Today, I write personally. responding to Robert. I am 72 years old. My political consciousness was formed in the 1960s. I lost my taste for grapes in the mid-1960s boycotting grocery stores in support of Cesar Chavez and the UFW. As an undergraduate, I marched in the streets of Chicago with Jesse Jackson, served as Midwest coordinator for the Mobilization Against the War, "Got Clean for Gene McCarthy" in 1968, and fought for curricular reform in my university. I left the US for Canada in 1970.
For the better part of the next 50 years, my energies focused on political support for progressive efforts but more engagement in advocacy groups and especially in transforming scholarship in my fields of study and struggling to make universities more humane and responsible.
In the past 1-1/4 years, I am reengaged in formal politics and greatly committed to advising politicians, elected officials, advocacy groups at the national, state, and local level. For the first time since 1968, I am working closely with a very progressive candidate for the Democratic Party US Senate nomination in Ohio, Morgan Harper.
I no longer write primarily for scholars but, as you have see, for a broader audience, using what I learned and translating/transitioning my skills and learning.
I have unburned out and reoriented in retirement. I invite others to join me.
I’m a licensed social worker currently not in the field. Years of working with broken systems pushed me to my breaking point. Then the guilt just knowing you need to get back out there because people are suffering. Yeah it sucks. If we aren’t helping the children, the poor, the HUDDLED MASSES, then what’s the point of government, budgets, spending. Lately it just feels we are the United States of Money and that is literally the ONLY thing that matters. since I’m some gullible libtard, radical socialist I keep forgetting the sheer greed that drives people. How insane of me to want people to be healthy and educated. Bryan Stevenson, a man I admire and someone who is so damn inspiring. What a rough job he has. Even making under 30K a year, I donate monthly to organizations I care about, this helps me feel like maybe I’m making a small difference. And I don’t have kids, if I had kids I’d be on every benefit and struggling to pay for basic needs.
Maslows hierarchy of needs. The well off are always demonizing the poor and telling them to INVEST, MOVE, VOTE, go to college, get skills, blah. However, if you’re working poor, or in poverty, or low income and you are focusing on getting shelter, food, and medicine— you literally have zero brain space to even contemplate getting politically involved, hiring a financial analyst, packing up and moving, you are just trying to feed your family and keep a roof over your head.
When will these elitists, pampered from birth, get their heads out of their azzes and realize HEY PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING. OWN YOUR PRIVILEGE. It’s not hard. I own mine. My parents are still together and even though we had a humble life, I was taken care of, they never let me know if they had finance problems, they taught me to be tough and smart, I’ll always have a roof over my head. I came close to homelessness but I am privileged so I have family I could crash with. Many don’t. I don’t have kids so I can donate more time and money to causes. I’ll always have a family member who can give me food. I’m white and even if I haven’t noticed all of them, I have had many instances of white privilege. I was able to get college loans. I knew what a FAFSA was. A lot of my peers had no clue. The public schools I went to didn’t teach us politics, or real world education to survive out there.
Why is it so scary for people to own it? The privilege? The ignorance? We’re all ignorant in some ways. Why is it hard to take a good Look at themselves? So what—- you aren’t a special snowflake, most of us are just average bums.
Why is it so hard for these OUT OF TOUCH cruel zombies to show some damn compassion and walk a mile in someone’s shoes.
Because the privileged want to think they deserve everything they have and that the underprivileged deserve to suffer. It's a form of convenient social Darwinism that regards the "market" as a neutral arbiter of whom should receive what. It refuses to see that the main determinants of who gets what are (1) how wealthy your parents were, and (2) who has the power to alter the market in ways that enlarge their wealth.
YES! People are always defending this biased system because of the “free market”. It’s not free when you don’t have a choice. When you don’t have the money to make a choice! I absolutely hate it when people give me that free market bs.
As a friend, I say to you: >don't< internalize those epithets! Root them out and shuck 'em off. Cuss the TV whenever you hear 'em - whatever it takes. Be good to yourself - you sound like a good, caring person to me.
That is so nice of you to say. I try, I really do, gotta keep going.
Trust me the amount of rage and vitriol and cussing I throw out there reading articles and watching news. That’s why I had to quit all social media. Because I can’t NOT get tied up in the issues. I just had to step back. Plus all those apps are completely biased and I was banned constantly for things while identical posts/videos wouldn’t be against the rules (for certain people and political ideologies). It was blatantly biased. Gets old. So now I can annoy everyone on this website more! But seriously thank you for the kind words and keep on going yourself! Social justice warriors!!
I'm liberal progressive make absolutely no mistake about that, and there is no doubt that mixed economies are better than capitalist dominated ones. However,
why not consider a thirdness greater oneness of social, economic and ecological benefits like Direct Monetary Distributism? I want a result, and a BETTER result than the hope killing dualistic gridlock we're currently stuck in.
