What is Economic Democracy?
Economic Democracy is real socialism, period. It is a state of society in which all people work cooperatively as equals for the common good of all. It is achievable only when democracy has been extended from the political sphere to also include the economy. The titles democratic socialism, economic democracy and participatory economics have been used lately to distinguish “true socialism” from the authoritarian and undemocratic states which have wrongly mislabeled themselves as socialist.
Here Are A Few Simple Principals of Democratic Socialism:
* Production for human use, not for profit.
* Classless society where no person should exploit any other person.
* Conservation of natural resources through sustainable production.
* Changes in society and government should be made by free and open elections.
* Widespread and full public education is essential to guarantee the equality of people.
* People must have access to information and be allowed to communicate their ideas in order to make informed democratic decisions.
* Public, collective ownership of the means of production and distribution, as well as the democratic management thereof. (Not state ownership of every human enterprise)
* Food, housing and healthcare are basic human rights and should be guaranteed to all.
* Democratic socialism must be achieved democratically.
“Socialism” Misused
Many societies have disguised themselves by using the term socialism. Countless dictators and despots have been able to rally people around the egalitarian ideals of socialism in order to take control of their governments and then never put these ideals into effect. "National Socialism" for example advocates a one-party dictatorial capitalist society, aka fascism. "Communism" has been used by one-party authoritarian states with centrally planned economies, aka state run capitalism. The Soviet Union was neither democratic nor socialist. A real socialist society would have to arise by democratic means and remain completely democratic in order to remain truly socialist.
The Socialist Party, USA
Todd has been endorsed by The Socialist Party, USA and will appear on the CT ballot as the socialist candidate. The Socialist Party, formed in 1901, strives to establish a radical democracy that places people's lives under their own control - a non-racist, classless, feminist socialist society...where working people own and control the means of production and distribution through democratically-controlled public agencies; where full employment is realized for everyone who wants to work; where workers have the right to form unions freely, and to strike and engage in other forms of job actions; and where the production of society is used for the benefit of all humanity, not for the private profit of a few. We believe socialism and democracy are one and indivisible.
A Note To “Nervous” Voters
You agree with Todd’s views on the major issues but are reluctant to vote for a socialist candidate? Please consider this: One socialist representative on the floor of the House of representatives will obviously not transform America into a democratic socialist society. What it will do is place a very progressive (liberal) voice in congress that will fight for the interests of the working class (middle class) and the poor, not the corporations. The wealthy already have more than 400 voices representing their interests in congress.
If you are afraid of being put on some kind of “government list” then you need to reconsider your belief that we live in an open and free society. I encourage everyone to learn more about socialism and what it really is. It is NOT the bogeyman trying to take your stuff and eliminate your freedom… it is actually the opposite. Please visit some of the links below to educate yourself on a subject that is always mislabeled and suppressed by the ruling capitalist class in order to maintain the current world order that is very profitable for them at the expense of the rest of us and the planet.
Learn More About Democratic Socialism
The Socialist Party, USA
http://www.sp-usa.org
Text Descriptions of Democratic Socialism:
A Primer on Democratic Socialism, by Edwin Laing (PDF)
http://daschaich.homelinux.net/SP/Saint.pdf
The Renewing of Socialism: An Introduction, by John Bellamy Foster
http://www.monthlyreview.org/0705jbf.htm
Approaching Socialism, by Harry Magdoff and Fred Magdoff
http://www.monthlyreview.org/0705magdoffs1.htm
Parecon: Life After Capitalism, by Michael Albert
http://www.zmag.org/ParEcon/pelac.htm
Audio Descriptions of Democratic Socialism:
A Primer on Democratic Socialism by Edwin Laing (mp3)
http://www.radio4all.net/proginfo.php?id=14518
Video Descriptions of Democratic Socialism:
Parecon Description Pt. 1 of 3 by Michael Albert
http://www.zcommunications.org/zvideo/6
Introduction to Participatory Economics Pt 1 of 5
http://www.zcommunications.org/zvideo/11
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Please Complain! The CT Write In Vote Count is Flawed
Dear Friends,
As you may have heard, there have been serious vote counting errors regarding write in candidates in Connecticut. The Green Party and Socialist Party of CT have each filed complaints with the State Elections Enforcement Commission. I am now asking you to support the efforts to have every vote counted. Whether you chose to vote for a write in candidate or not is irrelevant, what is at stake is the principal that every vote must be counted.
