Vermont senator and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders said he has a new vision for the United States during the second night of the first Democratic Party debate ahead of the 2020 elections.
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Bernie Sanders, Ilhan Omar Team Up for Bill to Cancel $1.6 Trillion Student Debt by Wall Street Tax
During the public debate, held in Miami, Florida, Senator Sanders was asked if his progressive policies like universal healthcare and free university education would imply higher taxes for U.S. residents.
The lawmaker, who stands in second place in Real Clear Politics polls, answered that under his proposal people will pay more in taxes, but will have much fewer medical expenses, or premiums and deductibles.
Sanders denounced the inequality existing in American society, stressing that healthcare is a human right.
Around 100 professors from public and private universities across the U.S. endorsed Wednesday Sander’s proposal to cancel the nation’s student debt that has ratcheted up to US$1.6 trillion.
The professors of economy, law and education from Columbia University, Bucknell University and the University of California at Los Angeles, among other high-ranking and high-costing higher education institutions, say the current crushing debt on the nation’s young “undermines economic security and tears at the fabric of social justice in America.”
The group of educators signed a collective letter saying they “strongly supports” Sanders’ newly introduced legislation, College for All Act and Ilhan Omar’s, Cancel Student Debt Act as the “path out of our current mess.”
Around 45 million U.S. citizens currently have student loans and Sanders’ plan is to cancel all their loans regardless of their income. The proposal goes beyond Elizabeth Warren’s proposal to cancel student debt of families earning less than US$250,000 per year. According to Warren, her proposal aims to reduce the racial wealth gap.
In Miami, Sanders shared the stage with former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Michael Bennet. Democrats will have another 11 debates before a national candidate is decided upon.