“War, Health Care, The Economy and Elections 2008” is the topic.
Another World is Possible……Another World is Necessary is the theme.
The challenge is of course to remain positive and upbeat considering the current state of affairs.
Here is brief synopsis of where we stand in 2008:
- The
- Millions of Americans live without health care and millions more are breaking the bank just to keep their families insured.
- Our economy is in recession, part of a regular capitalist cycle every 10-15 years. Property taxes… sky high. Homeowners are losing their homes at levels unseen since the great depression. The middle class has been steadily eroding for 30 plus years. Good Paying Manufacturing jobs? Outsourced and replaced by low paying, part-time and temporary service sector jobs, due in part to bi-partisan, pro-business trade deals like NAFTA.
- Our public education system is slowly being privatized. Our children and public school teachers being hung out to dry to accommodate the desires of the for-profit education industry and it’s incredibly flawed NCLB policy.
- Our roads, bridges, schools and other collectively owned assets are in complete disrepair due to never ending budget cuts. This conscious neglect will likely lead our congress to determine that this infrastructure should also be privatized.
- Our most basic ideals about law and justice have been tossed out and the two parties continue to pass bills that further erode our civil liberties and legitimize torture.
So…… Who do we have to thank for all of this? While it is very easy, and somewhat therapeutic, for us to place the blame squarely on Mr. Bush and his administration of corporate criminals, we are still left with the question: were things really so much better for working folks under
Regardless of your political leaning, Three points are irrefutable: 1. The Democrats have started and supported as many illegal foreign military adventures as the Republicans. 2. The income gap in
The only systemic goal of capitalism as a system is the accumulation of capital, which triggers the pursuit of ever-expanding profits, in a ravenous way, at everyone and everything else’s expense.
Both Democrats and Republicans represent these big business, capitalist, interests today. Just look at their campaign contributors and lobbying gift lists to verify. While these two corporate parties may have differing views on specific social issues and slight nuances of foreign policy, they both are 100% committed to representing American business interests, aka capitalism as a system. There may of course be a few exceptional individuals, but the leadership and the parties themselves as political entities are mere tools of the business world, responding only to public need when the alternative is worse. That is when the people make it necessary.
So…….“War, Health Care, The Economy and Elections”
Another World IS Possible.
I’d prefer to leave the detailed discussion and varied explanations of the intricacies and reasons for this current war of aggression to those who have stronger credentials in the field. I will however make this blanket statement: This war, this health care crisis and this latest recession are not themselves the problems… They ARE NOT Problems. What they are are Symptoms…. Symptoms of the real problem, a profit-based economic system. It’s ever-expansive, cancerous growth keeps spreading to each and every major organ until it squeezes all remaining life out of society.
The Destruction and Reconstruction of foreign countries with vast mineral riches are just the latest “emerging markets” and the profits are rolling in by the tank load. The press reported last week that 40% of money spent in the reconstruction of
This must be one of the biggest fleecings in history, enacted right under our collective nose. These are our tax dollars and our children’s debts to be inherited. War for Profit…when did that become a good idea? The implications are obvious, or they ought to be if one takes more than 7 seconds to think critically about it.
A major and largely untold element of this occupation is that the number of private, for-profit contractors in
Just as in
The disaster capitalist complex jumps at the opportunity to rush in and scoop up tremendous government contracts after major disasters, terror attacks or military invasions. Once awarded, they proceed to subcontract the work to other companies who subcontract to yet still other companies who bring in their own workers. By the time the money makes it to the actual work at hand it’s been cut in half by profit takers on it’s way down the ladder. For those who haven’t read it, Naomi Klein’s recent book “The Shock Doctrine” does an excellent job of detailing this as well as the destructive rise of modern global capitalism, I highly recommend it.
All for profit……Profit, Profit, Profit. That is the only goal of a capitalist economy. Nowhere does it say “guarantee meaningful work, living wages and a quality life for everyone.” Nowhere does it say “preserve the environment, conserve resources and produce in a sustainable way.” It only says increase profits.
The Democrats are just as much a capitalist political party as the Republicans, they are not a workers’ political party. Both parties serve the interests of capitalism, where in a good economy is judged by Wall Street not
Capital accumulation will always come first for capitalists, so lets not be fooled by their ever-changing newspeak, their latest jargon like “market based solutions.” Market Based Solutions? This has got to be the largest pot of crap soup we’ve smelled since “trickle down economics.” Since when can the problem be the solution?
The corporately owned, for profit, media of course doesn’t critically analyze our economic and cultural woes. They instead offer up heartless discussions of economic reports without an inkling of information about the impact on real peoples lives. For example; “The new CEO of Company X decided to restructure the corporation, and to the shareholders’ delight, stock prices have soared”
There is of course little or no mention of the 6,000 workers laid off, now losing health benefits, many facing bankruptcy and foreclosures. There is no mention of these axed jobs being outsourced to countries with despotic regimes that rule with iron fists and have zero labor or human rights protections. Nope, the millionaires made a few million more, it was a good move, a good decision, the economy is doing great……. So long as you’re not a worker……either here or abroad.
