Showing posts with label #bourgeoisie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #bourgeoisie. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Using Your Vote In Our "Destroyed Democracy"

Using Your Vote In Our "Destroyed Democracy"

by C. A. Matthews  

Readers might have noticed that TRC has spent very little blog space on the US midterms this time around. There are a couple of reasons for this. First off, since we’re open to guest bloggers expressing whatever is on their mind at the moment, we let our readers/bloggers set the pace in regards to posts about elections. We haven’t had anyone really interested in writing about the 2022 midterms, so there’s that.

Secondly—and perhaps most importantly—is this reason: Why bother?

Really, what difference will it make to ordinary working class Americans which of the establishment factions has the majority in the US House or Senate? What difference will our votes make one way or the other when study after study (starting with the infamous Princeton Study) demonstrate that our elected officials completely ignore the bottom 90% of American voters and only listen to those with the most money?

Just get a load of these figures:

According to a report released Thursday by Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF), just 465 American billionaires had donated an unprecedented $881 million by the end of September — even before last-minute campaign pushes in the last five weeks before Election Day. This is already more than the amount that billionaires spent in the entirety of the 2018 midterm election.
 
Further, the vast majority of this spending — $643 million, or 73 percent — comes from just 20 billionaire households, including prominent figures like the Koch family, Peter Thiel, George Soros, Michael and Susan Bloomberg and Jeffrey Yass.  --465 Billionaires Have Pumped An Eye-Popping $881 Million Into the Midterms
 

In past elections, reading an article like the one above showing how many millions—excuse me, billions—are being spent by the oligarchs/billionaires to influence US governmental policy, our planet’s health, and our general welfare would have made me extremely irate. I might have suggested that you make a plan to go to the polls and vote for an independent or third party candidate to send the duopolists a strong message that we’re on to them and their corporate puppet masters. I might have led everyone in a chant of, "We’re mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore!"
 
Nowadays, I’m more resigned to our fate. Those with the money will get their agenda passed with no problems, and there’s nothing we the poor and struggling workers can do about it. It's not like we can come up with over one billion dollars every election to bribe the candidates and take the reins away from our true masters and rulers, the billionaires, can we?

Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges puts it very well:

The bipartisan project of dismantling our democracy, which took place over the last few decades on behalf of corporations and the rich, has left only the outward shell of democracy. The courts, legislative bodies, the executive branch and the media, including public broadcasting, are captive to corporate power. There is no institution left that can be considered authentically democratic. The corporate coup d’état is over. They won. We lost.

The wreckage of this neoliberal project is appalling: endless and futile wars to enrich a military-industrial-complex that bleeds the U.S. Treasury of half of all discretionary spending; deindustrialization that has turned U.S. cities into decayed ruins; the slashing and privatization of social programs, including education, utility services and health care – which saw over one million Americans account for one-fifth of global deaths from Covid, although we are 4 percent of the world’s population; draconian forms of social control embodied in militarized police, functioning as lethal armies of occupation in poor urban areas; the largest prison system in the world; a virtual tax boycott by the richest individuals and corporations; money-saturated elections that perpetuate our system of legalized bribery; and the most intrusive state surveillance of the citizenry in our history.

In “The United States of Amnesia,” to quote Gore Vidal, the corporate press and the ruling class create fictional feel-good personas for candidates, treat all political campaigns as if it is a day at the races and gloss over the fact that on every major issue, from trade deals to war, there is very little difference between Democrats and Republicans. The Democratic Party and Joe Biden are not the lesser evil, but rather, as Glen Ford pointed out, “the more effective evil.”  --The Politicians Who Destroyed Our Democracy Want Us to Vote for Them to Save it 

All this is not to say that I’m not voting this time out and that you shouldn’t vote, either. It's just that, with what I know now, I’m not wasting my time voting for either the Republican or Democratic Parties’ candidates. Both establishment factions accept plenty of money from the billionaires, so their loyalty will always be pledged to the top 1% and not to bottom 99% of Americans. 

I’m willing to vote for any and all independent and third party candidates who don't take corporate cash, and I will voice my opinion on all local and state issues. In my case, that’s about one page out of several of the printed ballot. I will make my opinion known on these ballot issues since they are important to my community and directly affect our lives together. 

