-- Courts and our legal system are "free stuff."
-- Police and fire protection are "free stuff."
-- Sidewalks are "free stuff."
-- An unemployment check when we lose our jobs is "free stuff."
-- The Post Office is "free stuff."
-- Public parks are "free stuff."
-- ANYthing considered "public" qualifies as "free stuff" that We the People make available for all of us.
Each of those "free stuff" items serve a greater societal purpose. Schools and education improve our economy and society. Roads don't just make our lives better by enabling us to get places, they enable our economy to function so our businesses can prosper.
Some of the "free stuff" that Sanders is proposing to add to this list includes:
-- Free public colleges and universities. Just as public schools help all of us, a modern society demands a higher level of education. The crushing student debt so many face today also demonstrates the effect on the economy as people are unable to buy homes and support families. (This would be paid for with a "financial transaction tax" of only a fraction-of-a-percent on speculative investments.)
-- Medicare-for-All enables everyone to get health care, but also saves individuals, businesses and our economy from the costs of a for-profit system. (This would be paid for with progressive income tax increases, mostly at upper levels. Elimination of premiums and co-pays would result in a savings of approximately $5,000 per family.)
-- Investing in bringing our infrastructure up to par. We've been neglecting infrastructure needs and a massive investment is required. Sanders proposes a $1 trillion effort. (This would be funded largely by requiring corporations to pay taxes they already owe, but have deferred.) This will create millions of jobs, driving up wages across the economy. A modern infrastructure enables businesses to compete and prosper more efficiently.
-- Paid family leave allows parents three paid months to care for newborn children. The benefits to people and society are obvious. (Workers would pay less than $2 a week into a fund to cover this.)
-- A $15 minimum wage enables people working full-time to escape poverty, reduces reliance on public assistance programs, and boosts local economies as people have more income to spend.
Note that these proposals are "paid for" and not actually just "free."
"Promising"?
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