I understand where your coming from. I believe all people should take a good look at themselves and realize that there is always someone worse off then you. It shouldn’t matter what color you are. I am an African American. It’s just as you said, thinking about other people is so important. Recognizing that people are hurting and truly are just trying to survive. I used to work for Social Services. Color didn’t matter. I saw people needing help. Sometimes I thought that the government systems that are designed to help, keep many people reliant on them. I was happy when the system changed. Clinton changed the welfare system so those receiving TCA for their families were actively looking for jobs. I know many people don’t agree with me, but that’s okay. I saw it in action. It was a serious opportunity and I made sure my caseload knew it. For some it helped tremendously, for others not so much. Everyone is different. But the system worked when you had those actively participating. The effort to succeed is always needed. I do believe that systemic racism exist. But it doesn’t have to keep you down. It makes the struggle much harder, but it can be done. That’s why we should all be helping each other. When you get to the top, be willing to lend a hand to help others get to the top. People who have all the money and choose to watch others suffer; a time will come when you will know how it feels to suffer. It may not happen on earth, but it will happen.
Jesus once said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Matt. 19:24.)
They make money off of your labor. They dump all life’s problems on your shoulders. What do you think happened to the slave who asked his master why he is so cruel? Many people emulate the master’s cruelty. Call them out.
A 50% Discount/Rebate policy at retail sale would double your $30k/yr. purchasing power...and enable all of the reforms you so graciously support. Consider resolving the problem that underlies and keeps all of the other problems you'd like to see resolved in suspension.
I hasten to point out that little reform has been accomplished and NOTHING of significant change has been accomplished in liberal goals in the last 50 years. If you want significant liberal change consider changing the monetary paradigm by working for the implementation of its policies.
Thank so much for your kind words. Being in a sentence with RR and Bryan is incredible. You are awesome too and keep fighting the good fight!
Your grandson is 100% right and I hope he keeps that fire in him. We need the young people to see that greed for what it is!! Tell him he’s a BAMF! (Naughty word)
One thing our education system does not take advantage of is young, curious, inventive minds coming into their own, they don’t have proper outlets to get their ideas and creativity out! Not all kids learn from books. So many different styles out there and we need massive public education reform. The kids have the ideas for technology and change, we gotta let them investigate and create!
First they have to understand that their interests and those of the billionaires are not the same. They will have to get a job and sell their labor.
The billionaires have surplus capital which they will allocate to production and will take the fruits of your labor in their enterprises as their profits.
You have nothing in common.
The second lesson is that just because you are compelled to work for the boss, you don’t have to internalise his values.
You can be a better person than that. Get a Nina Simone album or watch the new Harlem 1969 music festival film being release and you will understand what black power was all about.
I don’t mean to assume anyone won’t, I just feel like young people (I’m basically a “young person”) could have so much more power if they just voted. I really don’t want to lose the midterms! There’s so much hope if we can win even slightly larger majorities, and we don’t have time to waste environmentally. I also know there are significant impediments for young people. But not that significant if you’re determined! Even if you work all day on voting day and are registered in another state! There are many other ways to help that are super useful and impactful. It just seems like something we could really do! Focus on getting out the vote so our priorities can be met! Despite obstacles! Look what we got from the tenaciously optimistic efforts in Georgia! Yes, there are impediments, but I think we give them too much credit! It is still possible for everyone (who is able to register) to vote, with more enthusiasm for this solution we could go a long way! We just need to register more people and get clarity across about how we can get more things done if we have more people in Congress! Structural critiques should lead people to try to not be deterred rather than get down on the system!
Mr Reich, the student you mention at the top of your essay was working the kind of USPS letter-carrier schedule I worked for 20 yrs in the DC area - through 9/11, anthrax, & the sniper. (Indeed, John Allen Muhammad was my neighbor, for a time.) I'm not now the kind of energetic septuagenarian that many here seem to be - I'm tapped out. However, I am and have been for the last 10 years a poll captain in Jim Jordan's district, and I pledge here and now to remain in that position for the duration, denying it from one of ol' Tweety's frothing-mouthed morons. I suspect I've already had a close encounter with one of 'em, a new face on the team last election. My message to 'em is Gandalf on the bridge: "You shall not pass."
I was so glad to hear Joe Bidden use the fighting language in spirit I believe is absolutely necessary for success yesterday. He used direct language, did not mince words and was not rude, crude or disrespectful. Just direct, speaking truth to power. In my opinion Democrats as an organization should learn how this is done and I guarantee they'll began to appear as fighters with an inner core for offense as well as defense. The defensive fight cannot be joined without a good offense. Successful Democratic Presidents who understood this stand out. One could research the speeches of FDR and see how he responded to the same things we're face with today. He used Republican arguments, many of which they whined about then, they whine about today. He not only knew them from hearing them repeatedly he spoke about them directly to his people outwardly in his speeches. He spoke directly about their concerns of the day and they responded in kind and returned him to the White House six times. Lastly listening to JFK's responses in news conferences illustrates the effectiveness of language.
I agree. Biden seemed tough and indignant yesterday, which was exactly right. And it was the perfect occasion. Had he done so in the months after he was inaugurated, he might merely have enlarged Trump's base. Yesterday, I think, he nailed Trump rhetorically. Now comes the hard part. Merrick Garland has to nail trump in reality.
Absolutely agree. Indignation and truth telling is a derivative of the natural philosophical and ethical concept of grace/graciousness. The truth dispels untruth, and even the more subtle and dangerous problem of unconscious/unwitting alligiance to the half-truths of dualistic orthodoxies whose time has passed. Progress with the thirdness greater oneness of the new monetary paradigm!
I was very proud of our President. He picked the right time, the right place and said the right words. If there was any risk in saying what he said, it was well worth it!
