It's your choice: Regime Change or Improving the Lives of Americans

[tecelote]

Hillary said we can not afford Bernie's plans to improve the lives of Americans during the debate. Yet, she also said that we can afford regime change in the ME.

Before we bring Democracy to other countries, maybe we should restore it here in America.

Below are quotes from Bernie about War and his Priorities.


Photo from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-veterans_55e8b4c3e4b002d5c07577eb

"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." – Bernie Sanders

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“War should be in my view, the last resort of a great nation. We should explore every other option -- and I know that opens up the political types: ‘Oh, you’re wimpy. You don’t want to go to war.’ Well, I don’t accept that. I’ve talked to too many people who came home without legs, without eyesight, with traumatic brain injury,” - Bernie Sanders

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"I voted against the defense budget because it is absurd to spend 60 percent of our discretionary budget on defense when we have so many unmet needs in terms of education, infrastructure, nutrition and health care. Everyone knows the defense budget has tens of billions of dollars of waste and fraud. It's time to get our priorities right." - Bernie Sanders

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"After 14 years in Afghanistan and 12 years in Iraq, after the loss of almost 7,000 troops and the expenditure of trillions of dollars, I very much fear U.S. involvement in an expanding and never-ending quagmire in that region of the world." - Bernie Sanders

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"The U.S. currently spends more money on the military than the next nine countries combined. Yet, despite some 45 million Americans living in poverty, 35 million without health care and veterans throughout the country sleeping on the streets, the only program that Republicans want to increase funding for is the military. Why?" - Bernie Sanders

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“Do we substantially increase military spending and prepare for endless war in the middle-east, or do we make college affordable for all Americans, regardless of income.” – Bernie Sanders

[cantbeserious]

1. When We Stand Together - No Citizen Need Settle For The Lesser Of Two Corporate Evils - Go Bernie Go

eom

[Scuba]

2. If we can't afford to educate our children, to heal our sick or care for our elderly ...

... just what is it the defense budget is defending?

[RKP5637]

3. Excellent point!!! n/t

[tecelote]

4. I missed the best quote.

[tecelote]

5. And, to go along with "what is it the defense budget is defending"...

What are the successes? Where is American Democracy thriving from our ME wars?

[n2doc]

7. Here

http://www.globalresearch.ca/blood-money-these-companies-and-people-make-billions-of-dollars-from-war/5438657

[tecelote]

28. I saved this to read later.

Thanks.

This was interesting...

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And we, the taxpayers, are footing the bill.

Every hour, taxpayers in the United States are paying $312,500 for cost of military action against ISIS.
Every hour, taxpayers in the United States are paying $10.17 million for cost of war in Afghanistan.

Every hour, taxpayers in the United States are paying $365,297 for cost of war in Iraq.

Every hour, taxpayers in the United States are paying $10.54 million for total cost of wars since 2001.

Every hour, taxpayers in the United States are paying $8.43 million for Homeland Security Since 9/11.

Every hour, taxpayers in the United States are paying $58 million for the Department of Defense.

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Do Americans really think war should be our top priority?

[Martin Eden]

10. It's defending the interests of Big Oil and the MIC

Perpetual war also means perpetual manipulation through fear, keeping the American people divided.

[stillwaiting]

23. To protect and expand the wealth and interests of the financial elite. THAT is America's #1 job.

Lots of our systems seem to work together with that objective in mind.

[Scuba]

24. You noticed that too, eh?

[n2doc]

6. She is just doing the bidding of her donors

I wish more people understood this concept. The Clinton's have always been about whomever pays them the most. Like the vast majority of pols.

They will do the right thing only if it benefits their benefactors, or if there is no cost to said benefactors.

See:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251905935

[libdem4life]

8. Regime Change. ..that's going to leave a mark. .. I'd. LOL it if it weren't

so close to the truth.

[Enthusiast]

9. K&R! This post should have hundreds of recommendations!

I mean it.

This nation must get its priorities straight.

[Martin Eden]

11. We're not bringing "democracy" to other countries

We're bringing chaos and perpetual war, which is an end in itself for the Military Industrial Complex and the National Security State.

