Lincoln, Vermont - December 6, 2008

By Andy Potter, WCAX News

The economic crisis has strained most peoples' ability to understand the complicated world of financial affairs. But in Vermont, hundreds of people turned out to hear more about it -- from Senator Bernie Sanders.

Sanders admits he doesn't have an advanced degree in economics, but he's becoming an expert in the financial meltdown. The independent senator from Vermont arrived at Burnham Hall in Lincoln for the first of two public gatherings his office sponsored, focusing on the economy.

He called the crisis unprecedented. He said he expects the incoming Obama administration to support a massive economic stimulus on top of what's already been done. "Now, my own hope is that these will be very large stimulus packages," he told a crowd of more than 200. "I would like to see at least 400 billion a year for the next two years."

Sanders holds dozens of these meetings every year, taking questions as they come. One audience member raised doubt that even a job-creating stimulus won't solve the nation's problems. "When we have these jobs and people earn their money and get a good wage, if they still are going to Wal-Mart and everything's made in China..." the woman said.

"I don't want to build a wall around America -- you want trade," Sanders replied. "But you want to also rebuild our manufacturing capabilities, because I think ultimately you don't have a strong economy if all we're doing is having the Wal-Marts of the world. And we're not producing the products that we consume."

Sanders estimates the total of all the money at risk by American taxpayers at $7 trillion, far more than the original $700-billion dollar bailout. He said the hope is that some or all of it will be recaptured.

He left the Lincoln meeting to head for a second one at Otter Valley Union high school in Brandon. There, he would repeat his assertion that the wealthy investors who caused the financial meltdown should bear the cost of the consequences. And stop complaining when people like him call for universal health care.

Sanders grew animated as he described the tone of encounters he has had with conservatives who fear creeping socialism. He told the school cafeteria crammed full of people, "But some of us go forward and say, hmmm, we think that all Americans should be entitled to health care, and our opponents say, no, that's not the function of government, government can't provide health care to kids. Bad idea.... Suddenly, Wall Street's tanking and these same exact people who year after year have told us how terrible government is, how government shouldn't be involved in the economy, they're on line for the largest welfare check in the history of the world! Talk about hypocrisy!"

Sanders said the meetings were not intended to be political. In fact, no one here needed to be reminded that the economic problems facing the nation are things he's been talking about throughout his political career.