He’s right and these policies are shown to work in other places too. Reduce artificial scarcity and related stress and people do better. I hope Dems pass major bills even if orange vetoes them and they can’t get a supermajority, they must try. If only everyone understood how well healthy policies work where they are, even public housing can work when done right, but when it’s sabotaged and underfunded by maga, and done wrong it fails.
Q: If we want public housing to be a successful investment—where units stay in good shape, tenants thrive, and taxpayer dollars are respected—what are the three most critical policies we should implement to prevent the failures of the past (like Pruitt-Igoe) and replicate the successes of places like Vienna or Singapore?
we must enact a 5% wealth tax on billionaires
…
Elon Musk and his billionaire friends have poured a record-breaking $2 billion into the recent election. That is absurd.The American people want Congress to overturn Citizens United, abolish super PACs, and establish public funding of elections
That’s actually a really good idea.
Billionaires like Musk should be forced to fund elections, but the funding should go to a general fund that’s available to all candidates who are not millionaires
but the funding should go to a general fund that’s available to all candidates who are not millionaires
Exactly.
Jimmy Savile and Margaret Thatcher perfectly demonstrated why you shouldn’t rely on the wealthy funding things for charity. It gives them tons of influnce over what they’re funding compared to having the government tax the rich and direct the money where it needs to go.
Those 2 used that strategy to tear apart British social services and literally led to the rape of thousands of people
I was waiting for the quote from Sanders, but then I realized he’s the author of this whole piece.
Since when does Bernie Sanders write opinion pieces for Common Dreams? Huh
I watched the video. He pretty much mentioned every major thing that needs addressed and gave a solution to most of the issues.
This is why I’m also a big AOC supporter.
Bernie is old . He could go at any moment. AOC is like his apprentice.
Next best option.
If you think Bernie is the best we have, than you have to acknowledge that AOC is next in line after him.
She should be speaker. Although I’d be okay with Bernie for now.
And AOC in 2 years. Misogyny won’t keep her from winning. People want someone who will make a stand.
These midterms have proven that.
Plenty of women won seats. Plenty of brown people won seats.
The people who wouldn’t vote for a woman wouldn’t be voting for a Democrat anyway.
No point in placating the opposition.
I want someone who will actually go after the Epstein criminals. And to be completely honest, I can’t trust a male president to do that.
I need Bernie to punch Schumer in the jaw.
I need Bernie to be the next Senate Majority Leader.
Lmao
Oh, I’d pay to watch that PPV. Cage match!
Bring back the Whitehouse redneck octagon!
Speaking of… Bernie Sanders would make an EXCELLENT speaker.
My vote → Bernie Sanders – √
Majority leader Sanders
Does he technically count as part of the majority? He’s an Independent.
Yes. The majority of voters hate the majority of Republicans and Democrats.
Sometimes i wonder what would have been if Bernie wouldn’t have been blackballed. I feel like we would at least not be as shit of a nation as we are now because Trump would have never happened.
The US would be the best country in the world. Free university, free healthcare, great jobs, and something closer to democracy (but probably not there yet)
If you look at his positions over the course of his career, he is damn near always on the right side of history.
The man literally marched alongside MLK Jr.
Republican voters need to seriously and intimately understand the negative consequences of unrestrained conservative policies before any real change is possible. You could argue that we aren’t there yet but it’s certain that a lot more get it now than did before Trump. We wouldn’t have had that to nearly the same degree without two Trump presidencies.
In fact, the scariest part of this whole situation is that the narcissism of Donald Trump is the only thing separating us from living in a permanent fascist hellscape. If someone even a little bit more tactful had been in charge we’d be absolutely fucked. I don’t think Bernie could have prevented that without the support he’s gained from all of Trump’s completely unhinged bullshit.
Hear that, Americans? We did the Accelerationism. It was accelerated. Acceleration done. Now it’s time to move on to leftist ideas.
Republican voters need to seriously and intimately understand the negative consequences of unrestrained conservative policies before any real change is possible.
How so? While conservative stupidity was important in getting such a massive blue turn, it’s not like that’s the only way for progressives to win.
On Tuesday, Trump told us to vote as if he were on the ballot. And that is exactly what the American people did.
Together, we stood up to authoritarianism and a president who does not believe in the Constitution or the rule of law. And we won.
With Democratic control over the Senate and the House, we will now—finally—be able to hold Donald Trump accountable.
The American people have had enough. They are demanding real change and bold policies that will dramatically improve their lives.
That is a big deal. But as important as it is, it is not enough. We have got to do more.
The best part about politics is that nothing is ever enough and we always have to keep fighting.
Oh wait, no, that’s the worst.
Edit: Politics is like my first marriage.
I curse you to someday argue with young people about whether we should declare victory once climate change is solved, or keep going to engineer a Risa-like perfect climate.
Ugh. I hate the tropics. Having that everywhere would suck
Dude, the orange turd and most of his cronies are still going to be in office in January. Of course it’s not just going to be easy
That’s the point: It’s never easy. Even if Dems had all three branches they’d be arguing with each other and we’d all be yelling on the Internet because if the wrong lizard gets elected the world is going to end.
If it was ever enough, we would get complacent and society would begin to stagnate, and in fifty years we would be the boomers yelling at the clouds about the good ole days while our civil infrastructure crumbles around us due to neglect, and our grandkids beg us to hand over the political reins so that they can build an economy with entry-level jobs.
