“The
wealthiest country in the world manages to remain complacent in the face of
alarmingly high levels of poverty by continuing to blame poverty not on the
economy or inadequate social supports, but on the poor themselves. It’s time
to revive the notion of a collective national responsibility to the poorest
among us, who are disproportionately women and especially women of color.”
It
would be nice if this is what President Obama said tonight in his
State of the Union Address, and if he proposed policies that would address
the real roots of the problem.
Unfortunately,
as democratic socialists we know he is unlikely to suggest a full employment
jobs program or universal basic income, even though 4 in 5 Americans think
the government should do something to reduce poverty, and 7 in 10 think the
government should do something to reduce the gap between the rich and the
poor.
Poverty
and inequality are rooted in the capitalist system, and only a movement led
by working people can build the political will necessary to find long-term
solutions.
What
can you do today?
• Sign up to join the National Domestic Workers Alliance’s Thunderclap before the speech tonight. The
Thunderclap (a social media tool that allows a group of people to all send
the same Twitter and/or Facebook message at once, to maximize its impact)
spreads a unified message that women and families must not be forgotten in the
debate over economic justice.
• Read It Is Expensive to Be Poor by DSA honorary
chair Barbara Ehrenreich (quoted above) before the State of the Union tonight
for some perspective. Then, make sure to share these insights with friends
and family as you watch and discuss the speech.
• If you tweet your commentary, make sure to use the hashtag
#SOTU so the widest number of people possible see your feedback for the
president and our elected officials.
Your
voice, collectively with other socialists and economic justice activists
around the country, is needed to break through the “there is no alternative”
to capitalism attitude of those in power, no matter their political
affiliation.
Thank you
for all you do!
In
solidarity,
Maria
Svart, DSA National Director
|
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
It is expensive to be poor
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