When Bernie Sanders first announced his candidacy for President of the United States in April 2015, almost nobody took him seriously. He was a 73-year-old man who called himself a socialist, a word that most Americans find synonymous with the most putrid ideologies that have ever graced this planet; after all, the Nazis were socialists.

He had shunned the Democratic Party by serving as the longest-tenured Independent Congressman in America history and yet he now sought the party’s nomination. He had almost no money with which to run a campaign and was relatively unknown beyond his home state of Vermont.

The frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton, provided a stark contrast to Sanders. Her nomination seemed inevitable, while his campaign seemed doomed to fail. At that time, to suggest that Bernie Sanders could lead a reawakening in American politics and lead over Hillary Clinton in the race for the nomination seemed insane.

Now, Bernie Sanders has done just that. He has received 3.7 million contributions averaging $27 each as the only Democratic candidate without a Super PAC.

It is no surprise that Bernie Sanders offers, as his campaign slogan reads, “A Future to Believe In.” His policies seek to revolutionize Washington and America. This guy who looks like my grandpa (with the same first name!) puts the future of our country first and emphasizes it more than any other candidate, not just with rhetoric but with his policies.

Bernie Sanders has launched his campaign on the platform of combating inequality. America has bailed out its banks and given tax breaks to the richest Americans. Elections are essentially bought by rich donors and corporations who overrun democracy by shoving unfathomable stacks of cash into our political process. Meanwhile, racial and social injustice is rampant and our criminal justice system is devastatingly broken. Our priorities have been skewed and our country has been led in the wrong direction as the billionaires win and Americans lose. Sanders is here to fix that.

Sanders starts with a topic crucial to all students at the high school: education. He understands that a high school diploma is simply not enough anymore. Yet, receiving higher education is outlandishly expensive; student debt afflicts over 60 percent of college students at an average of $24,000 per student. In response he proposes extending free public education up through college in order to develop an educated workforce ready for the modern world.

Another critical issue on Bernie’s agenda is health care. 29 million Americans do not have health insurance and tens of millions more are critically underinsured, despite the gains made under Obamacare. Furthermore, America’s inept health insurance system is the world’s most expensive and inefficient.

Sanders proposes overhauling our insurance laws to create a “Medicare-for-all” system, which would insure every American adequately under a single-payer process. This would drive down prices for treatment by moving the healthcare industry from the private sector of large, insurance companies who put profits before people to the public sector.

Sanders plans to take on wealth inequality and the massive greed of large corporations by installing a $15 per hour minimum wage. The concept behind this “living” wage is that no person working full-time should be living a dire life of poverty.

His other proposals, such as demanding equal pay for equal work for women, requiring paid family leave, supporting unions and worker co-ops (businesses where employees own a stake in the company), rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure while creating 13 million jobs in the process, and supporting international trade policies that create jobs in America all accomplish the same goal: creating an economy that works for all Americans, not just the large corporations and wealthy elite.

Sanders understands that climate change is a critical issue that has the potential to decimate America and the world, yet he also sees it as an opportunity. Sanders plans to invest in reversing climate change while creating millions of American jobs by creating a renewable and green energy industry to overtake fossil fuels and lead America forward.

Sanders does not plan to let the crisis of 2008 that destroyed the national and global economy, occur again. He has introduced massive Wall Street reform and regulation that includes taxes on financial institutions and their dangerous financial actions. The American taxpayers bailed the banks out and now it is the banks turn to help Americans out.

The main criticism of Sanders’ plans are the tremendous costs, especially since America’s government already spends more than it takes in and has a rising debt of over $19 trillion. Sanders understands that his investments in the American economy will create powerful growth that will send the wealth of America’s 99 percent skyrocketing. Sander’s spending comes with groundbreaking tax reform. He will charge the Americans who have benefited from the system more by raising income and estate taxes.

Bernie Sanders is revolutionizing American politics as we know it and leading a rebellion on behalf of America’s 99 percent against injustice and inequality. His refreshing and groundbreaking reforms will create a prosperous future for all, not just the one percent who benefit now. The high school should listen up.

Want to write for Opinions? Contact us at [email protected]