Quotes by Bernie Sanders

“What my focus has been as a congressman, and what my focus will be as a member of the United States Senate if Im elected, is to bang away at the fact that - with an explosion of technology and worker productivity - it is absolutely insane that the middle class is shrinking, that poverty is increasing, that the next generation may have a lower standard of living than our generation, that 45 million Americans have no health insurance, that were losing our pensions, that middle class families cant afford to send their kids to college, that families are spending 45 or 50 percent of their income on housing.”

“It may not be everything I want but I think you will see action, if not for the right reasons, at least for political reasons,”

“It is absurd that right now, on average, we in America are driving vehicles which get worse mileage than previously,”

“I was privileged to have known the chief justice for many years and to have had the pleasure of serving with him on the Smithsonian Board of Regents. We also have shared a love for the beautiful land and the independent people of Vermont, a place that served as a special refuge for the chief justice and his family over the years.”

“Chief Justice Rehnquist has served his country in the highest court of the land for 33 years and his service is much appreciated. As a summer resident of Vermont Im sure that his many friends in the Greensboro area will miss his yearly visits. I know that I join with all Vermonters in sending my condolences to his family.”

“We need an energy revolution by breaking our dependence on fossil fuels, polluting fuels, ... I am very, very confident our small state will lead this. We will be noticed by the country and the world.”

“You have given the wealthiest [portion] of the population a break, and now you are coming before the American people and saying, We dont have enough money to protect the sick and the old,”

“This kind of support tells me that people want a strong voice in the United States Senate who will help lead the fight against the most reactionary administration in modern American history,”

“Im glad to see that some banks are scaling back on this practice, but weve got to go forward with legislation, ... We cant bank on the goodwill and good intentions of these credit card companies.”

“It is simply unconscionable for a huge company like Nike to go to Third World countries -- about 97 percent of their workers are in poor, Third World countries, many of them are women -- and ruthlessly exploit these people, paying them 15 or 20 cents an hour,”

The corporate media spends a lot of time covering the lifestyles of the rich and the famous, but not all that much time covering the poor and the desperate. To a large degree, these people , the millions of poor people in America, are invisible, living under the radar screen. Their suffering is not seen on our evening news. But its there.

The rich and large corporations get richer, the CEOs earn huge compensation packages, and when things get bad, dont worry; Uncle Sam and the American taxpayers are here to bail you out. But when you are in trouble, well, we just cant afford to help you, if you are in the working class or middle class of this country.

Let us wage a moral and political war against the billionaires and corporate leaders, on Wall Street and elsewhere, whose policies and greed are destroying the middle class of America.

Let us wage a moral and political war against war itself, so that we can cut military spending and use that money for human needs.

What some of us believe is that it is possible that if chemicals are related to Gulf War illness that some of the more severe symptoms may not erupt until 10 or 20 years down the line.

What being a socialist means is... that you hold out... a vision of society where poverty is absolutely unnecessary, where international relations are not based on greed... but on cooperation... where human beings can own the means of production and work together rather than having to work as semi-slaves to other people who can hire and fire.

Unemployment insurance, abolishing child labor, the 40-hour work week, collective bargaining, strong banking regulations, deposit insurance, and job programs that put millions of people to work were all described, in one way or another, as socialist. Yet, these programs have become the fabric of our nation and the foundation of the middle class.

For too long, unfunded federal mandates have drained the budgets of states and communities. The strength and vitality of our communities must be restored.

In cold weather states like Vermont, where the weather can get to 20 below zero, home heating assistance is critically important. In fact, it is a life and death issue.

If we are serious about moving toward energy independence in a cost-effective way, we should invest in solar energy. If we are serious about cutting air and water pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we should invest in solar energy.