Nobody ever flees capitalism?

So I received a tweet tonight from an account called @NLicense that asked the following question:

It always tickles me that these blockheads never stopped to consider their own question. Not only did they not bother to think about the answer to their own question (which no doubt in their minds can be dismissed with a simple “Because America is the best, no one suffers under capitalism” and a flippant wave of their hand) but they probably didn’t bother to consider that this is another of the bullshit cliche arguments that communists and socialists have to put up with every single day. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s an unanswerable question, even though the premise is a bit asinine. So, let’s cover this topic. Why do lots of people come to the US, and not very many leave?

Point 1

Ok, so how is it a faulty premise? Well, tons of people have tried to flee the US. Seriously. Let’s start with one of the most obvious cases. Slaves running from their “owners” to Canada. Yeah. In fact, it is estimated that 100,000 slaves ran from the US, escaping their bondage on the underground railroad.

Another aspect of the slavery portion of this answer to the above question is that millions were brought to the US against their will. The transatlantic slave trade that lasted for about 300 years brought over millions of slaves, millions of whom would die on the infamous Middle Passage, or shortly after their arrival. Families were torn apart, brother from sister, husband from wife as the United States engaged in the ugly and profit driven slave trade.

The shame of the hundreds of years of slavery is still with us. It doesn’t stop there, however.

This land, the fertile soil of North America was stolen in the first place. It is an uncommonly fertile land, with rivers, plains, fertile soil, game and natural resources. All of those? Stolen by violence by the European invaders. The native houses burned, the fields taken, the country gone. Stolen. I fail to see how the naturally occurring abundance of natural wealth that is in the US is to the credit of the people who raped, killed, slaughtered and committed genocide to get it. I fail to see how it is to the credit of capitalism how the North American continent was taken by force, and then cultivated using slave labor. But it doesn’t stop there.

What is America anyway? Its borders have changed dramatically over the past 200 years. What was 13 colonies along the coast was expanded by buying from the French what was not theirs to give. Then the US systematically stole the rest of the land too. Then it took at the very end Hawaii, a sovereign state whom we decided it was OK to visit upon with slaughter and imperialism once again. We took the Philippines in the Spanish-American War, then killed a million of them when they tried to gain independence. We attacked Cuba, and Haiti, all those people wishing to be left alone, but we visit them with weapons and hatred. Just try running from the US. They’re really good at catching people and bringing them back.

America has lived for more than 2 centuries on stolen land, ill gotten wealth, and borrowed time. And the chickens are coming home to roost. http://rt.com/usa/leaving-us-america-country-289/

Do you see the above link? Oh wait, people have been leaving the US?

Of course they are. They have been leaving for a long time. The government of course doesn’t want you to know that a lot of people are leaving, and have throughout history, but it’s true.

Now that I have destroyed the premise of this ridiculous question, let’s play a game wherein we humor the above moron. Let’s say that Americans never flee the US, they only flee socialism and communism.

Point 2

Even if that were true it wouldn’t mean that the US is a better place, a more moral place, or anything like it. See, if the US has bombed or invaded many countries in the last century, overthrown governments, supported terrorists, has a stranglehold on international business and finance, stole all their own land in the first place, built up their empire on the backs of the slaves, the Chinese, Japanese, Irish and other peoples, if they have cheated at the game from the start, murdered millions of people who dared oppose their tyranny and imperialism and hoarded all the wealth they got from exploitation and slavery, well, does that make us the best country in the world, or the worst?
I think you know what my answer would be.

If people are coming in droves to the US because we destroyed most of the rest of the damn world through colonialism, war, slavery and exploitation, does that mean we’re the best at anything other than colonialism, war, slavery and exploitation?

The world will one day be a much better place. That new age will dawn the day the United States of America collapses into the dustbin of history where it belongs with the Napoleons, the Hitlers and the Romans.

What Next?

On a recent blog post here on the Communist Daily, a reader keeps insisting that I don’t have a plan for an economy, and that the best way to win battles for the working class is through electing Democrats. Here, I will show why he’s wrong about socialism, and dead wrong about the democrats.

Elections in the US of A

America’s form of government is technically a “Federal Republic.” What does that mean? Well, it means that we’re a union, or federation of states under a central government, and that we elect officials to represent us. It sounds nice. It sounds democratic. It’s not very accurate. What we have in the US is a dictatorship of the capitalist class. What does that mean? It means that the capitalist class controls and owns every aspect of political life in this country. Don’t believe me? Well, let’s look at the facts.

Interesting Facts about the American Political System

Less than 1% of the American population are millionaires. About 47% of congress members are millionaires. The median net worth of congressional members was an average of  $2.56 MILLION.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/47-of-congress-members-millionaires-a-status-shared-by-only-1-of-americans/

Women make up about 50% of our population. How are they represented in congress? As of 2011, in the 112th congress, they represented just 16.8 % of the seats in the House of Representatives, and only 17% of the seats in the Senate.