I think President Biden's speech yesterday, with his 'fighting Joe" tone, is something I consider a small victory to celebrate - seems like he's finally angry and calling people on the carpet for their treachery - we all need to continue to call out the Monster of Mar-a-lago and his corrupt GOP lying Monkeys until they are all criminally investigated and charged for their actions.
It's extraordinary to me that people have to fight so hard for basic, decent things like the right to being fully human. You would think we'd all take this for granted. But we don't or the fighting wouldn't be necessary. So we have to wonder what's wrong with people who deny others full humanity. This can't just be a matter of greed - a profit motive of some sort. There must be something deeper that keeps them from taking it for granted that we're all equally human, and have therefore the same right to the good things in life and the same access to the common good. It revolts me to cast this struggle in terms of good and evil, but I can find no better way of defining true evil than as the act of willfully and knowingly devaluing others, for whatever the motive.
Robert you are very inspiring and completely right. Stacey Abrams is an excellent example of optimistic tenacity. She exemplifies the leadership so badly needed today. She's there and hopefully others are following her. Optimism is tough, I am so grateful for yours.
I am a retired neuroscientist and live in Delaware county PA. Democrats in my township (not necessarily all progressive) are well organized and are still enthusiastic. I am a precinct level committee person. We had remarkable success at the township and county level in the last election. That one grassroots victory is enough to keep me inspired for life. Until recently, our county was solidly R going back to the civil war. It has taken us at least 30 years to get to this point.
Professor Reich: It's people like You and Stacey Abrams who keep me going. When I look at the work that You and others have done and continue to do, it's a pleasure for me to keep trying!
Not to diminish the quip, it bugs me greatly when people say that an elected official ‘governs,’ including when that official is called a ‘governor’
In my country, we the people govern, period. We the voters hire and fire officials in elections to manage and conduct the business of our country, all the way down to our neighborhoods, but those officials do not govern. We do.
That reminds me that I still haven’t seen a headline aimed at the former Electoral College disaster — “You’re Fired!”
Am I the only one who thinks that’s weird? Weirder, haven’t seen any mainstream mentions of that … same as our wealth. Hmmm — b.rad
Yes. We mandate them to govern but we are the true power holders. It saddens me that so many Americans speak of "the government" as some foreign entity, thinking that they assert their own freedom this way. It is the exact opposite. Dissociating yourself from the government of your country, whether you agree or not with the one temporarily in place, is asking to have no part in decisions regarding the collective. A proud claim for irresponsibility and a herd mentality. A sheep does not feel concerned either about who drives the herd and where. Baa, baa, baa (Me, me, me in sheep's language) is its religion down to the slaughter house.
What has been most discouraging is seeing the advances in civil rights, voting rights, women’s rights, gay rights, worker’s rights, which were achieved by that very tenacity over the past 50 years, be so quickly eroded in the past five. I had been under the illusion that with continued tenacity we would move ever forward. For me, the question is how far back will the tide turn before we move forward again? And can I sustain my efforts against the backlash in the meantime?
Throughout our history, for every step forward, regressive forces have pushed us backward a half-step or more. But if we are organized and mobilized, they cannot stop us.
Oh, good point, Laurie. What good does it do to seesaw as a nation? We don’t stand for anything and no one inside or outside the country knows what to expect.
I think you’re expressing what many of us feel. I guess this just demonstrates that when people feel threatened they tend to lose it. The answer, I suppose, is to create a society that works for everyone. (Ha!)
Dell Erwin ; It is so frustrating to see these things happen! It's usually a miniscule number of people behind such acts too. With computers we should be able to have a national 'referendum' with citizens voting on such a proposal as withdrawing from a climate treaty or nuclear ban. We have the technology, but need the security and the will.
One thing that keeps astonishing me with American people is their generosity in effort when they commit to something. Psychologically speaking, you are far less individualistic than the French (my own breed). Team work does mean something to you. Culturally speaking and because the accent is put so much on money in the United States, this is another matter. Aside from that and more importantly, I like the example of Fred Wertheimer. It tells me that real activism is from the inside out. Our faith is what supports us, both in the peaceful conviction of doing good and in the knowledge that we are never alone; innumerable others are secretly thankful for the good deeds of a few. No need to expect results (though we should be able to assess them) as the true measure of what is worth doing is in its meaning, not in the temporary score of one day.
Phillipe ; I may be one of the innumerable who, for many reasons, may not be able to get as active as the few, but I contribute what I can with communications and monetary support. I have for years and will as long as I can.
This is invaluable. However little or big our contribution might be, I think that the most important is to know we are, together, pushing in the same direction. We synergize. :)
I would love to hear more about this, Philippe. It never occurred to me that the French are so individualistic. Only recently have I realized how short a time it was that the French Revolution prevailed. Can you tell us a bit more please?
I am afraid that there are too many aspects to that question to do it justice in a few lines. Unfortunately, I am not even able to recommend a good book on the topic. My overall take is that French people are inherently individualistic in their personal behavior but really confident in the fact that they form one nation and need a strong state. In the United States it seems to be almost the opposite.
Biden’s speech was excellent. Direct, honest, the right tone for the circumstances. We need more of that! But we need some wins too. Real action. That’s the incentive for people to push on. If 45 and all the top players of this deadly coup attempt are punished appropriately, that alone will lift our sprits. The importance of this cannot be pushed to the background.
Thank you! Signed it!. I’ve asked my congress members to do this..fortunately, they’re on my side. We have laws about this, these seditious traitors need yo go.
