Despair Is Not an Option, So Here’s What We Must Do

By: Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) 

You won’t hear it discussed in corporate media (for obvious reasons), or on the floor of Congress (for obvious reasons), but the most important issue facing facing the American people and the global community is the rapid rise of oligarchy.

Never before in modern history have so few had so much wealth and power. Never before has a ruling class been able to exercise that power not only in the United States but in every corner of the planet. 

Today in America we have more income in wealth inequality than we have ever had. While 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, 3 individuals own more wealth than the bottom 50%. 

Today in America we have more concentration of ownership than we have ever had. In sector after sector – financial services, health care, agriculture, transportation, energy, food, housing, etc. – fewer and fewer giant corporations control what is produced and the prices we pay.

Today in America we have more media consolidation than we have ever had. Some estimates claim as much as 90% of U.S. media is controlled by just six huge global conglomerates that have a defining impact on our culture and the information we receive.

Today in America we have a political system that is increasingly controlled by the billionaire class. In the recent elections, just 150 billionaire families spent nearly $2 billion to get their candidates elected.

And let’s be clear. This massive level of inequality is only going to get worse under the Trump administration – with Elon Musk, the wealthiest person on earth, playing an active role. If Trump gets his way the very rich will get richer and have more power, while ordinary Americans will get poorer and have less power.

Under Trump there will be more tax breaks for the very wealthy and large corporations while, at the same time, reductions in desperately needed programs for the poor and working class. 

Under Trump there will be efforts to privatize Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the Veterans Administration and public education while, at the same time, making it easier for large corporations to destroy the environment, engage in bigotry and undermine workers’ rights.

We cannot allow this to happen. We have got to take on Trump and the oligarchs. And the best way to do that is to educate and organize, educate and organize. We have got to expand our social media reach to counter the enormous influence of corporate and right-wing media We’ve got to increase our presence in working class communities. We’ve got to find grassroots leaders who are prepared to take on the powerful special interests and run for office at the local, state and federal levels. 

These are tough times, but despair is not an option. The stakes are too high, not just for us but for our kids and future generations. 

We’re all in this together.

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The above article is republished from an article that appeared on the Common Dreams website at: https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/bernie-sanders-how-to-defeat-trump on December 2, 2024. It is published here under a Creative Commons license.