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Socialist Party USA National Action Committee Minutes February 20- 22, 2010 Attending (by e-mail ballot): Andrea Pason, Billy Wharton, Diana Demers, Jim Sanders, Greg Pason and Jerry Stastny. Dues Waiver The committee discussed a request for a waiver for Sayan submitted by the Socialist Party of Michigan. Motion: To grant a dues waiver for 2009/10 for Sayan Bhattacharyya of Michigan. Motion passed unanimously. The committee discussed two proposes statements on a recent incident at the Austin IRS building. The statements were drafted after discussions about a recent statement posted on the SPUSA webzine co-signed by ST Texas member Nicholas Nix and SP Co-Chair Billy Wharton. Statement on Austin Plane Crash Motion: To chose a SPUSA statement on the Austin plan crash from two submitted. Statement 1 (Billy Wharton): As democratic socialists, we condemn the act carried out by Joseph Andrew Stack last week in Austin, Texas and offer condolences to the victims. While there is no consensus about whether this was an act of terrorism, we affirm that individual acts of violence will do nothing to solve the mounting social and economic problems faced by working people in the United States. Instead, such acts will likely create misguided public sympathy for government agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security, who wish to further erode our civil liberties. While condemning this act, we also recognize that some of the grievances raised in Stack’s contradictory suicide letter speak to real problems faced by millions of working people every day. In the more coherent sections, he mentions the failure of the US government to provide healthcare, the gross inequity of the bank bailout and the inadequacy of support for elderly Americans. He details the plight of the elderly widow of a steel worker who is reduced to eating cat food because of the elimination of pension payments. It is difficult not to be moved to anger by this story. Similar stories of abuse and neglect exist throughout the US today. This is not a surprise considering we live in a society where 5% of the population controls 85% of the wealth. Consequently, one child out of every six faces issues of food insecurity and almost 50 million people have been left outside the healthcare system. All of these conditions are direct results of capitalism. Democratic socialism is the humane alternative to the madness of capitalism. Socialist economics propose worker self-management, participatory budgeting and guaranteed rights to healthcare and housing. Such changes are built upon socialist values of solidarity, compassion and justice. What we need most in this country is a grassroots political response to injustice that gives a voice to working people. Such a re-awakening will allow us to become active creators of a more progressive future. Organizations, such as the Socialist Party USA, are working to build such movements and are open to all those seeking to struggle for justice. 1 vote (Billy Wharton) Statement 2 (Greg Pason) The Socialist Party offers our condolences to the victims of the recent tragedy at the Austin IRS building. The victims, including the pilot, are casualties of an economic system which turns worker against worker and fails to provide the basic needs for millions while bailing out banks and corporations. A grassroots political response to the injustices of capitalism and a political movement that gives a voice to working people is what we need most in this country. Such a reawakening will allow us to become active creators of a more progressive future. Organizations, such as the Socialist Party USA, are working to build such movements and are open to all those seeking to struggle for justice. 5 votes (Greg Pason, Jerry Stastny, Andrea Pason, Jim Sanders and Diana Demers) Statement 2 passes Meeting adjourned |
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Socialist Party
USA 339 Lafayette St. #303 New York, NY 10012 |