"Politics is the shadow cast by big business over society." John Dewey.
"We do not have a two-party system anymore, we have one Business party with two factions." Noam Chomsky.
Consider this a formal challenge to all of you to rethink supporting the Democratic Party on the grounds that the Democratic Party has become so dependent on corporate support, that it no longer represents the needs or the will of the people.
This State-Corporate complex represents the complete and total corruption of our government, and effectively leaves control of the country solely in the hands of the soulless corporations. Our political system is undemocratic, and should never be accepted in a free society.
We have seen time and time again how Democrats have sold us out to the big corporations. No pubic option, no financial reform, no foreclosure relief program, bailouts for the big financial crooks, continuing the Bush tax cuts, and on and on and on. Republicans are a convenient scapegoat to provide cover for DINO's, but the fact is that the Democratic Party is now the Business Lite Party: Equally subservient to fascist corporate interests as Republicans, differentiating itself only in rhetoric.
Of course the tired argument goes something like, "We have to support these guys because the Republicans are much worse. You don't want another war-mongoring, supply-siding, social net-cutting, pro-Corporate Republican in office do you?"
But the Democratic Party has proven that ultimately, it obeys the same corporate masters as the Republicans. Democratic wins don't prevent the government from moving further to the right, they only delay our devolution into a completely fascist state. Slightly.
What I am proposing is the formation of a third party, dedicated to representing and respecting the dignity of the American people over corporate interests. The fundamental principles of this party could be embodied in A People's Bill of Rights. This would include:
1) Access for all to a good, affordable education
2) Access to quality, affordable health care for all.
3) A financially secure retirement
4) A livable wage for all
5) A Right to Unionize
6) An equitable tax code
7) Strict regulation, control, and prosecution of corporate abuses
8) Cuts Military Spending
9) A Publicly Financed Election System.
(See below for specific proposals).
The truth is that there are more than enough economic resources in this country to make sure we ALL have access to these basic fundamental rights. But because the government has been bought and taken over by big business, the system has been structurally altered so that we are now at the point where the top 1% of the country owns 40% of the property in this country.
Polls consistently show there is more than enough popular support for such a party in America. And say what you will about the Tea Party, their political success is undeniable. They have exceeded all expectations in pushing the Republican Party further towards corporate fascism than ever before.
A Democratic Tea Party
A grassroots Progressive Party movement would target and ferret out DINO's and corporate Democrats and replace them with candidates who will fight the corporate agenda, and protect labor unions, consumer groups, women's groups, etc. It would just take a few successful elections to wake the rest of the party up.
The Tea Party has shown that success is merely a matter of organizing and generating media coverage. The goal is to force Democrats to stop ignoring the will of the people and do what's right for everyone, not just the wealthy select few. This would be done by always being there to remind them that the next vote they cast for the corporate agenda could be their last.
The Ryan Effect
We need to capitalize on the people's outrage over the Ryan plan before it dissipates. We need to make sure that people understand that the plan is the Republican dark vision of the future, and that it's only a matter of time and money before the Democratic politicians begin to acquiesce to that future.
But we understand it doesn't need to be that way. There is more than enough money to guarantee a social safety net for years to come if we are smart about it. For example, the most recent estimate of the volume of money held off shore by rich individuals is a staggering $11.5 Trillion US dollars. If we could just tax that capital alone at a modest 30%, we could raise an extra $255 billion of tax revenue per year.
The Democratic Party Doesn't Deserve Our Support
We can no longer afford to keep supporting a political party that cares only about it's corporate sponsors. Progressives have done this over the last 30 years, and we have been repaid by being repeatedly stabbed in the back by the corporatist Democrats. We desperately need a political party that represents the people: One that is not beholden to corporations.
If we really want progressive change in this country, we have to fight for it. The Corporations and their political minions will not back down and the cards are heavily stacked in their favor. But we cannot give up. Perhaps I'm just a naive and stupid idealist, but failure is not an option when it comes to the future of our country and our planet.
I realize this will probably ruffle a few feathers, and I think that's a good thing. I welcome any thoughts, suggestions, criticisms, and comments. Thank you for you time and attention to such an important matter.
We can pay for all of this and more with a combination of reforming the tax code and cutting bloated military and defense spending.
How it would work:
1. Education:
A) Give Teachers a Raise: Substantially increase pay for teachers so that the best and brightest will be incentivized to give back to our country rather than thinking of new and inventive ways to manipulate financial markets.