So think of it this way: it’s a good thing that the fight is never over.
False. Leisure is wonderful and being angry all the time gives me ulcers.
We don’t have to be angry all the time to keep up the fight. And we don’t have to wait until some mythical complete and final victory before we can enjoy some leisure.
We need to find a balance because it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Rather, it’s a long-distance trek. We go the pace we can maintain, and we rest when we need to. It’s the only way we can keep it up long enough to get to where we’re going.
So celebrate the little achievements all along the way. Take time to experience joy in life. These are the things that will fuel you for the journey ahead (and protect you from ulcers).
But don’t stop fighting just because you reach a hilltop and say “this is good.” The journey never ends, and even a tortoise can catch a hare if it stops moving forward for too long.
See, I’m totally the type to find a nice hilltop and sit there.
That’s my five year plan.
And if we don’t have to be angry and stressed and never have any fun, why is everything I see telling me the opposite? If I’m not angry, am I not paying attention?
Let’s at least pick a better hilltop than this one before we sit there for five years. This one’s still too close to The Wastes, not even properly out of them yet.
It looks like there may be some better hills ahead, let’s see what we can view from atop the next one, then we can decide where to sit.
And if we don’t have to be angry and stressed and never have any fun, why is everything I see telling me the opposite?
Um, congrats, you now see the machine clearly for what it is. It sucks your lifeforce and produces misery as a byproduct while generating exorbitant wealth for the people in the penthouse corner.
If I’m not angry, am I not paying attention?
If you’re paying attention, you certainly will get angry at times. But anger didn’t evolve to be a constant. You’ll burn yourself out that way.
Acknowledge your anger when it comes, channel it to good use if you can. But let it go when its moment passes. No need to hold onto it, there will be plenty more of it later when you need it again.
Go for a stroll, breathe some fresh air, spend an hour just staring at a tree. If you’re really paying attention, you’ll find there’s a lot more to life than only things to be angry about. There are so many things to appreciate too. Things worth protecting, and preserving.
That’s what I mean by balance. Reality is a hodgepodge. Don’t treat it as monochrome.
This was not helpful. It’s exactly what my therapist said.
🥸
It’s so exhausting, it makes me feel like I can never take an off-day for my mental health if I want things to get better. fuuuck.
Yes, exactly.
Because I grew up with good parents I’ve been worrying about shit I can’t control for most of my life, and if I’m ever able to get away from it - which today is impossible - I feel guilty for not being informed.
It feels impossible to have a good mental well being in this state when I feel like I need to worry about stuff I can’t control
And even worse, you feel like not worrying makes you a bad person.
This thread made me feel less alone so thanks for that.
it doesn’t help when certain performative types try to guilt you into worrying.
like, yes the world is shit, we know this, i hear you, i’m exhausted can i please have one day of rest to recalibrate for the next one?
Can I get the last 30 years back?
You can and should.
A little deliberate compartmentalisation can be healthy. If you can’t make yourself forget for a day, try hours or even minutes. Set yourself some time in which if you think of these things you say to yourself “not now”.
It doesn’t help that so many people I see on Instagram and the likes and elsewhere want instant gratification from everyone, like they demanded an IMMEDIATE response from people and it was never enough for them :/
I know, let’s just have computers run the world! Surely then we will have a peaceful, stable society!
I don’t trust computers because they were made by people.
Nonsense, computers are pure logic! Nothing can possibly go wrong!
You stop fighting. You lose.
What a stupid game.
Alt text:
A five-panel manga showing Mikasa and Eren as children, being accosted by a bandit. The first panel shows Mikasa with a stunned expression, and a dialogue box saying merely “…!!”. The second panel shows Eren being choked by the bandit as he tells Mikasa desperately to fight. The third panel shows Mikasa still stunned and nervous. The fourth panel shows Eren going on as the bandit continues to choke him while cussing him out. In two dialogue boxes, Eren tells Mikasa “If we don’t win, we die.” “If we win, we live.” The fifth panel shows Mikasa wide-eyed as the realization dawns on her.
Alt text:
In two large, vertical panels, Eren’s face and Mikasa’s are shown side-by-side. Eren’s shows a desperate expression, while Mikasa’s remains wide-eyed. The two panels are united by one dialogue box in which Eren tells Mikasa “IF YOU DON’T FIGHT, WE CAN’T WIN.”
Just rolling things back to 2024 is going to be a hard road. Reversing what Doge did is imposdible. Getting rid of tariffs while Trump is in office is too. In fact, the easiest thing to do is to end the Iran war.
Funny thing because that’s the seemingly possible thing I’m most bearish on. It’s of course trivial to have all Democrats vote for the war to end, but you have centrists in there who are going to balk at Iran’s terms. Status quo ante bellum is impossible, so the question is what kind of agreement you can get both Iran and most Democratic congresspeople to accept, and my guess is that it’s going to take a while to hammer that out.
And at that point where the Centrist balk, all them what their plan is for victory. Put them on record as having none.
“Centrists” need to be shown for what they are. Tools of the MIC.
Oh yeah my point isn’t that it’s impossible, but that this is one thing the centrists will need to be pushed hard on before they do.
The only good thing about this article is that I get to read it in Bernie’s voice. Everything else is crushingly depressing. Things can get better, but it’s a slog. Never give up.
Or you can listen to Bernie himself.
