Sen. Bernie Sanders | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #524

I have some new tour dates I want to. tell you about we will be in Lafayette. Louisiana Thanksgiving weekend on. November 29 at the cun Dome baby down. there in porier country and we will also. be in balmont Texas on November 30 at. doit Ford Park arena get your tickets. early starting Tuesday August 13th at. 10:00 a.m. local time with pre-sale code. Rat King General on Selen Wednesday.

August 14th at 10:00 a.m. local time we. will also be in Las Vegas Nevada uh at. the LSU USC um opening weekend of. football August 30th and 31st Bend. Oregon. Spokane Washington Portland Oregon. Vancouver. BC in the Canada Oklahoma City Oklahoma. North Little Rock Springfield Missouri. Kansas City Missouri sou Falls South.

Dakota Lacrosse Wisconsin Green Bay. Wisconsin and Molen Illinois you can get. all your tickets at theovon. docomo and uh thank you so much for. supporting uh Live Comedy and uh our. show today's episode was filmed at the. Venetian soda and cocktail lounge in. Burlington Vermont and we want to thank. them for hosting us and allowing us in. their beautiful beautiful.

space and our guest he's a United States. senator from Vermont he's an independent. though he's been friendly with the. Democratic party over the years uh he's. been a congressman a senator a. presidential candidate and he's one of. the biggest lightning rods in American. politics uh at the very end of the. interview we did experienced some. difficulties with our microphones so we. apologize for the change in sound there.

we're grateful to welcome today's guest. Senator Bernie. Sanders that Li on. me I'll sit and tell you my. story. shine on. me and I will find a song I've been. singing. [Applause].

so do you uh you travel the country. doing these things yeah mostly I. traveled doing a standup comedy but. about six years ago I started doing. podcasting just in my kitchen at home. and um mostly was just talking about. like I've been in recovery for years so. mostly just talking about that kind of. stuff and like yeah alcohol and drugs. and intimacy disorders so a lot of that. kind of stuff and then um then we. started having guests after about 2. years and uh um went on Joe Rogan a few.

times and that helped boost the steam. you know and um yeah it's been. surprising since then you know. congratulations thanks it's made me grow. up. some which is a blessing and a curse you. know but yeah and I just went to the. Grateful Dead the other day with my. brother so pretty cool you ever see the. Grateful Dead uh no you remember what. was the first concert you ever went. to a name you probably wouldn't know.

you ever hear Pete Seager I've heard of. Bob Seager yeah I think they there the. Rel I've kind of been to folk music more. them Billy strings have you heard of him. y yeah he's awesome he's one of my. favorites Pete Seager that's him right. there that's God that was. fast yeah he's an interesting guy he um. and there's another guy who died long. time ago I don't know if you know his. name Woody Guthrie is that name Woody. Guri I've heard of him yeah yeah and. actually his granddaughter helped me out.

during my. campaigns uh he was he wrote a lot. during the Great Depression so he went. around the hobo camps talked to poor. people you know wow and he wrote songs. you hear the song This Landers your. Landers that's his song oh wow I didn't. I thought they just I didn't even think. somebody wrote that no he is uh he was a. great songwriter and a great singer. Woody got three Wy got I'm going to have. to tap into some of his stuff yeah my. brother and I went um.

you have a brother you have a brother I. have an older brother yeah yeah you guys. ever go to a concert together nope I. don't think we he he lives in Oxford. England yeah it's fancy over there It Is. Well they this have you ever been to. England yeah and they have this old. university called Oxford University. which is one of the great universities. in the world yeah you got I stayed in a. house called like was 1400 to 1300 who. the hell knows I mean really yeah it. goes way way back oh yeah Plum yeah you.

got to bring your own plumet I'm sure um. well they've Advanced a little bit but. uh Bernie Sanders thank you so much for. joining us today great to be with you I. really appreciate it um whenever you. started in politics I'm sure that there. was like a real idea of like a one. person can really affect change right um. do you think that that's still possible. today with uh like a lot of the lobbies. and stuff that they have that goes on. well I think you know one of the points. I think everybody knows is you have a. government dominant ated by Big Money.

interest right that's no great. secret uh so you have these billionaires. now in their super packs if you're a. billionaire you can contribute hundreds. of millions of dollars to elect people. to feed people if you're a large. corporation or you represent the. pharmaceutical industry do you know how. many F how many lobbyists there are in. Washington DC representing the big druck. companies take a wild and crazy guess. um 2,000 you got it that's a pretty good. guess about 1,800 wow so there are 100. members of the Senate and 435 members of.

the house got it. 535 and you got 1,800 lobbyist well-paid. former leaders of the democratic party. leaders of the Republican Party they're. there to say hey Congress do everything. you can to make sure we make as much. money as possible and who getes a damn. whether people can afford the. prescription drugs they need so that's. power so you have a whole other drug. government almost going on absolutely. that's even bigger than our own. government numbers wise well not big. that's but we can Define what we mean by.

bigger but that's fair but if you look. at Wall Street the power of Wall Street. the drug companies the insurance. companies the fossil fuel industry you. have enormous wealth enormous power and. if your question is is it government. that tells them what to do or they tell. what the government to do more the lder. they tell the government what to do very. powerful does it feel like that's. changed over your time like in in. politics or has it always been that way. I think it to some degree you Money.