B) End Academic Tenure: Get rid of an academic tenure which promotes unaccountability and introduce a tiered pay-scale based on improved performance.
C) Student Loan Forgiveness: Subsidize student loan forgiveness programs for ALL majors so that students are not forced into indentured servitude after graduation and can give back to their communities at the same time.
2. Single-Payer Health Care: End the profits-over-patients health care model which has caused us to spend more than any other nation in the world on health care while getting far less health care in return.
3. Financially Secure Retirement:
A) Protect Social Security: Guarantee cost of living adjustments for social security recipients every year to ensure that seniors living on social security are given enough to live out their remaining years with the dignity and happiness that they deserve.
4. A Livable Minimum Wage:
A) Higher Minimum Wage: Increase the minimum wage to a level that can ensure that no one who works full time has to live below the poverty line and also guarantee adjustments for inflation every year.
5. Reform the Tax Code:
A) Wealth Tax: The current tax system based solely on wages disproportionately punishes the poor and middle class while rewarding the wealthy. Currently the top 1% of the country controls 40% of the wealth in this country. Our tax policy is designed to accelerate this disparity with low capital gains and corporate tax rates, loopholes galore for the wealthy, and liberalized capital markets which make it easy to hide wealth in off shore accounts.
B) What it will do: A wealth tax improves the fairness of the tax system, raises much-needed government revenue, furthers economic growth, and has desirable secondary, social effects by reducing economic inequality.
C) Reducing investment wealth accumulation and bringing tax rates for investment returns closer to tax rates for work will reduce excessive and risky investments, which creates investment bubbles, which in turn leads to recessions.
D) A Progressive Income Tax System: Currently we have a regressive tax structure which imposes a greater burden (relative to resources) on the poor than the rich. For example, Warren Buffet pays a tax rate of 17% while his secratary pays a rate of 30%.
This is what we had shortly after World War II when we were trying to get out of the massive war-time debt and the highest bracket paid up to 90%. I am not suggesting anything so drastic, but the fact is, adjusted for inflation, we have more national debt now than we did then. We must raise income taxes, both across the board and increase the upper tax brackets to around 50%.
6. Corporate Regulation:
A) End Corporate Abuse: Put an end to the plundering of our money, resources, health, and environment by greatly strengthening and restructuring the Agencies who are supposedly in charge of regulating businesses.
7. Cut Military Spending:
A) Get out of Afghanistan and Iraq: The fact that we got OBL by sending in a small team of Navy Seals proves that the traditional military model is both ineffective and inefficient in fighting the GWOT. We could save trillions of dollars and lives by getting out of Afghanistan today.
B) End Military-Industrial Complex: The cold war is long gone, but the mentality remains in the military. We need to stop spend trillions of dollars on the latest fighter jets, aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, and other outdated traditional military projects. We could be far more effective at fighting terror and efficient by redirecting the money we waste on bombs and tanks into intelligence, developing smaller, surgical strike teams, and training other governments on how to combat terror.
8) Public Financing of Elections:
A) Take the For Sale sign off the Capitol Building: I say this is the most important goal, because without this crucial step, nothing else will be possible. Corporations have a stranglehold on our government and no legislation that hurts their profits will ever pass as long as politicians are beholden to them for campaign contributions.
B) Pass the Fair Elections Now Act: The only effective solution to the State-Corporate Complex is to take money out of politics. Qualified candidates would receive public funding in the primary, and if they win, in their general election at a level to run a competitive campaign.
This Act would allow federal candidates to choose to run for office without relying on large contributions, big money bundlers, or donations from lobbyists, and would free them from the constant fundraising in order to focus on what people in their communities want.
Here is a link to how you can help with this goal today:
http://fairelectionsnow.org/...
Updated by Lawguy101 at Fri May 06, 2011 at 04:12 PM PDT
It is interesting to note that in all of the angry comments I have received, not one (as of this moment) disputes the main premise of the diary that the Democratic Party is beholden to corporate interests.
Folks whether you agree with me or not about a third party, this is something that has to be fixed if you want to get people back into the Democratic Party and the democratic process.
If Democrats spent 1/10th the energy they spend trying to shout down its' critics actually trying to FIX the problems in the Party, the Party and the country as a whole would be in a much better place than we are today.