by Peter Molenaar
Just moments ago I witnessed a national TV news report which exposed the deliberate short supply of chemotherapy drugs made available for children. Profits before people”¦
Yet the ongoing protests against corporate greed lack a clear set of demands. Sure, the slogan “Power to The People” has merit. But what? Does the banner “Revolution Not Reform” really lead us to “Revolution Now!”?
The fact remains: There can be no fundamental change without the participation and consent of many millions of people. Moreover, us “masses” are drawn to the class struggle in the first place on the basis of intermediate demands which taken separately do constitute “mere” reforms.
With the above thought in mind, the CPUSA has issued a brochure under the caption “SAVE OUR NATION!” It contains the following points:
- End the Bush-era tax giveaways to banks, corporations and wealthy individuals.
- Close corporate tax loopholes, especially billions in tax subsidies for the oil companies.
- Raise $150 billion a year by imposing a financial transaction tax on Wall Street speculation.
- Cut the military budget by half. Bring troops home from Afghanistan and Iraq.
- Create jobs in a major public works program to repair our nation”'s infrastructure and to make our nation number one in “green industry.” Target the jobs to hard-hit inner city communities and the rural poor.
- Fully fund a national health care program and drastically increase federal aid to education, Pell Grants, and other vital human needs programs.
- Remove the cap on the Social Security payroll tax, so the CEOs and hedge fund managers pay the same rate as the rest of us.
But let”'s tell the whole truth. Unlike our cave dwelling ancestors, we are presently trapped within a political economy which extols the “virtues of greed”. This “profits before people” system is ripping the country apart. Therefore, it is capitalism (not socialism) which is fundamentally un-American.
