What stands in the way? Capitali$m - an economic and political system that puts profits before people.
Q: What's wrong with capitalism?
A: It puts profits before people.
The heart of capitalism is the drive for more and more profits for banks and corporations no matter what happens to our nation's people and environment. The results of this built-in greed are horrible:
- 20 million people out of work, including 25% of our young adults.
- Draining the public treasury with tax breaks and bailouts for the super-rich and giant corporations.
- People's needs go down the toilet. Public schools, health services, parks, libraries, and transit systems are cut back or closed.
- Poisoning our drinking water, air, food supply and oceans.
- Cutting workers' pay and benefits, stealing pensions.
- Corruption by corporate dollars and lobbyists.
- Record levels of inequality.
- Greed for profits is the impetus for war - for oil, for domination of other countries' markets and profits of military contractors.
- Capitalism foments racism, sexism, homophobia and anti-immigrant campaigns.
In a socialist economy, people come first, not profits
Socialism means re-structuring our economy to be fairer and more democratic.Right now Americans already produce our nation's wealth socially. We work together in factories, offices, schools, stores, laboratories, hospitals and on farms and construction sites.
What's not decided together is how the wealth we create could be fairly distributed. In a socialist economy, there would be social ownership and social control instead of private ownership and control.
The people would decide. The deciding factor would no longer be what's best for corporate profits.
- Small business would still be a vital part of the process
- There would be enough resources freed up to fully fund public education, health care, mass transit, child care and any other priorities.
- In a socialist society, people would get paid for the work they do and rewarded for the initiatives they take. The difference? No corporate big shots getting paid billions for the work others do.
- War, racism, sexism and homophobia would lose their corporate sponsors.
- Reversing climate change, developing green industries, and sustainability would be top priorities. No doubt millions of young people would lead the way with such initiatives.
- The rich and diverse multi-cultural heritage could flourish in music, literature, dance, sports, film and art.
