One half of each general meeting is spent on a discussion on an educational topic. The Education Committee leads these discussions:

• We select articles on the topic for members to read before coming to the meeting
• We provide some additional background information
• We pose discussion questions for breakout groups. Everyone has a chance to share at the end.

How we choose topics:

• We need topics that will enhance our ability to organize to actually accomplish things
• We need topics that explain the difference between progressives and socialists. For example, we would never do the topic “climate change” because there is broad agreement on the science and need to act. Rather, we would need to focus on how capitalism, no matter how progressive, cannot solve the issues of climate change:
  • Capital flight: Why are fossil fuel burning interests so powerful and able to resist even the most timid reforms?
  • Intellectual property: Corporations/the free market will not develop technologies to prevent/mitigate climate change; this will only occur if publicly funded.
  • Etc.
• Topics about social welfare, since these are very popular and most people’s gateway into socialism
• Civil liberties. The left has had a fraught relationship at times with civil liberties. The most common tactic of red baiters is to cynically invoke civil liberties.

Categories:

• When progressive isn’t good enough
  • Democracy Without Democracy explores how capitalism generally, and our political system in particular, is undemocratic (for example, the Supreme Court and Electoral College). Key topics include The Capital Strike and Capitalism’s Weeping Angels (explanation).
  • Economic democracy explores ideas for democratizing the economy
  • The 20-hour work week explores the intangible things capitalism takes from us, such as leisure time, friendships, and community.
  • Intellectual property
  • Economics for socialists
• Social welfare
• How to change the world
• Civil liberties