Democracy, Electoral Reforms, Voting Rights (Also see Political Parties and Elections)

No Image

These savvy, practical insights can reach and convince the public about our issues

March 21, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

I’ve been working with some people who want to “nationalize” an industry that has been owned by capitalists for many decades.  Several members of that group pointed out that calling for “nationalizing” it can leave us open to accusations of being “socialists” or “communists.”  They said that INSTEAD we should call for “public ownership,” which sounds more democratic and practical. I agree that it is crucially important to frame this issue with the appealing term “public ownership.” I wrote an article about the overall concept of how to choose our terminology to reach out effectively to the public and bring […]

No Image

What to do about right-wing extremists who deny election results and oppose honest democracy?

March 4, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

Decent Americans who want democracy to survive and thrive are deeply concerned about right-wing extremists who deny election results and oppose honest democracy.  These include Donald Trump, Kari Lake, and a great number of Republicans and people more extreme than they are. Actually, people who disagree with us differ in some ways from each other, so let’s not lump them all together and become so frightened that we feel overwhelmed and powerless.  We can devise smart strategies to deal with them. The article here provides some fresh information and insights.  The article is titled, “Forget the Deplorables and Focus on […]

No Image

To solve political-social-economic problems, we must organize PEOPLE-POWER grassroots movements

February 28, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

Several years ago, a guest on one of my TV programs said that only 5% of democracy is about voting, while 95% of democracy is about organizing grassroots movements.  I agree. People who have official power (politicians, big businesses, etc.) want ordinary people to feel powerless and get out of the way, so they themselves can make all of the important decisions. Alice Walker said, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” If ordinary people actually did recognize our power — and our huge potential to organize strategically from the grassroots […]

No Image

House Republicans use the phony-baloney “debt ceiling” to hold the U.S. hostage and cut programs we really need

February 4, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

Mainstream news media keep giving credibility to Republican propaganda about the “debt ceiling.” The “debt ceiling” is NOT in the Constitution.  It is simply a law that could be repealed, but Democrats keep failing to take that necessary action.  Congress has routinely increased it — including in every year of the Trump regime — but when Republican Newt Gingrich had power in the House and when Democrats Obama and Biden have been President, Republicans act like terrorists and hold our nation hostage and threaten to shut down our government because they want to cut spending for programs we really need, […]

No Image

Nonviolent Ways to Heal Our Society’s Dysfunction — Watch Glen’s TV program online or on cable

February 2, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

The February 2023 program on “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” TV series provides insights and inspiration to help people solve problems that have been getting worse in our society. After mentioning some serious problems, we pivot toward proposing some smart nonviolent ways to solve the problems.  This TV interview is positive, upbeat, creative and practical. Rivera Sun is the expert guest who helps us explore these topics.  Rivera Sun is an author, activist, and the Programs Coordinator for Pace e Bene / Campaign Nonviolence. People in Thurston County WA who have cable TV can watch it on channel 22 three times a […]

No Image

Urge WA Legislature to repeal Tim Eyman’s anti-tax propaganda on our ballots

January 27, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

The 2023 Washington State Legislature has an opportunity to do something good for democracy. For many years, Tim Eyman has CLUTTERED OUR BALLOTS WITH MEANINGLESS “ADVISORY VOTES” that are really ANTI-TAX PROPAGANDA! Some years ago he fooled voters into approving a statewide initiative to put these on the ballot.  They have NO LEGITIMATE PURPOSE.  They merely rile up voters with anti-tax hysteria.  Every time the legislature increases tax on anybody in any way — even by finally making certain kinds of businesses pay their fair share — and even by closing a stupid loophole — Tim Eyman’s stupid initiative triggers […]

No Image

CALENDAR of COMING EVENTS — JAN-FEB 2023

January 21, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

Every few weeks I’ll be posting a CALENDAR of COMING EVENTS. It lists a CALENDAR of SPECIFIC EVENTS during the next few weeks.  After that long list, it includes some recurring events for every day, every week, and every month, so please scroll down through the entire document to see MANY opportunities for a WIDE VARIETY of issues. Here is my calendar for JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2023: CALENDAR — 2023 JAN-FEB      

No Image

Abolish the federal “debt ceiling.” It’s a Republican scam to prevent funding to solve problems.

January 8, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

Whenever Congress is asked to fund activities that would help ordinary people (health care, education, anti-poverty programs, etc.), Republicans object on the grounds that we can’t afford to pay for them. But they ALWAYS support funding the horribly huge military budget — and tax cuts for rich people and big businesses — and NEVER ask how we would pay for those. For example, in December 2022, Congress just passed $858 billion military budget, but the GOP is blocking $12 billion to fight child poverty Republicans refused to even consider proposals to revive the Child Tax Credit expansion that lifted millions […]

No Image

Voters keep rejecting BOTH political parties — and for good reasons!