Source: http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/fast_facts/levels_of_office/Congress-CurrentFacts.php

Who is controlling government? Do we the people really have the power? Not according to the facts we don’t. Throughout our government are members who have close ties to companies like Goldman Sachs, and politicians have received millions of dollars in financial contributions from them. Here’s a good source where you can see just how pervasive this corruption is:

Source: http://littlesis.org/list/39/Government_Officials_with_Ties_to_Goldman_Sachs#members

Spending in Elections: In 2010 both parties broke records for amount of money raised and spent on getting themselves elected. Hundreds of millions of dollars wasted to win a popularity contest.

Source: http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/10/election-2010-to-shatter-spending-r.html

The solution

I could go on and on with these kinds of facts, that show that both parties are complicit in the corruption that controls our government. I could go on about how the same corporations support and defend both the Democratic, and the Republican parties, because they’re both the same, and the results are the same. I could go on about the minutiae of political interworkings, but instead, I’m going to lay out the way forward. We know that our political system is broken. Let’s not kid ourselves. Congress at last check had an approval rating of just 9%. We’re not happy with our government. The problem is that we’ve been told for so long that we’re powerless to change it. We’re told to just shut up and vote, ignoring the limited nature of our choices. Shut up and vote, ignoring the war, economic trouble and corruption that both parties represent. We’re told to shut up and vote, ignoring that our voting doesn’t really matter in a rigged system. It’s time to reject that line of reasoning. We do have a voice, we do have a choice, and it’s time we exercised our prerogative.

 

 Step One:

Demand a new government. Yes, I know that this scares some people. I know that it’s frightening to abandon the old and reach for the new. However, we must. Our current government is broken beyond repair, yet we hang on to it like it was a priceless heirloom. Let go America. Demand a government that truly represents you. Demand a government that is not controlled by money, not controlled by the capitalist class. Demand a government where you really do have a voice; one where we all really have the opportunity to pursue democracy. Before we can do anything else, the US needs a new government. Stat.

Some Plans for a New Country:

Now I am going to talk about issues. First, bring every last troop home . Every last one. Close EVERY base in foreign countries. Yes, that means close our bases in Germany, Japan, South Korea, the UK, Afghanistan, Iraq, Cuba etc. EVERY LAST ONE. Close them down immediately. Cut the military down to bare bones. Close hundreds of bases in the US, as much as possible.

Seize the wealth of the capitalist class. This means outlawing the stock market. Freeze all assets above $200,000. To build a new society, we will need to use the money that has been stolen from us for so long. The US has a GDP of around 14 trillion (with a T) dollars. Yet we cannot provide the most basic services to our citizens. This is unacceptable, it needs to end NOW.

Reform the education system. Abolish all for profit schools and seize their assets. Make education free and open to all citizens through at least the masters degree level. Education is a human right. Forgive all student loan debt.

Nationalize the health care industry. All medical care shall be free and open to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay. This is a human right as well, non-negotiable.

Redistribute the seized wealth, pay reparations to the countries we’ve invaded.

Start building an economy that works for the working class. Invest in research and development, medicine, public transport, green technology, alternative fuels.

End energy production using fossil fuels.

Destroy all nuclear weapons and make the US a nuclear free country.

Mandate that women make up half of the new government, with proportional representation and autonomy for the oppressed nations within the US. Give full unabridged autonomy to the Native Americans.

Conclusion:

These are some ideas for a new America. One free of capitalist corruption, imperialism, racism, sexism and the threat of nuclear war. A country that is truly democratic, socialist and free. I know that many Americans agree with me. They are sick and tired of the old status quo, sick of the lies and hubris of a political and financial class that walks all over them, and sick and tired of being sick and tired. We can build a new, better society, free from capitalism. The first step is to wake everyone up to the fact that we can, and must demand a new government. We are beholden to nothing but our consciences, our morals and our dreams. The planet is dying. Human beings are suffering because of this system. We can turn this around, but not until we achieve STEP ONE: A new government.

Some, like the commenter I mentioned above, think that we should settle for scraps from the table. They think that we can achieve our goals by begging the democrats pretty please. Surely they’ll listen to us. They ignore that it has been Democrats that have sent the police after activists, shot protesters in the face with tear gas canisters; Democrats were those like Obama and Rahm Emanuel that helped suppress the occupy movement. Democrats like the mayor of Seattle who has battled to protect the racist and brutal Seattle Police Dept. against Justice dept. inquiries. Democrats like Obama who have not only NOT stopped our imperialism, but have accelerated it. Democrats like the ones whose money grubbing hands are stained with the blood of innocent Iraqis, Afghans, and Palestinians. Democrats are JUST as guilty as the Republicans. Don’t be fooled. Don’t be swayed. The only way to get real change is to change the corrupt and evil system that has allowed all of these horrible things to happen, that has allowed criminals to go free while innocent Americans sit in prison by the millions. If you really believe in the courage of your conviction leftists, then stand up and demand what we have needed for so long; a new government, one that is truly of, by, and for the people.

