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HerbChestnut
HerbChestnut's Journal
HerbChestnut's Journal
December 29, 2015
Improving the Rural Economy
As someone who has represented a rural state for more than 24 years, improving the lives of rural Americans is a top priority for Senator Sanders.
Family farms and ranches are the backbone of rural America and the U.S. economy. Farmers are also among our nation’s foremost stewards of our lands and water.
Throughout his career, Senator Sanders has successfully fought for innovative rural economic development initiatives, including investments in farm-to-school and farm-to-table initiatives; agri-tourism programs; school gardens; large scale bio-mass fired electric plants; shared agricultural processing and storage facilities; and anaerobic digesters to process cow manure into methane gas.
Senator Sanders understands that agriculture programs need to be counter-cyclical to assure market-derived commodity income at levels that advance and sustain family-scale farming.
Senator Sanders will fight for farm policies that will foster the entry of a new generation of owner-operators. He will not back away from land stewardship standards that include the commonwealth of clean water for all.
As president, Senator Sanders will adopt policies that will:
- Make sure that family farmers and rural economies thrive;
- Expand support for young and beginning farmers;
- Produce an abundant and nutritious food supply;
- Establish an on-going regeneration of our soils; and
- Enlist farmers as partners in promoting conservation and stewardship to keep our air and water clean and to combat climate. change.
Family Farms Instead of Factory Farms
Senator Sanders believes that we need more family farms, not more factory farms.
It is unacceptable that just four corporations control 82% of the nation’s beef cattle market, 85% of soybean processing, and 63% of pork processing. It is unacceptable that there are over 300,000 fewer farmers than there were 20 years ago.
It is unacceptable that the top 10% of farms collect 75% of farm subsidies, while the bottom 62% do not receive any subsidies. We have to adopt policies that will turn this around.
Supporting Agriculture
In 1966, farmers received 40 cents for every dollar Americans spent on food. Today, they only receive 16 cents on the dollar.
As President, Senator Sanders will reverse this trend by:
1. Fighting for America’s small and mid-sized farms. Abraham Lincoln called the United States Department of Agriculture the “People’s Department” and Senator Sanders will ensure that the agency lives up to this name by expanding its services for new and underserved farmers.
2. Encouraging the growth of regional food systems. Farmers throughout the country are boosting their bottom line and reinvigorating their communities by selling directly to local consumers, institutions, and restaurants. Senator Sanders will invest in this movement, helping Americans support local farms.
3. Reversing trade policies like NAFTA that have flooded the American market with agricultural goods produced in countries with less stringent environmental, labor, and safety regulations.
4. Enforcing our country’s antitrust laws against large agribusiness and food corporations. A few large companies dominate many agricultural industries, allowing them to force unfair prices on farmers. Senator Sanders will stand up to these corporations and fight to ensure that farmers receive fair prices.
INVESTING IN RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT AND NEW INCOME FOR FARMERS
Senator Sanders supports major investments in wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and other sources of renewable energy. These investments are not only important to combat global warming, they are also critically important in improving the farm economy.
The good news is that farmers and ranchers all over this country are leading the charge toward a more sustainable energy future.
Today, more than 57,000 farms are taking advantage of renewable energy production — which has more than doubled since 2007.
Nowhere is that more true than in Iowa. Today, farmers and rural landowners in Iowa receive over $17 million in lease payments from wind developers – and have the potential to nearly triple over the next 15 years.
Today, Iowa reliably generates over 28% of its electricity from wind — which supports 7,000 good-paying jobs in-state.
Senator Sanders would substantially increase investments in wind energy and would make the Wind Production Tax Credit permanent. By making these investments, wind could supply over 40 percent of Iowa’s electricity in the next five years. By 2030 wind energy in Iowa could supply enough electricity for 6.3 million average American homes.