We are talking about uncounted votes for official registered write-in candidates in the State of CT. These are candidates who lacked the resources to overcome the extremely prohibitive 2 party ballot access laws but chose to run as write in candidates despite the odds.
Below you will find the email addresses for the State Elections Enforcement Commission and Secretary of State's office accompanied by a sample letter of complaint.
I urge you to please have solidarity with your fellow voting citizens and file a complaint to demand that this counting error be corrected.
Thank You Very Much,
Todd Vachon
www.votevachon.com
email address for Elections Enforcement Commission: SEEC@ct.gov
email address for the Elections Division at The Secretary of State's Office: lead@po.state.ct.us
CT State Elections
Enforcement Commission
20 Trinity St
Hartford, CT. 06106
SEEC@ct.gov
November 12, 2008
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to register a complaint about the official write-in vote count from the recent election (11/4/08). Several voters who chose to vote for write in candidates have found their votes were not counted. This includes votes for: Cynthia McKinnney for President, Brian Moore for President, Todd Vachon for Congress, and likely other registered write in candidates as well. The counting error is very evident to individuals who checked their town's vote tally and discovered that it did not reflect their votes. These identifiable discrepancies represent the disenfranchisement of dozens of voters and suggest that perhaps less noticeable, but similar errors may have occurred throughout the state.
Every Vote must Count!
I urge you to please look into this matter.
Thank You,
(your name here)
As you may have heard, there have been serious vote counting errors regarding write in candidates in Connecticut. The Green Party and Socialist Party of CT have each filed complaints with the State Elections Enforcement Commission. I am now asking you to support the efforts to have every vote counted. Whether you chose to vote for a write in candidate or not is irrelevant, what is at stake is the principal that every vote must be counted.
We are talking about uncounted votes for official registered write-in candidates in the State of CT. These are candidates who lacked the resources to overcome the extremely prohibitive 2 party ballot access laws but chose to run as write in candidates despite the odds.
Below you will find the email addresses for the State Elections Enforcement Commission and Secretary of State's office accompanied by a sample letter of complaint.
I urge you to please have solidarity with your fellow voting citizens and file a complaint to demand that this counting error be corrected.
Thank You Very Much,
Todd Vachon
www.votevachon.com
email address for Elections Enforcement Commission: SEEC@ct.gov
email address for the Elections Division at The Secretary of State's Office: lead@po.state.ct.us
CT State Elections
Enforcement Commission
20 Trinity St
Hartford, CT. 06106
SEEC@ct.gov
November 12, 2008
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to register a complaint about the official write-in vote count from the recent election (11/4/08). Several voters who chose to vote for write in candidates have found their votes were not counted. This includes votes for: Cynthia McKinnney for President, Brian Moore for President, Todd Vachon for Congress, and likely other registered write in candidates as well. The counting error is very evident to individuals who checked their town's vote tally and discovered that it did not reflect their votes. These identifiable discrepancies represent the disenfranchisement of dozens of voters and suggest that perhaps less noticeable, but similar errors may have occurred throughout the state.
Every Vote must Count!
I urge you to please look into this matter.
Thank You,
(your name here)
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Every Vote Must Count.
Letter to the Editor:
Unbeknown to most voters, last week’s election revealed many flaws with the statewide write-in ballot system. While the immediate response from most voters is that “the write in candidate isn’t going to change the outcome of the election,” further consideration would lead one to be more concerned. Whether one chose to vote for a write-in or a major party candidate does not change the principal of “one person, one vote.”
My name is Todd Vachon, and I was registered with The Secretary of State’s office as an official “write-in” candidate for U.S. Congress in District 2 last week. After much hard work by a handful of dedicated volunteers, we were unable to gather the necessary number of “valid” signatures to appear on the Connecticut ballot. My campaign committee convened after the August 6th petition deadline and voted to continue forward with a write-in campaign. We knew quite well that a write in candidate realistically had no chance of winning, but we proceeded in order to provide our closest supporters with the option of voting for the candidate they really wanted to vote for.