[ybbor]

12. A bumper sticker on my street

"Be nice to America, or we'll bring democracy to your country"

[Martin Eden]

16. It would be **nice** if we had a more functional democracy in our own country

Our electoral system is corrupted by gerrymandering, voter suppression, and campaign finance laws equating money with speech.

That bumper sticker can be taken as a commentary on the chaos & death that accompanies our regime changes overseas, or as an indictment of our own dysfunctional democracy.

[MisSpentYth]

31. Exactly!

We should focus on fixing our own democracy, instead of imposing our type of democracy on other countries, which has caused more damage and chaos, as opposed to bringing about a better society. And this is going by the assumptions that our country's only interest in such countries was to bring about democracy, not some other obviously greedy endeavors!

[tech3149]

13. I think you confuse regime change with takeover

The true regime change will be Sanders because he will work to control or change the power structures that do harm to most of us while enriching themselves.
I agree with a quote from Kennedy that those that make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable Those among us that have been fighting against a peaceful revolution have the biggest resources but we are seeing that that just isn't enough.
We have been entertained to death for most of my life but even if most people are spending too much time on their smartphone to talk to the person standing next to them, the revolution is coming.
I will continue to work for the peaceful revolution and hope I am prepared if the alternative is inevitable.

[chervilant]

17. I commend your post a gazillion times!

I will continue to work for the peaceful revolution and hope I am prepared if the alternative is inevitable.

Indeed, that has been my mantra since St. Ronnie Raygun began the overt destruction of unions and pilfering of our social security. The corporate megalomaniacs--who've usurped our media, our politics, AND our global economy--will not go quietly into that good night, and I expect the push back to be horrendous and deadly. However, they have grossly underestimated the Hoi Polloi.

(BTW, Michael Moore's new film will dovetail nicely with Bernie's campaign!)

Go, BERNIE!!!

[pangaia]

14. I'm hoping Bernie will come out with one of the real reasons

the US is so involved in 'wars-' - it is do damn profitable.. for some.

Disaster Capitalism. Simplified-

--Make enemies. Destroy it(them) with US made weapons. PROFIT. Rebuild it (sometimes) by US corporations (PROFIT). Even health care comes into it. -- Think Lockheed Martin.

[tecelote]

15. Exactly.

If we take profit out of our wars they will end tomorrow.

[Doctor_J]

18. those who vote for spending all of our money on foreign debacles are not really Dems

They should stop calling themselves Dems.

[Ferd Berfel]

19. THis is what we can't afford

[DhhD]

20. Its now being called the Military Industrial and Congressional Complex. no text

[Duval]

21. Kicked and recommended.

[stupidicus]

22. Well, Saint Raygun got it right when he declared that our politics and morals are inseperable

and there's no guesswork involved in determining who has the most/more "moral" record and current platform for this country

That's why I've long argued that her opposition to single payer alone tips the scales irreversably in Bernie's direction, given the amount of needless deaths and quantity of equally needless human misery only it can avoid.

[LS_Editor]

25. Yes it is. Americans need to realize they are selling the future for perpetual war.

This satirical website hits on a lot of great points about how perpetual war is paid for by austerity, which lowers the standard of living of the vast majority of Americans.

Americans Excited for ISIS War at Expense of Own Standard of Living

WASHINGTON (The Nil Admirari) - Earlier today, the results of a TNA study were released and showed over 67% of Americans were eager for a new ground war in the Middle East, which will initially target the Islamic State (ISIS) before putting Iran in its sights. The hawkish Americans asserted there should always be money for war, and American citizens should have to pay the price of funding the overseas empire with cuts to social safety net programs, education, infrastructure, and healthcare, among many other things.

+

Bigelow added, "To these Americans there is always money for war, even while they are being told programs like Social Security are in trouble. They don't seem to care they would continue to pay for perpetual war with austerity in the form of cuts to programs meant to give them the high standard of living they should expect to have in the world's richest nation."

More at link...

[azmom]

26. I'll take improving the lives of ordinary

Americans. #unidosconbernie

[Faux pas]

27. KNR

and

[mhatrw]

29. Let's have regime change in the USA! I'm sick of the Top 0.1% Regime that is ALWAYS in charge! nt

[tecelote]

30. Great response!

Yes. Take back America for Americans.