STATION EDITORIAL

Posted September 25, 2024

This is a station editorial, I’m Randal J. Miller, station president.

I’m going back to our archives and share with you part of an editorial I did way back during the pandemic on February 7th, 2021.   I was about 2/3rd’s the way thru a 2018 book by author Doris Kearns Goodwin called “Leadership in Turbulent Times” describing how Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson--took the country thru various challenges our country went thru.  

Goodwin describes Lincoln as providing Transformational Leadership, Theodore Roosevelt providing Crisis Leadership, F-D-R providing Turnaround Leadership, and L-B-J providing Visionary Leadership.

The most striking thing about all 4, is that they all assembled people from all points of view and all political parties at the time, to help thru country thru what it was going thru at that time.  There was disagreement, but all 4 leaders listened to all sides, discussed the pros and cons of all sides, negotiated with all sides, and developed a consensus that all sides supported.  There was no demonizing one side or the other.  All points of view were listened to, and everyone was involved in arriving at a consensus.

Fast forward to the last decade or so.  Whether in Washington or Springfield, politicians have demonized the other side--whether it's left or right--making the atmosphere to come to a consensus on anything nearly impossible.  

Our country's founders over 200 years ago, set our democracy up with all sides' point of views considered to reach a consensus.  

Despite all the political rancor, the country is still basically to the left or right of the center, or as I call it, the middle.

The answer is still in the middle, whether we were in a Civil War, the industrial revolution, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, or a coronavirus outbreak.

The answer is still in the middle.  Politicians need to show more statesmanship and the ability to bring all sides, no matter which side we’re talking about, to the table.  Only then will our democracy work the way the Founding Fathers created it.  That's our opinion...we welcome yours.  Our e-mail address is editorial@randyradio.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Posted September 23, 2024

Dear Editor:

Will you vote in favor of Capitalism? Or will you vote for more Socialism?

Kamala Harris is as ‘Progressive Left’ as Bernie Sanders. At least Bernie Sanders was honest about his Democratic Socialist ideology. Kamala is attempting to re-imagine and redefine her political ideology, or deny most of it. 

Kamala Harris is a Democratic-Socialist selected by an undemocratic process, chosen by an elite few. Kamala is then, by definition, a Socialist running as a Democratic candidate. 

The rules committee for the Democratic National Committee established the process by which Kamala was selected. There is nothing unlawful or unconstitutional about the process. However, it was not a ‘democratic process.’

The Democratic Socialists of America platform states: "transformation cannot be won by a small group of elites”, but that’s exactly who picked Kamala Harris, a small group of elites.

Kamala Harris supporters and self-described Democratic Socialists, either support most of what is in the Democratic Socialists of America platform, or some of it. 
Democrats hold more positive views of democratic socialism than capitalism.

The party that is fighting to save democracy says in the DSA platform: “The fight for socialism is a fight for true democracy, the nation that holds itself out as the world’s premier democracy is no democracy at all, and adds  the Senate and the Electoral College are undemocratic institutions.”

From the Democratic Socialist Platform:

Create a new political order through a second constitutional convention. Write the founding documents of a new socialist democracy.

Transform the rules of the capitalist global economy, rewriting intellectual property rules to be articulated as a Global Green New Deal.

Support creation of a new global monetary order to replace the US dollar.

End capitalist exploitation by taking control of production and economic planning.

The DSA platform explicitly calls for the nationalization of businesses like utilities and critical manufacturing and technology companies; and regulation of corporate, communications, data, and financial sectors.

Regulate food prices through limitations on commodity trading, pricing, and supply management.

Guarantee a job with union wages and benefits to everyone who wants one.
Guarantee publicly available water, energy, transit, food, and other necessities for all, free of charge. Guarantee public housing for all.

Grant immediate and unconditional Amnesty for all immigrants, regardless of current immigration status. Legalization of all living in the U.S. at this time, including voting rights and a path to citizenship for every US resident, and recognize the right to migrate and the right to stay home.

The DSA calls for the abolition of “the Carceral State;” police and prisons, security and surveillance agencies, immigration and border enforcement, courts and prosecutors.
Demilitarize the border and end all immigrant detention and abolish ICE 
Dramatically slash US military spending and close all US foreign military bases.

Punish corporate bad actors by de-chartering corporations, and limit the size and power of businesses not susceptible to nationalization or social control, and limit maximum wages.

If you vote for a Democratic-Socialist, you may get a lot more Socialism than you bargained for.

Copyrights reserved by Bradley D Barnes
https://www.dsausa.org/dsa-political-platform-from-2021

Sincerely,

Bradley D. Barnes

Clinton