RR wrote: "How did they do it? ... They helped one another along the way"
Tons of eco-oriented and other non-profits compete for donations. I suggest they should try to work together, and/or strategize how they might educate Manchin's WV voters, and key "purple-state" voters, to demand policies for the common good.
Alas, they keep competing for what they must perceive to be a limited pool of donations
Similarly, I wrote them from 11/7/20 - 12/31/20 that any campaigns that wouldn't have any influence on the GA Senate run-off races were wasted efforts. Alas... Nothing!
If egomaniac Prez#45 hadn't pissed off just enough GA voters, I doubt both GA Senators would have won their slim victories
one of my favorite posts from you. this was genuinely excellent. you are absolute right, it's a marathon. I've actually run ten of those things, which is a bit crazy admittedly. they went best when I did the exact 3 things you recommended- paced myself, ran with a supportive group, and ran it one mile at a time
I think Mr. Reich's words apply to the pursuit of any worthwhile goal in life, not just political activism. As long as you don't give up, you haven't failed!
Tim Baldwin ; I try new things, like boycott Amazon and Walmart. Buy American made. Buy less. Sometimes it does not seem enough, but I will persist and continue to look for more ways to be part of the solution. I like your idea of 'pursuit of any worthwhile goal in life'.
I recently convinced a strong Trump supporter, a family member of mine, to stop sending money to his political organization. Hooray! Small things like this can add up to big changes in our country.
Tim ; Yay! I was just tempted to google search 'people who overheard remarks from Trump at a rally and decided not to support him'. I read a comment on a thread a while ago that described an open mike near him when he made a comment after shaking hands about wanting to clean them after touching 'all that filth'.
For anyone like me, who believes the decisive question in 22 is whether our civic institutions will hold up against coordinated efforts to put in place a targeted veto to control the outcome of future elections, the fact is we nearly are running out the clock on democracy itself. Nonetheless, also believing too much is at stake simply to wait and see what America’s leadership will do, I take heart from being part of a community that understands it’s us that have to become engaged, possibly in ways that initially might not seem particularly impactful. Still, rather than expecting someone else to carry the weight, we persist, somehow knowing that our engagement, our energy, our caring, our work can make a meaningful difference. As for a balanced life, suffice it to say I’m working on it.
Barbara, We do need a pro-democracy movement in America. It need not be and should not be tightly organized and directed, but the whole must be larger than the sum of the parts; it needs to be loud and clear and firm. It needs to stand for giving voice to every American and allowing neither the moneyed interests nor the Fox News authoritarians and Trumpers to take over our national conversation.
Prof. Reich, Though I fully subscribe to your position, with the clock nearly running out on democracy, I, for some time, have focused largely on Senator Manchin, starting with his rejection of S.1 “For the People,” followed by his helping to draft the edited down “Freedom to Vote Act.” Tracking Manchin’s position on filibuster reform, when asked, several months ago, whether he would support eliminating the filibuster, Manchin replied, “Jesus Christ, what part of ‘never’ don’t you understand?” Last month he said, “I can’t imagine creating a carve out for voting rights legislation.” Last week, when asked whether, as in the past, he “would not be open to changing the rules without Republican buy in…” Manchin replied, “That’s my absolute preference.” I view Manchin stating it’s a “preference” as a promising sign that he could be open to considering some version of a Senate rule change currently under discussion and, furthermore, believe if Dems can get Manchin on board with a workable rule change, Sinema will follow. Though I never will know whether my well-thought-out letters to Biden, Harris, Schumer, and members of the Senate Rules Committee have had any impact, witnessing some positive trends more than suffices.
You might recall, a few days earlier, you issued a reply to me that read, “the 50 votes Schumer needs to change the filibuster don’t all have to be Democrats and that maybe he could get Collins or Romney or Murkowski to sign on.” In response, I underscored that Murkowski is the sole Republican who has expressed any support and, to please note, not for the “Freedom to Vote Act,” but only for “VRAA”which is not preemptive and therefore cannot overturn State laws that already have passed. Conversely, the “Freedom to Vote Act” that Manchin helped draft, whose provisions provide the necessary safeguards against both voter suppression and election subversion, would supersede State law in conflict with any of its stipulations.
I suppose my point, overall, is when we perceive that we’re in for the fight of our lives and that too much is at stake for our spirits to flag, we can’t afford simply to wait and see what leadership will do. We must train ourselves and acquire the requisite knowledge to lend fully-informed voices to the issue at hand.
Today, I write personally. responding to Robert. I am 72 years old. My political consciousness was formed in the 1960s. I lost my taste for grapes in the mid-1960s boycotting grocery stores in support of Cesar Chavez and the UFW. As an undergraduate, I marched in the streets of Chicago with Jesse Jackson, served as Midwest coordinator for the Mobilization Against the War, "Got Clean for Gene McCarthy" in 1968, and fought for curricular reform in my university. I left the US for Canada in 1970.
For the better part of the next 50 years, my energies focused on political support for progressive efforts but more engagement in advocacy groups and especially in transforming scholarship in my fields of study and struggling to make universities more humane and responsible.
In the past 1-1/4 years, I am reengaged in formal politics and greatly committed to advising politicians, elected officials, advocacy groups at the national, state, and local level. For the first time since 1968, I am working closely with a very progressive candidate for the Democratic Party US Senate nomination in Ohio, Morgan Harper.
