If you enjoy your freedom, thank a protester; thank a dissident, because dissent protects democracy. Be it a stingy two-party democracy, it is still better than a really stingy one party totalitarian state. False patriotism, flag waiving and unquestioningly supporting your government is not defending freedom, it's opening doors for fascist minded folks to eliminate our freedoms right from under our collective nose.
The extreme right has been drumming up all sorts of McCarthy era attacks in the past weeks including cries of "unAmerican activity" and "anti-American" and "socialist."
I find it rather odd that these same folks who don't miss a beat to run the rhetorical bits about "The Land of the Free" and "Defending Freedom" are the very same folks who would attack and limit our freedoms.
America was founded on the notion of freedom from persecution. How can someone who claims to defend freedom propose to limit it for certain groups of citizens. The real unAmerican activity is the work of those who would eliminate a women's freedom to control her own reproductive health, those who would discriminate and deny a couple the right to get married because of sexual orientation.
Puritans and Protestants, and later immigrants from all walks of life fled their home lands to come to America to seek freedom. Should women, LGBT folks, people of color and other minority groups make an exodus? There is nowhere else left to go, no more "uncharted land." This is what we have folks and who we are. We'll just have to start getting along and excepting each other for who we are. Period.
And one more bit, Obama is no socialist. He is a fervent supporter of Free Market ideas that exploit the many in order to enrich the few. Just look at his advisers and likely future cabinet...we're talking University of Chicago Economics. There are many socialist political parties in this country and none of them are backing Obama for President. In fact, The Socialist Party, USA has it's own candidate; Brian Moore, who is an eligible write-in candidate in CT. The PSL has Gloria LaRiva and The Peace and Freedom Party of CA have chosen Nader.
Just some food for thought from a Monday morning ranting socialist. :)
Peace,
Todd
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Meet Bruce The Plumber, Joe's Employee
Meet Bruce the plumber, Joe's trusty non-union employee who makes a few bucks more than minimum wage, does side jobs on weekends after doing 40 for Joe and still barely makes the mortgage. Bruce only has health insurance because his wife works full time as a nurse at the hospital, which thank god is unionized. Bruce's lungs aren't doing so hot either and the medical bills are enormous even with the fancy HMO plan. His condition is likely due to breathing chemicals without a respirator for 15 years because his boss Joe says that OSHA is 'socialist bullshit' and 'the government shouldn't tell him how to run his business'.
Bruce hates unions, supports the war because he's 'patriotic' and will likely vote for McCain because he'll put 'country first'
Now say hello to Mike, Bruce's older uncle, who was smart enough to join the Carpenter's union 30 years ago. He earns a very good wage and has a great benefits package thanks to collective bargaining. He's been busting his ass putting up and tearing down concrete forms and scaffolding on construction sites since Carter was President. Mike was all set to retire in '09 but the market tanked last week and took half of his annuity with it. He now has to work for 12 more years (unless he dies first), but the construction industry has froze up due to the recession and it's lookin like he'll be facing a pretty long layoff instead.
Mike is pro-union, but doesn't understand the difference between a democratic union and a business union like his. He supported the war at first and slowly came around to ending it, not coincidentally at the same time that the media finally began to question it's merit. He'll begrudgingly vote for Obama because he has 'never voted Republican in his life' and his union has endorsed Obama as 'the best choice for carpenters'
It would seem evident that Bruce and Mike would both do slightly better with Obama than with McCain, but imagine if they could hear other candidates proposals. What if Brian Moore, Cynthia McKinney, Ralph Nader or Bob Barr were able to respond to those same questions on national TV every week? What if the media experts spent hours comparing any one of these candidates plans extensively with Obama and McCains? Imagine if the media even mentioned one of these candidates mere existence?
There are wonderful alternatives to the same old crap every election, but these choices are systematically excluded from the 'marketplace of ideas'
Thoughts from an angry union carpenter/public school teacher
Todd Vachon
www.votevachon.com
> Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:05:27 -0700
Some debate remarks:
1. Joe The Plumber
Joe the Plumber is not the average American... he is the average American's boss.
Joe the plumber is the Average Republican.
2. Class Warfare? Re-distributing wealth?
The capitalist class, Republican and Democrat alike, have been waging class warfare against workers for decades. This is witnessed by the deregulation of industry, tax breaks for the wealthiest individuals and corporations, declining real wages, skyrocketing CEO pay, attacks on organized labor, anti-worker free-trade agreements, profit hungry health insurance plans and perverse levels of inequality.
If anybody really wants change, they're going to have to stop voting for the same two parties.
