It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
The Socialist Party USA supports the mobilizations to occupy Wall St. in New York and various cities across the US and encourages our locals to take part in these actions.
"The United States is the sole remaining global superpower. The U.S. government uses its overwhelming military power to consolidate its strategic hold over the entire world and to defend and advance the interests of U.S. owned corporations as they exploit the working people and natural resources of the entire planet. We stand in total opposition to U.S. imperialism and the current “war on terror” which is just another subterfuge for U.S. imperialism."
---------------
"• We call for an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank-East Jerusalem and Gaza, and an end to all U.S. aid to Israel, as a precondition for peace. "
-----------
"• We call for the abolition of the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and all other institutions of covert warfare.
• We stand for unconditional disarmament by the United States."
-------------
"• We call for the U.S. to pay off its debts to the United Nations, an end to veto power in the UN, and an end to permanent membership on the UN Security Council."
-------------
"• We support the right of soldiers to form unions to represent their views and interests."
"The Socialist Party stands for the right of all workers to organize, for worker control of industry through the democratic organization of the workplace, for the social ownership of the means of production and distribution, and for international solidarity among working people based on common opposition to global capitalism and imperialism. We believe that the international organization of labor is the only way of combating the exploitation of workers in a global capitalist economy. Working people have no country, but rather an international bond based on class. Workers throughout the world have far more in common with each other across national boundaries than with their bosses in their own countries. Ultimately a socialist revolution must be an international revolution that cannot survive if confined to individual countries amidst capitalist imperialism.
• We support the right of any number of interested workers in a workplace to form a union with no limits on the subjects upon which employees and unions may bargain with employers.
• We support the right of public sector workers to strike.
• We call for recognizing a union based on cards signed.
• We call for the democratic control of all unions by their membership, and independent of employer domination and influence.
• We support the right of all workers to engage in collective action and self-representation regardless of union status.
• We support militant, united labor action including hot cargo agreements, and boycotts, factory committees, secondary and sympathy strikes, sit-down strikes, general strikes, and ultimately the expropriation of workplaces.
• We support the right of workers to hold shop meetings on company premises, elect their immediate supervisors, and administer health and safety programs through the formation of shop councils.
• We call for the repeal of the Hatch Act and the Taft-Hartley Act, the "hot cargo" provision of the Landrum-Griffin Act, and all so-called "right-to-work" laws.
• We call for the same benefits for part-time workers as for full-time workers.
• We call for increased health and safety regulation of business, and for increasing the size and enforcement power of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
• We support the creation of a fund for workers which would pay a worker’s full wages and health insurance as well as necessary educational and/or retraining costs if that worker loses a job due to environmental transition, down-sizing, corporate dismantlement, or capital flight.
• We call for a 30 hour work week at no loss of pay, with six weeks annual paid vacation.
• We call for unions to stop using union funds for electing candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties."
"Economics
The Socialist Party stands for a fundamental transformation of the economy, focusing on production for need not profit. So-called fair trade is meaningless as long as the world economy is dominated by a few massive corporations. Only a global transformation from capitalism to democratic socialism will provide the conditions for international peace, justice, and economic cooperation based on the large-scale transfer of resources and technology from the developed to the developing countries.
• We demand the immediate withdrawal of the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and oppose the creation of a widened Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
• We call for worker and community ownership and control of corporations within the framework of a decentralized and democratically determined economic plan.
• We call for a minimum wage of $15 per hour, indexed to the cost of living.
• We call for a full employment policy. We support the provision of a livable guaranteed annual income.
• We call for all financial and insurance institutions to be socially owned and operated by a democratically-controlled national banking authority, which should include credit unions, mutual insurance cooperatives, and cooperative state banks. In the meantime, we call for re-regulation of the banking and insurance industries.
• We call for a steeply graduated income tax and a steeply graduated estate tax, and a maximum income of no more than ten times the minimum. We oppose regressive taxes such as payroll tax, sales tax, and property taxes.
• We call for the restoration of the capital gains tax and luxury tax on a progressive, graduated scale.
• We call for compensation to communities-- and compensation, re-training, and other support service for workers-- affected by plant and military base closings as stop-gap measures until we reach our goal of creating a socialist society totally separate from the global capitalist economy.
• We oppose the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization as instruments of capitalist oppression throughout the world.
• We demand cancellation of Third World debt.