Lets also be sure not to follow the trend of labeling these CEO’s as a few bad apples either, let’s call them what they are….pigs at the trough. These exploiters of labor and resources may not be inherently evil individuals, but they are a direct product of a profit-based economy that rewards cut-throat tactics, heralds toe-stomping and celebrates lying, cheating and stealing as innovation.
So……… Yes…. We have a lot to work for. We have a long, bumpy, dusty road ahead of us. A treacherous, snake-infested trail of struggle.
“War, Health Care, The Economy and Elections”
ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE.
In this election year health care is a big issue. Lots of talk about universal health care. What the heck is that? The average American is absolutely baffled by the term “universal health care” and even more clueless about the details of the plans championed by the leading presidential candidates.
I think we can qualify it like this: For-Profit health coverage is NOT Universal Health Care, lets set that straight first and foremost. That being said, none of the major party candidates are offering a universal plan.
For socialists and humanists in general, health care, like food and shelter, is a basic human right and should be provided for first and foremost, before all else. Especially in a functioning and prospering modern economy.
I personally, as a candidate for congress, support a National Health Insurance plan as a logical first step towards creating a truly socialized, democratic health system. A standard not for profit insurance plan that covers all Americans and replaces all private insurance policies. A high-end, top quality plan that covers all treatment of all citizens and is funded through progressive taxation.
The benefits of National Health Insurance, often referred to as a single-payer system, are tremendous and penetrate all levels of the economic ladder. The poorest of our brothers and sisters would obviously benefit by having access to all of the same doctors and facilities as everyone else, and not be forced to use the often broken ones that accept Medicaid in our current system.
The amorphous middle class, what is in reality the working class, would benefit in countless ways: The uninsured folks that made too much for Medicaid but not enough to buy private insurance would be covered. The mom and pop business owners could now have coverage. Young people pursuing their career dreams could truly follow those dreams and not be pigeon-holed into choosing the job that offers the best benefits.
Preventive based doctor visits would save billions of dollars that are spent now to treat major conditions that would have been preventable and treatable far earlier at much less cost had the person been able to visit a doctor regularly.
Health care for profit….Who thought THAT was a good idea? Providing unnecessary expensive treatments and drugs to some, while denying coverage to others. Patenting life saving drugs and rushing unsafe drugs onto the market so the gambling investors can be paid off.
Joe Bageant, a personal friend and campaign supporter, points out in his new book that Medical bills are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the
So yes, I do support a National Health Insurance, single payer plan like Dennis Kucinich’s HR676, but admit that this is only the first major step toward creating a truly universal plan. I think that once the public experiences the benefits of socialized insurance they will be more willing to consider a socialized health care system with salaried doctors and health care workers, that would include full standard and alternative medical, dental, vision, and mental health coverage for all, publicly funded through progressive taxation and controlled by democratically elected assemblies of health care workers and patients.
“War, Health Care, The Economy and Elections”
ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE.
While the media and neo-liberal economists debate whether or not we are actually in a recession I have to scratch my head and think…. Did that recession from 2000 ever really end? I dare say that we have been in recession for 8 years and it is just now deepening with the housing crisis and sure to continue to deepen as we approach a credit card crisis and further elimination of good paying jobs.
It seems that even free market radicals must suck it up and plan the economy once in a while, as we have witnessed with the latest Bear Sterns buyout and other actions of the Federal Reserve. We can all look forward to enjoying further inflation thanks to that massive addition of currency into the system.
I will of course be happy to receive my tax rebate check in the mail, but rest assured, I will not be running out to consume commodities and “jumpstart” the economy. Being a mindless consumer is not our patriotic duty, being a smart consumer is. So, No, I like most other working folks will be sending most of that rebate check off to pay bills and saving some of it in my checking account as a buffer to absorb unforeseen economic problems as yet to arise.
This tactic may provide some short-term temporary relief for many Americans, but it is really just a band-aid on a cut to the jugular.
The Economic Policy Institute has issued their own list of suggestions for stimulating an economic recovery. The major suggestions here are far more logical, particularly Public Works Projects. Create good paying jobs repairing our failing infrastructure and building new infrastructure, investing in our own country and workers.
Our schools are old and overcrowded. Our bridges are collapsing, our subways flooding, our highways congested. Our public transportation system is virtually nonexistent and our libraries are closed more than they are open.
Investing in infrastructure as opposed to say…militarism helps the real economy, the one that we all live in, not that gambling house economy of Wall Street that does just fine while we all starve…that illogical casino that actually does better when we get laid off and worse when too many of us get hired. That same casino where many workers unfortunately and unwillingly see their retirement and pension plans riding the roulette wheel, which leads to a strong conflict of interest- what is best for their daily life and job or what is best for their investment portfolio.
Well, that portfolio doesn’t see much growth if the worker is left jobless.
So, the $3 trillion dollars spent on warfare these past 6 years could have done a lot of good here at home to finance this type of infrastructure building and repair. It could have greatly funded the development of a national sustainable energy grid and a public health care system or perhaps beefed up social security.
But when it comes to social programs and public property, there isn’t a penny to be found, and when it comes to saddling up to expand the empire the wallet becomes infinitely deep.