Moore/Alexander- Socialist Party, USA www.votesocialist2008.org
Nader/Gonzalez- Independent www.votenader.org
McKinney/Clemente- Green Party
www.mckinney2008.com/PRESIDENT/
-Todd
Bruce hates unions, supports the war because he's 'patriotic' and will likely vote for McCain because he'll put 'country first'
Now say hello to Mike, Bruce's older uncle, who was smart enough to join the Carpenter's union 30 years ago. He earns a very good wage and has a great benefits package thanks to collective bargaining. He's been busting his ass putting up and tearing down concrete forms and scaffolding on construction sites since Carter was President. Mike was all set to retire in '09 but the market tanked last week and took half of his annuity with it. He now has to work for 12 more years (unless he dies first), but the construction industry has froze up due to the recession and it's lookin like he'll be facing a pretty long layoff instead.
Mike is pro-union, but doesn't understand the difference between a democratic union and a business union like his. He supported the war at first and slowly came around to ending it, not coincidentally at the same time that the media finally began to question it's merit. He'll begrudgingly vote for Obama because he has 'never voted Republican in his life' and his union has endorsed Obama as 'the best choice for carpenters'
It would seem evident that Bruce and Mike would both do slightly better with Obama than with McCain, but imagine if they could hear other candidates proposals. What if Brian Moore, Cynthia McKinney, Ralph Nader or Bob Barr were able to respond to those same questions on national TV every week? What if the media experts spent hours comparing any one of these candidates plans extensively with Obama and McCains? Imagine if the media even mentioned one of these candidates mere existence?
There are wonderful alternatives to the same old crap every election, but these choices are systematically excluded from the 'marketplace of ideas'
Thoughts from an angry union carpenter/public school teacher
Todd Vachon
www.votevachon.com
> Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:05:27 -0700
Some debate remarks:
1. Joe The Plumber
Joe the Plumber is not the average American... he is the average American's boss.
Joe the plumber is the Average Republican.
2. Class Warfare? Re-distributing wealth?
The capitalist class, Republican and Democrat alike, have been waging class warfare against workers for decades. This is witnessed by the deregulation of industry, tax breaks for the wealthiest individuals and corporations, declining real wages, skyrocketing CEO pay, attacks on organized labor, anti-worker free-trade agreements, profit hungry health insurance plans and perverse levels of inequality.
If anybody really wants change, they're going to have to stop voting for the same two parties.
Moore/Alexander- Socialist Party, USA www.votesocialist2008.org
Nader/Gonzalez- Independent www.votenader.org
McKinney/Clemente- Green Party
www.mckinney2008.com/PRESIDENT/
-Todd
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
No To The Wall Street Bailout.
29 September 2008
Socialist Party USA
-National Action Committee
The current "financial crisis" is not just a temporary setback because of poor regulation in the financial sector. The collapse of the financial sector is indicative of the total failure of the capitalist economy. In recent years, the leading recipients of this proposed bailout have attempted to justify their “Washington consensus” (cutting social safety nets, wages and benefits, and privatizing public services) in the name of mercilessly strict adherence to the “tough love” and “sacrifice” of the “free market.” This deregulation and dismantling of social protections was a logical step for the capitalists represented by the Republican and Democratic Parties. The call now for regulation of the markets is a hypocritical call by those who continue to promote the free market as the solution to everything. In demonstrating the cynical facade behind the unwaivering economic ideology they've peddled for decades, these same power brokers and politicians who demanded the near complete deregulation of the financial sector under "free market" principles, are now calling upon all tax-paying U.S. workers to "come together as Americans" and take "collective responsibility" for their boundless greed and ultimate financial failure under the very standards they themselves imposed.
Congressional Democrats, through continuous pledges to reach a "bipartisan" solution to the financial meltdown, have predictably fallen over themselves to reaffirm their reliable role as one of the two great parties of capital. As Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proclaimed on September 26th, "We will not leave until legislation is passed that will be signed by the president. The markets [sic] need a message from us that we're acting." Barack Obama, whose $25 million dollars in campaign contributions from the financial industry in this election has exceeded the amount received by John McCain, has likewise urged bipartisan passage of the bailout package, "in the spirit of cooperation on behalf of the American people.
As socialists, we understand that there can no longer be any rational debate on the question of pursuing the "free market" as an alternative to the compelling urgency for a socialist transformation of society. The need of the largest capitalist firms to wipe out competition has already led to the centralization of economic power, but in the form of private ownership by an unaccountable ruling class of professional speculators, not working people.
If we the people are now to publicly socialize the costs of our ruling class' disastrous practices, as our corporate politicians demand, what justification can be given for handing the very pillars of our economic security back to their private and unaccountable ownership once resurrected?
The Socialist Party rejects the bail-out plan. Instead, we propose that the government take over the financial sector, and then delegate the distribution of home loans to a decentralized network of non-profit credit unions. These institutions are far less likely to push bogus loans than the white-collar criminals which control the current financial institutions.
While opposing the bail-out we also call for programs which will provide support to, and help empower individuals, families, and working people as a whole to take power away from the corporate powers that be.
