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We have to do a lot better

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Staff

Bernie Sanders

Editor’s note — Although it cleared the U.S. Senate by a wide margin, the tax bill worked out between the president and the new Republican leadership of Congress had detractors on both sides of the aisle, but few as determined as Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who took to the floor of the U.S. Senate last week. At the outset, he told his colleagues, “You can call it a filibuster. You can call it a very long speech.” He was right about the latter, concluding his remarks about eight and a half hours later. Sanders wrapped up his case as follows:

As I said earlier, and will say again, I think the most effective way to create jobs, and the most important way, is to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. That is our roads, bridges, rail system, water system, wastewater plants, our dams, levees, and the need to improve broadband to make sure every community in America has access to good-quality broadband and access to cell phone service. Unfortunately, as best as I can understand, there has not been one nickel appropriated in this proposed legislation that would go to infrastructure improvements.

I think this proposal should be defeated because it is not a strong proposal for the middle class. It is a proposal that gives much too much to people who don’t need it, and it is a proposal that I think sets the stage for similar-type proposals down the pike. I apologize to anybody who has been listening for any length of time. I know I have been, to say the least, a bit repetitious.

But the concern is that when the President and some of my Republican colleagues talk about some of these tax breaks being temporary, we are just going to extend them for two years, talking about this payroll tax holiday being just one year, I have been in Washington long enough to know that assertion doesn’t fly; that what is temporary today is long-term tomorrow and is permanent the next day. I fear very much that this proposal is bad on the surface. I fear very much that this proposal will lead us down a very bad track in terms of more trickle-down economics, which benefits the tricklers and not the ordinary Americans. I think it is a proposal that should be defeated….

1 thought on “We have to do a lot better”

  1. bill speight says:
    December 26, 2010 at 2:04 am

    Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says he is a proud Socialist and to listen to his plan for America…

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