November 4th came and everyone went to the polls to register their vote for what they thought was best. While the majority of voters selected either the Democratic or Republican Party candidate, many others chose different candidates which they believed better represented them. Whether they voted for the Green, Libertarian, Socialist or Constitution Party or for an unaffiliated independent candidate, they went to the polls and cast their vote assuming that it would be counted.
What many of these folks discovered in the days following the election was that their vote was in fact not counted.
My campaign began receiving emails almost immediately from over a dozen folks who said they had written in my name on the ballot, but their town’s vote tally showed “zero” votes for the write-in candidate. Dealing with such a small number of votes made it quite easy to determine if one’s vote was actually counted. This phenomena effected my own parents, my website designer, many personal friends and several campaign volunteers in Eastern Connecticut. These are people who went out of their way on election day to write in the name of their candidate on the ballot and were not even rewarded with the pleasure of having their vote acknowledged.
If you too chose to vote for a write in candidate last week, I strongly urge you to check the official vote count for your home town. This information is available at the Secretary of State’s office and can be viewed at her website: www.sots.ct.gov. If you feel that you may have been disenfranchised please inform the Elections Division at the Secretary of State’s office (lead@po.state.ct.us) and also consider contacting your local town clerk as well. Even if you did not write in a candidate, please consider the weight of this voter’s rights issue and contact the Secretary of State on behalf of fellow voting citizens. While it has not been determined whether this error is a result of the voting process or the counting process, it is an error that must be addressed before the next election cycle. Every vote must count.
Unbeknown to most voters, last week’s election revealed many flaws with the statewide write-in ballot system. While the immediate response from most voters is that “the write in candidate isn’t going to change the outcome of the election,” further consideration would lead one to be more concerned. Whether one chose to vote for a write-in or a major party candidate does not change the principal of “one person, one vote.”
My name is Todd Vachon, and I was registered with The Secretary of State’s office as an official “write-in” candidate for U.S. Congress in District 2 last week. After much hard work by a handful of dedicated volunteers, we were unable to gather the necessary number of “valid” signatures to appear on the Connecticut ballot. My campaign committee convened after the August 6th petition deadline and voted to continue forward with a write-in campaign. We knew quite well that a write in candidate realistically had no chance of winning, but we proceeded in order to provide our closest supporters with the option of voting for the candidate they really wanted to vote for.
November 4th came and everyone went to the polls to register their vote for what they thought was best. While the majority of voters selected either the Democratic or Republican Party candidate, many others chose different candidates which they believed better represented them. Whether they voted for the Green, Libertarian, Socialist or Constitution Party or for an unaffiliated independent candidate, they went to the polls and cast their vote assuming that it would be counted.
What many of these folks discovered in the days following the election was that their vote was in fact not counted.
My campaign began receiving emails almost immediately from over a dozen folks who said they had written in my name on the ballot, but their town’s vote tally showed “zero” votes for the write-in candidate. Dealing with such a small number of votes made it quite easy to determine if one’s vote was actually counted. This phenomena effected my own parents, my website designer, many personal friends and several campaign volunteers in Eastern Connecticut. These are people who went out of their way on election day to write in the name of their candidate on the ballot and were not even rewarded with the pleasure of having their vote acknowledged.
If you too chose to vote for a write in candidate last week, I strongly urge you to check the official vote count for your home town. This information is available at the Secretary of State’s office and can be viewed at her website: www.sots.ct.gov. If you feel that you may have been disenfranchised please inform the Elections Division at the Secretary of State’s office (lead@po.state.ct.us) and also consider contacting your local town clerk as well. Even if you did not write in a candidate, please consider the weight of this voter’s rights issue and contact the Secretary of State on behalf of fellow voting citizens. While it has not been determined whether this error is a result of the voting process or the counting process, it is an error that must be addressed before the next election cycle. Every vote must count.
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