Talks right no great secret that's. always been the case it's worse now and. I'll tell you why uh as a result of this. citizens united Supreme Court decision. you familiar with that so people brought. action billionaires really brought. action they said hey it's undemocratic. you're taking away my freedom of speech. right like our First Amendment right. we're on TV now you could say whatever. you want to say and I'm a billionaire. and I want to spend unlimited sums of. money to defeat this candidate or. support this candidate and you have laws.

on the books now which restrict my. freedom to buy the election you. understand what I'm saying 100% okay and. Supreme Court said well guys you're. right your billionaires you should be. able to spend as much money as you want. to buy elections and that's what you. have so right now this is literally the. truth you have super packs where. billionaires can put unlimited amounts. of money hundreds and hundreds of. millions of dollars to defeat people. they don't like or to support people. they do like uh that's power and that is.

a Corruption of what democracy is. supposed to be look you and I can. disagree on an issue right 10 people we. argue it out we vote I get the majority. you get the majority somebody wins. somebody loses I don't think. billionaires should be able to buy. elections and I think most people think. that most people are like why are. corporations or companies allowed to. like give money to candidates and. influence elections right almost every. person I know says that that should be. no whose responsibility is it to make. sure it doesn't happen is it ours or is.

it our is it the politicians well what. happened is there were laws put in place. not as strong as I would like which did. limit the power of big money yeah okay. and what that Supreme Court decision. said is what Congress did was. unconstitutional denied big money their. freedom of speech if you're a. billionaire you have freedom of speech. that means you can run ads all over the. day and to you know beat Bernie Sanders. beat anybody uh and that's what happened. so what we have got to do now is once. again past.

legislation that will will do that are. there politicians that aren't viable. kind of or aren't influenced by. lobbyists of course there are there are. there are yeah there some very good. people but many people look just thr on. an example you're running for election. okay your opponent is spending millions. of dollars these tv ads are up there all. right do you think you're going to stand. up stand up to powerful special interest. who say you know you listen I like you.

but you you're going to take that. position on that issue I got to be. running millions of dollars of ads. against you what do you think you're. going to do if you want to get elected. you could say well go to hell I'm going. to do it anyhow and many would do or you. run the risk of you know seeing that. kind of money uh come against you or you. then have to find a lobbyist that it has. an interest of yours and you have to try. and fight back which is a pretty. pathetic thing right right so to some. degree what you have right now it's a. funny kind of thing it's let's say you. were running against me it's not you. against me it's your moneyed interest.

versus my moneyed interest that's what. super packs are yeah now corporations. cannot directly contribute to your. campaign but they big money interest. billionaires can contribute to a super. pack so you have all these if what I. would say to you people watch the show. here look at the ads that are on. television they'll be underneath it. you'll see paid for by supporters of the. American way of life or whatever the. hell it is understand that in most cases. these are billionaires putting money in. into a candidate so the super pack is.

kind of the loophole yep is how they do. it so it's not directly from them. exactly there are limits all right you. wanted to contribute to my campaign. they're pretty stringent limits you. can't contribute I think it's I don't. know it's 5,000 bucks through a Super. PAC you can contribute 100 million wow. that's a big issue we don't talk about. it enough and then you can understand. that if you're an ordinary person who's. going to listen to your interests your. needs right billionaires are putting in.

this kind of money right if the best I. can help you out with this 5,000 bucks. you might show up and shake my hand but. when something really when the Rick Shaw. hits the road or whatever you're going. to be working for the big dogs for the. cash you're got that's and that's the. way the system works and and how do we. change that well first of all this. campaign Finance reform is a big deal. just this one issue and I'm glad you. raised it we got to do away with the. citizens unit we have to have. restrictions okay when I ran for. president the average contribution was. $27 okay uh roughly speaking and we got.

millions of people to contribute uh so I. think there has to be a real stringent. limit on the amount of money that any. individual can put into the political. process and I also believe that we. should move to what we call Public. Funding of Elections you're a candidate. you want to run for governor you want to. run for Senator uh if you show that you. have a certain amount of support you got. X number of thousands of people willing. to put $5 into your campaign you can be. able to get Public Funding and there's a. limit at how much you can spend these. are not radical ideas they exist in many.

countries around the world actually yeah. it's pretty normal um do you think that. our election process is still Democratic. do you think it's. still yes and no I mean you know you. want to run for office can you yeah you. can you got a certain number of. signatures but if you're going to win. and I have 10 times more money than you. do I will beat you 95% of the time I. mean that's a fact right right you'll be. Me Maybe if you're really an exceptional. candidate I'm a real idiot you will beat. me once in a while but by and large the.

money people will win so if you're. asking me are we a democracy in one. sense we are all right you can run for. office you can raise your issues on the. other hand in terms of who has the real. power money people do and I use the term. oligarchy and oligarchy is a society. where small numbers of very wealthy. people control the economic and. political life of the country I think we. are moving rapidly in that. direction yeah I feel like it's to me it. feels like almost privatize communism in.

a way right that's a very good point um. it's a very good that's an interesting. way of looking at it yeah and I don't. know exactly sometimes everything what. communism is and what socialism is but. sometimes that's how it feels um well. let me give you an example let me pick. can I pick up on your point for sure. okay I believe we are the only nation on. Earth major Nation wealthy nation that. does not guarantee healthare to all. people okay get in your car go 50 miles. where you are sitting right now in. Burlington Vermont you have a terrible. automobile accident you're in the.

hospital for a month in Canada you know. what the bill is when you come. out zero nothing okay do you know how. much the Canadians spend per person on. Healthcare compared to us one half as. much they spend half as much you don't. take out your wallet if you get sick you. the doctor that you want okay I believe. in that type of system they guarantee. all Health Care to all of their people M. it's publicly funded the way we fund. police departments fire departments and. libraries okay you got to pay taxes for.

it but at the end of the day it is less. expensive for your healthare you foll. what I'm saying yeah okay yeah cuz. you're um you're a proponent for. healthcare for all right AB and um yes. and you always have been and um but how. the system seem that system seems so. rigged because you have uh you have like. one of the number one causes of. bankruptcy in America is medical debt. right unbelievable like people can't a. you know people they go in they don't.

even know the cost they sign an. agreement that they're going to be build. later right it's like and then they get. the bill and it's astronomical and they. spend the rest of their life a literally. a slave to the Health Care system or to. the medical billing system or the in you. know dealing with their insurance and. not to mention they're sick so the the. added stress of that um it just feels. like yeah that like something so much. better could be done de know that is so. pathetics and so sick and so cruel I. mean we did a hearing on this and.

roughly speaking and I know the viewers. will will think this is like hard to. believe half of the people who are. dealing with cancer now cancer is a. terrible disease right your point 100%. you're struggling for your life right. yeah maybe you make it maybe you don't. you got radiation chemotherapy bad stuff. right half the people who get cancer. treatment either end up in. bankruptcy or utilizing all of the. financial resources of the family.

