Ignoramuses, living by the grace of capitalism, a danger to themselves, deserve to be surveilled, should self-deport to a socialist haven of their choice.
They should listen to Russian historian Tim Snyder’s lectures on Marx, Lenin, and Stalin to learn how well things went when those of a similar anti-capitalist ideology fared in the 1930s. 3-4 million died in Ukraine alone from forced starvation.
Fourierists, Birchers, nativists, socialists and communists have appeared throughout American history. Particular movements fade, but their underlying ideas and grievances periodically return under new names. The Tea Party helped prepare the way for MAGA’s takeover of the Republican Party, while the DSA is attempting to pull the Democratic Party further toward its own ideological agenda. Why have these movements gained influence? I suspect both major parties have repeatedly failed to address the practical needs and frustrations of ordinary Americans, leaving an opening for ideological movements that promise more sweeping solutions.
David Hume distinguished parties organized around concrete interests from those organized around abstract principles or personal loyalty. Interests can be negotiated; ideology and devotion to a leader are much harder to compromise. When political parties stop solving practical problems, they leave an opening for movements that offer certainty, purity and sweeping explanations instead. The DSA in its current form resembles what Hume called a party of principle and may ultimately fail because its ideological rigidity prevents the compromise and coalition-building required to govern.
That rigidity is also visible in the extreme anti-Zionism found within elements of the current socialist and DSA movement, which risks crossing into outright antisemitism. Criticism of Israel and its government is not inherently antisemitic, but the line is crossed when Jews are held collectively responsible for Israel’s actions, subjected to loyalty tests or excluded from political spaces because they support Israel’s continued existence. Antisemitism, like other recurring forms of prejudice, periodically rears its ugly head—often repackaged in the political language of its time.
The same preference for ideological purity over practical governance appears in demands to prohibit data centers. I agree that data centers should be regulated, particularly with respect to their energy and water use, but calling for an outright ban is akin to smashing power looms in early 19th-century England. It is an attempt to stop technological change rather than manage it—another movement of idealists without a workable plan for moving forward.
I hope they enjoyed their meeting in a public park paid for by property taxes with additional support from a volunteer group. Maybe they could help out the next time there is a "clean-up the park" day and give back to the community.
Let's see, there is Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Public Schools, police, and fire services, and I could go on, but it should be obvious to anyone who pays taxes from their capitalist employment that the US is already a socialist nation. Not to the degree of some others like Sweden, Norway, Finland, Great Britain, and others, but all the elements are there. FDR started the trend in the 1930s; then along came Reagan, who tried to take the country to "rugged individualism," and the Republican Party has been licking his boots ever since.
Americans are so enamored with Social Security that not even the Republicans are willing to try to eliminate it. It is a self-paying system. It is expected to "run out" of money by 2034. This could be easily fixed by requiring the top contribution to extend beyond the current level to all income.
Social Security is a Ponzi scheme and the number of workers per retiree is diminishing at an alarming rate. We have had several non-partisan commisions offer tangible solutions. Our elected representatives do not participate with us. They choose to kick the can along until a crisis finally causes painful responses. I hope your calculation for an easy fix is accurate.
The chances of good that a significant percentage of the members of this socialist organization are well educated individuals from comfortable backgrounds. The real working class, whatever that might be these days, are struggling too hard to make ends meet to become indignant about data centers and the condition of the Palestinians.
Ignoramuses, living by the grace of capitalism, a danger to themselves, deserve to be surveilled, should self-deport to a socialist haven of their choice.
They should listen to Russian historian Tim Snyder’s lectures on Marx, Lenin, and Stalin to learn how well things went when those of a similar anti-capitalist ideology fared in the 1930s. 3-4 million died in Ukraine alone from forced starvation.
Fourierists, Birchers, nativists, socialists and communists have appeared throughout American history. Particular movements fade, but their underlying ideas and grievances periodically return under new names. The Tea Party helped prepare the way for MAGA’s takeover of the Republican Party, while the DSA is attempting to pull the Democratic Party further toward its own ideological agenda. Why have these movements gained influence? I suspect both major parties have repeatedly failed to address the practical needs and frustrations of ordinary Americans, leaving an opening for ideological movements that promise more sweeping solutions.
David Hume distinguished parties organized around concrete interests from those organized around abstract principles or personal loyalty. Interests can be negotiated; ideology and devotion to a leader are much harder to compromise. When political parties stop solving practical problems, they leave an opening for movements that offer certainty, purity and sweeping explanations instead. The DSA in its current form resembles what Hume called a party of principle and may ultimately fail because its ideological rigidity prevents the compromise and coalition-building required to govern.
That rigidity is also visible in the extreme anti-Zionism found within elements of the current socialist and DSA movement, which risks crossing into outright antisemitism. Criticism of Israel and its government is not inherently antisemitic, but the line is crossed when Jews are held collectively responsible for Israel’s actions, subjected to loyalty tests or excluded from political spaces because they support Israel’s continued existence. Antisemitism, like other recurring forms of prejudice, periodically rears its ugly head—often repackaged in the political language of its time.
The same preference for ideological purity over practical governance appears in demands to prohibit data centers. I agree that data centers should be regulated, particularly with respect to their energy and water use, but calling for an outright ban is akin to smashing power looms in early 19th-century England. It is an attempt to stop technological change rather than manage it—another movement of idealists without a workable plan for moving forward.
I hope they enjoyed their meeting in a public park paid for by property taxes with additional support from a volunteer group. Maybe they could help out the next time there is a "clean-up the park" day and give back to the community.
The last sentence describes perfectly what one can expect from the utopian future promised by this youthful ignorance:
"I left a message at the Portland PSL headquarters Monday, but have not gotten a response."
Let's see, there is Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Public Schools, police, and fire services, and I could go on, but it should be obvious to anyone who pays taxes from their capitalist employment that the US is already a socialist nation. Not to the degree of some others like Sweden, Norway, Finland, Great Britain, and others, but all the elements are there. FDR started the trend in the 1930s; then along came Reagan, who tried to take the country to "rugged individualism," and the Republican Party has been licking his boots ever since.
Americans are so enamored with Social Security that not even the Republicans are willing to try to eliminate it. It is a self-paying system. It is expected to "run out" of money by 2034. This could be easily fixed by requiring the top contribution to extend beyond the current level to all income.
Social Security is a Ponzi scheme and the number of workers per retiree is diminishing at an alarming rate. We have had several non-partisan commisions offer tangible solutions. Our elected representatives do not participate with us. They choose to kick the can along until a crisis finally causes painful responses. I hope your calculation for an easy fix is accurate.
Ponzi scheme ...good call!
Good job Allan for looking behind the curtain for who is behind this group. 👏🏽
The chances of good that a significant percentage of the members of this socialist organization are well educated individuals from comfortable backgrounds. The real working class, whatever that might be these days, are struggling too hard to make ends meet to become indignant about data centers and the condition of the Palestinians.