“There can be no democracy in America without informed, engaged and active citizenry.” — “People Get Ready” by Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols
We need to take control of our government by showing up every year to vote. Too many politicians have become the voices of corporate monopolies instead of public servants.
Only by your vote can the needs of the people be taken seriously. Cries for health care, education, a living wage, and clean air and water fall on deaf ears, because those holding the majority of powerful positions don’t believe we will vote. Let’s join together and show them how wrong they are.
Our power is in our vote!
Vote for candidates who support health care as a human right and want to see debt-free college. Vote for candidates who believe in a living wage and that no one with a job should live in poverty. Vote for candidates who realize climate change is all too real and we must act now!
These candidates exist. They are waiting to serve the people. Give them a chance by giving them your vote. Find these candidates at [avl.mx/5d8].
Answers about how to vote or getting an absentee ballot can be found at [avl.mx/5d9].
Early voting begins Oct 17 in Buncombe County. Election Day falls on Nov 6.
Thank you for joining me in voting this year and every year!
— Kris Kramer
Black Mountain
Hmmmm…….. “Health care is a human right”………… “debt-free college”…………. Some of Kris Kramer’s words sound a bit socialistic. We don’t need that in the United States. Our country is one in which individual initiative is rewarded. Why should I help pay for YOUR health care or for YOUR college education through increased taxes levied on me? If you want it, YOU work for it and YOU pay for it. Voters should vote for candidates that believe in free enterprise, individual effort, and in rewards for those who work hard for what they desire. Free market capitalism is the best path to prosperity. Socialism is not what the United States needs………. no matter what some people want. Life is hard…….. get a helmet, and YOU pay for it!
Considering they think importing 2/3rds of central America is a good thing, free health care while you go broke and tossed out on the streets is simply collateral damage. They lie and say these people don’t qualify for welfare but all of us know the truth.
Marxist are morons. They assume government is good yet look the other way and make excuses when corruption ends up the norm. Anyone with half a brain doesn’t believe that government can solve anything. Only make things worse.
Do your kids go to the public schools? Do you enjoy your public library or public parks? Do you feel secure by your municipal police and fire/rescue squads? Do you use your metropolitan sewage or water? If you do, your living with Socalism right here in the good ol’ US Of A.
LOL they used to love it in Venezuela.
Say why do Marxists think is can succeed here? 22 trillion in debt and rapidly approaching the point where interst to service it will be the biggest part of the budget.
To the extent that it ever really existed, free market capitalism in the U.S. has for the most part been replaced by some combination of corporate capitalism, crony capitalism, too big to fail capitalism, and the state sponsored transfer of wealth from those who produce to those who own. As many sources will bear out, the top 1% of the population controls more wealth than the bottom 90%. What if anything can or should be done about that is a very appropriate subject for political debate. However, unless and until a system like ours (call it what you will) deals with issues of the concentration of ownership and wealth, and the accompanying issues of corporate power in our political system, it will operate in a manner which challenges both democratic and market rules and norms.
“Socialism is not what the United States needs………. no matter what some people want.”
Weird, because y’all were beneficiaries of socialism for white people. You just pretend you weren’t.
Do you inject race into every topic? Or just the ones where your position is so weak that you need to confuse the issue by falling back on it? (And, by the way, how can you know that your debate opponent doesn’t look like you?)
Your haughty high school debating tactics don’t change the fact that the US has been very good at redistributing wealth to white people while persuading them they earned it themselves. Hence Rick.
I’d say it’s far more haughty to accuse others of saying things they have not said, to hurl insults, and to imply that positions other than your own are inherently racist. Nevertheless, let’s forget all that – I’d simply like to see a detailed description of the way in which “the United States has redistributed wealth to white people”. Thanks.
Oh dear.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/05/the-racist-housing-policy-that-made-your-neighborhood/371439/
You get that lesson for free. The next one will require payment up front.
Redlining in California (or wherever it took place) was indisputably wrong. But – and this is an honest question – does it equal wealth redistribution, or is it the prevention of wealth creation? Has there been anything like this in the last 50 years? Additionally, do you think that poor whites of Appalachia benefited from such things? (Oh, and I won’t be redistributing any of my largely nonexistent wealth to you in the form of payment for TNC’s “lessons”… but thanks!)
An additional last question: are you more interested in fairness & harmony in the present or retribution for the past?
Debt free college is great, if you can figure out how the country would survive a huge increase in national debt, and/or
taxes that bankrupt hard working people. Ireland has a pretty good system, guaranteeing that anyone who is qualified and has the desire can get
an education without going deeply in debt.
Only problem implementing it in this country is that it is based on merit.
