December 15, 2015
New Hampshire, U.S.

Sanders speaks on basic rights

By Benji Rosen | Monadnock Ledger-Transcript | Monday, December 14, 2015 | (Published in print: Tuesday, December 15, 2015) | www.ledgertranscript.com

MANCHESTER – Bernie Sanders sees an America where the lower classes are overworked, underpaid and can’t afford to care for their families, pay for health care or save for retirement.

“What does freedom mean? You are exhausted. You are stressed out. You are struggling,” the presidential candidate said yesterday, when asked how his belief in democratic socialism would impact the “Live Free or Die” state.

“I believe that to be free in the wealthiest country in the world you need economic security,” he continued. “To me, what democratic socialism says is we have to guarantee economic rights to all people – the right to decent wages, the right to health care and the right to education.”

In an exclusive interview with the Ledger-Transcript Monday morning, Sanders discussed how his ideology could benefit the region and country, touching on renewable energy and climate change, the heroin epidemic and the importance of high-speed Internet, especially in rural areas.

The junior senator from Vermont is in New Hampshire on a two-day swing, with stops at Nashua Community College, Rochester and town halls in Hollis and Hampton. Sanders arrived ahead of Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire by 10 points, according to a CNN/WMUR poll released Dec. 9. But, Clinton widened her lead in Iowa yesterday, according to The Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll released yesterday.

Inside the fourth-floor conference room in the hotel, however, Sanders was focused not on the path to the presidency, but on his plan to improve America.

He expanded on his opposition to the Northeast Energy Direct natural gas pipeline Kinder Morgan proposes through southern New Hampshire, referencing legislation he and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) introduced in November. The Keep It in the Ground Act would ban future leases on public lands to extract fossil fuels. Sanders said he opposes eminent domain because Kinder Morgan would profit from the sale of the fossil fuel.

But, Sanders added he supports eminent domain for renewable energy projects such as wind farms. “I happen to believe we have to transform our energy system rapidly, boldly and aggressively to save the planet,” he said, in the wake of the Paris agreement. “I think wind, solar and geothermal are all part of that effort.”

To combat the heroin epidemic, Sanders said the federal government should provide more mental health services and education. “I don’t think in any state or nationally, we’re doing what has to be done,” he said.

Sanders emphasized the necessity of high-speed Internet, relating it to the electricity of 100 years ago. He said he would include broadband infrastructure in his trillion dollar infrastructure project.

Sanders also spoke about the importance of affordable higher education and Social Security expansion.

What’s the hardest part about running for president? “Not being home,” he said. After living out of hotel rooms for the last several days, Sanders had to be pointed to his room following the interview.