• We call for a National Pension Authority to hold the assets of private pension funds, and a levy against corporate assets for any pension fund deficits.
• We call for increased and expanded welfare assistance and increased and expanded unemployment compensation at 100% of a worker's previous income or the minimum wage, whichever is higher, for the full period of unemployment or re-training, whichever is longer.
• We support a program of massive federal investment in both urban and rural areas for infrastructure reconstruction and economic development.
• We support tax benefits for renters equal to those for homeowners.
• We call for the elimination of subsidies and tax breaks that benefit corporations and all other forms of corporate welfare.
"
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer People
The Socialist Party recognizes the human and civil rights of all, without regard to sexual orientation.
• We call for the end of all anti-gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBTQ) restrictions in law and the work place, the repeal of all sodomy laws, and the legalization of same-sex marriage.
• We call on all schools to adopt policies and procedures to address and prevent student violence and to ban discrimination against GLBTQ people throughout the educational system.
• We call for a federal ban on all forms of job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
• We are committed to confronting the heterosexism that provides the fertile ground for homophobic violence, and support all efforts toward fostering understanding and cooperation among persons and groups of differing sexual orientations.
People of Color
The Socialist Party recognizes the intimate link between racism and capitalism and demands the elimination of all forms of discrimination in housing, jobs, education, health care, etc. We are committed to the creation of a pluralistic society that defends and promotes a multicultural/multiethnic presence in both the public and private spheres. The Socialist Party rejects the social construction of race and we commit ourselves to the eradication of racism.
• We strongly support affirmative action, civil rights, and anti-discrimination laws and programs to end institutional racism.
• We call for reparations from the federal government for its role in the slave trade and the genocide of Native American nations, with the reparations programs administered by the oppressed communities themselves.
• We support the efforts of people of color to self-defense, self-determination, and to organize independently for their liberation.
• We oppose all efforts to declare English an official language, and call for an end to all language discrimination. We demand that all public and private institutions provide services and materials in the languages of their communities.
• We call for enforcement of Native American treaty rights, support for tribal schools and colleges, living wages on Native American reservations, and democratization of power and wealth in tribal governments.
• We call for strict legal penalties for the police practice of racial profiling, and we particularly condemn the targeting of Arabs and Muslims since September 11.
• We demand an end to police brutality and all forms of harassment against people of color and ethnic minorities.
"Women
The Socialist Party is a socialist feminist organization that recognizes that a struggle against habitual male dominance and patriarchy must go hand in hand with any struggle against capitalism. Therefore, we pledge our opposition to all forms of sexism, and demand equality in all aspects of life.
• We demand full support for every woman's right to choose when, if, and how to have children, including the right to free abortion on demand at any stage of pregnancy, without interference or coercion. Clinics providing abortion services must have the full protection of the law.
• We call for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment and all other legislation that limits access to abortion services, thus denying "the right to choose" to millions of women, particularly low-income women, women of color, and young women. We demand full reproductive freedom for all women by removing all discriminating barriers to reproductive rights and reproductive health care.
• We call for the banning of all involuntary sterilizations. We oppose the performing of any medical research or medical procedure without a woman's full knowledge and consent.
• We demand that local governments place a priority on preventing violence toward women, with coordinated programs to educate, provide shelter for women and children, and vigorously protect women from their abusers.
• We call for the decriminalization of prostitution and demand that sex workers, just like all women workers, are guaranteed a full range of health, social, and legal services; and working conditions free from harassment, violence, and exploitation
• We call for 16 months paid leave to be shared by new parents or in its entirety by a single parent, and the expansion and full-funding of high-quality child care facilities.
• We support comprehensive educational and training opportunities, comparable worth laws, and affirmative action for women. We believe that women should be able to enter any occupation they choose, without hindrance.
• We believe that women should be free to improve their working lives through unions and other organizations, and that work at home, including child care, should be shared to enable women to fully participate in society.
• We call for organizational structure based on mutual consideration and respect, rotating leadership, gender balance, and processes that welcome and enable open and equitable participation in discussion and decision-making."
Youth
The Socialist Party believes that the right of all children to nurturing, protection, and education by caring adults must be staunchly upheld, and that a young person does not have fewer rights because he or she is a minor. Therefore, we believe that all Constitutional and human rights belonging to older people belong to younger people as well, and must be defended with equal vigor and determination
• We support the immediate ratification by the United States of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• We call for children's allowances that will help ensure that every child's basic rights and needs are satisfied in a stimulating, empowering, and caring environment.
