Friends, I’ve been a George Takei fan ever I first saw him in “Star Trek.” In more recent years, I’ve admired his courageous fights for LGBTQ and immigrant rights. He recently asked that I respond to a few questions for his own Substack, The Big Picture
When you talk about former generations of young people you have entirely forgotten 1968 (indeed 1967-1973) when millions of young people demanded an end to colonial wars (Ireland, Vietnam, Cambodia) and much better financial support for the poor. We (indeed I was one) blocked the centres of cities, occupied universities, made our demands en masse. To understand the challenges and opportunities of the present it is crucial to remember what was done then, to consider what was achieved and how that momentum was ultimately thwarted.
Not only do we need to learn from Teddy Roosevelt in how he took on monopoly capitalism run amok, but we need to reclaim some messaging from the ‘60s.
Back then the hippies rightfully pointed the blame at huge corporations and billionaires, saying that they didn’t want to work for “The Man.”
They could see the damage that unrestrained capitalism could wreak on society and our ecosystems.
It’s time to again point the finger in that same direction, and somehow encourage both Democrats and conservatives to join against the true oppressors.
Today’s GOP is not conservative, they are #CORPservative: in servitude to those huge corporations and billionaires.
And that alliance has pushed us towards #RepubloFascism where all the guardrails of democracy have been breached through bravado, hateful division, and a complete abandonment of anything close to integrity.
And they’ve sold that as MAGA. The truth is that they succeed through sucking the wealth out of the middle class and diminishing democracy. For power and wealth, they are willing to squander Americas greatness.
" Too many Democratic politicians have been drinking at the same corporate and Wall Street troughs as have Republican politicians. This has to stop. It’s time for a new political coalition to wrest power away from a new generation of robber barons and oligarchs and create a capitalism that works for all. "
This is the Citizens United problem. Unless and until the CU holding is changed the political change and power transfer you mention is a long shot.
The fear of liberal socialism is what is the problem.
Americans see this word and run a mile.
I live in France and have good medical care/kids have good public schools/older people are looked after/6 weeks leave for parents who have just had a child. Good long holidays.
Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Bob. It’s been illuminating! Your voice is sorely needed in these times. If your readers would like to check out my new publication, they can visit thinkbigpicture.substack.com. Hope to see some of you there!
Thanks! I enjoy reading your opinions because you distill common sense and direction as efficiently and eloquently as possible. There are few people with whom I agree one hundred percent, and your views coincide exactly with mine. Your background as an academic and practitioner of government makes you my most reliable source of information. Thanks again.
As an Australian may I quote one of our newspaper journalists (Sydney Morning Herald) who wrote in an article about the current USA political situation: "America needs to invade itself to restore Democracy." It is difficult for most Australians to understand how the USA can have so much inequality and a political and election system that is so undemocratic. Of course we have our problems (it's not paradise!!) but fortunately elections are peaceful affairs and have tight gun control.
Professor Thank you for this. I am younger than you but much poorer and in worse health. I don't have as much hope as you have. I do not see things getting better, in part because they have in ways that are important to me, gotten worse most of my adult life. many poor people, not the bottom 90% or bottom 50% or even the bottom 10% are finding life harsh. I am finding life harsh. I cannot see, how my life could improve so much that it will not be harsh. I wonder how much of your optimism is based on your experience that life is pretty good and has given you and most of the people you know, a cushion that the the very poor people do not have.
Again thanks for your work on behalf of some of chosen family.
Professor Reich echoes your concerns and explains the symptoms of corporate rule, but fails to explain the root cause of the problems and how to solve them.
Citizens United, and related, SCOTUS decisions are at the root of every problem that you asked Professor Reich to address. They shifted the balance of power away from the people and towards the Oligarchy, as they were designed to do.
None of the problems that you addressed can be solved, and none of the “SHOULD BE’s” that Professor Reich mentions, can be, within this rigged and corrupted system that SCOTUS created with Citizens United.
