Corporate conservatives have taken notice of the Bernie Sanders campaign, and has started accusing him of "buying votes" by "promising" "free stuff." Is it true?

Here are some examples of what the corporate/billionaire-funded right is saying:

● American Thinker, "Surprise: Bernie Sanders's free stuff will be very expensive for you!"

Avowed socialist, pretend independent, wannabe Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is promising lots of free stuff for Americans – and anyone else in the country, legally or not – if he is elected. Free health care! Free education from pre-pre-school through post-post-college. Free family leave.

● TownHall, "Newsflash! Bernie Sanders Fans: All That “Free Stuff” Will Break the Middle Class":

They want “free” birth control, health care, college, “Cash for Clunkers,” free housing for the poor and paid time off for women who are having a child. They want welfare with no preconditions for anyone who wants it, a $15 minimum wage and they want to open our borders to anyone who wants to come here illegally, have a child and live off the American people for the next 18 years.

● Gateway Pundit, "4 of 5 Liberal Millennials Voted for Bernie - Want Free Stuff."

● WorldNutDaily, Santa Sanders' appeal: We all like free stuff.

"Free Stuff"?

The idea that things We the People "get" from government is just "free stuff" misunderstands the purpose of government. We the People established our government as a mechanism for all of us to decide to get together to do things that make our lives better.

In a democracy, if We the People decide it is a good idea to, for example, have public schools, does that qualify as "free stuff?" Or is it an investment in making our lives better? And, while we're at it, an educated population makes the society better.

Aside from public schools, here are a few other bits of "free stuff" that We the People have decided we should have:

● Public roads and highways are "free stuff." (Except where they have special "Lexus lanes" for those with more money.)

● Medicare for people over 65 is "free stuff."

● Social Security is "free stuff."

● Courts and our legal system are "free stuff."

● Police and fire protection are "free stuff."

● Sidewalks are "free stuff."

● An unemployment check when we lose our jobs is "free stuff."

● The Post Office is "free stuff."

● Public parks are "free stuff."

● ANYthing considered "public" qualifies as "free stuff" that We the People make available for all of us.

Each of those "free stuff" items serve a greater societal purpose. Schools and education improve our economy and society. Roads don't just make our lives better by enabling us to get places, they enable our economy to function so our businesses can prosper.

Some of the "free stuff" that Sanders is proposing to add to this list includes:

● Free public colleges and universities. Just as public schools help all of us, a modern society demands a higher level of education. The crushing student debt so many face today also demonstrates the effect on the economy as people are unable to buy homes and support families. (This would be paid for with a "financial transaction tax" of only a fraction-of-a-percent on speculative investments.)

● Medicare-for-All enables everyone to get health care, but also saves individuals, businesses and our economy from the costs of a for-profit system. (This would be paid for with progressive income tax increases, mostly at upper levels. Elimination of premiums and co-pays would result in a savings of approximately $5,000 per family.)

● Investing in bringing our infrastructure up to par. We've been neglecting infrastructure needs and a massive investment is required. Sanders proposes a $1 trillion effort. (This would be funded largely by requiring corporations to pay taxes they already owe, but have deferred.) This will create millions of jobs, driving up wages across the economy. A modern infrastructure enables businesses to compete and prosper more efficiently.

● Paid family leave allows parents three paid months to care for newborn children. The benefits to people and society are obvious. (Workers would pay less than $2 a week into a fund to cover this.)

● A $15 minimum wage enables people working full-time to escape poverty, reduces reliance on public assistance programs, and boosts local economies as people have more income to spend.

Note that these proposals are "paid for" and not actually just "free."

"Promising"?

Conservatives accuse Sanders of "promising" these things to voters.

Is Sanders making "campaign promises," as if to say, "If you vote for me I will give you these things?" No. Sanders tells voters that no president can do these things alone. He says that if enough people show up and vote, only then can we end the domination of big-moneyed interests, and begin to provide for each other again.

In Sanders' words, "Change always takes place when millions of people fight back."

Conservatives claim that Sanders is trying to "buy votes" when he tells people they can have "free stuff" like free college tuition. But in a democracy, what does this mean? Politicians don't "give" things to the public; the public votes for representatives who are supposed to do what the public wants.

An Ecosystem Of Democratic Prosperity

We the People built an economic ecosystem by investing in infrastructure, education, research, courts, regulations, environmental protection, monetary stability – all the things necessary to provide fertile ground for businesses to prosper. Part of that ecosystem is that We the People reinvest part of the return from our investment back into the system to keep it going. Democracy also means that We the People mutually benefit from the gains that result from that ecosystem of democratic prosperity.

Our shared investment created American prosperity; the return from that investment should also be shared and expanded. (Another word for "shared" is "distributed.")

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This post originally appeared at Campaign for America's Future (CAF) at their Blog for OurFuture. I am a Fellow with CAF. Sign up here for the CAF daily summary and/or for the Progress Breakfast.