they're depleted they're broke so. imagine that you're going to the. hospital do doctors say Theo sorry you. got cancer terrible you're worried to. death right your friends your family are. worried and then on top of that what are. you worried about oh my God what I'm. going to have to sell my house I have to. go bankrupt in order to pay medical. bills that is insane yeah and it adds if. you're trying to deal with cancer then. you got to worry about financial stress. think it's going to make your condition. any better no the worst you spend half. your day you can't even in the insurance. companies it's all a rig roll it's. constant stress but how how is it set up.

like that like what is the gimmick. between insurers and the hospital what's. the that's the thing I don't know what's. going on take it a step let's take a. step further let me talk about the. Canadian system all right okay simple. system you pay taxes and Progressive the. more you make the more you pay but. everyone pays taxes all right end result. is you walk into the hospital you sign. your name you got all the treatment you. need and it's good Quality Healthcare. you don't have to argue with insurance. companies you get the care that the.

doctors think you need end of discussion. and in my view that's the way it should. be we. spend it's not just that the insurance. companies make huge profits they do not. just they pay their CEOs exorbitant. salaries which they do everybody's going. to fill out a thousand different forms. right goes crazy filling out forms to. see what you're entitled to what you're. not entitled to deductibles right yeah. the bureaucracy it's ridiculous is that. called bureaucracy yeah yeah that's. exactly what it is all right so look you. may have health insurance but by I just.

talked to a person the other day we did. a meeting you know what their deductible. was. $113,000 what does that mean it means. that the first. $113,000 of illness they got to pay out. of their own pocket how many people can. pay 13,000 so if you get hit by a truck. and you own up a million dollar bill. yeah the insurance companies will kick. in yeah presumably all right so the. whole idea that Healthcare in America. unlike every other major country all. right go to Europe go to Canada go to. many Latin American countries it is a.

bloody right not a privilege and that's. what I think it should be so we have a. system that works very well for the. insurance companies and the drug. companies in some cases you're going to. pay 10 times more for medication in. America than they do in other countries. that's a whole other story we're trying. to deal with right now but it's a it's a. corrupt system benefiting the people who. own it not the ordinary American you go. out on the street go on the street say. to people do you think healthcare is a. human right all all people in America. should have yeah we do that's what I'm.

fighting for well and who are the. lobbyists that are against that then. like what do you think guys from the. insurance companies and the drug. companies okay and then what politicians. work with those like why don't we know. what politicians are cheating us so that. we don't have them in anymore all right. you're a smart guy you tell me how often. have you heard a discussion in this. country about how broken the Health Care. system is and comparing it to other. countries a lot all right you've heard a. lot about this well I mean think I hear. a lot about I I look into it a lot oh.

you look into it but how many people. even know that we are the only major. country on Earth not to guarantee. healthare to all people so when people. say oh berning sand is a radical idea he. thinks everybody should have Healthcare. really that exists in Canada it's in FRS. in England in Denmark in Sweden in every. bloody country on Earth virtually rich. country so it's not a radical even Mars. I heard they have Healthcare there. now I wouldn't be surprised now some. people would say that the argument. against that would. that then there's less personal.

responsibility to take care of yourself. right but do. you really but that's but that would be. in other countries anyway right that. would be anyway if God forbid you or I. came down with a serious Civ smart am I. going to blame you be coming down with. cancer I mean is that is that a personal. responsibility it's a good point uh yeah. probably not that might just be kind of. a look ghost of an argument and here's. but the pick up on that point what. should one of the priorities of a good. health care System be it should be to.

try to keep people healthy so it should. encourage people to have good diet to do. exercise to stay away from you know. addictive stuff right do we do a. particularly good job on that not so. much because where do the insurance. companies make their money hey if you're. really sick pretty good yeah we keep you. healthy not so much are they uh one of. the largest lobbyist groups yep wow very. very they're huge I mean and we started. this discussion you talk about you know.

privatized communism whatever the. expression you. used is I believe that you know Medicare. is the health insurance program for the. elderly Medicaid is for lower income. people I think we should combine all. these and guarantee Health Care to all. people but your point is that in the. private sector we are moving to a. monopoly and it's true people like uh. United Health unbelievable s they United. Health to the best of my knowledge uh. has under contract or hires 10% of the.

doctors in America wow got that one. insurance company 10% of the doctors and. so how would you even start to undo. something like that like what's a. realistic path to reform I guess okay. here's thanks great question and because. I wrote the Bill I know the answer okay. okay all right right now you have. Medicare which is very popular program. it's lifesaving to many elderly people. that that was developed in the 1960s by. President Lyndon Johnson okay very. popular program you Medicaid for the.

lower income people also a popular. program what I would do is over a 4-year. period take Medicare first thing you do. is expand Medicare because Medicare does. not Now cover dental hearing or Vision a. lot of people can't afford to go to a. dentist got me yeah okay you expanded. and then you say right now to be. eligible for Medicare you got to be 65. years of age okay first year lower to 55. so you have 57 grad ulations you don't. have to worry about whether you have.

insurance on your job you want to hear. something else crazy about the private. insurance system you work for a big. Corporation okay they give you good. health insurance he works for McDonald's. virtually nothing all right that's. pretty crazy where you work determines. the kind of healthcare you get anyhow so. we go from 65 down to. 55 55 next year down to 45 45 to 35. fourth year you cover everybody gradual. absorption so you have a Medicare system.

that covers all people you no longer. have to pay any more uh deductibles or. co-payments no more premiums you get. your healthc care beur an American. citizen will your taxes go up they may. will it be less than what you pay right. now in private insurance yes it will be. it's a good deal can we afford that as a. country you think true yeah we are now. spending over $4 trillion on Healthcare. we spend double here's another point to. to be made we spend twice as much per.

person on Healthcare as any other. country because it's designed to make. money for the insurance companies and. the drug companies wait so explain that. to me so we spend twice as much on. health care we are spending right now. you as any other country yes per person. yes but we're not but the money isn't. going towards them getting so we'd. almost save the money just by you got it. all right here example is that true yes. it's true check it out it is true. chairman of the bloody committee yes it. is true all right bloody literally. people.