However, every problem that you addressed can be easily solved, and every “SHOULD BE” that Professor Reich addressed CAN BE, if we all demand HJR54, the We the People Amendment.
It will restore the rightful power of the People and kick corporations and their nonprofit organizations out of our politics and government. It will strip them of their money in our politics and elections.
Now you have the answers. Now it’s time to do the work that Professor Reich says we must do to win an equitable economy, and I would add, a habitable planet. Demand HJR54. The We the People Amendment has been gaining more support in each new Congress, and with your help, we can pass it that much quicker to save democracy in time to save our planet.
And I will also recommend, as I did before in one of my comments, that folks read VIKING ECONOMICS by George Lakey, a very accessible and fairly short book on how we can learn from the Scandinavian countries. For those interested in learning the history of inequitable wealth distribution dig into Thomas Piketty's CAPITALISM IN THE 21ST CENTURY, a best seller when it came out in 2014.. Keep the faith everyone!
Robert Reich, I believe that capitalism doesn’t work, and bandages and fixups won’t work. Socialism, without the profit motive, is what we need. You also write about affordable health insurance and college. Both should be free. Medicare for All, College for All.
Bravo! Great questions from George! I liked the responses. Yeah, you're only in your 70's, you whipper snapper. Go ask Dolly to go honky tonkin', and put the BOOM back in Boomers.
Nice Robert... Real nice. And you've given me a new street canvassing question. To wit: "Do you think that Capitalism is controlling Democracy, or is Democracy controlling Capitalism?" This question is the starter for good conversations - regardless of the political affiliation of the interviewee.
When you talk about former generations of young people you have entirely forgotten 1968 (indeed 1967-1973) when millions of young people demanded an end to colonial wars (Ireland, Vietnam, Cambodia) and much better financial support for the poor. We (indeed I was one) blocked the centres of cities, occupied universities, made our demands en masse. To understand the challenges and opportunities of the present it is crucial to remember what was done then, to consider what was achieved and how that momentum was ultimately thwarted.
Not only do we need to learn from Teddy Roosevelt in how he took on monopoly capitalism run amok, but we need to reclaim some messaging from the ‘60s.
Back then the hippies rightfully pointed the blame at huge corporations and billionaires, saying that they didn’t want to work for “The Man.”
They could see the damage that unrestrained capitalism could wreak on society and our ecosystems.
It’s time to again point the finger in that same direction, and somehow encourage both Democrats and conservatives to join against the true oppressors.
Today’s GOP is not conservative, they are #CORPservative: in servitude to those huge corporations and billionaires.
And that alliance has pushed us towards #RepubloFascism where all the guardrails of democracy have been breached through bravado, hateful division, and a complete abandonment of anything close to integrity.
And they’ve sold that as MAGA. The truth is that they succeed through sucking the wealth out of the middle class and diminishing democracy. For power and wealth, they are willing to squander Americas greatness.
" Too many Democratic politicians have been drinking at the same corporate and Wall Street troughs as have Republican politicians. This has to stop. It’s time for a new political coalition to wrest power away from a new generation of robber barons and oligarchs and create a capitalism that works for all. "
This is the Citizens United problem. Unless and until the CU holding is changed the political change and power transfer you mention is a long shot.
Support Move to Amend.
The fear of liberal socialism is what is the problem.
Americans see this word and run a mile.
I live in France and have good medical care/kids have good public schools/older people are looked after/6 weeks leave for parents who have just had a child. Good long holidays.
Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Bob. It’s been illuminating! Your voice is sorely needed in these times. If your readers would like to check out my new publication, they can visit thinkbigpicture.substack.com. Hope to see some of you there!
Thanks! I enjoy reading your opinions because you distill common sense and direction as efficiently and eloquently as possible. There are few people with whom I agree one hundred percent, and your views coincide exactly with mine. Your background as an academic and practitioner of government makes you my most reliable source of information. Thanks again.
