"We must learn to live together as brothers or we will perish together as fools." Martin Luther King Jr.
Since its inception, #DSOT has sent out a weekly email reminding people not to shop on Tuesday and highlighting the unrepresentative issue of the week. A reminder that an entire menu of problems and issues have been written about over the years. Perhaps the policy problem or needed legislation didn't always resonate with you but it has the support of a super majority of the people living here. And as #DSOT continues to grow and expand, a long list of issues are included that are seamlessly supported by people all over the country.
Close your eyes and imagine that people in power are using fear or hate to pit vulnerable groups against each other. Because they are.
Their goal is to have natural allies fighting or being suspicious of others over a sliver of the pie. While wealthy donors gorge on slice after slice.
They lie: The cost of Social Security/Medicare and Medicaid are harming this country. No, readjust tax rates to those in the 1950's and 60's. Remove the regressive way taxes are levied now. Find new ways to fund each. This should be a political winner since most Americans support eight different entitlement programs:
By the way, words are power. These are services that are provided to citizens, please remove the word entitlement. The programs and policies that most of the country wants and needs are deliberately misrepresented by the establishment and supportive media. The Postal Service does excellent work, but is handicapped by false testimony, Congressional actions and is still suffering under the tenure of a man focused on harming the department and the hundreds of thousands employed there.
Unions are fighting for workers. They help our democracy and mitigate predatory capitalism. Their victories not only generate better pay and working conditions/ hope is created and the benefits flood everywhere.
The planet needs immediate and massive repair. Don't ask for remedies from elected officials who get truckloads of campaign contributions from the industries exacerbating the harm. Don't believe that it is a hoax. Look outside and read about the horrific ramifications due to climate change. Also, read what Exxon-Mobil has determined:
As #DSOT grows, the roster of allies expands to the entire range of this country's geography together with a seemingly never-ending array of issues. Due to the sheer number of lied about or ignored challenges, many people are focused on the major issues that immediately affect them while so many vital concerns can be ignored. Thus, while a family may be facing debt or death due to a lack of healthcare, they can also want education that celebrates actual learning, term limits for Supreme Court Justices and making the Endangered Species Act more powerful not less. Just to cite a few of the countless policies with a super majority consensus.
Which segues to hopelessness. It can occur when the voters clearly speak and are ignored:
In Florida allowing those formerly incarcerated to vote/In California where an electoral landslide supported making Uber drivers company employees or most recently In Ohio where the citizens made it clear that the right to an abortion should be enshrined in the state constitution and local Republicans are seeking to find ways to circumvent this.
These are just three of the virtually unlimited number of examples which are occurring in addition to all that is being done to suppress voting, from intimidation to gerrymandered seats. So many fundamental issues need to change. Think about what is lacking but vital for you, your family, your community and this country. Collectively, we have more power and economic heft than the narrow group currently crafting our laws. If you are in a union, keep fighting and #DSOT. Whatever your mission is, either individually sought or through organizations, thank you.
And continues to expand every week. Each new ally or focus further strengthens and aggregates citizens' power, with the growing support including every demographic category. So join us each Tuesday in growing solidarity!
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