Berni Bernie Sanders: A Career As A Political Activist
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Bernie Sanders was born on September 8, 1941, in New York. His father was a Jewish immigrant from Poland whose family was killed in the Holocaust, while his mother was born to Jewish parents in New York City. Bernie states he saw unfairness in America's economic structure at a young age, and used that as inspiration to become a politician. After graduating from the university of Chicago, Sanders settled in Vermont where he would begin his career as a politician. He ran unsuccessful campaigns for Governor and U.S. Senator in the early 1970s. As an independent, Sanders was elected mayor of Burlington, Vermont. He was reelected three times before being elected to represent Vermont's at-large congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in 1990. He served as a congressman for sixteen years before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006. In 2012, he was reelected by a large margin, capturing almost 71% of the popular vote. His most recent political endeavor is he announced he'd be running in the 2016 presidential election.…show more content… Many people have noted the consistency of his views throughout his political career. He focuses on economic issues such as raising the minimum wage, income and wealth inequality, universal healthcare, reducing the burden of student debt by making public universities tuition-free, and expanding Social Security benefits by eliminating the cap on the payroll tax on all income above $250,000. Sanders has become a supporter of laws requiring companies to provide their workers sick leave, paternity leave, and vacation time, noting that such laws have been adopted by almost every developed country. He also supports laws that would make it easier for workers to join a union. Sanders advocates bold action to reverse global warming in the United States, with "energy efficiency and sustainability" as a prominent