If there’s no electronic diddling with the vote count, then at least some form of democracy will occur in regards to those ballot issues. I see that as a “win” for the ordinary people. We might still have to put up a while longer with a corrupt system that blithely calls itself a “representative democracy” (watch this video for more about how easily corrupted that is), but at least we’re not running away scared with our tails between our legs. We are buying ourselves time to figure out how to rebuild our destroyed democracy.

We ordinary American voters should stand proud. We’re interested in our local communities' well-being. We don’t have to explain ourselves to anyone about why we didn’t waste time rubber-stamping a vote for a bunch of corporate candidates to make their billionaire bosses happy. There's no need for us to feel shame about not supporting the status quo with our votes. We proudly can leave these corporate sell-outs twisting in the wind, desperate to come up with a good excuse to explain why no decent hardworking American wanted to vote for them. 

I think the biggest joke this midterm election is on the billionaires. They think they’ve successfully bought off American “democracy.” Ha! We all know it doesn’t exist, and we're not keeping silent. We've got the perseverance to keep working toward building a government that doesn't include the likes of them.

Of course, the billionaires will be laughing all the way to the bank in the short term as their politician-puppets gift them billions of our tax dollars to produce weapons, weapons to pass on to another corrupt government under the guise of a proxy war. These Daddy Warbucks will then sell their leftover weapon stockpiles directly to the US war machine. The US war machine will bomb even more countries in our collective good name until these decimated countries are overflowing with “freedom and democracy” and a whole lot less of their natural resources and citizens. 

It's why the billionaires bought out the US government in the first place. How else are they supposed to make so much money? Work for it with their own hands like we peons do?

I hope you can see now that voting alone isn’t going to get us out of this mess. Voting isn’t going to stop the endless wars for oil and liquefied natural gas at the expense of innocent human beings’ lives. Voting red and blue and red and blue will do nothing because of you-know-who! Billionaires and their bought off cronies have a lock on our corrupt system of government. The only way We the People can take back power is by refusing to play along with their abusive games.

It’s like that well-worn adage that the Dems seem to enjoy shouting every couple of years: “This is the most important election of our lives!” These midterms are the most important elections of our lives but only because now we understand that we no longer need waste our time putting check marks in front of the red or blue candidates on the ballot. We know now how much a real democracy is worth and that it can’t be bought by anyone. It's priceless, and it's worth fighting for until we get it. 

So, whatever you decide to do this midterm election or in elections to come, feel proud. You're mad as hell, and you're smart enough not to fall for the duopolists' propaganda. That makes you a "winner" in my book. Don't let a bunch of soulless billionaires' puppets tell you otherwise.

 


Related Articles:   

UPDATE: Total Cost of 2022 State and Federal Elections Projected to Exceed $16.7 Billion https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/11/total-cost-of-2022-state-and-federal-elections-projected-to-exceed-16-7-billion

Congress Literally Doesn't Care What You Think https://act.represent.us/sign/problempoll-fba/

465 Billionaires Have Pumped An Eye-Popping $881 Million Into the Midterms https://truthout.org/articles/465-billionaires-have-pumped-an-eye-popping-881-million-into-the-midterms/

Chris Hedges: The Politicians Who Destroyed Our Democracy Want Us to Vote for Them to Save it  https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/the-politicians-who-destroyed-our

AIPAC Had a Banner Year in Election Meddling and We Should All Be Concerned  https://truthout.org/articles/aipac-had-a-banner-year-in-election-meddling-and-we-should-all-be-concerned/

US Again Isolated on UN Vote Against Its Cuba Blockade https://popularresistance.org/us-again-isolated-on-un-vote-against-its-cuba-blockade/

Why the US is Not a Democracy (video) https://youtu.be/srfeHpQNEAI 

Chris Hedges: Betrayed by Liberals (video) https://youtu.be/a-aVr6H0c3U 

The Racism of the Supreme Court Supermajority Was on Full Display This Week  https://scheerpost.com/2022/11/05/the-racism-of-the-supreme-courts-supermajority-was-on-full-display-this-week/

Seen on Twitter:

Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Is This Squid Game?

 

Is This Squid Game?

by C.A. Matthews

I've never seen the TV series, but I've read about it. Most viewers express sympathy with the characters and at least a passing familiarity with the premise. They see themselves living in a sick and twisted game show set up so that no one can win and all of their suffering is for the entertainment of a privileged few.

