America must have a robust manufacturing economy, Senator Sanders told the more than 70 Vermonters who attended a morning town meeting in Westminster.

Manufacturing has been undercut by free trade pacts which force American workers to compete against foreign workers who earn a fraction of U.S. wages.  “You are not going to be a strong economic force if you are not manufacturing the products you consume,” Bernie said.

Throughout his swing through southern Vermont, Bernie spoke in detail about the decline of the middle-class and the reality that faces Vermont families. Senator Sanders recalled the quality of life typical families could expect a few decades ago. Household bills, for example, could be paid with one wage earner.

“Almost everyone you know, husband and wife, are working,” Bernie said, as meetings attendees nodded in agreement. “All over this country you are seeing wages going down.”

Sanders said when he “gets depressed” he recalls a speech from President Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt on Dec. 8, 1941 that energized the nation after the attack on Pearl Harbor. “In two years, we transformed the economy and put the Nazis on the defensive,” Bernie said.  The U.S. economy today can be rebuilt, once again, creating millions of jobs as we transform our energy system, rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and bolster our manufacturing sector, Sanders said.

Senator Sanders called for investments into America’s infrastructure: rail, highway and airports. These investments will create jobs in near-term and make America more competitive in the long-term, he said.

Bernie also wants to make changes in America’s trade policy to encourage companies to locate jobs here in the United States – not in foreign countries.

Some Vermonters held a different viewpoint from the senator.

“I came to voice my concerns. I wanted to make sure my voice was heard,” said Joeie Clark of Fairfax, Vt.  Clark said she got up at 5:30 a.m. to make the trip across the state with her friend.

While Clark doesn’t agree with Bernie on all issues, she does see eye-to-eye on some. “I’m happy that Bernie did audit the Fed,” she said.

Senator Sanders led the effort in the U.S. Senate to have an unprecedented audit of the Federal Reserve Bank. The audit will detail which banks were lent $2 trillion of no-interest loans and explore the potential for conflict of interest.