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Politics & Corporate Scandals
With Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2002; Noon EDT
What should Congress do in the wake of Enron, Global Crossing, WorldCom and the host of other corporate scandals that have come to light over the past year? Will the scandals affect the 2002 election and, if so, how?
Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was online to take questions and comments on the recent wave of scandals and their affect on the political landscape.
The transcript follows.
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Rep. Bernie Sanders: My major concern as the only independent in the Congress is that both political parties are heavily influenced by big money. What we are seeing is an agenda that represents the needs of the wealthy and the powerful. It is astounding to me that we still have a $5.15 minimum wage and there is no discussion that I have heard from the Republican leadership about raising it. It is incredible to me that we remain the only major country in the industrialized world that does not have a national health care program guaranteeing healthcare to all Americans and that because of the power of the pharmaceutical industry we pay by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. Lastly while there has been a whole lot of discussion about corporate the very we have ignored the even more important reality that large multinationals pay their CEOs close to 500 times more than what their average worker earns and that many of these companies are destroying manufacturing in this country by sending our jobs to China and Mexico where desperate people are forced to work for abysmally low wages.
Alexandria, Va.:
Do you think that there are reasonable laws that can keep these auditors and companies honest?
Rep. Bernie Sanders: I think that we made a step forward in passing he Sarbanes Bill. I think the bottom line is that the FCC has got to make it very clear that the CEOs of these companies are going to be made accountable and will not be able to shirk their responsibility by blaming some underling for what happened. And I think the penalty against corporate thievery has to be strong, and enforced, and the word has get out that it is not just poor people who rob stores that are going to jail, but CEOs will be in the same cell. So the answer is yes, I do believe so.
Kernville, Calif.:
I have read HR 3763; S 2673. This legislation currently is on the table. Seemingly they are aimed at addressing the loss to shareholders. Isn't this watered-down legistlation, Rep. Sanders? I mean where's the teeth? Why not bar CEO's from sitting on other corporate boards as directors. Don't they obtain insider information? And don't some rise to become so powerful from stock options and other corporate gratituties that this invites the corporate scandals we are now seeing playing out? Where has congressional committtes been to protect we the constitutency?
Rep. Bernie Sanders: The writer makes a very good point. I think we must appreciate that corporate thievery is a very very serious crime. This type of crime is much more serious than one person attacking another. If you are saying that if someone is found guilty of corporate dishonesty that that person b barred from serving on other corporate boards than I think you are right. It would be an absolute outrage if some of these guys go to jail for a few years and then come out to enjoy the hundreds of million of dollars they illegally gained. In my mind we must make sure that the money they gained should go back to the workers and investors. This is very very serious business and these guys are big time criminals.
Los Angeles, Calif.:
The "Big Lie" perpetuated by the media is that Republicans are somehow more susceptible to fallout from Enron, WorldCom and other scandals than the Democrats. The reality is that BOTH parties took HUGE bribes, ahem, "campaign contributions" from big business and craft legislation to protect businesses interests over those of the American public.
It's really simple. End the bribes, clean up the system.
Rep. Bernie Sanders: I am not a republican or democrat and the reason I am not is because both parties are heavily influence by big money. While the Democrats have received funding the Bush administration will be shown to be tightly involved. I thin the evidence is clear that the Republicans are more dependant. Having said that your point is exactly right and that is we need to take a drastic step forward in terms of campaign finance reform. Whether it is the pharmaceutical industry, the business roundtable, etc, big money interests are flooding capital Hill with an unprecedented amount of contributions. McCain-Feingold was a step in the right direction but obviously we have got to go far beyond that. In the state of Vermont campaign finance reform legislation was passed and recently sustained in a US Court of Appeals which not only limits the amount of money an individual can contribute but even more importantly takes on Buckley-Vallejo and in Vermont would limit the amount of money that a candidate could spend. And Vermont provides substantial public funding for serious candidates. To my mind that is the direction that Congress must move toward of else we are only going to see millionaires who get elected or candidates who are dependent upon the funding of millionaires or large corporations.
Alexandria, Va.:
This time next year who do you believe will have control of the House and the Senate? Thanks.
