My Endorsement of Bernie Sanders for President

Last night, my wife and I, attended an organizing rally for Bernie Sanders. We sat in a reception hall, with roughly 300 other residents of Northwest Ohio, and Southeast Michigan. A volunteer from Bernie's campaign informed us of their current strategies, and helped get the crowd of volunteers organized to operate phone banks.

A few weeks ago, I reported about how I got elected as a delegate for Bernie. Now this is my official endorsement, and a report of why I support his candidacy.

First, I'll admit, that this time last year I was pretty thoroughly convinced that I wouldn't vote for a Republican or Democrat in this presidential race. I, like many other Americans, have become fed up with the two party system, and how mainstream politicians are more or less bought and paid for by corporations and the wealthy. Then, last May, Bernie Sanders announced that he was running for president as a Democrat.

I have been a fan of Bernie for at least the last decade. I've followed his actions, and speeches over that time period. I liked that Bernie was an independent, a progressive, democratic socialist.

Supporting Bernie from day one of his candidacy was a no-brainer for me, and this is why:

For decades now, the Democratic Party, my party, has supported trade bills that are devastating for the American worker. These trade agreements are only good for large corporations. NAFTA from the 90's, has resulted in Ford, GM and Chrysler, now building a lot of their vehicles in Mexico, and being able to ship those vehicles into the American market without risk of tariffs, or extra tax. A lot of American manufacturing jobs were lost because of that. Being a proud member of the UAW, and an American autoworker, job security in that auto market is of paramount importance to me, and my family. The TPP is just another trade agreement that will enable more companies to move more of our jobs to other countries.

Bernie Sanders has never supported these trade agreements, and has always spoke out against them.

I've long been a proponent of a single payer healthcare system in America. We are the only major industrialized nation that does not have a universal healthcare system. Why? I believe it's because insurance and pharmaceutical companies have used their billions of dollars of profit, to influence our politicians, to keep a system in place, to protect those profits.

I believe that healthcare is a human right. I believe that the poorest of the poor in our country, should have the same access to medical care, that the richest of the rich enjoy.

Bernie Sanders is the only candidate for president that supports universal healthcare, and the only candidate willing to speak out against greedy insurance companies.

For all of my adult life, I've worked to ensure gay equality in our country. Bernie Sanders is the only candidate that has consistently supported their rights, for all of his adult life.

Bernie has a 30 + year track record of public service. He was Mayor of Burlington, VT, a representative for Vermont, and now a senator. He has consistently supported women's rights, Gay equality, and universal healthcare. You will not find any areas where Bernie has not been consistent on these issues.

Bernie Sanders voted against the war in Iraq, and he is opposed to becoming involved in new wars. He has laid out solid plans to form coalitions, and to support other countries in the fight against ISIS.

Bernie knows that climate change is probably the biggest global challenge of this century. He is the most progressive candidate in the fight against it.

And Bernie Sanders is the only candidate that knows that income inequality will eventually destroy our country. He has railed, long and hard, and for many years, against the policies that exist in our country, that allow the 1% of the wealthiest to gain all of the new wealth in our economy. Bernie will take on the big banks that caused our last recession, and he will take on Wall Street. I believe this, because he is the only democratic candidate that refuses to take money from them.

Tomorrow, the people of Iowa will caucus, and start the primary season in our country. I honestly don't know how this election will go. The race for the democratic nomination is close in Iowa, and New Hampshire. It's close in Nevada, and it's getting closer in South Carolina. I know that if Bernie can win 3 out of these 4 states, he will have a strong chance of becoming our candidate for President.

I've donated money to his campaign, one of a record breaking 3 million Americans to do so. I will be volunteering for phone banks over the next few weeks, and I hope to attend the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this summer, to cast a vote for Bernie.

Many of my fellow democrats have told me, that they like Bernie Sanders, but they don't think he can win the nomination. I do not understand why this would hinder them from voting for him in our primary elections.

I endorse Bernie Sanders with all that I am, because this might be the only chance I have, to see a true progressive candidate elected as president in my lifetime.

Let the Revolution begin.

Attention Rick Snyder

An open letter to Michigan Governor Rick Snyder:

Rick,

You don't know me. I'm just a factory worker in Toledo, OH.

Let's face it, Rick. If you were anyone else, besides the governor of the state of Michigan, you'd be in jail right now. If me, or any other common citizen, caused over 10 deaths, and poisoned a whole city, we'd never get out of jail again. You should be grateful, that you live in the United States, a country with a very unfair justice system. A country that values politicians, and wealthy people, more than they value thousands of poor citizens.

So, here's the deal Rick. The whole city of Flint, MI has been poisoned by their water supply. You knew about it a long time ago. You could have stopped it much sooner. Never mind the fact, that the people who made the decision to change the water supply source, were people under your employ.

Because of that water switch, 10 people have died, and thousands of human beings have been poisoned with lead. Lead is particularly bad for children. Their exposure can never truly be reversed.

The people of Flint have been unable to drink their tap water since October of last year. Just to show how classy you, and other politicians are, you are now threatening to shut off the water to residents who haven't paid their water bills. Real classy Ricky. Sell people poison, then punish them for not paying for it.