And, it’s not only wind. Biofuels like ethanol have been an economic lifeline to rural and farm communities in Iowa and throughout the Midwest, supporting over 850,000 workers, all while keeping our energy dollars here at home instead of going into the pockets of oil barons in the Middle East and Russia.
Senator Sanders strongly supports the Renewable Fuels Standard that is helping us move beyond oil.
Moreover, when we talk about harnessing energy from the sun, the good news is that solar panels accounted for more than 60% of renewable energy production systems on farms. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the cost of residential solar has come down 75% since 2009.
Over half of the electric generating capacity added to the grid last year was renewable energy from new wind and solar projects. There is enough solar power in America to power four million homes. And, as we generate new sustainable energy, we also generate new opportunities. Today, the rate of job growth in the solar industry is ten times higher than the national average.
While this is a step in the right direction, much more needs to be done to ensure our planet remains habitable, improve the environment, and help our farmers in Iowa and across the country. Substantially increasing our investments in renewable energy will be a major priority in a Sanders administration.
BERNIE’S PLAN TO REBUILD RURAL AMERICA
Addressing the infrastructure crisis facing the country – and creating the millions of jobs our economy desperately needs – has been an essential plank of Senator Sanders’ campaign.
Senator Sanders’ Rebuild America Act will make substantial infrastructure investments in Iowa and throughout rural America.
Improving our electric grid. Senator Sanders understands that we desperately need to improve our aging rural electrical grid, which consists of a patchwork system of interconnected power generation, transmission, and distribution facilities, some of which date back to the early 1900s.
Today, the World Economic Forum ranks our electric grid at just 24th in the world in terms of reliability, just behind Barbados.
As part of the Rebuild America Act, Senator Sanders would invest $50 billion on power transmission and distribution modernization projects to improve the reliability and resiliency of our ever more complex electric power grid. This investment will also position our grid to accept new sources of locally generated renewable energy, and it will address critical vulnerabilities to cyber-attacks.
Investing in broadband and high-speed Internet services. Another critically important rural infrastructure issue that often goes overlooked is the expansion of broadband. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ranks the U.S. 16th in the world in terms of broadband access.
Today, people living in Bucharest, Romania have access to much faster Internet than most of the United States. That’s unacceptable and must change.
Senator Sanders’ Rebuild America Act would invest $25 billion over five years to expand high-speed broadband networks in under-served and un-served areas, and would boost speeds and capacity all across the country, particularly in rural areas.
High-speed Internet access is no longer a luxury. It is essential for 21st century commerce, education, telemedicine, and public safety. And, it’s especially important for rural America to stay connected and to do business with the rest of the world.
Improving our dams and levees. Senator Sanders’ plan also addresses dams and levees. Right now, more than 4,000 of the nation’s 84,000 dams are considered deficient.
Even worse, one of every eleven levees have been rated as “likely to fail” during a major flood. Most of those facilities are in rural areas.
The Rebuild America Act will invest $12 billion a year to repair and improve the high-hazard dams that provide flood control, drinking water, irrigation, hydropower, and recreation across rural America; and the flood levees that protect our farms and our towns and cities.
New Issues Page on Bernie's Website: Improving the Rural Economy
https://berniesanders.com/issues/improving-the-rural-economy/Improving the Rural Economy
As someone who has represented a rural state for more than 24 years, improving the lives of rural Americans is a top priority for Senator Sanders.
Family farms and ranches are the backbone of rural America and the U.S. economy. Farmers are also among our nation’s foremost stewards of our lands and water.
Throughout his career, Senator Sanders has successfully fought for innovative rural economic development initiatives, including investments in farm-to-school and farm-to-table initiatives; agri-tourism programs; school gardens; large scale bio-mass fired electric plants; shared agricultural processing and storage facilities; and anaerobic digesters to process cow manure into methane gas.
Senator Sanders understands that agriculture programs need to be counter-cyclical to assure market-derived commodity income at levels that advance and sustain family-scale farming.