are all right if I buy a car tomorrow. for 80,000 you buy a car for. 40,000 what is the presumption should my. car be a better car than yours yes okay. I'm I'm spending twice as much all right. but I got a really much great better car. than you have all right we are spending. per person per person over. $133,000 right spending 13,000 on you. 13,000 on me 13,000 on a 5-year-old. 13,000 on a 90y old all right 13,000 per.

person over $4 trillion doll nationally. Canadians are spending about half of. that per person and they're taking care. of everybody yes and the British are. spending less than that other countries. a little bit less but does that affect. us with the population number that we. have doesn't matter I mean person got it. okay I'm not talking about in gross but. per person um how do you stop hospitals. from uh how do you stop hospitals from. overcharging. uh it's a corrupt system if they know.

that the government's going to pick up. the tab good very good question the. answer is what they do in I mean it's. not like we're inventing something other. countries do it what they say to. hospitals is look you're not going to be. charging Theo when he's in the hospital. you're not going to be charging him a. nickel but we know roughly speaking in a. year what you are going to be you need. certain number of doctors and. Radiologists and nurses and all that. stuff here is your budget it's like a. police department here's your budget in. a year you need more maybe we come up. with what you got what we call a global.

budget it's like the Dodgers or. [Music]. something but you got a global budget. you got a budget and you take care of. all the needs it's not per person you. get it and what you do there we spend as. a nation one of the other insanities of. this Health Care System we spend. hundreds of billions of dollars on. billing you know what I mean by that. medical billing yeah all right so I'm. the insurance companies first of all you. got to fill out forms I hire people well. not doctors or nurses right they're just.

bill oh yeah all right you got bill. collectors you got you go to a hospital. go down to the basement got 100 well. depending on the size of the hospital. dozens and dozen people they don't see a. patient they're just filling out forms. yeah half the Philippines is people just. doing medical billing over the phone you. know well there are countries where you. show your card and that's the end of the. discussion but we waste hundreds of. billions of dollars just on building. people now there's another issue I want. to discuss like life expectancy what do. we know about life expectancy we're.

getting pretty long in the tooth. no we're getting we're not living long. nope compared to whom compared to. probably Vietnam yeah I'm sure maybe all. right but all right we are the richest. country on Earth do we live longer lives. than other people no we don't we do not. in fact we're pretty far down the list. why is that well I mean I think it could. be that we're not taking as good care of.

ourselves okay and I think it could be. that. um yeah that we don't have as good a. healthare that's right all right I think. that's two pretty I think that's two out. of three all right now here there are. two. facts uh we country Japan other. countries will live four or five years. six years longer than we do that's a lot. you know what I mean yeah so they'll. live I forgot what it is % or something. yeah right it's a lot but here's another.

fact that is really unbelievable it's. not just that we live shorter lives. despite spending so much on Healthcare. the gap between the. 1% and the working class is 10. years if you're rich you'll live as long. as people in other countries you long. life in your 80s or whatever it is if. you're working class you're going to. live 10 years younger how does that. happen do you think wow cuz just stress. burnout you man all right I'm going to.

sign you up there you're you got it look. I think I like a lot of the things that. you think about all right let's deal. with the issue of stress okay guess. you're right it is twofold it seems to. me number one is if you're rich you go. to any doctor you want when you want it. get pay for all the drugs you need right. yeah right that's a real Advantage but. above and beyond that workingclass. people live under enormous stress right. and that takes a toll on you takes a. toll on you physically and. mentally and that is we have parts of. this country where life expectancy is.

actually in. Decline you got it people are living. shorter lives because of the stress. because of the stress and with that. stress and the hopelessness they turn to. drugs they turn to alcohol they turn to. Suicide yeah all right bad stuff oh yeah. I think those are things that um yeah. they don't even take those factors into. consideration when they're making all of. these you know you call to get your. medical bill it's a nightmare it's like. it's it's a f you almost want to this is. crazy there's been times when I've been.

like I would rather take my own life. than sit here and make another [ __ ]. call and I'm not even sick you know I'm. just somebody trying to get to the. bottom of the all right and what why. does that happen what's because it's. loopholes they want you they don't want. you to get paid you got it not that hard. look you pay me money through insurance. right so you're sick I'm supposed to you. know pay your bills right if I drive you. crazy you're going to say screw screw it. hell with it I'll pay the goddamn thing.

myself it's not worth it yeah good I'm. the insurance company like hey right on. man that's exactly what I wanted today. we're here to celebrate the perfect. summer grooming companion that will keep. you looking cool even when it's sizzling. outside I'm excited to introduce you to. the lawn mower 5.0 Ultra in the new. colorway white hot from manscaped that's. right step up your grooming game this. summer with the lawn mower 5.0 Ultra in.

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now to grow your business no matter what. stage you're in shopify.com. [Music]. Theo so how then how do we change that. as a as a system how what do we do like. because it feels like we would we're. electing people that are have this in. our best interest if that's the number. one cause of bankruptcy is medical. building how do our politicians not see. that this is extremely important that. and that things need to be different. like. what are they lobbying so powerful with.

I know it's money but it's. like I just can't imagine that. um people wouldn't see the good the. value and what is right well you know. it's all that I can tell you is Money. talks to a large and it's not to suggest. that you know members of Congress are. evil or terrible per people that want. people to suffer they don't but you have. a system which almost says oh you can't. even think about guaranteeing Healthcare. to old people oh my God what kind of.

you're you're a far leftist yeah wa. you're a communist man what what are you. you don't want to take all the insurance. companies hardworking people that you. know so it almost you're not even. allowed to talk about those issues and. and Meanwhile we're the only country. that doesn't guarantee Healthcare yeah I. mean my one caveat and I don't know. exactly what caveat means but I think my. one you know left turn on it would. be yeah how much responsibility then do. people are people going to just have. totally less responsibility and just be.