Until we have the courage to do that, our demands will fall on deaf ears. They know that we are powerless because we make ourselves powerless. We refuse to have the courage to demand a new government, that we have no way to really pressure them.

Change that. Bring this government down.

 

 

Land of the Free

Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

That song was written in 1814 by a man looking at the battle of Ft. McHenry; who famously wrote of still being able to view the flag of the land of the free after a harsh battle. The land that was wrenched from the hands of the Native Americans by invasion, sickness and gun, their villages destroyed, their families killed before their eyes by foreign invaders eager for vast profits to be had. From the first slaves arriving in the 16th century, dragged away from their homelands in chains, pulled by that illustrious profit motive, 300 plus years would pass before we would end slavery. Land of the free, like the millions of African Americans who unwillingly toiled in the hot sun for no pay, only to be whipped if they stopped. Their masters sell their families away, because they were not people you see, they were property. The land of the free, where the Cherokee people were marched hundreds of miles away from their land, to a strange place, thousands dying on the death march to Oklahoma. Land of the free!!! The land where the exalted Thomas Jefferson wrote proudly of the “unalienable rights” of human beings, like the human beings he owned. Land of the free!!! 620,000+ dead from a war in which the institution of slavery was only ended after years of war and a shattered country. Land of the free!!! The country that denied the right of self determination to the Philippine people, and in doing so murdered an estimated million and a half Filipino civilians, not counting the 20,000 dead Filipino soldiers.  Land of the free!!!  That proclaimed ourselves the possessors of liberty, even as we denied suffrage to anyone who was not white, male, or a land owner. Land of the free!!! We used Chinese labor to build our transcontinental railroad, it’s trestles resting on the bodies of their dead. Land of the free!!! We taxed the Chinese-Americans gold miners heavily, but only because they were succeeding and white people were jealous.  Fake tax collectors shot and killed Chinese-Americans, or tricked them into giving them money, since they were easy to fool because of the language barrier. Land of the free!!! For example when we made laws stating that Chinese were not allowed to testify in court against white Americans, even in heinous cases such as rape or murder. Land of the free!!! Chinese Americans denied the right to citizenship, and forced to live for generations as foreigners in their birth land because, and I quote: “ …a race of people whom nature has marked as inferior, and who are incapable of progress or intellectual development beyond a certain point, as their history has shown; differing in language, opinions, color, and physical conformation; between whom and ourselves nature has placed an impassable difference” and as such had no right ” to swear away the life of a citizen” or participate” with us in administering the affairs of our Government.”-The California Supreme Court. The land of the free!!! 3 million dead Vietnamese testify to our steadfast dedication to their “freedom”, whether they wanted it or not. Land of the free!!! 50+ countries whose governments have been overthrown by the US, regardless of the nature of the government, to suit American greed. Land of the free!!!  Where millions starved in a great depression that wasn’t the fault of capitalist greed at all, oh no no no. Land of the free!!! Hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqis and Afghans, again, freeing them whether they like it or not. Land of the free!!! Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians nuked in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, right before the US tried and hung Japanese military men for having biological weapons. Land of the free!! That busted unions, shot workers, threw dissidents in jail, restricted the rights of socialists to organize, or even be socialists and speak their minds. Land of the free!!! That has imprisoned Bradley Manning for daring to expose the truths about American war crimes. Land of the free!!! The land of the new NDAA, the Patriot act, and the very grabby TSA. Land of the free!!!

Don’t you worry your little head about history!! You have McDonalds, and the Gap, and SUVs, and television. We’re the Land of the free, don’tcha know?  Do what’s expected of you. Vote! You have the freedom to vote for the parties they tell you that you can vote for. Land of the free, where you can go to college, if you’re OK with amassing a huge amount of debt that will only be surpassed by your debt that you accrue when you buy a house, and god forbid a car. You see, we’re the land of the free!!! Don’t worry that gays and lesbians have been beaten to death for their sexual orientation, it probably doesn’t happen /that/ often. Don’t worry about the millions of inmates locked up for really petty crimes, their lives ruined forever because they smoked weed, you see, we’re in the land of the free! Don’t worry about high rates of teen pregnancy, or poor school districts without money. Don’t worry about the fact that that US has the highest income inequality in the developed world. Don’t worry about Trayvon Martin’s murder, you didn’t know him. Don’t worry about the rotting carcass that is American society, politics and economy.
Don’t worry.

Here’s all you have to do. Go to a ball park. See a game. Get a nice hot dog, with lots of mustard. Drink your cola.

Put all of that misery out of your head, all the rising poverty, all the inequality, all the war and the death and the destruction. It’s a million miles away from you now. Just put your hand over your heart, and as your blood stained flag raises in the air to that old familiar tune, and sing along. When it gets to the part that goes: “…O’er the laaaaaaaaaaaaand of the FREEEEEE…” just hold that thought in your mind and keep saying it over and over again until you can’t think of anything else.

Now repeat after me: ” I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free I am free. I am free .

See? There ya go. No need for rational thought. You’re free, and as the tears of patriotic fervor roll down your face, boy do you love big broth-er I mean your country.