Senator Sanders will fight for farm policies that will foster the entry of a new generation of owner-operators. He will not back away from land stewardship standards that include the commonwealth of clean water for all.
As president, Senator Sanders will adopt policies that will:
- Make sure that family farmers and rural economies thrive;
- Expand support for young and beginning farmers;
- Produce an abundant and nutritious food supply;
- Establish an on-going regeneration of our soils; and
- Enlist farmers as partners in promoting conservation and stewardship to keep our air and water clean and to combat climate. change.
Family Farms Instead of Factory Farms
Senator Sanders believes that we need more family farms, not more factory farms.
It is unacceptable that just four corporations control 82% of the nation’s beef cattle market, 85% of soybean processing, and 63% of pork processing. It is unacceptable that there are over 300,000 fewer farmers than there were 20 years ago.
It is unacceptable that the top 10% of farms collect 75% of farm subsidies, while the bottom 62% do not receive any subsidies. We have to adopt policies that will turn this around.
Supporting Agriculture
In 1966, farmers received 40 cents for every dollar Americans spent on food. Today, they only receive 16 cents on the dollar.
As President, Senator Sanders will reverse this trend by:
1. Fighting for America’s small and mid-sized farms. Abraham Lincoln called the United States Department of Agriculture the “People’s Department” and Senator Sanders will ensure that the agency lives up to this name by expanding its services for new and underserved farmers.
2. Encouraging the growth of regional food systems. Farmers throughout the country are boosting their bottom line and reinvigorating their communities by selling directly to local consumers, institutions, and restaurants. Senator Sanders will invest in this movement, helping Americans support local farms.
3. Reversing trade policies like NAFTA that have flooded the American market with agricultural goods produced in countries with less stringent environmental, labor, and safety regulations.
4. Enforcing our country’s antitrust laws against large agribusiness and food corporations. A few large companies dominate many agricultural industries, allowing them to force unfair prices on farmers. Senator Sanders will stand up to these corporations and fight to ensure that farmers receive fair prices.
INVESTING IN RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT AND NEW INCOME FOR FARMERS
Senator Sanders supports major investments in wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and other sources of renewable energy. These investments are not only important to combat global warming, they are also critically important in improving the farm economy.
The good news is that farmers and ranchers all over this country are leading the charge toward a more sustainable energy future.
Today, more than 57,000 farms are taking advantage of renewable energy production — which has more than doubled since 2007.
Nowhere is that more true than in Iowa. Today, farmers and rural landowners in Iowa receive over $17 million in lease payments from wind developers – and have the potential to nearly triple over the next 15 years.
Today, Iowa reliably generates over 28% of its electricity from wind — which supports 7,000 good-paying jobs in-state.
Senator Sanders would substantially increase investments in wind energy and would make the Wind Production Tax Credit permanent. By making these investments, wind could supply over 40 percent of Iowa’s electricity in the next five years. By 2030 wind energy in Iowa could supply enough electricity for 6.3 million average American homes.
And, it’s not only wind. Biofuels like ethanol have been an economic lifeline to rural and farm communities in Iowa and throughout the Midwest, supporting over 850,000 workers, all while keeping our energy dollars here at home instead of going into the pockets of oil barons in the Middle East and Russia.
Senator Sanders strongly supports the Renewable Fuels Standard that is helping us move beyond oil.
Moreover, when we talk about harnessing energy from the sun, the good news is that solar panels accounted for more than 60% of renewable energy production systems on farms. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the cost of residential solar has come down 75% since 2009.
Over half of the electric generating capacity added to the grid last year was renewable energy from new wind and solar projects. There is enough solar power in America to power four million homes. And, as we generate new sustainable energy, we also generate new opportunities. Today, the rate of job growth in the solar industry is ten times higher than the national average.
While this is a step in the right direction, much more needs to be done to ensure our planet remains habitable, improve the environment, and help our farmers in Iowa and across the country. Substantially increasing our investments in renewable energy will be a major priority in a Sanders administration.
