LIVE: Fighting Oligarchy Tour RETURNS with BERNIE and PLATNER

Senator Sanders details a stark contrast: 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, struggling with basic necessities, while the wealthiest have never been better off. This economic stress contributes to a 7-year shorter life expectancy for working-class individuals compared to the wealthy. He argues that the current system is rigged, leading to widespread insecurity and suffering.

60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to put food on the table, pay for health care, education, and other basic necessities. If you are working class in this country, you're going to live 7 years shorter lives than the wealthy.

Kelly Brennan, a nurse, and Senator Sanders both condemn the US healthcare system as broken, expensive, and profit-driven. They highlight that despite high per capita spending, millions remain uninsured or underinsured, leading to preventable deaths. They advocate for a Medicare for All single-payer system, arguing that if other wealthy nations can provide universal healthcare, the US can too.

Today in America, despite spending over $15,000 per capita a year on healthcare, we have 85 million Americans who are uninsured or underinsured. Some 60,000 Americans die each year because they don't get to a doctor when they should. Healthcare capitalism has no place in a world of healing. Medicare for all is the answer.

Sanders explains that wealth and power are unprecedentedly concentrated, with the top 1% owning more than the bottom 93%, and individuals like Elon Musk possessing more wealth than the bottom 53% of American households. This concentration extends to media ownership, where six conglomerates control 90% of what Americans consume, shaping public discourse. This economic power is then leveraged to control the political system through super PACs and campaign finance.

Today, the top 1% owns more wealth than the bottom 93%. One man, Mr. Musk, owns more wealth himself than the bottom 53% of American households. Six major media conglomerates control about 90% of what the American people see, hear, and read.

Senator Sanders proposes a 5% annual wealth tax on the 938 billionaires in America as a solution to fund critical social programs. He illustrates that this tax, while leaving billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos with hundreds of billions, could provide $3,000 checks to most American households, build 7 million affordable housing units, expand Medicare to cover dental/hearing/vision, establish universal childcare, raise teacher salaries to a minimum of $60,000, and restore healthcare to millions.

We are going to impose a 5% annual wealth tax on the 938 billionaires in America. It would mean that every man, woman, and child in America living in a household of less than $150,000… would get a $3,000 check. It would tackle the housing crisis by providing the resources necessary to build 7 million units of low-income and affordable housing. Elon Musk would pay 39 billion dollars more in taxes, but it would leave him with just 737 billion dollars to try to survive.

Graham Platner and Bernie Sanders emphasize that systemic change will not come from politicians alone but requires a 'political revolution' driven by collective action. They urge attendees to volunteer, organize, and engage their neighbors, turning rally energy into a movement too powerful for money to buy. They cite recent grassroots victories as proof that working people can overcome the influence of the wealthy.

No one is coming to save us. We need a political revolution. It is thousands of people across Maine, millions across America acting together, creating a movement too powerful for money to buy. What Mandani did in New York City is put together a grassroots coalition of a 100,000 volunteers.