Rep. Bernie Sanders: I f the Democrats are to gain control they are going to have to show the American people that there is a real difference between the two parties and that the Democrats are prepared to fight for the Forgotten Majority - that is the lower income working class - who to a significant degree have given up on the political process. While I can't tell you which party will have control, what I can tell you is that every American should be extremely dismayed by the fact that fewer than 35 percent of the American people are going to vote and that we have, by far, the lowest voter turnout of any major democracy. Unless government starts to respond aggressively to the real needs of working people - loss of jobs, addressing the fact that we have lost 10 percent of our manufacturing jobs in the last 4 years alone, education , the environment, affordable housing, etc. - unless the Democrats are prepared to aggressively address these issues I do not believe their future will be brought. They have to differentiate themselves from the Republicans and become the party of working class people.
Norman, Okla.:
Good morning. I used to live in Vermont and I voted for you every time! I wish there were more like you. I remember how you've either donated or returned most payraises.
I'm sorry, I digress.
I just wonder, with all the hawks talking about Iraq, does any hawk up there remember "the most wanted man dead or alive?"
Afghanistan is still in a shambles. Karzai was nearly killed just a few days ago. Countries are not toys. Bush just can't go in, mess up a country, leave, and then mess up another country.
I think we need to focus on restoring stability to Afghanistan. Let's worry about Iraq later.
Oh, and you have noticed how the failed economy, ENRON, Harken, failure of intelligence on 9-11 have stayed off the front pages since the Iraq talk began?
Well, that's my long-winded opinion (sorry).
What do YOU think about all this?
Thank you.
Rep. Bernie Sanders: Thank you very much for your past support in Vermont. I agree with very much of what you say. There are many reasons to oppose a US first strike against Iraq, but perhaps as the writer indicate, the most important is that many experts believe that it will cause us to loose our focus on fighting Al Queda, bin Laden and the war on terrorism. To my mind, with Afghanistan still extremely unstable, with Al Queda soldiers filtering back into that country, with the recent assassination attempt against Karzai and a bomb that recently killed dozens of people, with an incredibly fragile situation between Israel and the Palestinians, I think that a U.S. invasion of Iraq could lead to just enormous problems in the region and throughout the world.
Colchester, Vt.:
Even though GNP and average earnings have increased significantly in the last 25 years, the median earnings of men actually declined since 1979, that is most men earn less in real terms now than in 1979.
Given how the policies of the last quarter century have affected the economic condition of most men, how can progressives do a better job of attracting men to support their policies?
Rep. Bernie Sanders: See how smart Vermonters are?! Because that is an excellent question.
The writer tells us the reality that despite the media hoopla about eh booming economy, the reality is that the average American worker is working longer hours for less wages that 25 years ago. In Vermont and all over the country, it is not uncommon for workers to work two or three jobs just to play the bills. That is that economic reality.
The writer also talks about politics. It is an excellent question and I think he is referring to the gender gap that exists and how white men specifically are moving to the right. Unfortunately we do not have the time to delve deeply into that question, but I will say that the Republicans have been very successful at taping the frustration and anger that white working class men have so that instead of that anger going toward the ruling class of this country the people who have sent jobs to China and Mexico, the people who are preventing us from having a strong national health care program, etc. what the Republicans have done is take that anger and channel it in other directions. Again this gets back to, in my view, the failure of the Democrats to address many of the deep economic concerns of working class people.
Burke, VA:
I believe war with Iraq is being pursed at this present time to bump issues such as Enron and the sinking stock market off the front page of the newspapers. How do you feel about this.
Rep. Bernie Sanders: My understanding is that people like General Carl Rove have been playing an important role in developing this war strategy. Whatever the motivations of the President what is very clear is that in recent months there ahs not been a lot of attention paid to the very serious problems facing our economy or many of the other terribly important domestic issues that are enormously important to everyday Americans.
Laurel, Md.:
Third parties do not traditionally do well in off-Presidential election years, but given the recent spate of corporate malfeasance, do the Greens or any other similar-minded parties have any viable candidiates this year at the congressional or state level?
Rep. Bernie Sanders: It is an excellent question, but I am not a member of the Green party so I can't give you any specific information. However, my small state of Vermont has lead the county in political activity outside of the two party system. In Vermont today the only member of Congress is serving his sixth term as an independent, one out of our two Senators left the Republicans to become an independent, Burlington Vermont has been controlled by a third party for the last 20 years, there are four progressives in the legislature and a poll just came out last night that shows a progressive candidate for Lt. Governor in a three way tie with a Republican and Democrat. So while I can't speak informatively about what is going on around the country in that regard, I do know that in Vermont those of us that have gone outside of the two party system are having success.
Rep. Bernie Sanders: Thank you very much for the opportunity to chat with you. I look forward to perhaps doing so again.
washingtonpost.com:
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