On Kris’ second point, that also sounds good. Just need to get those who walk by Help Wanted- Inquire Within signs to take the job.
But can hardly blame them. Unemployment benefits are sometimes as high or higher than a decent wage.
Not sure that I get the third point, however. Earth’s climate has always, is now, and will forever be changing. No challenging that.
Just can’t figure out why some folks, seems mostly of the Liberal bent, get themselves all twisted up with raging rhetoric about how
Republicans, or at least those who do not join in demonstrating and insulting folks who may take a more nuanced approach to global warming,
are basically evil people. Sometimes seems like the Global Warming issue is more about politics, or at least the sad old refrain of “we own it, because
it is good and virtuous…and you don’t, because you are not as rabid about the issue as you should be”.
No matter. Kris’ main point is that we all need to get out and vote. Absolutely true.
Oh yes, and as Kris rightly states, BE INFORMED. And that means to listen, think, and act beyond the ever more
restrictive bonds of our assumed ideology.
Although I am certain we come from different perspectives politically, Richard B’s comments are a refreshing, thoughtful break from the empty, inflammatory rhetoric evident in several of the other comments. Thank you for that.
Thank you kindly, Spare C.
Exactly Rick… health care is not a human right anywhere on earth…and debt free college? many today are just not college material due to the failure of government screwls…
MAGA!
Actually every industrialized nation on earth, except China, and a large majority or the rest do, in fact, believe healthcare is a human right.
Here is a list: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_universal_health_care
Without food & shelter an individual’s life would be short – therefore no care of said individual’s health would be needed. Thus it is obvious that healthcare “as a right” is subsidiary to the feeding & housing of the individual. Are you seriously ready to argue that we should expect the government, other than in extreme “social safety net” situations, to feed & house us all?
Are you seriously ready to argue that people with treatable illnesses should just shut up and die?
I am not ready to make that argument & that’s why I argued no such thing. Nice try at ventriloquism.
Then work out what argument you want to make.
“Just shut up & die”? Literally never said any such thing – and neither is anyone else. Try putting words in your own mouth.
Well, we’re not talking about food or housing, we’re talking about healthcare. Something that every nation on that list is willing to provide, in some form, for their people.
However to address your example: As you pointed out, our government does provide programs like welfare, and housing subsidies to help out the poorest and vulnerable people of our society. Programs that Conservatives also always call “hand-outs” and target for cutbacks whenever possible. But programs that do keep some people alive. In addition there are lots of church and civic organizations that work to feed, and house the homeless, and those on fixed, or low incomes. Finally it’s not a foreign concept for our government to feed and house our military members. They also pay their healthcare, OMG! They certainly don’t have to. Soldiers earn a paycheck. Obviously the welfare of other humans is important to some people in this country.
But the thing is, people tend to budget for food and shelter, not so much for sickness. If a person gets sick, and stuck with a hospital bill they can’t afford they could lose both their shelter and means to eat. Or else they could not pay, and pass the expense on to the taxpayers anyway. Why not spend a little to remedy the problem in the beginning.
When a friend, or neighbor, or church congregation member get sick and are unable to pay their medical bills, what happens? Most of the time the community rallies to raise funds to pay for their procedures. Why can’t we do that for our friends, and neighbors of the whole country? Why do we feel empathy and dig in our pockets to help our neighbors, but not the rest of the citizens of our nation?
And don’t fall back on the “these people just want something for nothing” line, because most people want something for nothing. There are millions of people giving up their hard earned cash for lottery tickets in hopes they’ll become a multi-millionaire. Maybe we should have a “National Healthcare Lottery.” Then both liberals and conservatives will pony up for the cause.
Our rights, as delineated by the constitution, are what the government cannot take away from us – not what it is obligated to provide for us. That said, very few, and I am not among them, would argue that we should not have a social safety net. We do not have a pure free market economy, but that does not make us a socialist nation. And if you want to model our future based on what other nations do, many of whose economies have been subsidized by our willingness to defend them, then we can kiss American Exceptionalism goodbye.
No one owes you anything. Quit blaming others and get off your rear. How about all you libs follow your bumper stickers: “be the change you want to see”…get a job, work hard and better yourself. I know this may be hard to believe, but the system works for more people than it doesn’t.
“get a job, work hard and better yourself.”
And know that the parasitic owners of capital will make more than your labor ever will.
“Parasitic owners of capital” are otherwise known, to the less bitter, as “job creators”. Figure out how to commodify your resentment & you’ll be able to retire early, comrade.
There was a time when capital was less parasitic, and didn’t need the “jarrrb creaturrr” makeover.
You’re slurring. Time to give the bottle a rest.