Long ago, as World War II was ending and the United States government began developing a thoroughly reactionary aggressive imperialist foreign policy enforced through the threat of nuclear war at Wall Street’s behest in relation to the Soviet Union, the emerging new socialist China and those peoples struggling to free themselves from colonialism and imperialism, concerned and alarmed far-sighted thinkers and politicians like the progressives Elmer Benson- the former progressive socialist Governor of Minnesota, Henry Wallace and his liberal friend Democratic Senator Claude Pepper who was a ranking member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee along with the distinguished peace and civil rights activists W.E.B. Du Bois and Shirley Graham Du Bois together with working class leaders including Harry Bridges, Wyndham Mortimer, Coleman Young, Claudia Jones and Ernest DeMaio who formulated and proposed an alternative agenda with the thinking that if the United States government would focus on creating a better life for our own people the increasingly aggressive and war prone United States government would not have the will, nor the capacity, to wage wars and meddle and intervene in the affairs of other countries... thus, the United States would become a voice for peace, reason, sanity committed to a foreign policy of mutual respect and cooperation with the rest of the world.
The shameful undemocratic smothering and repression of progressive voices- in and out of the United States government- towards the emerging socialist revolution in China at its early stages of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s has been all but forgotten; intentionally covered up and hidden from public view today… the case of “the China Hands” should become common knowledge if we are going to right the wrong foreign policy course of our government lest we become entangled in a disastrous new world war which could lead to a nuclear conflagration resulting in a horribly destructive nuclear winter.
These voices of sanity and reason in the past were smothered with anti-Communist repression; anti-Communism is, once again, being used in a very sinister and undemocratic way to smother progressive voices of reason for peace and cooperation among nations.
In the past, common people from all walks of life made their voices for peace known in all kinds of international peace movements including the “Ban the Bomb” movement; later the anti-Vietnam war movement and then the huge mass movements of the peoplevall over the world opposed to Bush's War in Iraq. Such movements are needed today more than ever before. People wrote letters to the editor and politicians, they petitioned governments and they marched through the streets to make their voices heard. Again, forcing our government to focus on human needs and the health of the planet will help to prevent wars and contribute to putting an end to this insane militarism which is robbing us of our jobs and the basic necessities of life ranging from education to housing and health care. We must focus on putting people to work at real living wage jobs solving the problems of the people. This is the way forward.
The voices for peace embodying sanity and reason provided good advice back then and such thinking is what we need in this country now more than ever before.
There is a universal world-wide consensus that for the common good of all people and for the health of the planet: all wars must end; that people’s needs and the health of the planet must come before corporate profits.
As a life-long activist, it is with this in mind that I have joined with others in bringing forward this very minimal and basic set of four urgently required demands intended to help working class families through this capitalist economic collapse exacerbated by this coronavirus pandemic:
Members of the Socialist Connection Action Network (Socialist C.A.N.), of which I am a member, propose an emergency action agenda for all people’s unity around these very minimal and basic demands; we seek to work with all individuals and organizations to attain these goals:
1. A Basic Income Guarantee of $2000.00 a month for every adult over 18 and $200.00 for each child in the family.
2. A $650.00 increase for everyone receiving Social Security.
3. Cancel ALL student debt.
4. Increase the Federal Minimum Wage to $16.00 an hour.
The money can come from a hefty tax on the rich, a tax on Wall Street transactions and profits, Federal Stimulus Funds for public needs along with a Peace Dividend.
We have launched a campaign involving petitioning and letter writing to get this movement underway and to put pressure on Congress and the President to enact this as legislation.
We need your help.
Please copy, post and distribute as widely as possible.
Contact:
Alan Maki
512-517-2708
red_finn@live.com
For twelve years Democrats and Republicans have been using the financial resources and levers of government to assist and bailout Wall Street from this mess we as working people have had no voice in nor part in creating.
Now it’s time to bailout working class families.
We are not asking for a handout since we create all the wealth with no little amount of help from Mother Nature.
Every campaign of this nature requires many people helping to educate people.
Every campaign of this nature requires “all hands on deck.”
Every campaign of this nature requires the broadest possible unity in activity and action of as many people and organizations possible.
Together, we can win.