In the meantime, several dozen national guard members have been handing out water, filters, and testing kits. You asked the federal government to help bail the people out of the mess, a mess that you are directly responsible for. I've read reports that, even though you've switched the water supply back to the original one, that the water pipe infrastructure in Flint is still contaminated. Reports are that it will take $1.5 billion to fix. Ironically enough, there is a half billion dollar rainy day fund in Michigan. One would think, that after you have admitted that you knew about the problem long ago, after failing to step in and do your fucking job, after hearing that every resident has been poisoned, after hearing that at least 10 people have died, you would step up and order that rainy day fund to be used, to immediately begin repairing the situation. But, you haven't. You haven't, because you are a scumbag, and a coward. You are a miserable excuse for a man.

 On the assembly line, in the plant that I work in, we'd call you a piece of shit. By the way, you might like to know, that the folks that work in my plant, have been taking donations, to help buy water for the people of Flint. You know why that's significant? Because these workers, my coworkers, are members of the United Auto Workers. Yes, fucking union members. Remember when you passed the Right to Work laws in Michigan a few years back? Remember when the politicians in Michigan snuck that in at the last minute, then illegally locked out the people who were trying to protest it? Welcome to America motherfucker, the land of the free. You locked the fucking union out, and passed a law that severely limits their power. The same fucking unions that helped build the state that you govern.

That's basically America in a nutshell Ricky. You, as governor of Michigan, shit all over union folks. Then, when you help poison a whole city, many of those same union people, willingly pull money out of their pockets, to help those people out. It's no wonder the general population hates politicians. We're always the ones that wind up paying, when you fuck up.

Basically, this is my proposal for fixing the situation. You immediately resign. Tonight. Do it during your state of the state address. There is no other option. You fucked up Ricky. Then, you take all of that $200 million net worth that you have, and you donate every penny of it to the people of Flint. Every. Single. Penny. Sell your vacation house. Sell your personal residence. You can try to support your family on your governor's pension. I know, you won't have the same lifestyle that you had as chairman of the board of Gateway Computers, but seriously, whatever apartment you wind up renting, is better than the fucking state prison that you belong in.

You may have detected, that I hold you in great disdain. You are correct Ricky. You see, the population of Flint is primarily minority, and underprivileged. In other words, they are exactly the people that you, as Governor, should be looking out for. But you didn't. You poisoned them, and when state officials warned you about the lead in the water, you had them fired.

Here's to hoping that you're in an orange jumpsuit in time for next years State of the State address.

Signed, a proud union member, that gladly pitched in a few bucks to help the people of Flint.

Dan Denton

Politics as Usual

Today, I had an opportunity to do something really cool. A few weeks ago, I was invited via email, to apply to be a delegate for Bernie Sanders. After a fair amount of thought, I decide "what the hell," and I sent in an application. The application passed, and I was certified as a candidate.

My wife and I attended the caucus for our congressional district. I gave a speech to other Bernie supporters, and I was one of two men selected to represent Bernie at the 2016 Democratic Convention (if enough people in my district vote for Bernie.) Truly, that is pretty fucking far out.

However, I am a tad perturbed at some of the things that I witnessed at tonight's event. You see, there was a caucus for Hillary Clinton next door to ours. That's not necessarily the disturbing part...

It starts with this; I am a union man. My union arranged to bus several dozen members to the caucuses tonight. Other unions did the same. These union members where there to support a union approved group of delegates for Hillary. Tonight, I talked with a high ranking union official. I told him that I was a candidate for delegate in the Bernie camp. We talked about Bernie's candidacy. Bernie Sanders is the only Democratic Candidate that voted against the Pacific trade agreement, a trade deal that was strongly opposed by every major union. Hillary supported it. Bernie Sanders supports a $15 an hour minimum wage, something that every major union has been working to get passed. Hillary supports a $12 an hour wage. Bernie is the ONLY major presidential candidate that has walked a picket line in support of unions on strike. How much more fucking labor friendly can a candidate possibly get?

The high ranking union official told me, "Bernie is everything we want in a candidate, but I just don't think he can win. Clinton has the machinery in place to win."

And that my friends, is why politics in America suck. A major union is willing to settle for the good, when they could potentially help the best win an election.

In the meantime, a lot of my union brothers and sisters, missed an opportunity to support a fellow union member in his bid to become a delegate.

How many times have we seen this happen in politics? How many times have we voted for a candidate, at the local level, the state level, the national level, because they were the 'lesser of two evils?' Or because we didn't think the 'little guy' had a chance to win?

I have learned, that we should not allow the good, to get in the way of the best.

In the end, it didn't fucking matter. I won in our caucus anyway, without the support of over one hundred union members (there was a handful of hardcore union members in our caucus too.) I am an obdurate fucker. I will not desist. I will continue to push, to cajole, to make noise, in an effort to convince my union to do what is best.

The revolution will most certainly be televised. A campaign with over 2.5 million small donations will not be silenced. In July, I will wear a union shirt, while I wave my flag in Philadelphia, and proudly cast a vote for Bernie Sanders. Because sometimes, just sometimes, a bunch of 'little guys' can join forces, and tilt the scales.