I am a socialist and believe most of Americans would be socialists too when they look at our failed medical system and other large inequities between the rich and the poor. We have to tell the democrats to get on the socialist bus or be left behind.
Hey I realize this will be off topic and I know I wrote this already, and it's also a rather personal statement to make, but nevertheless, I'm 36 years and still live at home with my parents. No, I'm not asking for a date, haha. But while me and my parents are fairly left leaning, it's a more nuanced than just Republican and Democrat. While I would consider myself a Progressive for the most part, my parents, while they claim to be Progressive, they are actually still of the Clinton-Era DNC; many of those particular policies I see as outmoded, while many people my parents' age, including but not limited to my folks themselves, still think those policies have a chance in the 21st century. On top of that, I do not believe Ralph Nader spoiled the 2000 election; I believe it was stolen by the RNC that year. My parents, on the other hand, have bought into that claim that Nader helped Bush win in 2000. With that, we don't see eye to eye. Thanks for hearing me out!
Non-biodegradable products are killing us and the earth. Nano-particles from plastic containers of liquids (and foods) accumulate in the body. I had problems for a couple of years (getting up every night to urinate, maybe 2 or 3 times) until I cut out drinking anything from plastics. Now I sleep at night, because the nano-particles accumulate in the prostate.
Today the best labor job in the world is being a plumber,,, if it leaks ,, what do you gotta do ? I called a plumber the other day and he came over and said "it leaks" ,, that will be $350 ,,,
I said what about fixing it and he said that will be ,"extra". Then he said he had a full schedule and would be back to me in anout two weeks. I had a termite guy under contract stop by the other day ,, because it looked like I saw a few termites,, and he looked things over and said they ain't termites ,,, those are carpeter ants ,, ,,, can you take care of that , sure that will be ,$450 " extra " and today's call will be extra to $250. You only get one inspection free per year . Boy I love the labor class .
I got these new gutter guards installed on my home so the leaves would not go down the drain pipes and get clogged ,, so I noticed the rain was pouring over the gutters the other day so I called my gutter guy ,, nothing in the drains sir ,, what about the water pouring over the gutters? O that's an easy fix I can clean that up easy ,,, but that will be "extra" ,,, $475 .
I noticed the other day in wind storm a small branch was touching my roof on my single story home ,, so I call the tree guy who happen to be working the neighborhood,, and he looked up at the roof and said sure no problem $150 ,, o while your up there could you blow off a few leaves ,, sure ,, no problem,,, but that will be " extra " $750 .
Maybe it's because I live in gated community , but I don't remember working my way thru medical school while working at a Denny's washing dishes and saying ,, I won't wash the pots ,, that will be extra.
But then again I wasn't one of those big shot executives like today demanding my employees do more while paying them less ,,year after year and then paying my self and my stock holders big dividends and bonus 's.. good luck America have a great day my friends
You're being ripped off. If you called around, found someone who offered neighborly rates instead of rip-off pricing for common sense work, you could give the extra money to real charities. When I was cleaning gutters I never charged over $150 a house even for extra large ones requiring a 40 foot heavy ladder.
I have a different, maybe a more controversial one. Greed is the root cause of many of the political and social problems, from top to bottom. What's reasonable for pay, living expenses or lifestyles? I try to live frugally in one of the more expensive towns in community housing. I believe as many others do that a thoroughgoing regulated and taxed society heavily slanted to the richest would be for the good of all. What I saw in Connecticut in the 70s and 80s with much healthier societies has very much diminished culturally, financially and environmentally though there has been some progress around the margins.
On toxins in the environment, tire dust from vehicles is the #1 source of microplastics. How could that be addressed? As others have pointed out China's greenhouse emissions and other pollution dwarfs what other countries produce; war theaters create huge amounts of pollution as well. The solutions remain enlightened governmental solutions which are receding.