BERNIE’S PLAN TO REBUILD RURAL AMERICA
Addressing the infrastructure crisis facing the country – and creating the millions of jobs our economy desperately needs – has been an essential plank of Senator Sanders’ campaign.
Senator Sanders’ Rebuild America Act will make substantial infrastructure investments in Iowa and throughout rural America.
Improving our electric grid. Senator Sanders understands that we desperately need to improve our aging rural electrical grid, which consists of a patchwork system of interconnected power generation, transmission, and distribution facilities, some of which date back to the early 1900s.
Today, the World Economic Forum ranks our electric grid at just 24th in the world in terms of reliability, just behind Barbados.
As part of the Rebuild America Act, Senator Sanders would invest $50 billion on power transmission and distribution modernization projects to improve the reliability and resiliency of our ever more complex electric power grid. This investment will also position our grid to accept new sources of locally generated renewable energy, and it will address critical vulnerabilities to cyber-attacks.
Investing in broadband and high-speed Internet services. Another critically important rural infrastructure issue that often goes overlooked is the expansion of broadband. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ranks the U.S. 16th in the world in terms of broadband access.
Today, people living in Bucharest, Romania have access to much faster Internet than most of the United States. That’s unacceptable and must change.
Senator Sanders’ Rebuild America Act would invest $25 billion over five years to expand high-speed broadband networks in under-served and un-served areas, and would boost speeds and capacity all across the country, particularly in rural areas.
High-speed Internet access is no longer a luxury. It is essential for 21st century commerce, education, telemedicine, and public safety. And, it’s especially important for rural America to stay connected and to do business with the rest of the world.
Improving our dams and levees. Senator Sanders’ plan also addresses dams and levees. Right now, more than 4,000 of the nation’s 84,000 dams are considered deficient.
Even worse, one of every eleven levees have been rated as “likely to fail” during a major flood. Most of those facilities are in rural areas.
The Rebuild America Act will invest $12 billion a year to repair and improve the high-hazard dams that provide flood control, drinking water, irrigation, hydropower, and recreation across rural America; and the flood levees that protect our farms and our towns and cities.
December 28, 2015
Not much of a change from other polls, but this is Bernie's highest mark yet so I figured it was worth posting.
YouGov/Economist National Poll: Hillary 53, Bernie 39, Martin 2
https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/88txvi0ixm/econTabReport.pdfNot much of a change from other polls, but this is Bernie's highest mark yet so I figured it was worth posting.
December 23, 2015
A video highlighting Clinton's "shifting positions" on the issues
And here's why people don't trust Hillary Clinton. The title of the video is a little harsh, but it gets the point across.
December 20, 2015
Hillary leads age demographics 30 and older. 18-29 did not have a sample size large enough to show a statistic, and I'm willing to bet that demographic is pretty close. Hillary leads AA's 78% to 19%. Looking at the rest of the results it appears SC could still move quite a bit in either direction as many still haven't heard enough from Bernie, a fair amount don't like what Hillary is saying as a candidate, and many are still willing to change who they support.
CBS/YouGov South Carolina Poll: Hillary 67, Bernie 31, Martin 2
http://www.scribd.com/doc/293729705/CBS-News-December-2015-Battleground-Tracker-South-CarolinaHillary leads age demographics 30 and older. 18-29 did not have a sample size large enough to show a statistic, and I'm willing to bet that demographic is pretty close. Hillary leads AA's 78% to 19%. Looking at the rest of the results it appears SC could still move quite a bit in either direction as many still haven't heard enough from Bernie, a fair amount don't like what Hillary is saying as a candidate, and many are still willing to change who they support.
