Bernie Sanders Has Rung the Bell, and it Cannot be Un-Rung
By Anthony Cody.
Many of us are in a state of deep frustration over the strong possibility that Bernie Sanders will not be the Democratic Party’s nominee in the presidential race this fall. Circumstances may yet occur to upset the presumptions that are now being made, so I think it is legitimate to wait until the convention in Philadelphia to see who the actual nominee will be. But the feelings of frustration have some important roots, and should not be discarded lightly, because they point the way forward.
As Chris Hedges has suggested, we are living in a shadow sort of pseudo-democracy, where our political choices are constrained by what we are told is possible, and what is impossible. Hope is discouraged. Participation is futile.
In spite of the fact that the US has the wealthiest, most productive economy in the world, we have been told that there is not enough money to pay for:
- Health care for all
- Higher education for all
- Adequate funding for public schools
We are told that public schools are so broken that further investment in them is unwarranted, and money should be funneled into a parallel system of supposedly innovative, largely non-union charter schools, which intensify patterns of segregation and inequity.
We are told fracking can be made safe for the environment, even as we see groundwater polluted coast to coast.
We have been told that businesses cannot afford to pay workers a living wage, even as they swim in profits.
We have been told that public sector jobs are somehow inherently wasteful, while corporations like Walmart Bernie Sanders Has Rung the Bell, and it Cannot be Un-Rung - Living in Dialogue: