) that caused people to demonstrate? Is it that we’ve evolved to a place where we now fear police versus having them looking out for us? Or is the question deeper than police relations?
Rep. Paul Ryan thinks the problem is “lucrative welfare benefits” that have created a cycle of poverty. Maybe. But might it also be possible that there are no longer jobs to be had in America?
PBS aired a fascinating program that showed how green plants are eating away at what once were manufacturing plants in Detroit. Multinational corporations that once owned these building have relocated their businesses; along with their jobs overseas. Our government enabled them to do so thanks to global trade deals like NAFTA, CAFTA and the soon to be TPP (Transpacific Partnership). Ironically, this third initiative is about the only legislation with which the Republicans in Congress agree with President Obama.
The decaying Detroit buildings now support plants, not people. No one has been held responsible for cleaning up the mess left behind. Isn’t the same thing happening all around America? Trade agreements are great for corporations who have seen record earnings. Yet those earnings have not translated into more, good paying jobs here at home. Wages have been flat in this country for decades and appear to only be getting worse.
Like him or not, Bernie Sanders has been consistent over his three decades of public service.
Like many other cities, Baltimore has been hit hard. Its poverty has increased five points since 2008. We have more and more people living in poverty. These folks see no way out of their dismal situation. People who see no hope and no way out are going to become dangerous people. They have nothing to lose. Paul Ryan believes you simply need to get a job, work hard and life is good. He’s partially right, but little has been done to create jobs in places in America that need them. Instead of spending billions more on our military might we need to spend money on rebuilding our infrastructure and putting people back to work. If we offer these opportunities and they are denied by someone on welfare, then take away their benefits. But when you deny employment and benefits you end up with what we see happening in Baltimore.
Like him or not, Bernie Sanders has been consistent over his three decades of public service. He has supported veterans, seniors and working people his entire career. His stump speech of today could very well have been one he gave anytime in the last 30 years. He gets it and is not afraid to tell you what he sees happening.
Bernie is now running for president. Some don’t think he has a chance and granted the odds are long. Think about it. The people who made up the Tea Party say they’re mad at government waste. So is Bernie. People say they are tired of seeing our jobs sail overseas. So is Bernie. Some say that they are mad that Wall Street was never held accountable for nearly ruining the global economy. So is Bernie. People are sick over how much money a handful of people can spend to buy our politicians. So is Bernie.
Underestimating Bernie Sanders is never wise. He won his mayor’s race by 10 votes. He beat a popular congressman along with a wealthy opponent and ended up in the U.S. Senate. He got there because his message has been consistently and consistently clear, something sorely lacking in most other politicians. His message resonates louder than his Brooklyn accent.