taking pills you know I don't know maybe. that's just a crazy thought but if it's. not happening in other countries then. maybe that's a good example that happen. here isue it is an issue in other. countries for example all right you're a. lonely uh older person maybe you're. living by yourself H I'm feeling lonely. maybe I'll go to the doctor right when. I'm not really sick right oh yeah for. sure will people abuse it yeah so what I. mean it happens and you try to. discourage that so L system is perfect. right but the bottom line As Americans.

we have to answer a very simple question. is Health Care a right of all people. whether you're rich poor medium whatever. you are I think the answer is yes well I. think especially when you start to look. at other places that we spend our money. it would be very hard not to say this we. should certainly spend it there first. it's just [ __ ] unbelievable that. we're this powerful of a. country and we don't have a um an em. like it's like we lost our emotional. that's a good point and I'll tell you.

something else let me get off of. healthcare for a second okay well before. we get off I want to so I know that um. you guys have a bill uh CU I have a a. group that I've worked with done. volunteer stuff with called power to the. patients right and it's it's notating. the prices of like say you get an MRI. like the hospital now has to let you. know that the MRI is $700 so you can. call the hospital down the street and. see that there it's $550 so you can make. choice so you know upfront that's so.

you're not getting a $10,000 bill later. on you got it it's called the. transparency Bill transparency Bill and. is it passed yet or no no it has not I'm. working with it um with a guy named. senator brwn from Indiana who's a. republican good. guy and look that it's exactly the issue. people walk into an emergency room they. walk into a hospital do you have any. idea you know here Theo this is what. we're going to do for you blah blah blah. blah and you come out and you drop dead. because you see a bill of you know tens. of thousands. that's a crazy part I mean people go in.

and surgery they come out hundreds of. thousands of dollars in thatt it's yeah. it is it's insane all right and the. point is look uh I should have the right. to know uh you want to hear you think. it's crazy let me tell you how crazy. it's even crazier than you think it is. okay okay you have Blue Cross insurance. I have another insurance company same. Hospital you go and get an. MRI your insurance company will pay5. $100 my insurance company pays.

$700 so even in the same hospital for. the same treatment the prices differ not. to men different hospitals yeah well. it's just wild that that they can do. that it's almost like I'm going to go to. the grocery store I'm going to get an. apple right I'm going to eat it and then. after I eat it you're going to tell me. how much it costs and they're like it's. $400 you're like where is it from the. Garden of Eden you know like but it's. even worse it's you're exactly right but. it's even worse because you had to go to. the hospital right right yes it wasn't a.

choice that you made um I know you you. guys had launched an investigation even. because this is kind of current about. OIC right and the cost of OIC in. different countries uh cuz I was dating. a girl or not dating but we met you know. we met up a couple times at night or. whatever and it's like she was leaving. one morning to drive to Mexico to get. OIC and I'm like what are you you're. just driving in the middle of the you. know at 5: a to go to what's going on. and she's like well it's just way. cheaper there and I'm like but is it as. regulated you know I don't don't know. but I know that in some countries um the.

prices on it are so different like in. Canada it's $150 something got it and in. America it's 700 and something close to. a, it's close to $1,000 for a diabetes. medication I know some people use it for. you know uh kind of weight loss yeah. weight loss or look the way they want. spring break or whatever but that's. crazy why is it that why isn't it just. the same is it because they know they. can charge us more because we have more. money. that's half of it but only half of it.

that's a great question thanks for. asking it all right that's what my. committee deals with every we've had by. the way some some success in the last. few years and the Biden people have done. a good job on this all right why is it. that uh I want to make sure I'm right. here well certainly in Canada it's about. 150 bucks for uh OIC here it's 900 close. to a th000 why is that what the. Canadians do and what countries around. the world do what makes common. sense they purchase a lot of the drug.

right all right so they sit down with. the drug companies they say look you. know we have hundreds of thousands of. people going to use your drug we're. going to sit down and we're going to. negotiate a price right right course. certainly after a few months you should. be able to see the averages and make a. good business Choice yeah right I mean. if you're bulk per if you're a. businessman and you're you're buying. something from me you're buying you know. thousands of items I'm going to have to. give you a discount if I want your. business right certainly that's the way. the business works so that's what every. country on Earth does they sit down with.

the drug company some do it more. stringently than. others up until very very recently there. have been no requirements zero for the. drug companies to negotiate anything so. they come in and they say they have the. board what do you think we can get Harry. sitting around their board of directors. well I I think you can get a $10,000 a. year no I think you can go high they can. get 20,000 look we get what the market. will bear the government has no power. charge them anything you want that's.

what they do so you got now it's not. just. OIC in which we pay in some cases 15. times more than European countries it's. all kinds of drugs so the answer is the. answer to your question is up until. recently and the Biden Administration. has done a good job of this there have. been no capabilities of the government. Medicare anybody else to negotiate. prices they charge anything they want. and as much as they possibly can what we. did is part of a bill called the.

inflation reduction act stupid title to. the bill but that's what it was finally. have that the drug companies are going. to have to sit down with Medicare and. negotiate prices they're going to be. announcing some interesting results. pretty soon so for the first time there. is the beginning of negotiating prices. and it will lower prices second of all. what we've done on my committee a lot of. people uh have asthma and they use. inhalers I don't know if you know. anybody use an asthma inhaler yeah yeah. all right 10 times more expensive in the.

United States well we kind of shamed. some of the big companies they lowered. it down to some of them to $35 so making. some progress on lowering the cost of. prescription Tri But to answer your. question up until a couple of years ago. drug companies could charge any price. they wanted for any. reason and now uh and that could be. changing with the inflation act yeah. inflation reduction act what it. basically says is the 10 top selling. drugs they're GNA have to come down and. sit down and negotiate with Medicare.

price that is by the way what the. Veterans Administration does the VA in. America does a good job yeah they don't. pay outrageous prices they negotiate and. that's what Medicare is beginning to do. yeah if you can't breathe I mean yeah. you're almost a fish if you can't. breathe you know um let's talk about. some polic oh wait and so and the price. and the price transparency that's. happening now like people have to show. their prices or they don't no they don't. we still haven't passed that bill okay. do you think it's going to happen it's a. popular bill I think we have a good shot.