I no longer write primarily for scholars but, as you have see, for a broader audience, using what I learned and translating/transitioning my skills and learning.
I have unburned out and reoriented in retirement. I invite others to join me.
Bravo, Harvey.
Yay for you, Harvey. Keep up all your good work!
I also am in "Phase 3" -- not retirement but a re-imagining of life and service after a career in corporate America.
Thanks, Sheryl. Let's virtually toast each other :)
I wish to toast you both. I am also re-imagining life. Let's do this!
I/we toast you back, Carla!
Absolutely! Delighted! :-)
😘
I’m a licensed social worker currently not in the field. Years of working with broken systems pushed me to my breaking point. Then the guilt just knowing you need to get back out there because people are suffering. Yeah it sucks. If we aren’t helping the children, the poor, the HUDDLED MASSES, then what’s the point of government, budgets, spending. Lately it just feels we are the United States of Money and that is literally the ONLY thing that matters. since I’m some gullible libtard, radical socialist I keep forgetting the sheer greed that drives people. How insane of me to want people to be healthy and educated. Bryan Stevenson, a man I admire and someone who is so damn inspiring. What a rough job he has. Even making under 30K a year, I donate monthly to organizations I care about, this helps me feel like maybe I’m making a small difference. And I don’t have kids, if I had kids I’d be on every benefit and struggling to pay for basic needs.
Maslows hierarchy of needs. The well off are always demonizing the poor and telling them to INVEST, MOVE, VOTE, go to college, get skills, blah. However, if you’re working poor, or in poverty, or low income and you are focusing on getting shelter, food, and medicine— you literally have zero brain space to even contemplate getting politically involved, hiring a financial analyst, packing up and moving, you are just trying to feed your family and keep a roof over your head.
When will these elitists, pampered from birth, get their heads out of their azzes and realize HEY PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING. OWN YOUR PRIVILEGE. It’s not hard. I own mine. My parents are still together and even though we had a humble life, I was taken care of, they never let me know if they had finance problems, they taught me to be tough and smart, I’ll always have a roof over my head. I came close to homelessness but I am privileged so I have family I could crash with. Many don’t. I don’t have kids so I can donate more time and money to causes. I’ll always have a family member who can give me food. I’m white and even if I haven’t noticed all of them, I have had many instances of white privilege. I was able to get college loans. I knew what a FAFSA was. A lot of my peers had no clue. The public schools I went to didn’t teach us politics, or real world education to survive out there.
Why is it so scary for people to own it? The privilege? The ignorance? We’re all ignorant in some ways. Why is it hard to take a good Look at themselves? So what—- you aren’t a special snowflake, most of us are just average bums.
Why is it so hard for these OUT OF TOUCH cruel zombies to show some damn compassion and walk a mile in someone’s shoes.
Because the privileged want to think they deserve everything they have and that the underprivileged deserve to suffer. It's a form of convenient social Darwinism that regards the "market" as a neutral arbiter of whom should receive what. It refuses to see that the main determinants of who gets what are (1) how wealthy your parents were, and (2) who has the power to alter the market in ways that enlarge their wealth.
YES! People are always defending this biased system because of the “free market”. It’s not free when you don’t have a choice. When you don’t have the money to make a choice! I absolutely hate it when people give me that free market bs.
As a friend, I say to you: >don't< internalize those epithets! Root them out and shuck 'em off. Cuss the TV whenever you hear 'em - whatever it takes. Be good to yourself - you sound like a good, caring person to me.
That is so nice of you to say. I try, I really do, gotta keep going.
Trust me the amount of rage and vitriol and cussing I throw out there reading articles and watching news. That’s why I had to quit all social media. Because I can’t NOT get tied up in the issues. I just had to step back. Plus all those apps are completely biased and I was banned constantly for things while identical posts/videos wouldn’t be against the rules (for certain people and political ideologies). It was blatantly biased. Gets old. So now I can annoy everyone on this website more! But seriously thank you for the kind words and keep on going yourself! Social justice warriors!!
I'm liberal progressive make absolutely no mistake about that, and there is no doubt that mixed economies are better than capitalist dominated ones. However,
why not consider a thirdness greater oneness of social, economic and ecological benefits like Direct Monetary Distributism? I want a result, and a BETTER result than the hope killing dualistic gridlock we're currently stuck in.
You’re not annoying us! You’re inspiring us. 😘
I understand where your coming from. I believe all people should take a good look at themselves and realize that there is always someone worse off then you. It shouldn’t matter what color you are. I am an African American. It’s just as you said, thinking about other people is so important. Recognizing that people are hurting and truly are just trying to survive. I used to work for Social Services. Color didn’t matter. I saw people needing help. Sometimes I thought that the government systems that are designed to help, keep many people reliant on them. I was happy when the system changed. Clinton changed the welfare system so those receiving TCA for their families were actively looking for jobs. I know many people don’t agree with me, but that’s okay. I saw it in action. It was a serious opportunity and I made sure my caseload knew it. For some it helped tremendously, for others not so much. Everyone is different. But the system worked when you had those actively participating. The effort to succeed is always needed. I do believe that systemic racism exist. But it doesn’t have to keep you down. It makes the struggle much harder, but it can be done. That’s why we should all be helping each other. When you get to the top, be willing to lend a hand to help others get to the top. People who have all the money and choose to watch others suffer; a time will come when you will know how it feels to suffer. It may not happen on earth, but it will happen.
