Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM) - Four years of free college, universal health care, and re-distribution of wealth – the staples of the Bernie Sanders campaign echoed through the Sioux Falls convention center on Thursday night to the cheers of nearly 4,300 supporters.
From the beginning Sanders emphasized his feeling that the nation is rigged in favor of big business. From corporate greed buying politicians to tax loopholes allowing big business to skip out on paying Uncle Sam, even calling out Wal-Mart for paying low wages, the Democrat made it clear that his campaign is about standing up for the little guy and returning balance of power to the people.
Sanders also spoke of fixing what he called the problems no one wants to talk about, including “transforming our relationship with the Native American people,” a reference to his visit to Pine Ridge earlier in the day. He also called for better care for the nation’s Veterans and senior citizens, saying we can’t expect those on Social Security to live on ten to eleven thousand dollars a year.
The Democrat also emphasized his vision of free college tuition at public universities, saying if they can make it work in Germany and Scandinavia it can be done in America. Sanders said fifty years ago, a K-12 education was enough to allow Americans to get a job that paid a living wage, however today that isn’t the case. Sanders called his vision an “investment in our young people,” saying it would provide the country with a strong economy and good jobs for everyone. He also said it would provide children of low income families with a path to a brighter future, as long as the commit to their studies and do well in school.
In addition to closing corporate tax loopholes, Sanders said he would propose a tax on “Wall Street speculation,” and while he didn’t go into detail on what such a tax would involve, he did say it would bring in enough money to help pay for four years of college for students and aid in the re-financing of student loan debt for recent college graduates. Sanders called the plan payback for the government bailout of big banks a decade ago.
It wasn’t all cheers for the Vermont Democrat all night; a slip of the tongue at the start of the rally had Sanders saying “Sioux City is ready for a political revolution.” After a chorus of boos, Sanders corrected himself and the cheers returned.
Sioux Falls was the final leg of a one day, three city tour of South Dakota; Sanders began the day in Pine Ridge then held a rally in Rapid City before his appearance at the Convention Center. He’s also scheduled to visit Fargo, ND on Friday the 13th.