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Building an effective opposition movement: The Real Deal [1]

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Date: 2025-01-25

The establishment of the Democratic Party is in a panic. They can no longer deny that they have lost the support of the working class. But their only response is to ask for more money to sell a message that no one is buying. The only effective way to counter Trump and the fake populists that have seized control of the country is to create a platform of real measures to address the problems we face that can be contrasted to the program of destructive measures now being foisted on us.

Instead of waiting for the Democratic Party to come around, organize around the platform with the help of credible leaders like Bernie Sanders and challenge any and all politicians to sign on. That will separate the wheat from the chaff. Maybe we could call it the Real Deal. Here’s a first draft:

Healthcare: Improved Medicare for all with no copays. Eliminating the bean counters would save a lot of money.

Housing: Build high quality social housing for all instead of trying to bribe private developers to make some of the units they build “affordable.” A century of investment in social housing is what has made Vienna one of the most affordable cities in the world.

Groceries: Establish municipal grocery stores to provide fresh produce and essential groceries at affordable prices and enforce antitrust laws against private grocery store chains.

Immigration: Reform the HB1 visa program and crack down on employers who exploit undocumented immigrant labor while offering a path to citizenship for established undocumented residents.

Childcare: Provide free childcare for all and restore the child tax credit.

Transportation: Eliminate fares on public transport. Pilot programs providing free public transit have been great successes.

Banking: Create a public bank to offer basic checking and savings account services, like the Bank of North Dakota, a popular socialist institution in a deeply Republican state.

Communications: Provide broadband internet service as a free public utility.

Taxes: The key to all of the positive initiatives in the Real Deal is to start taxing the rich again. The rich began their serious resistance to paying taxes 50 years ago, with both Republican and Democratic politicians giving in to them for the sake of campaign contributions. It is past time to fight back. Implement a 2% wealth tax on households worth $50 million to $1 billion and a 3% tax on households worth more than $1 billion. The tax would affect the wealthiest 100,000 households in the country – around 0.05% of the population – and generate $2.7 trillion over the next decade.

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