Readings, discussion questions, and outlines from general meeting discussions
Readings: Matt Bruenig on Active Labor Force Management Policy in Denmark The government of Finland / Universal job training benefits for unemployed workers The government of Norway / Universal job training benefits for unemployed workers The government of Norway / Universal job placement benefits for unemployed workers This topic–public programs to provide job retraining […]
Today’s education topic teaches a basic organizing skill. Instead of readings, members were asked to come up with: Something negative that happened to them that they don’t mind sharing. This could be something that happened in kindergarten, or something from yesterday; something embarrassing or unpleasant to something tragic. Whatever you’re comfortable sharing. Something they are […]
Today’s education topic centers around the possibility of organizing our economy around goals other than profits. Readings: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/01/for-a-luxury-leftism https://mronline.org/2009/12/16/whats-wrong-with-a-30-hour-work-week/ https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/01/blizzard-snow-storm-northeast-socialism-capitalism/ Discussion outline: Leader starts by talking about a hobby or what they’d do if they had more free time. Maybe you have a really cool hobby, would like to learn a language, learn an instrument, […]
Our reading for this topic is an extremely insightful analysis of the election to Seattle City Council of Socialist Alternative candidate Kshama Sawant. By all accounts, Sawant has been an excellent elected official. SA has been able to work constructively with Democrats where they agree, as well as move ideas leftward. SA has also been able […]
The title of today’s topic is taken from Frances Fox Piven and Richard Cloward’s book, Poor People’s Movements. At that time, social sciences scholarship focused on the role of elites in influencing policy. Piven and Cloward instead focused on movements that were driven by ordinary people. A key argument is that ordinary people’s ability to influence […]
Today’s education topic was capital flight (also known as a capital strike). Capitalism is not democratic, and the best example of this is the minimum wage. Our readings show that a massive majority of Americans supports a small minimum wage increase. Recent polling shows that 91% of Democrats, 76% of independents, and 58% of Republicans […]
We discussed the deep organizing model of social change. Wisconsin’s largest protest in recent history occurred in early 2011, where hundreds of thousands protested at the State Capital building against the Budget Repair Bill. Yet a single protest had, at most, 2% of the state population. Activists, or those who work for social change, probably […]
We started with an overview of some of the problems with mental health services in Milwaukee County. We also learned about Housing First programs for long-term homeless individuals. Readings: Mother Jones investigation into Housing First programs Milwaukee County mental health system traps patients in cycle of emergency care Nationwide Study Reveals Just How Broken the […]
The best resource for a single payer discussion is the frequently asked questions for our single payer campaign. The readings for this discussion were: Adam Gaffney, How Liberals Tried to Kill the Dream of Single Payer Sarah Kliff, Obamacare’s double-digit rate hike, explained in 400 words, which shows how Obamacare’s central promise–that market-based competition for […]