I don't agree with some of Bernie's proposals, and he is wrong on a couple of points of history. But I endorse the main thrust of his message. There's far too much money in too few hands. Money = power, and power, as Lord Acton said, tends to corrupt; and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
That's why our Founding Fathers set up a government with three branches (divided power; checks and balances) and periodic elections, ensuring that power changes hands from time to time. They also endowed us with a Constitution that cannot be easily changed (the rule of laws, not men) and a free press that can expose the misuse and abuse of power to the attention of the people. But when 3 or 4 people own most of the wealth in this country, working hand-in-glove with a would-be dictator, you don't have to be a "communist" to see that means the end of democracy.
The system is not perfect, but then NO system is. There is not now, nor has there ever been, nor will there ever be a Utopia where everyone gets everything they want when they want it. The best that can be done is to provide the greatest good for the greatest number most of the time. Capitalism properly restrained and regulated can be a good thing, bringing prosperity and security to many millions - with enough left over in the public treasury to provide a social safety net for the elderly, disabled, and unfortunate - as has been generally the case in the Western world for over a century now.
But unbridled, unregulated capitalism is simply the dictatorship of the rich, and profoundly un-American.
Unelected and unaccountable, the super-rich could buy and sell all the lawyers, judges, police, and politicians they need to get their way, immune from any and all consequences. They could control all sources of news and information, in print or online, indoctrinating everyone young and old with their corrupt wordview, and inciting the masses to fear, resentment, hatred, or violence against anything or anyone, as their masters pleased. And rhey could manipulate the price of all goods and services and housing to squeeze the last dime out of the propertyless common people, in effect making them serfs perpetually dependent on the goodwill of the overlords and their digital informers/enforcers. America or Soviet Russia? Who could tell the difference?
The super-rich could also dispose of whoever is president, if he doesn't do their bidding. There is an old saying that "there is honor among thieves." But who knows what might happen when thieves fall out with one another?
And by the way - don't fear what may happen one day. It has already happened. That little god-box in your hand that you just can't live without? That plastic slab you carry everywhere you go and use to do everything with? You do know, don't you, that it tracks every movement you make, 24/7, and they are recorded somewhere, as is every call you make and every word you type. So are all your purchases, all your bank and credit card data, the names and numbers of all your friends and kinfolks, even your casual hookups and favorite porn. It can all be used against you - and may well be. Don't fear the slavery to come - the chain is already around your neck and the knife at your balls. Resistance, I'm afraid, is too late. You have been assimilated. And paid good money for it, too, you fool. So enjoy it while you can.
But what do I know? I'm just a tired old man who has outlived his time, waiting for his flight to be called, that's all. Move along, nothing to see here.
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