December 20, 2015
This is a link to the pdf so you'll have to go there to get more info. Bernie leading in every age demographic (probably, the 18-29 demographic didn't have a large enough sample to show a statistic, but I think it's safe to assume he's leading there as well)
CBS/YouGov New Hampshire Poll: Bernie 56, Hillary 42, Martin 1
https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/ryga6i6ba2/NH_ForRelease_20151220.pdfThis is a link to the pdf so you'll have to go there to get more info. Bernie leading in every age demographic (probably, the 18-29 demographic didn't have a large enough sample to show a statistic, but I think it's safe to assume he's leading there as well)
December 20, 2015
This is a link to the pdf so you'll have to go there to find more info. Bernie is leading the 18-29 demographic with 71% of the vote. If millenials turn up on caucus day I think he wins Iowa.
CBS/YouGov Iowa Poll: Hillary 50, Bernie 45, Martin 4
https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/yn5mdnsag9/IA_ForRelease_20151220.pdfThis is a link to the pdf so you'll have to go there to find more info. Bernie is leading the 18-29 demographic with 71% of the vote. If millenials turn up on caucus day I think he wins Iowa.
December 19, 2015
So how much money do you think was donated to the Sanders campaign today?
I'm going to say $1million.
December 18, 2015
By DNC Contract the Sanders Campaign Had 10 Days, Did Not Get Cause Enough for DWS to Resign Simply
Cross posted from the Bernie Group:
due to breach of contract.
Excerpt from
BERNIE 2016, INC. }
131 Church Street, Suite 300 }
Burlington, VT 05401, }
} Case No.
Plaintiff }
}
v. }
}
DNC SERVICES CORPORATION, }
d/b/a DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL }
COMMITTEE }
430 S. Capitol Street, S.E. }
Washington, D.C. 20004, }
}
Defendant
26) On December 17, 2015, at approximately 2:47 p.m., the DNC suspended or
terminated the Campaign’s Voter Data access. The suspension or termination of the Campaign’s
access was undertaken without contractual cause, and in contravention of the Agreement’s
termination protocols.
27) The DNC did not send the Campaign any written notice of termination, much less
afford the Campaign the contractually required ten-day period in which to cure any default.
28) The Campaign’s inadvertent access of the Disclosed Information did not
constitute a breach of any provision of the Agreement. Even assuming, arguendo, that the DNC
could prove that Campaign staff intentionally accessed any Disclosed Information, such access
would not amount to a breach of the Agreement, or give the DNC cause to suspend or terminate
the Agreement.
http://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000151-b72f-d1ae-add5-f76f14db0001
December 17, 2015
Woooohoooo!!!
Major Progressive Group Backs Sanders (DFA Endorsement)
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/263572-major-progressive-group-backs-sandersThe progressive group Democracy for America will endorse Bernie Sanders, the first presidential primary endorsement in the history of the group that boasts more than 1 million members.
The Vermont senator won 88 percent of the group’s online vote, far beyond the two-thirds majority needed to trigger an endorsement. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton won just 10 percent of the vote, with former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley finishing with 1 percent.
“Bernie Sanders is an unyielding populist progressive who decisively won Democracy for America members’ first presidential primary endorsement because of his lifelong commitment to taking on income inequality and the wealthy and powerful interests who are responsible for it,” DFA executive director Charles Chamberlain said in a statement alongside the announcement.
“With today’s endorsement, DFA members are joining Bernie’s “political revolution” and working to take it both to the White House and up-and-down the ballot, in races coast to coast.”
The Vermont senator won 88 percent of the group’s online vote, far beyond the two-thirds majority needed to trigger an endorsement. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton won just 10 percent of the vote, with former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley finishing with 1 percent.
“Bernie Sanders is an unyielding populist progressive who decisively won Democracy for America members’ first presidential primary endorsement because of his lifelong commitment to taking on income inequality and the wealthy and powerful interests who are responsible for it,” DFA executive director Charles Chamberlain said in a statement alongside the announcement.
“With today’s endorsement, DFA members are joining Bernie’s “political revolution” and working to take it both to the White House and up-and-down the ballot, in races coast to coast.”
Woooohoooo!!!
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