Progressive Ponderings: "Leftists"

Progressives are the leaders

by Joe Mayer

"Progressives," "Liberals," and "Leftists" in today's America are usually portrayed as radicals, dissidents, and even anarchists. "Leftists" positions consistently favor civil and human rights, democratic principles to include all of "we the people," and justice in foreign as well as domestic affairs. Still the "think-tanks," the owners of national resources, the owners of the media, and owners of the propaganda machines have been able to cast "leftists" as "out of step" with majority conviction. Let's examine where American citizen opinion lies regarding a multitude of vital current issues.

Opinion polls taken over the past few decades indicate United States citizens' persuasion as follows:

• Citizens prefer a universal single-payer health care system under the direction of the federal government;
  
• Citizens prefer strong government action to restore environmental quality – air, water, land – and strong anti-pollution standards with strict enforcement;
  
• Citizens believe that global warming threatens human health and safety and that the U.S. government should cooperate with foreign governments to rectify this threat;
  
• Citizens believe that the wealthy elite and large corporations have too much power and influence and that the average citizen has very little power;
  
• Citizens believe that only public financing of elections can change the undemocratic influence of money;
  
• Citizens favor trade agreements that are "fair" as well as "free" meaning that these agreements should consider environmental concerns, human and civil rights, and local control;
  
• Citizens believe that the U.S. spends too much on the military and should not be the world's police officer;
  
• Citizens believe that the best way to fight terrorism is through the United Nations in cooperation with other nations rather than a unilateral militarism;
  
• Citizens believe the monopolization of the media stifles the free flow of information necessary in a citizen's democracy;
  
• Citizens believe the U.S. should participate in the Kyoto Protocol, the International Criminal Court, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and the Land Mine Treaty;
  
• Citizens believe that corporate officers and government officials should be held to a high degree of accountability;
  
• Citizens believe that vast discrepancies in wealth and income do not serve society;
• Citizens believe that Social Security should continue as is to set a floor for retirement, disability, and survivors' income through expansion of taxable wages;
  
• Citizens believe cooperation rather than domination should play a lead role in our international relations;
  
• Citizens believe that corporations have a responsibility to employees and communities as well as shareholders.

Again, all of the above beliefs and desires have had majority (sometimes very high majority) support over a period of time. Yet some cannot even get a hearing in Congress.

Through our education of selective American History and the capitalistic control of acceptable issues for debate we have become conditioned to believe the illusion that we the people control our own government. The acceptance of these corrupt foundations accounts for our acquiescence to powers working against our common goals. How else can we account for the fact that a broad spectrum of polling data shows that our core values are neglected as our government pursues policies, domestic and international, that are contrary to public will?

Progressives," "liberals," "leftists" are really mainstream. It took the rest of "mainstream" three to four years to find us regarding Iraq. Democracy is a living verb. Progressives are the leaders.