Economics, Labor, Capitalism, Trade, Poverty (Also see Taxes)

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Many “public-private partnerships are neoliberal scams that widen economic inequality.

October 6, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Watch the 24-minute video I have linked below.  It exposes “public-private partnerships” as harmful in many ways. Social problems are “monetized” by using public funding to let big businesses pretend to solve problems, but really the big businesses get rich at public expense – without actually solving the problems. Nationwide, BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES keep supporting these scams that value profits instead of people. This powerful video shows an example of the “public-private partnership” scam in Baltimore and the powerful grassroots organizing that fought back and opposed the gentrification. Here is the link: https://www.truthdig.com/videos/the-defining-scam-of-the-neoliberal-era/        

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The Climate Crisis Means the Wrong People Are Running the World

October 6, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

If ordinary people around the world had political and economic democracy, we never would have allowed the climate crisis to get to this extreme emergency: • We would have paid attention to the science. • We would have sharply restricted big business and other economic powers. • We would have forced governments to take strong and timely action decades ago. The fact that the climate crisis exists now proves that the U.S. and the world are existentially suffering from a lack of political and economic democracy. The following article discusses this: The Climate Crisis Means the Wrong People Are Running […]

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What bold, positive realities would you want for 4 years from now?

October 6, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

I am always encouraging people to envision and organize bold goals for a significantly better future.  Recently I posted to my blog this article inviting us to do that:  http://parallaxperspectives.org/lets-boldly-create-the-future-we-really-want-2 Now I invite you to take the next step. Please read (or re-read) that blog post and send me your e-mail suggestions for this topic: What bold, good reality would you want for four years from now — October 2023? Instead of feeling constrained by the current conditions that are bogging our nation down and curtailing our imaginations, I invite you to BOLDLY AND CREATIVELY IMAGINE the future you really […]

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For many, many reasons, we need to “see God in every person.”

October 2, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Many of the problems in our nation and in our world worsened and persist because people have created a gap between “us” and “them.” “Real” Americans vs. immigrants, Christians vs. others, rich vs. poor, straights vs. LGBTQ persons, and so forth — all of these divisions are ways for privileged people to put themselves above people of lower status. In 2018 some Church leaders who were appalled by the Religious Right’s cruelties and abuses wrote a statement they called “Reclaiming Jesus: A Confession of Faith in a Time of Crisis.” The document identifies six serious theological errors that the Religious […]

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Local people’s priorities for the federal budget are the OPPOSITE of Congress’s.

September 27, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Twice in late summer 2019 the Olympia Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons organized and staffed information booths at public events (Olympia’s Harbor Days from Fri. Aug. 30 to Sun. Sept. 1, and Olympia’s International Peace Day event on Sat. Sept. 21). I labeled six jars with different possible uses for our federal budget.  Our volunteers handed each visitor to our booth a stack of ten pennies and invited them to put the pennies into the various jars to show how the visitor would choose to spend the federal budget. The results (listed below) were similar for both events, except “Environment […]

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If Democrats nominate Biden or another neoliberal “centrist,” Trump could win in 2020.

September 27, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Voters in 2016 were angry at the status quo, and they wanted Bernie Sanders, but the institutional Democratic Party manipulated things in order to cram Hillary Clinton down our throats instead.  Hillary thought the status quo was OK with just a little tinkering around the edges, and her “centrism” failed to inspire voters.  Voters voted for a radical non-politician named Trump and hoped for the best. Now the institutional Democratic Party is repeating their same mistake by opposing the true progressives (Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren) and trying to push Joe Biden or another “centrist” down our throats. 2020 will […]

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Protect the 99.8%. Increase taxes on the 0.2%. Tell Congress to act now.

September 27, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Trump and Republicans LIED when they said their December 2017 tax cuts for big business and extremely rich people would be good for the rest of us.  INSTEAD, WE NEED TO REPEAL THAT — and RAISE TAXES on the very richest 0.2% of the population in order to help the 99.8% of us who are not extremely rich. On September 23, 2019, Americans for Tax Fairness (www.americansfortaxfairness.org) sent an e-mail urging us to urge our members of Congress to sign on and co-sponsor new legislation to promote economic justice.  I am quoting some parts of their e-mail and summarizing some […]

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“Replace Negativity and Centrism with Bold Progress.”