I can relate.  No matter how I try, I never can get a handle on this sick and twisted economic system we're forced to live under. The rules seem to change capriciously in mid-game. All we can really expect playing in the contest of capitalism is to slave away for billionaires at starvation wages and abysmal benefits (if we're lucky to have any) until the day we die.

Well, I don't know 'bout you, but I'm mad as hell. And I'm not going to take it anymore.

What can we do about it? First off, no more lies. Pretending that capitalism somehow benefits everyone in our society is harmful in and of itself. Holding onto this lie keeps beneficial changes from occurring because energy is wasted on upholding the status quo.  (Read Exposing The Lie.)

In practical terms this means no more agreeing with those who think all those who "fail" under capitalism are somehow "lazy" or "deficient" in any way. Uh-uh. Anyone who enjoys profiting off the work of others is a failure--a total failure in the moral decency department. They no longer deserve our respect or regard. Feel free to tell them to shut the f*** up.

Secondly, we must fight the system at every opportunity. The workers have the power when they unite to fight for the rights they deserve. Striketober, General Strike, and Strikesgiving are trending hashtags for a reason. Strikes work. We the workers can't let up with organizing ourselves into unions now.

The third thing is the most important action we can take to defeat the sadistic capitalist game runners. We the ordinary people must stop arguing with each other, especially over trivial things. The elites depend on our mutual animosity dividing us into smaller and smaller factions so they can easily conquer us. Capitalists love race hatred and help sow it at every possible opportunity. They salivate over inter-generational conflict because that means children and their parents and grandparents will never coalesce into one large group and instigate a mass action against the bourgeoisie.


We can't let the billionaires bust We the People up and create conflict in the ranks. It's us versus them. It's the only way we'll succeed in throwing them out of power, so keep the focus on us.

It's time we put away this worldwide game of Monopoly or Squid Game or whatever you call it and replace it with one called Cooperation. If we don't do it soon, we won't have any planet left to fight over.

The climate emergency could be abated if we put an end to the military-industrial complex and the carbon pollution caused by the top 10% wealthiest. Focusing on those mighty tasks together alongside our fellow workers, instead of being distracted by capitalists' games that will destroy life on Earth as we know it, is what we've got to do.

No excuses. Time's a'wastin'! Get mad as hell--and then get out there and take out the madmen who created this hell.

 

Related Articles:

It's Really Weird How Little We Talk About Humanity's Imminent Doom  https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2021/11/03/its-really-weird-how-little-we-talk-about-humanitys-imminent-doom/

Study Warns Luxury Pollution by the Mega-Rich Is Imperiling the Planet https://truthout.org/articles/study-warns-luxury-pollution-by-the-mega-rich-is-imperiling-the-planet/

 Americans Are Rediscovering the Power of Unions https://scheerpost.com/2021/11/08/americans-are-rediscovering-the-power-of-unions/

The COVID Supply Chain Breakdown Can Be Traced to Capitalist Globalization https://truthout.org/articles/the-covid-supply-chain-breakdown-can-be-traced-to-capitalist-globalization/

Seen on Twitter:

***

From Friends of the Earth:

Picture this: Sand-covered baby sea turtles hatching from their shells and making the long journey from the sunkissed beach to the salty water. But something’s wrong -- out of the water sticks a huge metal contraption, casting a shadow over the beach. It’s an offshore drilling rig -- and it’s putting the tiny sea turtles in danger. Take action now.

This grim reality could soon become even more entrenched for everyone who calls the Gulf Coast home. The Department of Interior is preparing to sell 80 million acres of the Gulf coast to the fossil fuel industry. The massive sale will pollute Gulf waters with toxic fumes and chemicals, threatening iconic marine life like sea turtles, native fish, birds, dolphins, and whales.

But the sale isn’t final yet, and you can help stop it if you show a groundswell of resistance. Will you act to save marine life from pollution, C.A.?

Tell the DOI: Don’t sell the Gulf of Mexico to Big Oil polluters! 

SIGN NOW

While the Gulf was just starting to recover from the Deepwater Horizon disaster of 2010 and the decades-long Taylor Oil Spill of 2004, Hurricane Ida caused dozens of rigs and pipelines to rupture, spilling even more toxic sludge into the Gulf. The Gulf experienced 2,000 new incidents of pollution in its waters after Hurricane Ida. And that’s not all -- in the past two years, the region suffered the worst red tides in over a decade.  

