Do you like these things in our American society?
- Social Security — Provides retirement and disability benefits through a centralized, social insurance system funded by taxes.
- Medicare — Federal government-provided health insurance for the elderly.
- Medicaid — State government-provided health insurance for low-income residents
- Public Schools — Primary and secondary education funded by government at local, state, and federal levels.
- State Colleges and Universities — Higher education subsidized by state governments.
- U.S. Military — Collectively-owned defense force funded through taxes.
- Law Enforcement, Fire Departments, & Garbage Collection — Local government services available to all residents.
- Public Libraries — Local libraries available to all residents, funded by taxes.
- Public Parks — Recreational parks built and maintained by local governments.
- Public Broadcasting — Radio and TV stations funded by the government and donations, such as PBS and NPR.
- Interstate Highway System — Federally funded network of highways available for public use.
- Progressive Taxation — Higher earners pay a larger share of their income in taxes to fund social services,
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) — Government insurance on bank
deposits to protect savers. - Public Housing — Subsidized rental housing for low-income families and individuals.
- Food Stamps/SNAP — Federal food assistance vouchers for low-income households.
- Veterans Benefits & GI Bill — Variety of programs to support and compensate military veterans.
If so, I encourage you to examine which political party actually serves your interests.
And if you got this far, I have some questions for you:
Do you believe that dignified housing, healthcare, education, and breathing clean air and drinking clean water are human rights for all?
Do you reject the idea that our immigrant neighbors should be feared?
Do you believe in full liberation and equality for all of us, and solidarity across our identity differences?
Have you had enough of bosses ripping us off, hogging our collective resources, and limiting our rights to shape our own working conditions?
Do you reject endless war and violence for profit?
Do you believe that community safety comes from care and connection, not violence and incarceration?
Do you find that corporate-funded political parties always side with the billionaires, never working people?
Are you fighting for a world where the working class has democratic control over every part of our lives: our homes, our workplaces, our environment, and beyond?
Are you ready to get into the game, so fascism can’t take hold in the US?
Do you believe a better world is possible, and are you willing to organize to make it happen?If you answered YES to most or all of these questions, then you might want to join a new political party.
Jim McLaughlin's Blog 