Jesus once said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Matt. 19:24.)
They make money off of your labor. They dump all life’s problems on your shoulders. What do you think happened to the slave who asked his master why he is so cruel? Many people emulate the master’s cruelty. Call them out.
Yes call them out every damn time! And take every single damn vacation day!!!
A 50% Discount/Rebate policy at retail sale would double your $30k/yr. purchasing power...and enable all of the reforms you so graciously support. Consider resolving the problem that underlies and keeps all of the other problems you'd like to see resolved in suspension.
Sure. That'll happen!
I hasten to point out that little reform has been accomplished and NOTHING of significant change has been accomplished in liberal goals in the last 50 years. If you want significant liberal change consider changing the monetary paradigm by working for the implementation of its policies.
Thank so much for your kind words. Being in a sentence with RR and Bryan is incredible. You are awesome too and keep fighting the good fight!
Your grandson is 100% right and I hope he keeps that fire in him. We need the young people to see that greed for what it is!! Tell him he’s a BAMF! (Naughty word)
One thing our education system does not take advantage of is young, curious, inventive minds coming into their own, they don’t have proper outlets to get their ideas and creativity out! Not all kids learn from books. So many different styles out there and we need massive public education reform. The kids have the ideas for technology and change, we gotta let them investigate and create!
Young people need just a few insights from us.
First they have to understand that their interests and those of the billionaires are not the same. They will have to get a job and sell their labor.
The billionaires have surplus capital which they will allocate to production and will take the fruits of your labor in their enterprises as their profits.
You have nothing in common.
The second lesson is that just because you are compelled to work for the boss, you don’t have to internalise his values.
You can be a better person than that. Get a Nina Simone album or watch the new Harlem 1969 music festival film being release and you will understand what black power was all about.
Have your grandchildren watch Summer of Soul.
Summer of Soul is on Hulu: watch Nina Simone sing Are You Ready Black People. I believe the words are from Langston Hughes
Yes!!
Most importantly vote
I don’t mean to assume anyone won’t, I just feel like young people (I’m basically a “young person”) could have so much more power if they just voted. I really don’t want to lose the midterms! There’s so much hope if we can win even slightly larger majorities, and we don’t have time to waste environmentally. I also know there are significant impediments for young people. But not that significant if you’re determined! Even if you work all day on voting day and are registered in another state! There are many other ways to help that are super useful and impactful. It just seems like something we could really do! Focus on getting out the vote so our priorities can be met! Despite obstacles! Look what we got from the tenaciously optimistic efforts in Georgia! Yes, there are impediments, but I think we give them too much credit! It is still possible for everyone (who is able to register) to vote, with more enthusiasm for this solution we could go a long way! We just need to register more people and get clarity across about how we can get more things done if we have more people in Congress! Structural critiques should lead people to try to not be deterred rather than get down on the system!
Mr Reich, the student you mention at the top of your essay was working the kind of USPS letter-carrier schedule I worked for 20 yrs in the DC area - through 9/11, anthrax, & the sniper. (Indeed, John Allen Muhammad was my neighbor, for a time.) I'm not now the kind of energetic septuagenarian that many here seem to be - I'm tapped out. However, I am and have been for the last 10 years a poll captain in Jim Jordan's district, and I pledge here and now to remain in that position for the duration, denying it from one of ol' Tweety's frothing-mouthed morons. I suspect I've already had a close encounter with one of 'em, a new face on the team last election. My message to 'em is Gandalf on the bridge: "You shall not pass."
Good! Please remain in your position, and make sure voting rights are safe from Trump's anti-democracy movement.
I was so glad to hear Joe Bidden use the fighting language in spirit I believe is absolutely necessary for success yesterday. He used direct language, did not mince words and was not rude, crude or disrespectful. Just direct, speaking truth to power. In my opinion Democrats as an organization should learn how this is done and I guarantee they'll began to appear as fighters with an inner core for offense as well as defense. The defensive fight cannot be joined without a good offense. Successful Democratic Presidents who understood this stand out. One could research the speeches of FDR and see how he responded to the same things we're face with today. He used Republican arguments, many of which they whined about then, they whine about today. He not only knew them from hearing them repeatedly he spoke about them directly to his people outwardly in his speeches. He spoke directly about their concerns of the day and they responded in kind and returned him to the White House six times. Lastly listening to JFK's responses in news conferences illustrates the effectiveness of language.
I agree. Biden seemed tough and indignant yesterday, which was exactly right. And it was the perfect occasion. Had he done so in the months after he was inaugurated, he might merely have enlarged Trump's base. Yesterday, I think, he nailed Trump rhetorically. Now comes the hard part. Merrick Garland has to nail trump in reality.
Absolutely agree. Indignation and truth telling is a derivative of the natural philosophical and ethical concept of grace/graciousness. The truth dispels untruth, and even the more subtle and dangerous problem of unconscious/unwitting alligiance to the half-truths of dualistic orthodoxies whose time has passed. Progress with the thirdness greater oneness of the new monetary paradigm!
Definitely!
I was very proud of our President. He picked the right time, the right place and said the right words. If there was any risk in saying what he said, it was well worth it!
I love this ideas of looking at history for clues! We should have a study group.
