I'm damn tired of people who claim to be the left

[PatrickforO]

259. Hmm. Nice to be told there's a litmus test for membership in our party. Gosh, and here I am...

...giggling nervously and wondering if I am able to cut the mustard in your eyes.

But...what about economic justice?

I want expanded Social Security.

What about Medicare for all Americans?

How about equalizing how we finance inner city K-12 so those kids have a more level playing field?

How about more of our tax money to subsidize child care so that young families and single parents can have better lives?

What about lifesaving guidelines that keep our air, water and earth clean?

I'd like to see all kids get to take advantage of taxpayer subsidized college up to a four year degree - that would be financed by both individual AND corporate income tax. Because without the skills to be competitive in a global economy, our kids will languish and our businesses will close down. That will help NOBODY.

And what about trade treaties? Should they be negotiated in secrecy with ISDS provisions that kill democracy at the local, state and even national level?

How about beefing up the Temporary Aid for Needy Families law to get rid of the slave labor provision (it's called 'work related activity' in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (PRWORA)), and allow occupational training to be a 'work related' activity?

How about more job training available for SNAP E&T (otherwise known as food stamp job search) people so they don't have to have a revolving door and can actually get ahead?

And wouldn't more early childhood education and nutrition programs for inner city kids be good?

See, I think these things I've cited above bring about social justice. In fact, I am as sure of my position as you are yours. Interesting, that. As to civil rights, we've got to focus on ending voter suppression with automatic registration and making election day a holiday so everyone can vote.

Oh, and you know what else would dramatically enhance civil rights, equality, social and economic justice? Is if we actually as a people got balanced news. This means that we'd have to bring back the Fairness Doctrine the snake Reagan vetoed in 1987, effectively allowing the birth and growth of a massive corporate-funded and very sophisticated right-wing propaganda organ.

What about unions? You know what drove the nail in the coffins of working people of all races and ethnicities? The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. It made general strikes illegal and made it harder for unions to organize. And without collective bargaining, we have things like the Missouri state legislature revoking the $10/hr minimum wage in St. Louis and taking them back to $7.70 per hour. I guess that might not qualify in your eyes as an attack on 'equality' or 'civil rights' or 'social justice,' but it sure as hell will disproportionately affect minorities, particularly women of color.

So, you know, more power to you as a resister, but if you don't promote the kind of things I've mentioned above, how will you get that equality, civil rights and social justice? You won't. Not without making the economic playing field a lot more even. This is the very issue that destroyed us during the primaries - which is more valid, economic or social justice.

Truth? They go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other. But we sure did stupidly allow ourselves to be divided so we could be conquered. But, hey, the Koch brothers, the Mercers, Sheldon Addelbrain and the rest of the billionaire freaks got to laugh their way to the bank - 33 state legislatures, 32 governorships and the entire federal government in Republican hands. And guess what?

They are getting what they've wanted all along - the money from the treasury that should be funding stuff that helps us is instead getting sucked off to corporate profits. That's why while we are arguing the virtues of economic justice versus social justice, they are gutting the EPA, ruining our alliances, and basically destroying everything that this nation stands for. Bannon wants an apocalyptic war between Islam and Christianity with the winner inheriting the ashes that are left.

But, hey, it's great to have a litmus test to know who the REAL Democrats are!

Thanks.