to get it done yeah that's cool yeah man. it makes me just sick cuz somebody's. already sick and you know they're sick. like if if it were your family you would. you want them to just sit there and just. be angry they're on the phone every day. then they don't have any energy for. their own family it just you're you're. absolutely you're absolutely right I. just don't I just can't. imagine choosing especially when you're. already making a ton of money choosing. to make a little more money what do you. need well now you're raising even. another issue what do you need um talk.

about corporate greed here but that's. another issue yeah I know you hate it we. all hate it I think America's at the. point where they the screw has been. turned so [ __ ] tight that I think. yeah it starts to it starts to create. radicalization starts to create a lot of. stuff um let's talk about um the the. election coming up right now um or just. the current candidacy I wanted uh in. 2020 I believe that's when you ran I. wanted you and Donald Trump to be on the. same ticket right that was a thought.

that I had because in my mind I'm just a. regular guy I don't know a ton about. politics right I wanted I felt both. y'all were outliers right that's how it. seemed to me these guys are both. outliers they're both uh different but. seem to be doing their own thing um. you've been outspoken against Trump. right do you think he's not um is he. doing his own thing or is he yes he is. like look I will give Trump credit okay. he does his own thing okay he's a very.

different type of politician and that's. clear but this is what I do think the. while I respect somebody who has the. guts to do their own thing and be a very. much a non-traditional politician which. is what he is is the facts he lies all. the. time and you know I got four kids and I. got seven. grandchildren and we really have to ask. ourselves whether the guy who is the. leader of the country whether that's the. kind of example that we want so I have a.

lot of friends in politics who differ. with me more conservative people they're. not Liars we disagree so you and I. disagree on something so what it's. called America and democracy yeah it. used to be fine that's right all right. but Trump really is I use the word. pathological he lies is every when you. you see him on tell every not everything. but a lot of lies okay and I think. that's we can't have that uh you know. and SEC you know when he was the private. sector uh before he became involved in.

politics he was sued his companies were. sued for thousand times and and I just. above and beyond his political views. which I disagree with but then you those. you can discuss I don't think you want. somebody leading this country who is. Shady so you're saying the ex he doesn't. set the best example of a of exactly. look you got kids I don't do you have. any kids I don't have any yet all right. all right well you know hope you do and. I you want kids to be honest right yeah. you don't want him to be bullies and. picking on the weak and and he so that.

from a character point of view I I I. don't like him but also let me give you. another example I happen to believe I. don't know what your views are uh that. women have a right to control their own. bodies all right I don't want as aand. somebody saying oh Bernie you know you. can't have a vasectomy you can't do this. my business not the government's and. Trump does not hold that view uh I. happen to believe strongly that climate. change is real we got the you know just. just a week or two ago I saw your. podcast with um bill bill binkov bill.

McKibben of course I know Bill Bill mckb. yeah yeah and Bill is um yeah I wanted. to I want to get to speak to him he. seems really interesting smart guy is he. I've known him for years yeah because I. want to learn more about you know you. just always hear about climate change. and so yeah I want to learn more about. it good and I I hope you do and and have. I'm sure bill would be happy to go on. the show with you that'd be cool you I. if you wanted I give him a call awesome. um in all of the scientists agree when. you put carbon into the atmosphere it.

creates a ceiling there the Earth warms. up and then because of the earth warming. up you have uh extreme weather. disturbances like you know you come from. Louisiana do you oh yeah we're you've. seen the terrible floods there we've had. them here in Vermont yeah they have in. Savannah right now going on right that's. right you know floods likes of which. we've never seen you're seeing drought. you know in Saudi Arabia temperature. reach 125 degrees which people dying by. the. hundreds so Trump does not believe the.

climate change is real and if he becomes. president that means not only will the. United States the whole world will give. up and I don't know what this planet is. going to look like in you know 10 15. years and do you say that because. America is really the leader of the. Forefront of uh looking out for climate. change oh okay we're the largest economy. in the world now China is a bigger. polluter than we are right now oh yeah. dude they all smoke too a lot of China. chines people you have that kid that. smokes on that bicycle or whatever he.

smok like 11 cigarettes but if we were. if we say hey the hell with it then. other countries are going to because you. it's a global problem right then. everybody's going to be like off you got. everybody backs off and then I don't. know what this planet you talk about. floods it's going to get worse and worse. heat waves worse drought worse. migrations there are millions hundreds. of millions of people who little farmers. in poor countries they can't Farm. anymore yeah okay so I disagree with. Trump on that so those are some of the. reasons why you know I'm strongly. against them those are important issues.

you know I certainly yeah and I don't. think every yeah it's like everybody can. have their own thoughts on different. issues and um do you see why people like. him I. do you know because he's very disarming. he gets up there and he says whatever. the hell he wants he is not yeah he. doesn't seem like he's by the book that. was a thing right and so that's. something the same as you it's like he's. speaking for it feels like they're. speaking for themselves right whether. you agree with maybe what they believe. they believe what they're saying and.

that I think comes through I think. you're right clearly to people I think. you know he's certainly unusual gets up. there and he Rants and he does his thing. and he's not necessarily I'm sure his. advisors go crazy but he's not you know. not reading off you know he Kid Rock is. one of his advisers you know and look I. love Kid Rock but you know I don't know. if every ADV you know every advice of. his is the best but now some of it is. that's for sure but some of it may not. right and you know a lot of these. politicians have 18 different. Consultants you can't use that word you.

can't say that you know and he's not. miserable he's not like that right and. and people find that appealing I get it. but you know again I don't think you. could have a pathological liar somebody. doesn't believe in women's have the. right women have right to control their. bodies you know who doesn't believe in. climate change I think that's that's bad. and by the way I I'm not quite so sure. how much she believes in democracy as. well yeah well and look yeah those are. that's exact that's how you feel and. it's important um and you've always had. your own feelings and I appreciate you. always having them and sharing what they.

are did you feel like whenever the. people tried to assassinate did you. think it was deeper than that do you. think it was just some Reddit jockey. just on first of all it was horrible I. mean I disagree with Trump on everything. but the idea of people assassinating. Trump or anybody else is yeah it's crazy. it's crazy it is horrible and it's I. mean I can't give you the words it just. terrible we cannot have that in American. politics my own guess and I'm not an. expert I'm sure there are a lot of you. know the conspiratorial theories that. are out there you know I think you have.

you know we've seen it before you've. seen seemingly normal people walking. into schools with guns doing horrible. things right yeah you know and I think. you had for whatever reason I I don't. want to even. speculate why this young man did what he. did you just think it was a young man. who just that was it that's what the. evidence seems to suggest so far right. but you didn't hear anything else you. guys don't hear anything else as. Congress people you don't hear anything. than great secrets that you don't know. yeah um do you think that Kamal Harris. is the best person to run against Donald.

