From the Bottom UP
By Stewart Acuff
“Every policy in the package should serve to lift the living standards and conditions of work and life for everyone who works in America.”
Even though he was acquitted in his second impeachment trial, trump is greatly weakened.
Effectively, McConnell and Liz Cheney have split the Republican Party. The factionalizing, the splitting, the back biting, and the ugly underbelly of political knife fighting high up are beginning for real right now.
The GOP hasn’t been so weak since Obama won in 2008.
With his street drag racing start, it’s clear Biden knows the Democratic Party with its hands on all the levers of power must press fundamental change.
Now, early in his first term, the President must drive even harder on pro-worker economic policy. As the GOP reels and exchanges childish insults, Biden should use this moment to unite the Democratic Party, win back more of the working class, and re-orient the building back of the economy focused on its needs.
The President should rollout a comprehensive workers economic agenda with resources and muscle behind it with the expectation the entire party will be on board. The economy is a mess because American workers haven’t had a real raise in wages in 40 years.
An unabashedly pro-worker economic policy might cost the party corporate cash, but it will win votes.
HEADER American economic policy is literally killing workers and their families.
FDR framed his economic policy as an “Economic Bill of Rights”. Message and package the policies any way you want, but every policy in the package should serve to lift the living standards and conditions of work, and quality of life for working families.
There is no better way to demonstrate the contrast with the GOP and attract workers, votes, and power than by economic policy that benefits everyone.
First, we must start at the bottom. So, we must have a plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and index it to the cost of living so it rises with inflation.
Passing the “Pro Act” should be primary to restore and create a rock-solid right to form unions and bargain collectively. The most efficient, lean, and inexpensive way to reduce wage and wealth inequality is by giving Americans the same workers’ rights as in every other developed nation.
Green energy development is a massive jobs program that is an investment in our future, a sustainable economy, and a healthy and beautiful environment. Green energy and all other infrastructure work must be done union with craft training, safety and health, and prevailing wages.
President Biden can win back more workers in the once industrial Midwest with trade policy that includes enforceable standards on wages, working conditions, and environmental protections. The life of a nine-year-old making shoes or soccer balls must be as important as intellectual property rights. We cannot compete in trade with countries that treat workers as disposable.
In education, making higher education affordable again is critical to working class mobility and opportunity. Eliminating college debt would explode consumer purchasing power amongst the working class.
Gender equality, paid sick leave, and childcare are issues of both social and economic justice.
Beyond economics, there is so much to be done.
We must rebuild democracy with a tough and comprehensive crack down on the Violent Right; Department of Justice Civil Rights investigations of EVERY POLICE SHOOTING, and universal voting rights legislation.
But nothing is more important than a worker first economic policy. It is essential to our democracy.
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The nation’s founding credo is that we are ALL born equal and with inalienable rights. We stand with hands over hearts saying that we have a nation “with liberty and justice for ALL.”
We have a Constitution that says in its Preamble and in Article 1 Sec. 8 that, among other things, government exists to promote the General Welfare of the nation as a whole.
John Adams described the proper role of government this way: “Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men.”
So it makes sense to me that ALL levels of government, in our democratic republic, have a moral obligation to use our shared resources in ways that protect and empower ALL of us EQUALLY.
Government should act to help corporations ALSO act in ways that advance the Common Good and promote the General Welfare of the nation. Sadly, there are those in office who would rather support laissez faire capitalism…so there is much work to do.
I liked your “From the Bottom UP” article mainly because you mention fundamental change “in all levers of power”. Are you expecting that the Democratic Party will implement that change? I’d also like to know a little more about the workers economic agenda you have in mind. Is it like FDR’s “Economic Bill of Rights”? Incidentally during the Depression FDR’s New Deal, a domestic reform program, benefited workers, the unemployed, elderly and other oppressed peoples but did not make a fundamental change in the structure of this country. What do you think?
This is a great article. Pared down to precisely what needs to be done very soon. Thanks for framing it so well!