Oil spills aren’t a rare occurrence in the Gulf. In fact, offshore pipeline leak rates in the Gulf are more than 10 times higher than the national rate. And these spills cause a host of health issues. People living nearby can experience respiratory problems and pneumonia from the fumes of oil spills alone.

The federal government should be protecting our Gulf waters and the people and wildlife who call it home -- not sacrificing them to fossil fuel mega-corporations. But the only way we’ll save the Gulf is if people like you take a minute to sign your name and demand the DOI cancel this sale.

Demand the DOI put people, wildlife, and the planet before Big Oil profits!

SIGN NOW

Once a sea turtle swims through an oil spill, there’s no way to guarantee it will survive. Wildlife rescue efforts after oil spills are far from 100% effective.

But if the DOI sells more of the Gulf coast to Big Oil, the spills and their catastrophic impact will only become more frequent. And the sale will impact everyone from Texas to California by increasing carbon emissions from fossil fuels and hurtling us closer to climate catastrophe. 


 The climate crisis has already been declared a code red for humanity. Selling off more land to fossil fuel developers is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing. But instead, President Biden is breaking his campaign promises to end oil and gas leasing in our ocean. The only way to stop this is if you raise your voice and speak out against fossil fuel destruction now.

Help send 30,000 comments: Tell the DOI to keep Big Oil out of Gulf waters! 

SIGN NOW

Standing with you,
Hallie Templeton,
Senior oceans campaigner,
Friends of the Earth

 ***

From OpenMedia:

Have any of your posts ever been taken down on a platform? Do you want to see more regulations online? Do you wish freedom of expression was the rule online? This is the opportunity to share with OpenMedia what you think about content moderation by social media platforms.

While the First Amendment of the constitution restricts the ability of the government to penalize people for what they say on online platforms, platforms are currently able to set their own rules for speech on their services. Some people want platforms to set fewer rules, while others want to see more restrictions over harmful speech such as misinformation and harassing behaviour. We want to know YOUR preferences regarding the content you see on online platforms. Any changes should be made based on people’s actual needs and requests. This is your opportunity to participate!

We have partnered with Simon Fraser University and research funder Mitacs to develop an in-depth survey to consult your opinion about content moderation and the type of values you prioritize when deciding on online content.

Take me to the survey!

A lot of our best ideas start with our incredible community members, like you. Would you take some time to take this survey and share your thoughts?

We hope this research will provide significant information about the public's preferences when it comes to regulating private online spaces. The results of the study can contribute to public policy decisions based on the opinion of the citizens to shape the digital regulations of the years to come.

Give your opinion

Thanks for all that you do,

The OpenMedia Team

 ***
We're demanding that the U.S. government accept responsibility for the harm caused by Agent Orange — the toxic chemical used as a weapon of war on the people and land of southeast Asia from 1961-1971 — and provide assistance to American veterans, Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American victims, and their children. For the past six decades, millions of people sprayed directly by Agent Orange as well as their descendants have suffered from various cancers, birth defects, and other deadly diseases. Contaminated areas in Vietnam continue to poison the food, soil, water, and wildlife.
It's far past time for the U.S. government to address the poisonous legacy of the American war in Vietnam. Join us in telling Congress to pass H.R. 3518: Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2021.

This May, Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced H.R. 3518, the Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act, saying: “The United States has a moral responsibility to compensate the victims of the Agent Orange campaign. In the same way we are focused on beginning to repair the damage of systemic racism in the form of reparations, and the war on drugs with restorative justice, it is also our responsibility to try and atone for this disgraceful campaign during the Vietnam War.”

H.R. 3518 calls on the U.S. government to:

  • Fund significant assistance to Vietnamese Agent Orange victims
  • Clean up the lands and eco-systems contaminated by Agent Orange in Vietnam
  • Provide additional assistance and health care for U.S. veterans' children affected by Agent Orange
  • Address the health needs of affected Vietnamese-Americans
  • Require the Department of Veterans Affairs to continue to conduct research on the health effects of Agent Orange

Tell your U.S. Representative in Congress to co-sponsor this important bill to help alleviate those suffering from Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam and the U.S.!
Thank you for taking action,
Greta Zarro
Organizing Director
World BEYOND War
 greta@worldbeyondwar.org

 

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)