Trump right now well she is the person. and that's and that won't change. probably huh no she she'll be the. Democratic candidate and you know I've. known KLA for a number of years not best. friends but I've known herh uh she was. in the senate for a short period she's. very smart and she's determined I mean. above and beyond her views on the isses. issues which I you know support most of. them not all um you got to give. credit to somebody a black woman to move. up the ladder that ain't easy stuff.

there's a lot of resistance to that and. she's she's persistent she's strong uh. and I respect that and you know I think. she'll be uh a good candidate I was. interested that Trump apparently backed. out of a debate with her on ABC and I. could I wouldn't uh you know I have. debated her as a matter of fact um she's. tough she's tough was there a chance. that you were going to get that nominee. or as an independent can you get then. plotted with the Democratic party and.

put in was there even a call about it or. anything no you know I ran in 16 I ran. against Hillary Clinton and I ran a 20. yeah I remember and I felt like you I. felt like you didn't get treaty fairly. to be hon I didn't and that's what. happens when you take on the. establishment so what happened is we won. the first three primaries and then. um uh The Establishment got very very. nervous and they got there were a whole. lot of candidates in the Democratic. primary and they said hey be a good idea. if you all drop out that Joe Biden be. the one candidate people rallied around. them and do they call is there a call.

that you get and it's like you're that. you're not going to move forward is it. just like news articles how does it how. does the establish what happens is I won. the popular vote in Iowa I won the New. Hampshire primary I won the Nevada. primarying those were the first three. and then front pages of New York Times. Democratic establishment very nervous. Bernie Stanis could win the whole we. would doing very well in the polls and. you know I think behind the scenes. people thought you know there were like. 15 different candidates and they were. splitting up the vote and that's how I.

was I was not necessarily getting over. 50% I was getting more than other people. so I was on the way to Victory and uh. they said look Bernie shouldn't be the. candidate for VAR reason we don't want. him the candidate drop out and then on. one day a lot of people one or two days. a lot of people dropped out it was Joe. Biden and me and Joe had a lot of. support and all these people came behind. them and that's what happened let me. also say you know having said that uh. Biden is a friend of mine uh I think he. has a very good job over the last three. and a half years and I'm working very. hard to see the commer is elected our.

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better hydration today using promo code. Theo at liquid iv.com. did you feel like um did it see it. started to seem like people were losing. faith in uh the media right and I feel. like that that's had a huge effect on. society it's created a lot of. opportunities for what are often labeled. as conspiracy theories but then often. end up being truth just because not but. yeah often are end up being truths um or. having re realness to them because uh.

the news media isn't even you know it's. like they all just go down these same. similar paths and it's not um it doesn't. even feel real anymore I mean the fact. that you and I are talking is wild you. know it's like I [ __ ] wouldn't talk. to me you know but but the you know but. the fact but look the bad news there bad. news and good news the good news is you. got a program and but millions of people. tune in you yeah and part of that is. that people do not necessarily believe.

CBS NBC ABC or even fox or anybody. else and uh so let me tell you what I. think about that because I think you're. you're touching on an important issue we. talk about Healthcare we talk about. media you have about eight. large media. conglomerates you know Comcast and all. these guys they're huge serious exactly. they they they own you know people turn. on their Clear Channel you got it you. got it they huge they own they don't own. one station they own radio stations they.

own TV stations they own movies you know. producers so these are owned by very. large billionaires you know big. companies owned by billionaires and they. they will discuss issues from here to. here right I give you an example about. Medicare for all we should be having a. tremendous discussion why we're the old. country on Earth not to guarantee. Healthcare it doesn't take place on. television we should be talking about. massive income and wealth inequality. there are three people in America while. more wealth in the bottom half of.

American society think that's. appropriate no sir okay I think there. should be a limit on how much a person. can earn okay to be honest with you it. may be you know you know some Millions. but I don't think it should be billion. someone should agree with you I agree. with you actually and I think most. Americans would when's the last time. you've seen that discussion on NBC it. ain't going to take place right we have. but that's what the people want though. yes that is exactly and that's why. you're a success and why other people. you know with very limited resources if. you like because you don't see that type.

of discussion I just did a poll I. campaign that a poll just on these. issues uh you know talking about issues. that workingclass people want and need. that are almost never discussed in. politics or in the corporate media and. the answer is people are hurting they. want change no one's talking about it. yeah yeah it's heartbreaking it's like I. don't know the people don't even get. thought of anymore it feels like a lot. of times and here here the toughest part. I think Bernie is as a person who you. know has felt like in their life maybe.

their father died in a war their. grandfather died in a war and they've. been tried to pay their taxes and be a. you know considerate person in their. town or their country um after a while. those good people start it starts. to erode a little because they don't. feel like and they lose their sense of. purpose man when you're you lose the. fabric of your Society a lot of people. that's how they they didn't even realize. it a lot of of us don't realize that's. we identify as an American and when you. realize well America it's nothing but.

it's a it's a shell LLC for [ __ ] big. corporations then what am I I'm just a. I'm just a idiot you know you almost. feel ashamed of yourself you know or you. can you know anyway just I don't know a. lot of that stuff just I just don't see. how people think that that's good or how. you're going to still be able to get. people to buy in do I think you said it. better than I did I mean I agree with. you I think a lot of people are ashamed. they're given up they're. hurting yeah many of these people have.

