Here's something Bernie Sanders appears not to understand.

[George II]

26. Very well done. I'm an old white man too, who grew up in the same general area and generation....

....as Sanders - we're 6 years apart and were born about 2 miles apart in Brooklyn.

From what I read of his background, he was much better off than I was at that time.

For comparison, he lived in a 3-1/2 room apartment with his parents and his brother. Contrary to his claim, there was no rent control in Brooklyn until he was about ten years old.

I lived in a 4-1/2 room "railroad flat" with my parents, three brothers, and sister (seven people total). The four boys slept in one room, my sister got her own room although the four of us had to go through her room to get to the main room, which was a combination living room, dining room, and bedroom - my parents slept on a fold out couch in that room.

My father was earning less than $20 a week when I was born in 1948. He had to drop out of high school when he was 15 to go to work to support his family.

My mother did piece-work for a few hours a day to help pay the bills. I wore my older brother's hand-me-downs. My next younger brother wore them after I out grew them (if they weren't tattered by then). He grew faster than I did - by the time I was about 10 that changed - he was bigger than me!

Sanders' brother Larry talks about going out to eat often along King's Highway. We didn't go to restaurants more than about once or twice a year, and that was for special occasions and we were on a strict budget. They lived like royalty compared to us.

I get it, I don't understand why he doesn't. I appreciate everything my parents did for us, and the sacrifices they made for us. When he was in his 30s my father went back to high school at night. He got his high school diploma when he was 38.

None of the six of us grew up unhappy with and resenting everything around us. We were happy, we were close (that happens when you share a bedroom with your three brothers!!), we appreciated life.

Eighteen years after I was born, I was accepted by a small private engineering college with a full academic scholarship. Without that, I would have gone to City College, a free college. We couldn't afford one of the most expensive schools at the time, University of Chicago. I lived at home until after I graduated. Then I went to work soon after graduating, and worked almost steadily (but for a couple of layoffs) for the next 43 years.

Yes, I get it, I don't understand why he doesn't.