We support building millions of units of low-density. high quality, and low-cost housing.
We support a federally funded socialized healthcare system which would eliminate health insurance companies and be controlled by locally elected community health committees.
We support elimination of anti-labor laws and giving all workers the right to organize through card check off with the right to strike.
We support laws that would encourage the creation of worker-owned/run institutions.
We support massive investment into mass-transit and alternatives to fossil fuels.
And finally we call for the immediate withdrawal of all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan (which includes thousands of national guard troops which have been taken away from their families and jobs to fight oversees). Slashing our military budget by at least 50% and establishing a steeply progressive federal income tax system would help to fund our modest dreams.
The above actions would improve working people’s lives, bring thousands of troops home, raise hundreds of millions of dollars and take the tax burden off of low and moderate income individuals and families.
The real solution to the vast majority of these problems would be to move rapidly to a socialist society, one in which housing is provided to all as a basic right, the financial sector and commanding heights of the economy are made publicly accountable through social ownership and worker control. The economy and production must be oriented toward the needs of working people, rather than maximizing the profits of an obsolete ruling class of multi-millionaires and billionaires. We, the majority who work for a living, can no longer afford to produce and relinquish all that maintaining the private profits for our ruling class entails!
Socialist Party USA
-National Action Committee
The current "financial crisis" is not just a temporary setback because of poor regulation in the financial sector. The collapse of the financial sector is indicative of the total failure of the capitalist economy. In recent years, the leading recipients of this proposed bailout have attempted to justify their “Washington consensus” (cutting social safety nets, wages and benefits, and privatizing public services) in the name of mercilessly strict adherence to the “tough love” and “sacrifice” of the “free market.” This deregulation and dismantling of social protections was a logical step for the capitalists represented by the Republican and Democratic Parties. The call now for regulation of the markets is a hypocritical call by those who continue to promote the free market as the solution to everything. In demonstrating the cynical facade behind the unwaivering economic ideology they've peddled for decades, these same power brokers and politicians who demanded the near complete deregulation of the financial sector under "free market" principles, are now calling upon all tax-paying U.S. workers to "come together as Americans" and take "collective responsibility" for their boundless greed and ultimate financial failure under the very standards they themselves imposed.
Congressional Democrats, through continuous pledges to reach a "bipartisan" solution to the financial meltdown, have predictably fallen over themselves to reaffirm their reliable role as one of the two great parties of capital. As Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proclaimed on September 26th, "We will not leave until legislation is passed that will be signed by the president. The markets [sic] need a message from us that we're acting." Barack Obama, whose $25 million dollars in campaign contributions from the financial industry in this election has exceeded the amount received by John McCain, has likewise urged bipartisan passage of the bailout package, "in the spirit of cooperation on behalf of the American people.
As socialists, we understand that there can no longer be any rational debate on the question of pursuing the "free market" as an alternative to the compelling urgency for a socialist transformation of society. The need of the largest capitalist firms to wipe out competition has already led to the centralization of economic power, but in the form of private ownership by an unaccountable ruling class of professional speculators, not working people.
If we the people are now to publicly socialize the costs of our ruling class' disastrous practices, as our corporate politicians demand, what justification can be given for handing the very pillars of our economic security back to their private and unaccountable ownership once resurrected?
The Socialist Party rejects the bail-out plan. Instead, we propose that the government take over the financial sector, and then delegate the distribution of home loans to a decentralized network of non-profit credit unions. These institutions are far less likely to push bogus loans than the white-collar criminals which control the current financial institutions.
While opposing the bail-out we also call for programs which will provide support to, and help empower individuals, families, and working people as a whole to take power away from the corporate powers that be.
We support building millions of units of low-density. high quality, and low-cost housing.
We support a federally funded socialized healthcare system which would eliminate health insurance companies and be controlled by locally elected community health committees.
We support elimination of anti-labor laws and giving all workers the right to organize through card check off with the right to strike.
We support laws that would encourage the creation of worker-owned/run institutions.
We support massive investment into mass-transit and alternatives to fossil fuels.
And finally we call for the immediate withdrawal of all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan (which includes thousands of national guard troops which have been taken away from their families and jobs to fight oversees). Slashing our military budget by at least 50% and establishing a steeply progressive federal income tax system would help to fund our modest dreams.
The above actions would improve working people’s lives, bring thousands of troops home, raise hundreds of millions of dollars and take the tax burden off of low and moderate income individuals and families.
The real solution to the vast majority of these problems would be to move rapidly to a socialist society, one in which housing is provided to all as a basic right, the financial sector and commanding heights of the economy are made publicly accountable through social ownership and worker control. The economy and production must be oriented toward the needs of working people, rather than maximizing the profits of an obsolete ruling class of multi-millionaires and billionaires. We, the majority who work for a living, can no longer afford to produce and relinquish all that maintaining the private profits for our ruling class entails!
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