fought and died or their families have. fought and died in wars and they're good. people and maybe they're you know nurses. and the you know business people yeah. anything crossing guard mailman exactly. they believe in their Community yeah and. meanwhile they're getting ripped off by. people on top politically and. economically well even the radio like. you're saying it's like you used to have. like a newspaper and you you read it. meant something your community meant. something it used to be that your. grandpa worked at the factory and they. made the table that you have in your. home and so everything had a story to it.

there's some connection and now it's. like we're buying stuff from countries. that they're making it they don't care. we're using it we don't care there's no. story nobody has any like uh there's. no there's no thread you know the thread. just gets thin that's a very profound. point you just made and so how do we get. it back you know ain't easy yeah but I. think but I think you hit the nail on. the head people are you know you're in.

right now you're in Vermont which is one. of the smallest states in in the country. it's very rural State beautiful. Burlington is the largest city with. 40,000 I used to be mayor here you know. but you go into small towns everybody. knew everybody often they were Dairy. Farmers we had a lot of Dairy Farmers. people work really hard being a Dairy. Farmer oh yeah I us were get cold stone. creamers for a while so not the same but. I get it right but they milking cows you. know 5:00 in the morning on a cold. winter day ain't easy work. but there was a everybody knew each. other nobody cheated each other you know.

there was a sense of then you have Town. meetings once a year and people argue. about the school budget and all that. stuff and we are losing that big time. for a lot maybe next time we'll talk. about that but we're losing we're losing. that as you indicated for a lot of. reasons and if we don't get it back I I. worry about the future of this country. yeah we can that that is kind of a. bigger topic I you I've heard you talk. about the 32-hour work week man it's. intriguing When anybody second I heard. that I'm like I'm in you know but it it. I tell you it got a lot of response yeah.

I think there was a poll I don't if it. was a news week I don't know where it. was that um yeah the 32-hour work week. and one of the reasons behind it is why. okay here's why all right let me back it. up a little bit okay and here's I'm. gonna ask you a question are you ready. for a tough question let's do it all. right over the last 50 years 5 Z years. massive changes in technology right 50. years years ago they didn't have this. stuff worker productivity has gone way.

up right so you're a worker now playing. with technology Machinery whether it's a. computer whether it's you know Factory. uh technology you're producing a lot. more. correct in terms of real producing more. because you have machines that can help. you got it okay okay right much more by. the way right so a machine can do the. work of 30 men in a day got got it. whatever it may be okay in term despite. all of that worker increased work work. productivity is the worker of today in.

real inflation accounted for dollars. making more or less money than that. worker was doing or a worker similar. type worker 50 years ago what's the. answer I would say. less so less based on inflation and. everything the workers making less now. than they were then in real doll yeah we. call real dollars inflation account for. dollars real dollars so how insane is. that if that worker is now producing so. much more than us she did oh I see what. you're saying so now if a worker is.

operating a machine and that machine is. doing the work of 20 workers then why. isn't there some benefit to the worker. you would think that that guy is making. well that woman is making more money. right hey you're producing a lot more. yeah all widgets or whatever yeah yeah. yeah got it m okay make it m we lot. money go who benefit. the oh that same to time it was a study. that there was a 50. trillion.

unable redistribution of weal to a. bottom 90% to the top 1% so getting back. to the 32-hour work it's a simple IP if. you are worker producing a hell of a lot. more that was the case 50 years ago you. should benefit from that increase. technology and one of the breakout. people is you mention the moment living. under a lot of stress right if you can. lower that work week without loss of pay. right so you're saying that there needs. to be some keep back to them because. that's if everybody's earning more if.

the company's earning more yeah some of. the gree it's just scary man um I don't. know yeah it's just scary um I want to. get into uh oh wait but what about would. you have to raise the pay of people then. oh I guess you would because they're. yeah uh you know what if you reduce what. what you're doing here is reducing the. work week which is you from 40 to 32 MH. which why way sto in changes like in 44. yeah and that's when people had to do.

crops and everything yeah yeah people. were just yeah people were sittting by. lightning bug so we we are a much. wealthier Nation now but I want that. wealth to be distributed a little yeah. why we're almost done yep okay just one. more issue I want to ask it'll be quick. um last question if you were to look at. if there's somebody out there today. who's like a guy who you were who wanted. to see change who you know uh started. protesting on campuses and and um and. got involved and became a mayor and once. to get into politics and really thinks.

that they can make a difference what. path do they need to try for themselves. now with so much lobbying and stuff. going on like what would you tell them. all right first of. all what you're involved in if some. politics would change and being an. elected official is one way bring but. not the way you know Dr M was the King. junor was never elected anything right. he had a profound impact on this country. never anything. all uh and you're seeing young people. who are concerned about Pate change on.

campuses Li work so go with your. passions you know your passion may be. different than M what's your issue I. don't this so work on that issue read. people educate organize GRE people and. if you then decide hey you may got a l r. for the state legislature remember for. PS want to get my you know hands dirty. in politics uh do but first of will. don't don't do it just because I want to. get elect that's bad right do it because.

you believe in s and getting elected. will help you do it fine if not you. could do it in other ways yeah um Bernie. Sanders thank you so much for your time. man de thank you very much let me just. say this congratulations on your. programs and what programs like this do. I'm on TV a lot we know I get 7 Seconds. to make it Point can't make it 7 seconds. so we argue you can have a serious. discussion about serious issues is. really Greatful I thank you for the. opportunity and thank you for what to do. thank you I've always been a proponent.

and thank you for just being an. outspoken person who um believes in. things and moves forward with those. beliefs now I'm just floating on thee. and I feel. I'm for 50 years now hip hop has been a. reflection of culture and society that. includes stories of struggle and pain. social injustice raal inequality the. marginalization of community today we. confront a Health Care system that has. been rigged against all of us hospitals.

Force patients to sign contracts for. services without ever showing us actual. prices stifling competition overcharging. without accountability and if we can't. pay these same contracts allow them to. take everything we own creating so much. fear that millions and millions of. Americans refuse to enter our Hospital. putting our health and our lives at. stake this is an American humanitarian. in crisis we love our nurses and we need. our doctors but hospitals and insurers.

rigging a system to make profits off of. people that's in struggle is. unforgivable we demand prices and. transparency in healthcare power to the. patience.