I admire Chris Townsend’s commitment to doing the on the street organizing in unions over his working career. I was a union member during my working years and an active member of my union. One of the many attacks against unions took place in the state I spent most of my years, Rhode Island, while Gina Raimondo was first general treasurer and later governor. We, state, city, and town workers of many kinds from police, teachers, and social workers, etc., lost the lion's share of our cost of living adjustments through the combined efforts of all three branches of state government. Perhaps it’s small potatoes, but those actions set the agenda for many other places to limit parts of what are called defined pensions. Most unions, at first staunch supporters of keeping so-called COLA benefits, finally caved into to the powerful interests working against pensions.
I agree that unions are an important part of bringing change to this society, but the battle against those unions by enormous financial interests is great.
Mariah Blake’s journalism on the toxic effects of chemicals in our air, water, and soil was excellent! Her investigative reporting hit home in many ways. These chemicals affect all of us, but since I taught in a community college close to Hoosick Falls, an epicenter of one class of these chemicals, the effects were closer to home so to speak.
I write about the new exhibition at the FDR Library and Museum in my Substack post “Signature Moments.” Please read the article. It’s almost nostalgic to recall a time in US history when both ordinary people and the famous could be heard.
Unless organized labor is willing to get behind a Laborist initiative https://laboristmovement.substack.com/p/laborism we'll never get anywhere. That applies on the environmental side as well as on the labor side. Even with the kind of angry protest that Ralph advocates, unless we replace the candidates approved by the parasitic financiers and their media with candidates put forward by organized working people and unless we break the parasitic financiers and make their money, media and academics politically irrelevant, we will keep on losing, fighting a rearguard battle where we get evermore behind and just feel good about occasionally not losing so badly. Organized labor needs to get behind Laborism quickly, or it will be too late to avert the inevitable crisis flowing from the collapse of financier capitalism under its own weight. We are seeing its death throes now, and it must collapse within the next 50 years if not sooner.
Unless organized labor gets behind the laborist initiative https://laboristmovement.substack.com/p/laborism we will get nowhere. We need to take power without just choosing between the candidates approved by the parasitic financier elites, and we need to break the power of the financiers. We could do that pretty easily if union organizers would support the effort as they did in the days of the Nonpartisan League and the farmer-labor organization.
"This is what we want, We demand it. Period. Otherwise you're gone."
-Ralph Nader
Ralph was also correct that we can't leave it up to the Democrats. While they are not all crazy they are all corrupted by big money.
The question is are you serious Ralph about the you're gone part?
You're gone requires that citizens organize to demand that the politicians of any party do not take big money and make the politicians that do take big money gone by not voting for them.
The politicians that take big money tell us they will not do what we want when they take the big money.
So if they take big money we need to ignore what they promise because they are not going to do it.
But not voting for politicians that take big money is not enough. We must demand small donor politicians and enforce that demand with our votes in 2026 by casting write in votes when there are no small donor candidates on the primary and general election ballots to register a vote against the big money politicians on the ballot and to create and demonstrate demand for small donor candidates in 2028.
This is how we show the big money politicians that if they do not do what we want by running small donor campaigns that they will be gone.
It's not rocket science- it's simple, basic democracy in action.
So let's form a Union for Politics and organize citizens to go on strike in the voting booth demanding small donor candidates.
Let's test the theory you espoused when you said on previous occasions that politicians want our votes more than big money.
There is a fundamental problem so long as we allow the perpetuation of the system where the financier media refuses to treat any candidate who doesn't get financier money as 'serious" as so cuts them off from any attention. Throwing out one financier candidate will just get us another financier candidate. Laborist organizing on the old Nonpartisan League model will instead make working people's candidates be the candidates of the major parties, eliminating the 3rd party split-the-vote problem, and allow working people to actually exercise power.
I am a socialist and believe most of Americans would be socialists too when they look at our failed medical system and other large inequities between the rich and the poor. We have to tell the democrats to get on the socialist bus or be left behind.
