VT State Senator Bernie Sanders is being awesome again!

For those of you who don't know, Bernie is a corruption-fighting, corporation-lancing, filibuster-rocking MACHINE of godly proportions. Trust me when I say that I have never respected a politician like I respect good ol' Bernie. Other congresspeople tend to consider him a looney because he's an independent and is constantly trying to sever the feedback loop between government and massive corporations. He combines the apparently "liberal" idea of fighting for gay rights, women's rights, and the rights of the poor, with the apparently "conservative" idea of increased fiscal responsibility. He supports small business owners, is always trying to end unnecessary government subsidies, advocates for more controlled defense spending, and fights lobbyists tooth and nail. The man has balls of steel, as evidenced by the time he got up and filibustered for EIGHT STRAIGHT HOURS. Like a fucking BOSS.  
And this isn't anything new for him. He used to be the mayor of Burlington back in the day, and according to the older people in my family, he's been barking up the same trees for his entire career. Often while people laughed at him for being "crazy" because his ideas were so ahead of their time.

Anyway, this post is more than just a love-hymn for Bernie. A couple of hours ago he started a petition for his new up-and-coming 'End Polluter Welfare Act'. From his senate.gov page:

"At a time when we have a record debt, Congress should not continue to give away taxpayer money to the established, highly profitable fossil fuel industry.
- Fossil fuels are subsidized at nearly 6 times the rate of renewable energy. From 2002 to 2008, the US Government gave the mature fossil fuel industry over $72 billion in subsidies, while investments in the emerging renewable industry totaled $12.2 billion.
- The fossil fuel energy industry does not need taxpayer subsidies. In 2011, the Big Five oil companies alone made $137 billion in profits. During the first quarter of 2012, the Big Five oil companies earned a combined $33.5 billion, or $368 million per day.
- Unlike renewable energy incentives which periodically expire and require Congress to approve extensions, the fossil fuel industry has dozens of subsidies permanently engrained in the tax code from decades of successful lobbying. In 2011, the oil, gas, and coal industries spent a combined $167 million on lobbying the federal government."

If you'd like to sign the petition and/or just tell Bernie how awesome he is for being an actual human being instead of a corrupt douchebag, go here! [link]




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