Last week, I voted for Brenda Siegel for lieutenant governor.
Vermont is in a crisis along with the rest of our country, one that goes beyond the current pandemic. It is a crisis of wealth disparity.
According to the annual Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report, the U.S. has the greatest wealth disparity in the world. The massive transfer of wealth to the top 1 percent of our country started in the 1980s. It has amplified the suffering of Vermonters and others in the United States during this pandemic.
The U.S. - including Vermont - has one of the worst and most expensive health-care systems in the world. Medicare for All would cut health care costs in half.
Some who read this will think this is socialist rhetoric. On the contrary, it is good business sense. Not only does the U.S outspend other countries, on the whole it also has less access to many health-care resources. Some people tell me we cannot afford Medicare for All. The truth of the matter is, we are already paying twice what we ought to be paying, and we cannot continue with the existing system.
America has fallen due to our lack of investments. We invested twice what we are investing today in our infrastructure in the 1960s. We know some things are better socialized, because we have done that with roads and bridges. Socializing education, health care, and broadband back-haul and last mile infrastructure for rural communities spurs economic activity.
Massive imbalance in wealth leads to failures in democracy and loss of faith in government institutions. We have become seriously imbalanced and we need correction. The current anti-democratic rhetoric coming from the right is just that - false rhetoric.
I am often shocked and dismayed that some people call these “progressive” talking points. On the contrary, these are the attributes of a civilized society. Our country was founded on the civil principles of equal justice and equal opportunity for all.
Brenda Siegel - a voice for the voiceless - will work to achieve those aspirational principles. I developed respect for her during my gubernatorial campaign for her tireless fight for those in need. Right now, she is the voice we need in Montpelier.
I have faith in our democracy. We will rebuild into a better Vermont and a better America.