• We support free, quality care and education for all children and young people, federally financed and community controlled through democratically elected local boards that will include youth members.
• We support the rights of minors to be free of any kind of child abuse or neglect whether physical, mental, emotional, or sexual.
• We oppose measures that increase responsibilities and penalties on youth ostensibly to curb crime.
• We call for an end to military draft registration, and an end to military recruiting in educational institutions.
• We call for the abolition of parent consent and notification laws for reproductive health services, including abortion.
• We call for the right to comprehensive sex education in school that includes birth control methods, STD protection, and information about being GLBTQ.
• We call for the lowering of the voting age to 15
• We oppose age-based curfew laws.
"The Socialist Party stands for a socialized health care system based on universal coverage, salaried doctors and health care workers, and revenues derived from a steeply graduated income tax.
• We give critical support to the demand for the immediate abolition of all private health insurance companies through the creation of a single-payer health system. We see single-payer as an important step in the direction of a fully socialized national health program with full standard and alternative medical, dental, vision, and mental health coverage for all. This system would be publicly funded through progressive taxation and controlled by demo-cratically elected assemblies of health care workers and patients. The National Health Program should improve, and replace, Medicare and Medicaid.
• We call for a health care system that emphasizes preventive care, respects patients' privacy, gives special attention to the needs of the physically and mentally disabled, and conducts treatment and research unimpaired by sexism, racism, or homophobia."
"The Socialist Party recognizes the right of all people to high quality, low cost housing.
• We call for a vast increase in Section 8 housing subsidies as one element of major public investment in the construction of low cost, scattered site, community-based, high quality housing.
• We call for rent control for all rental units, and the right of tenants to organize.
• We support the formation of non-profit land trusts and of socially owned, tenant controlled housing cooperatives.
• We call for the organization of a housing rehabilitation program aimed at renovating and remodeling existing homes to bring them up to housing and safety codes, as part of a broader public works program.
• We call for an end to home foreclosures"
Transportation
The Socialist Party calls for extensive public transportation in both urban and rural areas.
• We call for the creation of a fully funded high-speed national rail system with fares set low enough to be a viable alternative to the use of the automobile.
• We call for an end to the expansion of the interstate highway system and the reduction of combustion engine/auto based transport.
• We call for government subsidized programs to expand safe routes for foot and bicycle paths.
• We call for pedestrian ways, accessible by mass transit, which exclude vehicles from the downtown area of cities and towns.
• We support publicly funded development of renewable fuels.
• We support federally funded auto insurance.
• We call for public ownership and worker control of the airline industry.
There is NOTHING fascist about coming out in favor of the 99% of people in this country that don't have a voice.
Immigration
The Socialist Party works to build a world in which everyone will be able to freely move across borders, to visit and to live wherever they choose. We recognize the central role global capitalism plays in forcing the immigration of people from the less developed to the more industrialized countries, often leading to further economic and social injustice.
• We support secular democratic states, assuring equal rights to every citizen and resident in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• We oppose the militarization of the United States/Mexican border, and an increase in the service budget instead of the "military" budget of the INS.
• We defend the rights of all immigrants to education, health care, and full civil and legal rights and call for an unconditional amnesty program for all undocumented people. We oppose the imposition of any fees on those receiving amnesty.
• We call for an end to the use of "secret evidence" in deportation hearings, a ban on all immigration detentions and military tribunals, and full due process and habeus corpus rights in U.S. courts for all non-citizens on U.S. territory or in U.S. custody.
• We demand an end to police raids in areas where immigrants congregate.
• We oppose "guest worker" programs. We call for full citizenship rights upon demonstrating residency for six months.
Free and Fair Elections
The Socialist Party stands for political activity independent of the two major corporate parties. We view electoral activity as an important component of the struggle for fundamental social change. Participation as socialists in local, state, and national elections is a valuable way to clarify our position on a wide range of issues, of broadly disseminating our principles and programs, and of asserting and reaffirming our commitment to the democratic process. We believe that capitalism is fundamentally incompatible with democracy and that true democracy can only be achieved with society’s transformation to socialism.
• We support the public financing of candidates for public office as long as this funding extends to the candidates of alternative political parties.
• We call for strict limits on the use of personal funds in elections, either for one's own campaign or for that of another candidate.
• We oppose representation based on anything other than population.
