Democratic Socialists of America

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Democratic Socialists of America

• ECONOMIC JUSTICE AGENDA

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Overview

• Use the improving political scene to put forward
  an activist social democratic economic agenda
• Go beyond defense of status quo
• Balance practical and visionary
• Seek debate, inputconsensus!
• GOAL is a broad unified left movement

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Four Pillars of a Social Democratic Economic
Program

• Public Revenue
• Progressive taxation prudent defense cuts
• High Quality, Universal Public Goods
• Social insurance
• Social wage
• Powerful, Democratic Labor and Social Movements
• Government accountability
• Limit corporate power
• Global Institutions
• Advance labor human rights protect environment

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Pillar 1 Public Revenue
Taxation

• Restore high marginal income tax rates on the
  wealthy
• Restore corporate income tax and close loopholes
• Restoring these to re-Ronald Reagan levels ? 20
  more public revenue
• Others Wealth tax, inheritance tax
• MAKE WEALTH LESS PROFITABLE

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Pillar 1 Public Revenue
Defense and the Military Budget

• United States 25 Natl Budget 7
  GDP
• Other Countries 4-7 Budget
  2 GDP
• US spends nearly as much as ALL the other
  countries of the world COMBINED
• Many projects (missile defense) are pure pork
  without defense benefits
• Prudent cuts can be made without sacrificing
  National safety

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Pillar 2 Public Goods

• Single Payer National Health Insurance
• Reduces cost while covering everybody
• Social Security
• Defend expand NOT privatize
• Increase revenue by raising the cap including
  state and local employees
• Education
• Equalize expenditures per student PLUS funds for
  low income English learners
• Make teaching into a well paid and valued
  profession
• Increase financial support for higher education
• Child Care
• Paid parental leave
• Public financing of child care

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Pillar 2 Public Goods

• Single Payer National Health Insurance
• Reduces cost while covering everybody
• Social Security
• Defend expand NOT privatize
• Increase revenue by raising the cap including
  state and local employees
• Education
• Equalize expenditures per student PLUS funds for
  low income English learners
• Make teaching into a well paid and valued
  profession
• Child Care
• Paid parental leave
• Public financing of child care

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Pillar 2 Public Goods

• Single Payer National Health Insurance
• Reduces cost while covering everybody
• Social Security
• Defend expand NOT privatize
• Increase revenue by raising the cap including
  state and local employees
• Education
• Equalize expenditures per student PLUS funds for
  low income English learners
• Make teaching into a well paid and valued
  profession
• Child Care
• Paid parental leave
• Public financing of child care

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Pillar 3 Working People and their Organizations

• Employee Free Choice Act
• Restore minimum wage
• Restore/improve Health Safety Regulations
• ENFORCE safety regulations, labor rights,
  anti-discrimination laws
• Reverse cut backs extend eligibility period for
  unemployed disability insurance
• Expand job retraining and active labor market
  policies
• Control corporate power by expanding democracy
• Challenge the power of corporate-dominated media

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Pillar 3 Working People and their Organizations

• Employee Free Choice Act
• Restore minimum wage
• Restore/improve Health Safety Regulations
• ENFORCE safety regulations, labor rights,
  anti-discrimination laws
• Reverse cutbacks extend eligibility period for
  unemployed disability insurance
• Expand job retraining and active labor market
  policies
• Control corporate power by expanding democracy
• Challenge the power of corporate-dominated media

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Pillar 4 Global Institutions

• Renegotiate Trade Investment Agreements
• sanction violators of human labor rights
• restore the ability of developing nations to
  regulate foreign investors
• Help 3rd world nations develop more integrated
  and equitable economies
• Protect small scale agriculture in developing
  nations
• Combat environmental degradation curtail
  greenhouse gases develop renewable energy
  sources

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Pillar 4 Global Institutions

• Renegotiate Trade Investment Agreements
• sanction violators of human labor rights
• restore the ability of developing nations to
  regulate foreign investors
• Protect small scale agriculture in developing
  nations
• Help 3rd world nations develop more integrated
  and equitable economies
• Combat environmental degradation curtail
  greenhouse gases develop renewable energy sources

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In SummaryReverse Inequality Through Social
Solidarity

• Without a democratic state providing for basic
  human needs, and democratic ways for people to
  make their needs known, capitalism produces
  inhuman levels of social inequality.
• For all citizens to flourish, we all need equal
  access to high-quality, fairly financed
  education, health care, childcare, and housing,
  and a clean environment.
• We need publicly provided social insurance to
  protect us against the ups and downs of the
  market and the hazards of normal life
  unemployment, illness, disability, and old age.
• Only by building the power of our labor and
  social movements can we secure the programs and
  institutions we need. The time is now!

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Errors Omissions
THIS IS A DRAFT DOCUMENT! Environment More than
a globalization issue ? Public Goods Pillar?
DOMESTIC action needed! Globalization Need more
emphasize on developing strong, healthy, domestic
economies in other countries. Immigration Our
global initiatives would reduce the Push
factors in immigration but we need to address
rights of those already here! Education Need
more funding for college, too! Other Public
Goods Housing, Transportation, Infrastructure
(Levees!) Connect to Social Security Funding?
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ORGANIZE!

• Majoritarian coalition of the working and middle
  class, the poor, the excluded and people of
  conscience.
• Public events focusing on the Economic Justice
  Agenda small, medium, large
• Events focusing on ONE PART of the Economic
  Justice Agenda Single Payer, Employee Free
  Choice, Immigration
• Identify Bills implementing components of the
  Economic Justice Agenda (maybe get some written?)
  and lobby and educate around them
• Presidential Elections, Dem. Convention???

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THANK YOU!

• Freedom
• Democracy
• Socialism!

Democratic Socialists of America