January 3, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

We all know that ALMOST ALWAYS the political party that holds the presidency LOSES seats in Congress’s midterm elections. Here is why. The Executive Branch – regardless of which party controls it – FAILS TO DELIVER what the voters really want.  It allows big businesses and other powerful “special interests” to control federal agencies so they cater to those powerful interests and FAIL TO SOLVE our nation’s problems. Voters punish the negligent, corrupt party by VOTING AGAINST that party’s congressional candidates in the midterm elections.     Public opinion polls keep showing that increasing majorities are saying our nation is […]

No Image

Powerful forces are bullying us. Let’s reject despair and empower strategically smart grassroots movements!

January 2, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

On issue after issue, powerful economic and political forces — including “culture warriors” — are vigorously bullying people, corrupting elections, hurting workers and children, disrupting ecosystems and Mother Earth’s climate, and causing other damage. Many people who have better values are feeling overwhelmed and powerless.  Some yield to despair and give up. But we can indeed fight back — nonviolently — by organizing strategically savvy grassroots movements to solve the problems and replace bad public policies with good ones. This requires a positive attitude.  Hope is not really a statistical probability that we have a certain percentage of likelihood of […]

No Image

Society and politicians need to recognize the SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS that cause homelessness

November 22, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

Too often we hear ordinary people and politicians blame the victims of our economic system.  Trump specialized in this.  He kept calling people “losers.”  He did not mean that they were losing because capitalism is unfair – or that they were being hurt by systemic social injustice and discrimination.  No, Trump’s accusation of “loser” was personal blame against the individuals who have been victimized by cruel systems in our society and our economy. In order to solve the problems, we must recognize that OUR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEMS cause the problems and make people poor. Also, OUR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC […]

No Image

PREVENT Congress members from trading stocks!!! They have CONFLICTS OF INTERESTS!!! This is CORRUPT!!!

November 22, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

Congress makes big decisions about many issues:  Economics, energy, climate, military weapons, and on and on. Many of those issues involve BIG BUSINESSES in which Congress members OWN STOCK.  Their inside information about what Congress will be deciding will influence whether certain business corporations’ stocks will increase or decrease.  THIS IS CORRUPT.  This problem has been going on for many decades, and Congress keeps failing to STOP THIS CORRUPTION.   People who want HONEST DEMOCRACY are demanding that Congress PROHIBIT stock trading.  I have an article about this from June 30, 2018, regarding Congress members who own stock in companies […]

No Image

URGENT! Congress must take these actions NOW!

November 22, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

The November 2022 election results show Republicans with a small majority in the House and Democrats with a small majority in the Senate.  WE MUST URGE CONGRESS TO TAKE A NUMBER OF ACTIONS NOW in late November and December 2022 before the new Congress convenes in January 2023, when all legislation that is pending now will die.   I have been urging ALL THREE of our members of Congress to PASS MANY good pieces of pending legislation: – Stay in session past the scheduled adjournment date – Work evenings and weekends to PASS the bills – Use the “Budget Reconciliation” […]

No Image

Republicans are an ongoing, EXTREME DANGER to the Constitution and honest democracy!

November 12, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

Here are some ideas from mid-November 2022 and some articles, etc., from July to early November 2022.  This is only a small part of the massive information that exists about this crisis for American democracy.   #1. In many parts of the U.S., voters in the November 2022 election were smart enough to rebuff some of the worst Republican candidates and defeat some of the worst ballot issues — and to actually elect a number of progressive Democrats and to pass a number of progressive ballot issues.  BUT REPUBLICANS REMAIN AN EXTREME DANGER to our nation.   #2. For a […]

No Image

“Christian Nationalism” is HISTORICALLY FALSE — with bad politics and bad theology

November 11, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

Increasingly in recent years, the FALSE claim that the U.S. was designed to be a “Christian nation” has been gaining strength among right-wing Christians and people with right-wing political beliefs. “Christian Nationalism” is HISTORICALLY FALSE, and it is very dangerous to our nation and to people’s human rights.  It also has perverted many people’s religious beliefs.   This article explains how “​Christian Nationalism” fueled the January 6, 2021, violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and is threatening democracy itself:  https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/how-christian-nationalism-fueled-the-insurrection-and-threatens-democracy/   One of the loudest voices comes from David Barton, who is NOT a real historian, but pretends to be.  […]