• We support the introduction of proportional representation at every level of government.
• We call for uniform ballot access laws for all states that give all political parties a chance to have their candidates on the ballot.
• We call for the closing of the loophole sanctioned by the Supreme Court which allows candidates to spend an unlimited sum of their personal wealth on their own campaigns.
• We call for the elimination of the Electoral College and support instant run-off voting of all elected officials.
• We stand opposed to the disenfranchising of any U.S. citizen by the federal, state, or local government.
• We demand greater access to media for all political parties and free, equal access to all forms of mass media for all candidates
• We call for full representation for the U.S. territories of Guam and Puerto Rico, all Native American reservations, and the District of Columbia.
• We call for the restoration of the right to vote for all citizens incarcerated in jails and prisons
• We call for a mandatory paper trail of all votes to allow for recounts and verification."
Originally posted by jaynkeel
reply to post by Cantmakedisup
There is NOTHING fascist about coming out in favor of the 99% of people in this country that don't have a voice.
Better recheck your math there, I am pretty sure more than 1% of us have our own voice. Some people just don't want this why is that so hard to understand? So by trying to jam it down our throats your no better than the current situation. Let each and everyone voice their own opinion and don't just assume that 99% of the population wants this kind of change.
Originally posted by DarkKnight76
I also find that the people who post, post after post of their so called evidence, usually are just trying to justify their position to themselves. But, hey, you keep that torch lit for people who don't care about you, only your money.
Legal Justice
The Socialist Party recognizes the right of all people to equal treatment under the law, and to a humane criminal sanction system based on prevention, mediation, restitution, and rehabilitation rather than on vengeance, forced labor, and profits for the prison-industrial complex.
• We call for free, quality, legal and court services with skilled and experienced attorneys of choice for all.
• We call for prosecution of the criminal activities of politicians, corporate managers, and other privileged individuals, rather than the over-emphasis on minor infractions by working class people and for a sliding scale of fines based on income
• We call for the expansion of community release programs and other alternatives to prisons, and for a moratorium on new prison construction.
• We call for support services for prisoners and prisoners' families to reduce ostracism, maintain family ties, and provide for non-degrading visitation policies.
• We call for the immediate closure of all “Supermax” prisons and abolition of “prisons for profit”.
• We call for the abolition of prison labor for profit, forced labor (“chain gangs”) and the use of prison labor to perform state services.
• We call for the right of prisoners to organize unions and cooperative groups to negotiate for better living conditions
• We call for the immediate establishment of completely independent and democratically elected police control and oversight councils, with full power to fire police and to arrest, detain, and indict police officers who brutalize or abuse people or who commit any violation of laws or civil rights and liberties.
• We call for the ultimate replacement of the police with community residents trained in conflict resolution who live in and serve the community under community control.
• We call for community response services for crime victims, including the establishment of crisis centers and shelters for victims of domestic violence, spousal and child abuse, and rape and incest.
• We support federal buyout programs for arms, federal safety standards and licensing for arms, and community-based public training for gun owners.
• We call for the decriminalization of drug use and the regulation of narcotics by doctors through the use of prescriptions rather than by the criminal justice system.
• We call for the redirection of funds spent on the "war on drugs" to comprehensive community-based, client-controlled rehabilitation programs.
• We call for the abolition of the death penalty.
Media and Intellectual Property
An ever-smaller band of huge corporations controls virtually all news and entertainment media. The Socialist Party stands for the right of ordinary people to express opinions and communicate freely by vastly extending the public sector of all forms of mass media. Ultimately, a genuine democratization of the mass media will require a democratic socialist transformation of society. Within such a society, free expression will flourish, allowing for the broadest expression of viewpoints and perspectives.
• We support the breakup of large media companies so that no one company or individual owns more than one newspaper, radio or television station, or television channel. We call for the re-regulation of the communications industry (in particular, the assertion of public ownership rights over radio and television frequencies).
• We call for government ownership of satellite and cable companies with revenues generated by these operations allocated to a publicly controlled fund to finance innovative visual and audio programming (including movies), over the air radio and television, and cable and satellite programming. The fund would also greatly increase the money going to community cable programming.
• We support public funding of newspapers and magazines. Any non-profit organization that publishes a journal would receive public funding in proportion to its paid subscriber list.
• We oppose all efforts to trim "fair use" rights, such as the right to excerpt a copyrighted work in a review.