A combination of jobs paying living wages and a truly universal health plan can begin to make the working class majority feel a bit more like the so-called middle class that they are told they belong to.
This of course does not address the root of the problem, but it does make life more bearable for the multitude. It simultaneously educates folks through experience about the advantages of collectivism. A small taste of the other side. A reversal of the disinformation we have been fed since the start of the cold war.
As socialists we are also humanists, guided by the well-being of each and every human being, not by profit, ego or pride.
“War, Health Care, The Economy and Elections”
ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE.
The driving force behind change and progress has always been class struggle, and this still holds true today.
The majority of Americans are working class, we don’t own the means of production and we have little or no say over our work day. All of the planning and decision-making is done at the top, and from there the orders are passed down through the hierarchy, which ironically are just about the only things that do trickle down to us in this economy.
Whether we’re in an office wearing a tie and working with a computer or on a construction site wearing a hard hat and working with a hammer we are all working class. We are all employed at our boss’s pleasure to do what he or she wishes us to do, disconnected from our labor, co-workers and products.
As Marx argued, workers in the capitalist system are alienated in 4 ways:
First, alienation from his or her humanity, that is the distinction from the animal kingdom,
Second, alienation from fellow workers, capitalism reduces labor to a commodity to be traded on the market rather than a social relationship,
Third, alienation of the worker from the product of his or her labor since this is appropriated by the capitalist class, and
Fourth, alienation from the act of production itself, such that work comes to be a meaningless activity, offering little or no intrinsic satisfaction.
Capitalists have the monopoly on decision making and other empowering activities. The powers that be have a very large stake in keeping things just the way they are.
Not only do these folks at the top of the ladder have all of the decision making power and necessary knowledge to do so, but they also earn the most income and have the most wealth. As I’ve already mentioned and as most people are vaguely aware, the income gap in
According to 2005 statistics, the wealthiest 300,000 Americans collectively received as much income as the bottom 150 million Americans. Per person, members of this top group received 440 times as much as the average person in the bottom half earned, which consequently is double the income gap for these same groups from 1980.
Researcher William Domhoff reports that “As of 2001, the top 1% of households (the upper class) owned 33.4% of all privately held wealth, and the next 19% (the managerial, professional, and small business stratum) had 51%, which means that just 20% of the people owned a remarkable 84%, leaving only 16% of the wealth for the bottom 80% (wage and salary workers).”
The gap is even worse on an international level. It has been estimated that the world’s richest 500 people have as much combined wealth as the poorest half of the world’s population, nearly 3 billion people.
This is the kind of stratified world that capitalism creates. A war torn world of have and haves not, where the owning class lives in gated communities and the masses fight and toil to survive.
This is why I am running for congress as the Socialist candidate. No candidate from either of the capitalist parties will acknowledge the systemic nature of the problems we are all facing collectively.
We, the working class, have been rallying behind the Democrats, the “lesser of two evils,” for decades and it has done nothing to slow the current destructive pattern, the wholesale privatization, or Milton Freidmanization of every remaining public entity, modern day primitive accumulation.
No, the Democratic Party, as Edwin Laing said, is “where social movements go to die.” Independent, grassroots politics in conjunction with direct action are the only way the population at large has ever won anything from the power elites.
The capitalist two-party monopoly and it’s corporate media networks offer us up two options that are both acceptable to them and let us think that we have some kind of democratic choice.
This is precisely why the
As Howard Zinn so aptly stated more than 30 years ago: “Totalitarian states love elections, they get the people out to the poles to register their approval for the government. I know there is a difference, they have one party and we have two parties, we have one more party than they do you see.”
Well I’m here tonight, and running this campaign in general, in an attempt to activate that 50% of voters, mostly low income, to stand up with a real alternative to the same old wage-slave-driving parties.
While one congressional representative cannot change the entire system, he/she can fight for reforms that will improve our daily lives and, more importantly, develop the political consciousness/solidarity among the people who will collectively make the real changes in the long run.
I strongly agree with the statement that capitalism cannot be reformed, but am faced with the dichotomy of a socialist candidate. As a socialist running for office within a capitalist system my policy objectives may seem reformist or social democratic at best: universal health care, graduated income taxation, socialized energy and expanded public transportation.
Such simple taxation and funding of social programs does not constitute socialism. However, fighting together for such reforms can help to generate the necessary class solidarity to bring about a truly participatory economy.
A sustainable form of production for human use and not for profit that replaces hierarchy with equality, cut-throat competition with solidarity, free-trade with fair trade. A complete democracy that extends from the political sphere of electing leaders to the economic sphere of making decisions about production, distribution and consumption. A society where every human being has food, housing, healthcare and employment. Where full civil rights and liberties are guaranteed to all. Where every individual is able to fulfill his or her full potential.
As Eugene Debs said nearly 100 years ago:
“The Earth is for all people, this is the demand.”
The ruling class already has 500 plus congresspersons representing their interests in both houses of the congress. It’s time that we stop voting for their representatives and start running and voting for our own.
Thank You.
No comments:
Post a Comment