I think President Biden's speech yesterday, with his 'fighting Joe" tone, is something I consider a small victory to celebrate - seems like he's finally angry and calling people on the carpet for their treachery - we all need to continue to call out the Monster of Mar-a-lago and his corrupt GOP lying Monkeys until they are all criminally investigated and charged for their actions.
It's extraordinary to me that people have to fight so hard for basic, decent things like the right to being fully human. You would think we'd all take this for granted. But we don't or the fighting wouldn't be necessary. So we have to wonder what's wrong with people who deny others full humanity. This can't just be a matter of greed - a profit motive of some sort. There must be something deeper that keeps them from taking it for granted that we're all equally human, and have therefore the same right to the good things in life and the same access to the common good. It revolts me to cast this struggle in terms of good and evil, but I can find no better way of defining true evil than as the act of willfully and knowingly devaluing others, for whatever the motive.
Fear is a strong 'motivator' and trumps greed.
😘
Robert you are very inspiring and completely right. Stacey Abrams is an excellent example of optimistic tenacity. She exemplifies the leadership so badly needed today. She's there and hopefully others are following her. Optimism is tough, I am so grateful for yours.
I love the term "optimistic tenacity."
I am a retired neuroscientist and live in Delaware county PA. Democrats in my township (not necessarily all progressive) are well organized and are still enthusiastic. I am a precinct level committee person. We had remarkable success at the township and county level in the last election. That one grassroots victory is enough to keep me inspired for life. Until recently, our county was solidly R going back to the civil war. It has taken us at least 30 years to get to this point.
Hurray!
Marcia Pelchat ; you are an inspiration to 'keep on keeping on!'
Professor Reich: It's people like You and Stacey Abrams who keep me going. When I look at the work that You and others have done and continue to do, it's a pleasure for me to keep trying!
We -- all of us -- are the leaders we've been waiting for.
I have met the government, and it is us.
Oh boy! Please, let all other Americans know.
Not to diminish the quip, it bugs me greatly when people say that an elected official ‘governs,’ including when that official is called a ‘governor’
In my country, we the people govern, period. We the voters hire and fire officials in elections to manage and conduct the business of our country, all the way down to our neighborhoods, but those officials do not govern. We do.
That reminds me that I still haven’t seen a headline aimed at the former Electoral College disaster — “You’re Fired!”
Am I the only one who thinks that’s weird? Weirder, haven’t seen any mainstream mentions of that … same as our wealth. Hmmm — b.rad
Yes. We mandate them to govern but we are the true power holders. It saddens me that so many Americans speak of "the government" as some foreign entity, thinking that they assert their own freedom this way. It is the exact opposite. Dissociating yourself from the government of your country, whether you agree or not with the one temporarily in place, is asking to have no part in decisions regarding the collective. A proud claim for irresponsibility and a herd mentality. A sheep does not feel concerned either about who drives the herd and where. Baa, baa, baa (Me, me, me in sheep's language) is its religion down to the slaughter house.
What has been most discouraging is seeing the advances in civil rights, voting rights, women’s rights, gay rights, worker’s rights, which were achieved by that very tenacity over the past 50 years, be so quickly eroded in the past five. I had been under the illusion that with continued tenacity we would move ever forward. For me, the question is how far back will the tide turn before we move forward again? And can I sustain my efforts against the backlash in the meantime?
Throughout our history, for every step forward, regressive forces have pushed us backward a half-step or more. But if we are organized and mobilized, they cannot stop us.
I always like your optimism!
Even our allies around the world wonder if, when we sign an agreement, will we back out?
Oh, good point, Laurie. What good does it do to seesaw as a nation? We don’t stand for anything and no one inside or outside the country knows what to expect.
I think you’re expressing what many of us feel. I guess this just demonstrates that when people feel threatened they tend to lose it. The answer, I suppose, is to create a society that works for everyone. (Ha!)
Dell Erwin ; It is so frustrating to see these things happen! It's usually a miniscule number of people behind such acts too. With computers we should be able to have a national 'referendum' with citizens voting on such a proposal as withdrawing from a climate treaty or nuclear ban. We have the technology, but need the security and the will.
One thing that keeps astonishing me with American people is their generosity in effort when they commit to something. Psychologically speaking, you are far less individualistic than the French (my own breed). Team work does mean something to you. Culturally speaking and because the accent is put so much on money in the United States, this is another matter. Aside from that and more importantly, I like the example of Fred Wertheimer. It tells me that real activism is from the inside out. Our faith is what supports us, both in the peaceful conviction of doing good and in the knowledge that we are never alone; innumerable others are secretly thankful for the good deeds of a few. No need to expect results (though we should be able to assess them) as the true measure of what is worth doing is in its meaning, not in the temporary score of one day.
Phillipe ; I may be one of the innumerable who, for many reasons, may not be able to get as active as the few, but I contribute what I can with communications and monetary support. I have for years and will as long as I can.
This is invaluable. However little or big our contribution might be, I think that the most important is to know we are, together, pushing in the same direction. We synergize. :)
I would love to hear more about this, Philippe. It never occurred to me that the French are so individualistic. Only recently have I realized how short a time it was that the French Revolution prevailed. Can you tell us a bit more please?
I am afraid that there are too many aspects to that question to do it justice in a few lines. Unfortunately, I am not even able to recommend a good book on the topic. My overall take is that French people are inherently individualistic in their personal behavior but really confident in the fact that they form one nation and need a strong state. In the United States it seems to be almost the opposite.