• We call for the repeal of all existing copyright extension laws.
• We oppose legislation to force electronics manufacturers to build "Digital Rights Management" into computers and appliances.
• We oppose private ownership of the Internet backbone. We call for direct public ownership of at least 50% of the total bandwidth and for democratic ownership and control of the Internet domain naming system.
Originally posted by illuminatislave
Originally posted by jaynkeel
reply to post by Cantmakedisup
There is NOTHING fascist about coming out in favor of the 99% of people in this country that don't have a voice.
Better recheck your math there, I am pretty sure more than 1% of us have our own voice. Some people just don't want this why is that so hard to understand? So by trying to jam it down our throats your no better than the current situation. Let each and everyone voice their own opinion and don't just assume that 99% of the population wants this kind of change.
So you are standing by the elite and the corrupt government that has led America down a path of destruction?
When the day of reckoning happens, be sure to be armed and stand up for your masters, you puppet.
Environment
• We call for public ownership and democratic control of all our natural resources in order to conserve resources, preserve our wilderness areas, and restore environmental quality.
• The U.S. must immediately return to participation in international agreements, such as the Kyoto Protocol, limiting carbon emissions, and accept a major role in worldwide efforts to control global warming.
• We call for placing full financial responsibility on private companies for prevention and clean up of their own toxic wastes and for full compensation of workers and residents adversely affected by environmental hazards.
• We oppose policies that target minority communities for placement of local landfills, toxic waste disposal sites, or incinerators.
• We call for strong, enforceable endangered species protection that focuses on habitat-centered protection for plants and animals.
• We oppose any new nuclear power projects and call for the rapid phasing out of all nuclear power plants, and a ban on the export of nuclear technology.
• We support the recycling of glass, metals, plastic, paper, and chemicals and the use of recycled materials for public works projects such as roadways, parks, and playgrounds.
• We call for shutting down waste incinerators and phasing out landfills and especially oppose targeting minority communities for hazardous waste disposal sites.
• We oppose open-pit mining operations and support the reclamation of land used by mining operations at the company’s expense.
• We support large-scale environmental restoration efforts.
Energy
The Socialist Party stands for municipal ownership and control of energy plants, in a non-profit and decentralized, but coordinated, system that ensures the most careful use of natural resources.
• We call for the development of alternative energy sources including solar, geothermal, wind, hydropower, and biomass to end dependence on fossil fuels.
• We call for a sliding-scale index which favors low-income people, to ensure that all people have access to utility services.
• We call for mandatory vitrification (encapsulation) of all spent nuclear fuel, control rods and other waste.
• We call for a ban on all imports of nuclear materials, whether they are vitrified or not.
Agriculture
The Socialist Party supports a system of ecologically based, sustainable, organic agriculture based on family farms and farming cooperatives that guarantee full workers' rights to their employees, uphold all environmental and safety standards, and treat their live-stock in a humane manner. We support the creation of socially owned enterprises in the areas of transportation, storage, and processing of agricultural goods, controlled by boards comprised of farmers, farm workers, and community members.
• We call for strong organic standards, gradually lessened government price supports for non-organic food production, and strong government incentives for conservation initiatives.
• We call for public ownership and worker control of existing corporate farms, support exiting state bans on corporate farms, and support a federal ban on the establishment of new corporate farms.
• We call for a parity system that guarantees farmers a full return on the cost of production
• We call for the repudiation of all current farm debts for working farmers.
• We call for family farmers whose land was taken in foreclosures to be given their land and equipment back, or be given comparable land and equipment or monetary compensation
• We call for a total ban on Genetically Engineered crops
• We encourage plant diversity, and oppose the creating, patenting, and licensing of life forms.
• We oppose industrial meat production in all its environmentally destructive forms, including hog confinements, cattle feedlots, and industrial poultry production.
• We call for a ban on irradiation of food. We particularly condemn the 2002 Farm Bill which allows irradiated food to be mislabeled "pasteurized."
• We support the right of farm workers to negotiate contracts with canneries.
• We call for country-of-origin labeling on agricultural products.
• We call for the elimination of the use of pesticides.
• We call for low-cost loans, grants, and technical help to farmers including help shifting farm production from non-essentials to staple foods and fibers.
• We encourage the reintroduction of hemp farming.
4And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isaiah 3
1For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water.
2The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
3The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
4And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
5And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.
6When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:
7In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.
8For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
9The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
10Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
12As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.