This is Why We Need More Socialists Like Bernie in Office

[BayCityProgressive]

Check out some of Senator Sanders' accomplishments in Vermont as mayor of Burlington. Many liberals would never go this far.

In his years as Mayor, Sanders and the Progressives established a Youth Office that developed a city-run day-care center, a teen center, after-school programs and many other activities for kids. They started a Women's Council that became one of the leading organizations in the state in the fight for women's rights. The City also established an Arts Council that greatly expanded the community's cultural activities with free concerts, a Jazz festival, First Night, poetry readings and many other cultural events.

The Sanders administration expanded low- and moderate-income housing and the rights of tenants. Burlington became the first city in the nation to fund community land-trust housing. Despite fierce opposition from the state legislature and segments of the business community, he also succeeded in making Burlington the first community in Vermont to broaden its tax structure beyond almost total dependence on the regressive property tax. His initiatives included hotel and restaurant taxes, and charging franchise fees to utilities. He also took on the local cable TV company and succeeded in winning lower rates for consumers, as well as a substantial cash settlement for the City.

Like many other waterfront communities, Burlington had debated for years what kind of activities it wanted on its shores - the beautiful Lake Champlain. With an enormous amount of public input, and with a major legal battle against a railroad that owned substantial waterfront property, the City finally moved forward in developing one of the most beautiful people-oriented waterfronts in the country - including a community- owned boat house and a nine-mile bike path.

The Sanders administration also made some very significant environmental improvements. With state and federal funding, the City developed a new sewage disposal system that significantly reduced the pollution in Lake Champlain, and built one of the first bio-mass electrical generating plants in the country.

Sanders and the Progressives strongly believed in the adage, "think globally, act locally." In order to help create a more peaceful world, the City of Burlington started successful sister-cities programs with Puerto Cabezas in Nicaragua, and Yaroslavl in Russia.

check him out: http://sanders.senate.gov/

[PaDem]

1. I love Bernie...........

as a native Vermonter and a resident of 23 years, I'm familiar with Bernie's career. He ran for governor more than once on third party tickets, receiving a couple percentage points in each election. Eventually he won the Burlington mayorship by like 12 votes. He won re-election by beating a candidate that was endorsed by both the Republican and Democratic Parties. He's a true populist, winning his re-elections in congress (and now the senate) by wide margins and with significant Republican support. He's a unique politician in the sense that he's not overly friendly and doesn't connect with people very well in person. Also, he's notorious for dressing down and not combing his hair. All the same, voters connect with his passion and willingness to fight for the common Vermonter.