As an Australian may I quote one of our newspaper journalists (Sydney Morning Herald) who wrote in an article about the current USA political situation: "America needs to invade itself to restore Democracy." It is difficult for most Australians to understand how the USA can have so much inequality and a political and election system that is so undemocratic. Of course we have our problems (it's not paradise!!) but fortunately elections are peaceful affairs and have tight gun control.
Professor Thank you for this. I am younger than you but much poorer and in worse health. I don't have as much hope as you have. I do not see things getting better, in part because they have in ways that are important to me, gotten worse most of my adult life. many poor people, not the bottom 90% or bottom 50% or even the bottom 10% are finding life harsh. I am finding life harsh. I cannot see, how my life could improve so much that it will not be harsh. I wonder how much of your optimism is based on your experience that life is pretty good and has given you and most of the people you know, a cushion that the the very poor people do not have.
Again thanks for your work on behalf of some of chosen family.
Dear Mr. Takei
Professor Reich echoes your concerns and explains the symptoms of corporate rule, but fails to explain the root cause of the problems and how to solve them.
Citizens United, and related, SCOTUS decisions are at the root of every problem that you asked Professor Reich to address. They shifted the balance of power away from the people and towards the Oligarchy, as they were designed to do.
None of the problems that you addressed can be solved, and none of the “SHOULD BE’s” that Professor Reich mentions, can be, within this rigged and corrupted system that SCOTUS created with Citizens United.
However, every problem that you addressed can be easily solved, and every “SHOULD BE” that Professor Reich addressed CAN BE, if we all demand HJR54, the We the People Amendment.
It will restore the rightful power of the People and kick corporations and their nonprofit organizations out of our politics and government. It will strip them of their money in our politics and elections.
Now you have the answers. Now it’s time to do the work that Professor Reich says we must do to win an equitable economy, and I would add, a habitable planet. Demand HJR54. The We the People Amendment has been gaining more support in each new Congress, and with your help, we can pass it that much quicker to save democracy in time to save our planet.
So very glad you and George Takei had this excellent exchange of questions and answers. I completely agree with all of the remedies proposed. I am very pleased that you addressed and approved of the Universal Basic Income and Universal Healthcare and all the other things that will make us truly civilized. I recommend to all of your readers a TED talk by Nick Hanauer in 2014: https://www.google.com/search?q=nick+hanauer+the+pitchforks+are+coming&oq=Nick+Hanauer&aqs=chrome.4.0i355i512j46i512j69i57j0i512l3j69i65l2.11764j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:ca23eb4d,vid:q2gO4DKVpa8
And I will also recommend, as I did before in one of my comments, that folks read VIKING ECONOMICS by George Lakey, a very accessible and fairly short book on how we can learn from the Scandinavian countries. For those interested in learning the history of inequitable wealth distribution dig into Thomas Piketty's CAPITALISM IN THE 21ST CENTURY, a best seller when it came out in 2014.. Keep the faith everyone!
Very useful information. Thanks for sharing.
Regards
Uma
What a joy to have you both in the same place. Wonderful questions and illuminating answers. Thank you both.
Robert Reich, I believe that capitalism doesn’t work, and bandages and fixups won’t work. Socialism, without the profit motive, is what we need. You also write about affordable health insurance and college. Both should be free. Medicare for All, College for All.
Bravo! Great questions from George! I liked the responses. Yeah, you're only in your 70's, you whipper snapper. Go ask Dolly to go honky tonkin', and put the BOOM back in Boomers.
Nice Robert... Real nice. And you've given me a new street canvassing question. To wit: "Do you think that Capitalism is controlling Democracy, or is Democracy controlling Capitalism?" This question is the starter for good conversations - regardless of the political affiliation of the interviewee.
Too broad a topic ; I’m more will wake u tomorrow?
Will I have to engage in a street fight with crazed neo-Nazis.
Will the folk know enough to vote for the non crazies.
Are the persons causing the ruckus in Congress Worth knowing about.?
Does being a good person matter or is it time to turn myself into a vigilante like the crazies just to survive political life.
Will they cure Prostrate Cancer.
Will FOX ever be called into account for promoting crazie Theory?
Often bewildered !
J