WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — WFMY News 2's Ben Briscoe talked with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders before his campaign rally in Winston-Salem Thursday.
Briscoe: Thank you for making time for us Senator. The biggest question our viewers wanted to know is: How do you plan to pay for all your ideas?
Sanders: "Well, when we have three people on the top-earning more wealth than the bottom half of American society and you have major corporations like Amazon that last year made $11 billion in profits and didn’t pay a nickel in taxes, we’re going to pay for our programs by demanding that the wealthy and large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes. And that’s how we’re going to pay for them."
Briscoe: Senator Sanders if you raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations, what stops them from moving to another country that’s cheaper?
Sanders: "Well, that’s what they have been doing for many years. That’s why we’ve lost thousands of good-paying jobs. But the United States economy is still the strongest economy in the world, and I don’t think that will happen."
Briscoe: President Donald Trump has said it made him smart to avoid paying taxes as a businessman, won’t other rich people try to avoid paying taxes?
Sanders: "That’s the mentality that we’ve gotta end. It is totally grotesque that in America today the average middle-class person today pays an effective tax rate that is higher than billionaires do. And if Trump thinks he is smart, quote un-quote smart by avoiding his responsibility as an American citizen, I think that’s pretty pathetic."
Briscoe: A lot of people here in North Carolina have a hard time connecting with a New Englander like you. What do you have in common with folks here in the Triad?
Sanders: "Whether you live in Vermont, or you live in North Carolina or you live in California, we have the same needs. Everybody needs healthcare. We have a dysfunctional healthcare system. We are the only country on Earth not to guarantee healthcare to all. We’re going to pass a Medicare for all single-payer system. Whether you live in North Carolina or any place else, you want your kids to get a decent education. And yet so many of our kids cannot afford college today and are leaving school deeply in debt. And that is why we’re gonna put a modest tax on Wall Street speculation so that we make public colleges and universities tuition-free and we cancel all student debt. Bottom line is: yeah, I know North Carolina and Vermont have differences. But the truth is for working people the problems all over this country are very much the same."
Briscoe: Many of our viewers have called you a polarizing figure. Does that help or hurt you when it comes to the general election?
Sanders: "I don’t accept that. I don’t accept that definition. In fact, if you look at Democratic candidates and who is seen more favorably, I often come out at the top of the list. And I think the issues that we are talking about are issues that the overwhelming majority of working people agree with. Now I may be polarizing to Wall Street, yeah. I understand that. I may be polarizing to the pharmaceutical industry because they are not going to continue to rip off the American people and charge us the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. I guess I’m polarizing to them. But I am not polarizing to ordinary Americans."
Briscoe: Finally, help our viewers connect with you as a person. When is the time in your life when you’ve been the happiest?
Sanders: "I'm a pretty happy guy. This campaign has been a lot of fun as a matter of fact. And I grew up and a had a good childhood. We didn't have a lot of money, but it was a good childhood and a great family."
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