Opinion

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 15 – Speaking at a labor union convention here today, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said the future of American democracy is at stake.

“We are not living in a democracy when 60 percent of Americans are not voting, while billionaires like the Koch Brothers are spending hundreds of millions to buy the United States Senate. That’s called oligarchy, not democracy,” Sanders said.

The billionaires Charles and David Koch and other wealthy individuals are pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into this fall’s campaigns by taking advantage of a disastrous 2010 Supreme Court ruling and subsequent court decisions that gutted federal and state laws limiting campaign spending.

BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 7 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today strongly disagreed with a proposal by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to cut Social Security and disabled veterans’ benefits to pay for more defense spending.

Ryan has resurrected a discredited plan to change the formula that the federal government uses for calculating annual cost-of-living adjustments. According to published reports, Ryan said he wants to boost the Pentagon budget by taking what he called “savings” in Social Security and other programs pegged to annual adjustments in the consumer price index.

BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 4 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said today that the “incredible and obscene” level of income and wealth inequality in America has become a danger to our economic and political systems – and must be addressed.

According to a new Forbes magazine tally, the 400 wealthiest Americans are now worth $2.29 trillion. Their combined wealth grew last year by $270 billion – a 13 percent increase. These billionaires now own more wealth than the bottom half of America – more than 150 million people.

While the very rich become richer, most Americans have become poorer. Median family income has declined by almost $5,000 since 1999 and more than half of the American people have less than $10,000 in savings.

Vermont PBS offered each candidate for Governor and Lt. Governor of Vermont the opportunity to record a series of messages to be broadcast on-air throughout October.  These “candidate commentaries”  are one minute long, each. The 3  topics are Jobs/Economy, Healthcare, and the Candidate’s #1 Priority.  

Congressman Peter Welch, United States House of Representatives

Official Appearance Schedule – Wednesday, October 3rd, 2014

5:30 p.m.
Brooks House Grand Opening: Brattleboro
Rep. Welch will join the celebration and make remarks at the Brooks House Grand Opening.

BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 2 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) today launched an investigation into soaring generic drug prices.

“We are conducting an investigation into the recent staggering price increases for generic drugs used to treat everything from common medical conditions to life-threatening illnesses,” Sanders, chairman of a Senate health care subcommittee, and Cummings, ranking member of the House oversight committee, wrote in letters to 14 pharmaceutical companies.

Early/absentee ballots for the General Election to be held on November 4, are now available in all Vermont town clerk’s offices. Anyone wishing to vote prior to November 4, may apply for an early/absentee ballot until 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 3.

Early/absentee ballots may be voted in person in the clerk’s office, mailed to the voter by the clerk’s office, picked up by the voter or delivered to the voter’s residence by two justices of the peace. All voted ballots must be received by the clerk before the polls close on election day in order to be counted. For more information or to request an early/absentee ballot in Brattleboro call 251-8157.

BURLINGTON, Vt., Sept. 30 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said today that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria will not be defeated until neighboring Muslim nations deploy ground troops against the terrorist organization.

Sanders also strongly disagreed with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) who said on Sunday that the United States may have “no choice” but to send ground troops into Syria.

BURLINGTON, Vt., Sept. 23 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today welcomed growing support for a tax on carbon emissions that cause global warming as the United Nations hosted a one-day summit on climate change.

The World Bank said Monday that 73 nations and some 1,000 companies will join forces to push for policies setting a price on carbon emissions to encourage a shift to cleaner energy technologies.

“It is extremely important that international support is building to put a price on carbon emissions that cause global warming,” said Sanders, a member of both the Senate environment and energy committees and the sponsor of legislation to tax carbon.

BURLINGTON, Vt., Sept. 22 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today applauded the more than 1,000 Vermonters who were among 400,000 demonstrators at the People’s Climate March in New York on Sunday.

“Vermonters from across the state marched in New York City because they understand that climate change is the greatest environmental crisis facing our planet. They know that the United States and other countries must take bold action now to reduce carbon emissions and protect our planet for our children and grandchildren,” Sanders said.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said today he will vote against the United States training and arming Syrian rebels.

Sanders said the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria “is a brutal and dangerous extremist organization which must be defeated, but this war cannot be won by the United States alone. There needs to be a real international coalition led by the countries most threatened – Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey and Iran.

“The worst thing that we can do now is allow ISIS to portray this struggle as East vs. West, as Muslim vs. Christian, as the Middle East vs. America. That is exactly what they want and that is exactly what we should not be giving them,” Sanders added.

I’ve known Ray McGovern since we were both about 7 years old. He was a straight shooter then, and he is one still.

He was a CIA analyst from 1963 to 1990 beginning under President John F. Kennedy and lasting until the Presidency of George H. W. Bush. From 1981 to 1985 he prepared and presented the President’s Daily Brief one-on-one to President Ronald Reagan’s most senior national security advisers including then Vice President George H. W. Bush.