Sounds a bit like Canada. My husband has a French friend. I’ll ask him to see what he thinks. Thank you!
Biden’s speech was excellent. Direct, honest, the right tone for the circumstances. We need more of that! But we need some wins too. Real action. That’s the incentive for people to push on. If 45 and all the top players of this deadly coup attempt are punished appropriately, that alone will lift our sprits. The importance of this cannot be pushed to the background.
I love your broken record, SeekingReason. I hope it happens fast!
I try to compete with Republicans…repeat, repeat, repeat…only with the truth! 😄…until something changes.
Cory Bush is trying to get Congressional co-conspirators investigated and expelled. Here’s her petition: https://gopcoup.com/
Thank you! Signed it!. I’ve asked my congress members to do this..fortunately, they’re on my side. We have laws about this, these seditious traitors need yo go.
Absolutely!
RR wrote: "How did they do it? ... They helped one another along the way"
Tons of eco-oriented and other non-profits compete for donations. I suggest they should try to work together, and/or strategize how they might educate Manchin's WV voters, and key "purple-state" voters, to demand policies for the common good.
Alas, they keep competing for what they must perceive to be a limited pool of donations
Similarly, I wrote them from 11/7/20 - 12/31/20 that any campaigns that wouldn't have any influence on the GA Senate run-off races were wasted efforts. Alas... Nothing!
If egomaniac Prez#45 hadn't pissed off just enough GA voters, I doubt both GA Senators would have won their slim victories
one of my favorite posts from you. this was genuinely excellent. you are absolute right, it's a marathon. I've actually run ten of those things, which is a bit crazy admittedly. they went best when I did the exact 3 things you recommended- paced myself, ran with a supportive group, and ran it one mile at a time
I think Mr. Reich's words apply to the pursuit of any worthwhile goal in life, not just political activism. As long as you don't give up, you haven't failed!
Tim Baldwin ; I try new things, like boycott Amazon and Walmart. Buy American made. Buy less. Sometimes it does not seem enough, but I will persist and continue to look for more ways to be part of the solution. I like your idea of 'pursuit of any worthwhile goal in life'.
I recently convinced a strong Trump supporter, a family member of mine, to stop sending money to his political organization. Hooray! Small things like this can add up to big changes in our country.
Tim ; Yay! I was just tempted to google search 'people who overheard remarks from Trump at a rally and decided not to support him'. I read a comment on a thread a while ago that described an open mike near him when he made a comment after shaking hands about wanting to clean them after touching 'all that filth'.
For anyone like me, who believes the decisive question in 22 is whether our civic institutions will hold up against coordinated efforts to put in place a targeted veto to control the outcome of future elections, the fact is we nearly are running out the clock on democracy itself. Nonetheless, also believing too much is at stake simply to wait and see what America’s leadership will do, I take heart from being part of a community that understands it’s us that have to become engaged, possibly in ways that initially might not seem particularly impactful. Still, rather than expecting someone else to carry the weight, we persist, somehow knowing that our engagement, our energy, our caring, our work can make a meaningful difference. As for a balanced life, suffice it to say I’m working on it.
Barbara, We do need a pro-democracy movement in America. It need not be and should not be tightly organized and directed, but the whole must be larger than the sum of the parts; it needs to be loud and clear and firm. It needs to stand for giving voice to every American and allowing neither the moneyed interests nor the Fox News authoritarians and Trumpers to take over our national conversation.
Prof. Reich, Though I fully subscribe to your position, with the clock nearly running out on democracy, I, for some time, have focused largely on Senator Manchin, starting with his rejection of S.1 “For the People,” followed by his helping to draft the edited down “Freedom to Vote Act.” Tracking Manchin’s position on filibuster reform, when asked, several months ago, whether he would support eliminating the filibuster, Manchin replied, “Jesus Christ, what part of ‘never’ don’t you understand?” Last month he said, “I can’t imagine creating a carve out for voting rights legislation.” Last week, when asked whether, as in the past, he “would not be open to changing the rules without Republican buy in…” Manchin replied, “That’s my absolute preference.” I view Manchin stating it’s a “preference” as a promising sign that he could be open to considering some version of a Senate rule change currently under discussion and, furthermore, believe if Dems can get Manchin on board with a workable rule change, Sinema will follow. Though I never will know whether my well-thought-out letters to Biden, Harris, Schumer, and members of the Senate Rules Committee have had any impact, witnessing some positive trends more than suffices.
You might recall, a few days earlier, you issued a reply to me that read, “the 50 votes Schumer needs to change the filibuster don’t all have to be Democrats and that maybe he could get Collins or Romney or Murkowski to sign on.” In response, I underscored that Murkowski is the sole Republican who has expressed any support and, to please note, not for the “Freedom to Vote Act,” but only for “VRAA”which is not preemptive and therefore cannot overturn State laws that already have passed. Conversely, the “Freedom to Vote Act” that Manchin helped draft, whose provisions provide the necessary safeguards against both voter suppression and election subversion, would supersede State law in conflict with any of its stipulations.
I suppose my point, overall, is when we perceive that we’re in for the fight of our lives and that too much is at stake for our spirits to flag, we can’t afford simply to wait and see what leadership will do. We must train ourselves and acquire the requisite knowledge to lend fully-informed voices to the issue at hand.