The Tom Hartmann Program recently wrote this in an Op-Ed:
Blah, blah, blah. Same old, same old. Time for major change.
The Progressive Change Institute recently asked likely 2016 voters about their views on a bunch of big issues, and it turns out that everyday citizens overwhelmingly support some of the most liberal policies around.
- 71 percent of the US public supports giving all students access to a debt-free college education.
- 70 percent support expanding Social Security.
- 71 percent support a massive infrastructure spending program aimed at rebuilding out broken roads and bridges and putting people back to work.
- 59 percent support raising taxes on the wealthy so that millionaires pay the same amount in taxes as they did during the Reagan administration.
- 77 percent support giving every US child free pre-K education.
And the list goes on.
- 58 percent of Americans support breaking up the big banks.
- 59 percent, meanwhile, support a basic guaranteed minimum income while a still higher percentage – 70 percent – support the creation of a “Green New Deal” that would see the government invest hundreds of millions of dollars in renewable energy.
But all this begs the question: If more than half of congressional Democrats and way more than half of all citizens support doing things like expanding Social Security and making college free for all, why aren’t those policies becoming law?
Simple, the United States is no longer a Democracy, but in fact is an Oligarchy. And the Oligarchs have made progressive change for the commonwealth illegal, so let’s face it, there isn’t much left but to start planning the revolution.
All progressives should be welcome, from patient electoral activists, new age networks, sustainable toxin-free foodies, trade unionists, eco-warriors, whistle blowers, artists and Anonymous. We will need them all and many more and must refrain from squabbles and denigration of others efforts for progressive change. We must steadfastly refuse to honor divisions by class, race, or gender and speak out against those divisions where they are found.
I think the “Black Lives Matter” movement is good, strong, and certainly grass-roots and heart felt. It is progressive and revolutionary in nature, and a good foundation upon which to build. However it would be up to the leaders of that movement to reach out, broaden their message, and strive to include all the groups mentioned above.
Once we are united, we can make the deep systemic changes to our country that are direly needed.
#BlackLivesMatter