Hey I realize this will be off topic and I know I wrote this already, and it's also a rather personal statement to make, but nevertheless, I'm 36 years and still live at home with my parents. No, I'm not asking for a date, haha. But while me and my parents are fairly left leaning, it's a more nuanced than just Republican and Democrat. While I would consider myself a Progressive for the most part, my parents, while they claim to be Progressive, they are actually still of the Clinton-Era DNC; many of those particular policies I see as outmoded, while many people my parents' age, including but not limited to my folks themselves, still think those policies have a chance in the 21st century. On top of that, I do not believe Ralph Nader spoiled the 2000 election; I believe it was stolen by the RNC that year. My parents, on the other hand, have bought into that claim that Nader helped Bush win in 2000. With that, we don't see eye to eye. Thanks for hearing me out!
-Ryan
Non-biodegradable products are killing us and the earth. Nano-particles from plastic containers of liquids (and foods) accumulate in the body. I had problems for a couple of years (getting up every night to urinate, maybe 2 or 3 times) until I cut out drinking anything from plastics. Now I sleep at night, because the nano-particles accumulate in the prostate.
The plastic crisis is out of control too. It seems we cannot respond to these problems.
We have light pollution that no ones talking about too!
Today the best labor job in the world is being a plumber,,, if it leaks ,, what do you gotta do ? I called a plumber the other day and he came over and said "it leaks" ,, that will be $350 ,,,
I said what about fixing it and he said that will be ,"extra". Then he said he had a full schedule and would be back to me in anout two weeks. I had a termite guy under contract stop by the other day ,, because it looked like I saw a few termites,, and he looked things over and said they ain't termites ,,, those are carpeter ants ,, ,,, can you take care of that , sure that will be ,$450 " extra " and today's call will be extra to $250. You only get one inspection free per year . Boy I love the labor class .
I got these new gutter guards installed on my home so the leaves would not go down the drain pipes and get clogged ,, so I noticed the rain was pouring over the gutters the other day so I called my gutter guy ,, nothing in the drains sir ,, what about the water pouring over the gutters? O that's an easy fix I can clean that up easy ,,, but that will be "extra" ,,, $475 .
I noticed the other day in wind storm a small branch was touching my roof on my single story home ,, so I call the tree guy who happen to be working the neighborhood,, and he looked up at the roof and said sure no problem $150 ,, o while your up there could you blow off a few leaves ,, sure ,, no problem,,, but that will be " extra " $750 .
Maybe it's because I live in gated community , but I don't remember working my way thru medical school while working at a Denny's washing dishes and saying ,, I won't wash the pots ,, that will be extra.
But then again I wasn't one of those big shot executives like today demanding my employees do more while paying them less ,,year after year and then paying my self and my stock holders big dividends and bonus 's.. good luck America have a great day my friends
You're being ripped off. If you called around, found someone who offered neighborly rates instead of rip-off pricing for common sense work, you could give the extra money to real charities. When I was cleaning gutters I never charged over $150 a house even for extra large ones requiring a 40 foot heavy ladder.
I have a different, maybe a more controversial one. Greed is the root cause of many of the political and social problems, from top to bottom. What's reasonable for pay, living expenses or lifestyles? I try to live frugally in one of the more expensive towns in community housing. I believe as many others do that a thoroughgoing regulated and taxed society heavily slanted to the richest would be for the good of all. What I saw in Connecticut in the 70s and 80s with much healthier societies has very much diminished culturally, financially and environmentally though there has been some progress around the margins.
On toxins in the environment, tire dust from vehicles is the #1 source of microplastics. How could that be addressed? As others have pointed out China's greenhouse emissions and other pollution dwarfs what other countries produce; war theaters create huge amounts of pollution as well. The solutions remain enlightened governmental solutions which are receding.
Thanks for the interviews in this program.
