Wednesday, March 28, 2012

From The Anti-MBTA Fare Raise, Servcie Cuts And Worker Lay-Offs Struggle In Boston- A View From The Left

Markin comment:

A leaflet passed out at an anti-far eincrease rally in Boston

The Problem With The MBTA - And How We CAN Fix It!

The MBTA is planning to cut service and raise fares. The primary reason for this is the massive amount of debt that the MBTA owes to the banking sector. Some are arguing for increased taxation of the businesses and universities that depend on the MBTA to transport employees and students to places of work and learning. Some say this will only lead to businesses leaving the area or the state, leaving us with higher unemployment and leaving the state with less revenue than before. People on both sides have good points, and care about the people of Massachusetts. As well, both sides have the same fundamental flaw: each side accepts the claim of big business and the government that the banks must come first, and the people of Massachusetts come last.

If the MBTA's biggest issue is the debt it is required by law to pay to the banks, then lets examine this law. Our society is currently ruled by the wealthiest individuals and their corporations, and a government that serves their interests - ,not ours. If we accept this situation, as we are pressured by government and big business to do, there seems to be no good solution to the problems we and the MBTA face. But what if we ask ourselves: "What right do the bankers, big corporations and their puppet government have to control and direct our society?" A different solution begins to emerge.

The answer to the issues that we face with regard to the MBTA and every other problem in our society is the termination of our current money system. No one has the right to make a living off of other people's labor while providing nothing themselves except "capital." This system is wrong, oppressive, and an affront to humanity. We cannot succeed in fixing the MBTA until we address the impact that this system has on every aspect of society.

The Root of The Problem:

The elephant in the room is the completely undemocratic nature of our society. From schools to healthcare to public transportation, our government enforces the desires of big business and not the people. It is not right that we must work as mere hired hands, ever fearful of being
laid off or of losing health benefits (many do not even have these benefits to lose in the first place). All this while a small group of people become extremely wealthy and powerful from our labor and intelligence. And now they want us to pay more to get to their corporations where we work to make them wealthy and powerful, receiving in return only just enough to keep most of us treading water? This system has got to go!

Our society should be based on providing for everyone, not the bankers and big corporations. We reject the idea that our current money system has any right to exist at all. We reject a society that is controlled by the extremely wealthy and restricts everyone else to servitude. We demand real democracy and an end to rule by the elite.

The Real Solution:

People possess the intelligence and will to create and voluntarily participate in systems that are designed to provide for people's needs. Systems like this already exist and are more efficient and morally legitimate than systems whose primary purpose is to serve the owners of corporations instead of benefiting everyone. We CAN have a better world.

In order to create this better world, we must build a movement with the explicit goal of abolishing rule by the extremely wealthy. This movement will not be limited to any one issue, and will be much stronger for it. This movement is explicitly revolutionary and will gain much support because its vision of a better society is shared by most people. We never voted for capitalism, and this is why it will take a revolution to abolish it, and set up a new society based on the values of ordinary people: mutual-aid, solidarity, generosity, and the desire to serve our communities - NOT the banks!

Come to the rally TODAY at 4:30 at Copley Square to connect with
people who feel the way you feel and to see that you are NOT alone!
email: peoplefordemocraticrevolution@gmail.com and visit

newdemocracyworld.org for more articles about REAL change.

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