September 27, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

A great many issues are important, but neither of the two big political parties is doing nearly enough to solve these problems.  While voting has some value, the most progress in solving problems will occur when ordinary people organize nonviolently, strategically, and vigorously from the grassroots. The article I am attaching below fleshes this out briefly.  For more information, see resources I’ve posted to this blog’s “Organizing” category. During 2019 The Olympian is publishing five op-eds that I am writing.  The one at this link was published in the newspaper on Fri. Sept. 27, 2019: BOC — 2019.09.19 — FINAL […]

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Sharp contrasts between economic equality in Norway vs. gross inequality in the U.S.

September 22, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

The headline of the article I’m linking below asks, “Is Norway better off with socialism than the U.S. is with capitalism?” The article’s sub-head says: “The numbers show that the U.S. has wealth, but that wealth is collected in only a few hands. Norway has wealth, but it is spread more evenly.” Actually, the headline’s use of the word “socialism” somewhat overstates the case. Norway’s economy really is basically capitalist, but Norway has deliberately designed its government and its economy to serve the broad public rather than a rich elite. The article linked here includes stark contrasts between Norway and […]

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Protect TRUTH and DEMOCRACY from Trump’s constant abuses!

September 22, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Trump is relentlessly, repeatedly attacking TRUTH and attacking DEMOCRACY and other humane values in so many may ways that people are increasingly afraid that our constitutional government will be replaced by Trump’s dictatorship. Congress is not doing nearly enough to protect us.  Trump has been stacking the courts with young, right-wing extremists who will continue imposing Trumpism upon us for decades into the future.  Media ownership is concentrating in fewer hands, and those are increasingly right-wing, so now fewer Americans know what is really happening.   A recent article was titled:  “How Democracy Dies: Big Brother is Erasing the Public […]

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Trump appointed MANY, MANY judges — young right-wing extremists who will enforce Trumpism for MANY DECADES into the future.

September 14, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Trump and the Republicans do NOT want an honest government that will function properly and serve the public interest (by protecting consumers, the environment, social justice, constitutional rights, etc.), Trump and the Republicans DO want government to perform the bad functions (military violence, cruelty to immigrants, violations of human rights in the U.S. and worldwide, massive imprisonment, etc.). Accordingly, Trump has refused to fill many vacancies for high-level federal positions that serve diplomacy, the environment, and other useful functions.  Now the Federal Elections Commission — which is responsible for making sure elections are fair — is prevented from functioning because […]

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Failing to deal seriously with the climate crisis WILL COST MUCH MORE than taking the necessary actions!!

September 14, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Political conservatives and “centrists” keep saying that spending money to deal with the climate crisis would be too expensive.  ACTUALLY, FAILING TO TAKE STRONG ACTIONS will COST MUCH MORE!!! A friend sent me the article linked below.  My friend thought it is a good article – and she especially urges “fiscal conservatives” to read it.   Read the article — “The Green New Deal Costs Less than Doing Nothing” at this link: https://newrepublic.com/article/153702/green-new-deal-costs-less-nothing        

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Let’s Boldly Create the Future We Really Want!

September 9, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

I wrote this powerful, inspiring essay because we have much more potential for solving problems and creating a better future than most people realize. Regardless of which issues you care about, I encourage you to read the essay at this link: Let’s Boldly Create the Future We Really Want                

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New report exposes Republicans’ 2017 tax scam as another handout to the rich instead of helping the poor

September 4, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Trump and the Republicans lied about their 2017 massive tax cut for extremely rich people and big business.  They said it would help the middle class, and that it would stimulate investments that would help poor people. Of course, the opposite is what turned out.  Extremely rich people and big businesses reaped huge savings and profits, but the rest of us suffered. This new report provides additional information: https://www.alternet.org/2019/09/report-reveals-that-like-everything-else-about-gop-tax-scam-program-purported-to-help-the-poor-really-just-another-handout-to-the-rich/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1324