I admire Chris Townsend’s commitment to doing the on the street organizing in unions over his working career. I was a union member during my working years and an active member of my union. One of the many attacks against unions took place in the state I spent most of my years, Rhode Island, while Gina Raimondo was first general treasurer and later governor. We, state, city, and town workers of many kinds from police, teachers, and social workers, etc., lost the lion's share of our cost of living adjustments through the combined efforts of all three branches of state government. Perhaps it’s small potatoes, but those actions set the agenda for many other places to limit parts of what are called defined pensions. Most unions, at first staunch supporters of keeping so-called COLA benefits, finally caved into to the powerful interests working against pensions.
I agree that unions are an important part of bringing change to this society, but the battle against those unions by enormous financial interests is great.
Mariah Blake’s journalism on the toxic effects of chemicals in our air, water, and soil was excellent! Her investigative reporting hit home in many ways. These chemicals affect all of us, but since I taught in a community college close to Hoosick Falls, an epicenter of one class of these chemicals, the effects were closer to home so to speak.
I write about the new exhibition at the FDR Library and Museum in my Substack post “Signature Moments.” Please read the article. It’s almost nostalgic to recall a time in US history when both ordinary people and the famous could be heard.
Unless organized labor is willing to get behind a Laborist initiative https://laboristmovement.substack.com/p/laborism we'll never get anywhere. That applies on the environmental side as well as on the labor side. Even with the kind of angry protest that Ralph advocates, unless we replace the candidates approved by the parasitic financiers and their media with candidates put forward by organized working people and unless we break the parasitic financiers and make their money, media and academics politically irrelevant, we will keep on losing, fighting a rearguard battle where we get evermore behind and just feel good about occasionally not losing so badly. Organized labor needs to get behind Laborism quickly, or it will be too late to avert the inevitable crisis flowing from the collapse of financier capitalism under its own weight. We are seeing its death throes now, and it must collapse within the next 50 years if not sooner.
Unless organized labor gets behind the laborist initiative https://laboristmovement.substack.com/p/laborism we will get nowhere. We need to take power without just choosing between the candidates approved by the parasitic financier elites, and we need to break the power of the financiers. We could do that pretty easily if union organizers would support the effort as they did in the days of the Nonpartisan League and the farmer-labor organization.
"This is what we want, We demand it. Period. Otherwise you're gone."
-Ralph Nader
Ralph was also correct that we can't leave it up to the Democrats. While they are not all crazy they are all corrupted by big money.
The question is are you serious Ralph about the you're gone part?
You're gone requires that citizens organize to demand that the politicians of any party do not take big money and make the politicians that do take big money gone by not voting for them.
The politicians that take big money tell us they will not do what we want when they take the big money.
So if they take big money we need to ignore what they promise because they are not going to do it.
But not voting for politicians that take big money is not enough. We must demand small donor politicians and enforce that demand with our votes in 2026 by casting write in votes when there are no small donor candidates on the primary and general election ballots to register a vote against the big money politicians on the ballot and to create and demonstrate demand for small donor candidates in 2028.
This is how we show the big money politicians that if they do not do what we want by running small donor campaigns that they will be gone.
It's not rocket science- it's simple, basic democracy in action.
So let's form a Union for Politics and organize citizens to go on strike in the voting booth demanding small donor candidates.
Let's test the theory you espoused when you said on previous occasions that politicians want our votes more than big money.
Unless you believe that democracy will not work.
There is a fundamental problem so long as we allow the perpetuation of the system where the financier media refuses to treat any candidate who doesn't get financier money as 'serious" as so cuts them off from any attention. Throwing out one financier candidate will just get us another financier candidate. Laborist organizing on the old Nonpartisan League model will instead make working people's candidates be the candidates of the major parties, eliminating the 3rd party split-the-vote problem, and allow working people to actually exercise power.
Always good to hear from you Don. I’m still trying to figure out how we can chat about this.
Erik
THE GREAT TAKING by, David Rogers Webb, edited by Michael Palmer, M.D. (2023).
https://thegreattaking.com/
Print on demand @ Lulu.com via https://tinyurl.com/the-great-taking-paperback.