For a Better Life, Dump the Democrats AND Republicans!
The Republican National Convention was decked out in slogans of “Make America Great Again,” “strong again,” and “safe again.” The millionaire and billionaire politicians made speeches that touched on the anger we feel about the overdose epidemic, the housing crisis, on our need for better jobs and lives.
We all want to feel safe. We want to like the place we live in and make sure it’s prospering, where we and our children have opportunities for a good life. For most people, that’s not the reality, and we are angry and frustrated by this.
But, from their speeches, we’d have to blame immigrants, China, and the Democratic Party elites in Washington for the ways our world feels broken. And when the Democrats have their convention, they will blame the Republicans. But these politicians of both parties represent the rich and powerful behind a thin and insincere veil of words claiming to represent working people.
The politicians’ track record is a long trail of attacks on working people. Their expressions of anger about our conditions reflect their desire to capture our attention and get our votes. But in the end they will continue to screw us.
These politicians gave us the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as unquestioning support for the Israeli military. They have cut funding to essential programs like Medicaid and SNAP. They bailed out the billionaires during the 2008 housing “bubble” collapse, which destroyed millions of working-class lives. They called workers “essential” during COVID, but cut benefits for millions who barely survived once the pandemic was no longer in the headlines. They have continued to lead the burning of fossil fuels and making other pollutants that destroy our communities. Trump says “drill, drill, drill,” but the Biden administration’s oil-drilling permits have outdistanced Trump’s.
The issues we are facing come from politicians of both parties. They represent: the capitalists and their system of exploitation that squeezes working people for profits year after year. The reason why we have lost jobs that have been shipped overseas is that the bosses are always looking to find cheaper labor to exploit. We are feeling the financial pinch with our real wages going down for decades and prices going up so the bosses can fatten their wallets.
One of the reasons we have a housing crisis is that real estate tycoons, with the aid of the U.S. government, have bought up entire neighborhoods to turn into rentals. And the only new housing that seems to be built is luxury homes for the rich.
One reason we have a drug and crime epidemic is the huge amount of pressure, hopelessness, and desperation millions across the country feel because of limited job prospects and little hope for a better life. Those at the top would rather let people rot away than solve the problems of unemployment and desperation.
Trump and the Republicans can only propose blaming immigrants, who in reality must abandon their homes for the hope of a better life after their countries have been destabilized and pillaged by corporations like United Fruit supported by the U.S. government and its military. This has been going on for more than a century under both Democrats and Republicans. And, more recently, these same countries have suffered from some of the worst climate destruction created by the endless burning of fossil fuels led by U.S. oil barons.
In fact, we have more in common with working people around the world struggling to survive than we have with the billionaires who built their empires off of them and us.
We don’t need the Democrats and Republicans. Working people need our own party that will represent our interests. Politicians will continue to make false promises every election. But we know what we need. We need good paying jobs with wages that rise to actually keep up with inflation. We need affordable groceries, utilities, and housing, free healthcare, a guaranteed retirement, enough time for rest and vacations, and jobs with dignity and respect. We also need an end to racism, gender oppression, and all other forms of oppression. We need an end to the bosses’ wars. This system and their politicians can’t give us these things. We can’t wait for this election or another four years from now. So we must organize to fight for what we need and deserve.
Assassinating Politicians Doesn’t Address the Root Problem
When an assassin targeted Donald Trump, Trump supporters were enraged and threw blame for the attempt at Biden, the Democrats, and “the radical left.” Millions of others, whether they said it aloud or not, wished the assassin had succeeded. Many people question the bizarre circumstances that enabled a shooter to come so close.
Trump built a lavish lifestyle by exploiting the labor of the working class. He deserves to pay for trying to turn working people against one another, stoke hatred and contempt for immigrants, women, and others, and lying and attacking people for his own personal and political gain.
But his assassination would not make things better. Even if Trump had been killed, that wouldn’t change the system he represents. There is no shortage of politicians who would eagerly try to take his place. These politicians – both Democrats and Republicans – are maggots feasting off the decay of our society. They have no intention of stopping the rot. This tiny fraction of the bosses and their politicians feast on the wealth produced by workers, and the rest of society lives in the decay they leave behind.
To address the root problem, we would need this wealth to take care of all our needs. Only a mass movement of the working class – the clear majority of the population and the group that keeps society running day in and day out – can silence the anti-worker politicians. We can’t rely on them. We can only rely on our own power.
Power Cut-Offs During Extreme Heat
Extreme heat is deadly. It’s essential to human life for our bodies to cool off in excessive heat. But in a market-based, capitalist society, air conditioning is not guaranteed. In the U.S. alone, 60% of the population is at risk of having their energy shut off—that’s 203 million people! Well over half of the whole population!
Meanwhile, energy costs are rising due to inflation. 32.4% of households with children were unable to pay their energy bill for at least one month during the last year. The federal government has slashed funding for energy assistance programs, like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, by billions of dollars. Most state governments fail to offer protections from power shut-downs in the event that people cannot pay their bills.
The extreme heat we’re experiencing is a result of global heating, which is caused by burning fossil fuels. The government is more than willing to protect the profits of oil and gas companies to continue to burn fossil fuels. Yet, the government offers little to no protection to working and poor people who suffer the consequences.
Heat and Wildfires: Climate Crisis in California and the World
As climate change generates crises around the world, California is plagued by relentless heatwaves, droughts, and devastating wildfires. The scale of this destruction has vastly outpaced last year’s wildfires. In the month of June, the acreage burned was 20% higher than last year’s. Residents have had to repeatedly evacuate as wildfires threaten to destroy their homes and livelihoods. Multiple national parks have been scorched and continue to face fire threats. This year’s fire season will likely be longer and more intense than in previous years due to rising temperatures. Experts have said it’s not just a fire season—it’s a fire year.
This June was the hottest on record, with extreme heat waves sweeping across the western U.S. and breaking temperature records in many cities. In Palm Springs, CA, the temperature reached a horrifying 124 degrees. In these conditions, electrical lines are strained, largely due to for-profit power companies refusing to spend the money necessary to maintain their infrastructure.
California is not the only place with soaring temperatures. Across the country and around the world, records are breaking. This is a taste of what we will continue to experience. It will get worse if we do nothing but leave it to politicians and big business.
