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Congratulations to Bolivarian Socialism - Venezuela's Happiness Falls Most Globally - Forbes

A panel discussion was held Friday evening by the Party for Socialism and Liberation to discuss the issues of socialism, womens liberation and Palestinian liberation. PHOTO BY ALEX NOVAKOVIC/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Approximately 30 people attended a forum hosted by the Greater Boston branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation on Friday evening to discuss womens liberation and the Palestinian occupation.

The forum featured a panel with various speakers from PSLBoston, and included a discussion section at which point audience members were able to join in and contribute to the conversation.

Nino Brown, PSLBostons branch organizer, said to The Daily Free Press before the forum that the issues of socialism, womens liberation and Palestinian liberation are linked.

Palestine is occupied by a settler colonial parasite, the State of Israel, unjustly and illegally, Brown said. With colonialism, you subjugate an entire people, and that includes women. Womens liberation is part and parcel of the struggle for socialism, there will be no lasting socialism without womens liberation.

This idea echoes in PSLBostons slogan, No socialism, no liberation. No liberation, no socialism.

While liberation might be a national struggle, the PSL promotes the idea that there must be liberation everywhere for there to be true liberation anywhere, according to Brown.

[Liberation is] a national struggle, which means its going to take everyone within that formation to defeat what is oppressing them, Brown said. Our goal is the ending of exploitation and the ending of oppression, and that can only happen on an international scale.

Brown opened the forum by highlighting the differences between different types of feminism, focusing primarily on revolutionary Marxist feminism, which is what the PSL associates itself with. Brown focused on the need to approach liberation issues, including feminism, from a bottom-up perspective.

Middle class folks want a little reform, a little conciliation, Brown said. Working class folks cant afford capitulation anymore.

Brown also issued a call for people to join PSL so they can fight against corruption.

Hira Sulthana, a PSLBoston member, presented facts about the struggle between Israel and Palestine, and the role the United States and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee play in that struggle. She also discussed settler colonialism, neocolonialism and sublimated colonialism, which she saidare crucial to understanding Israeli oppression.

PSLBoston member Hersch Chaim followed up by presenting a promotional clip from AIPAC, explaining that watching the oppositions propaganda can be a valuable exercise.

Its clear that AIPACs central mission is to actively maintain and strengthen the two-party systems adherence to Israels control over Palestine, Chaim said in his speech.

PSLBoston member Kaleigh OKeefe spoke about the relationship between gender, sexism, the patriarchy and capitalism.

The oppression of women and gender non-conforming folks takes many forms, but all are fundamentally rooted in the system of capitalist imperialism, OKeefe said. Because patriarchy, capitalism and gender itself are part of the same process, it is impossible to get rid of one without the others.

Several people in attendance said they found the forum to be an educational experience and expressed their opinions on issues having to do with oppression.

Will LeBlanc, 68, of Waltham, said he found the AIPAC video to be particularly interesting.

Ive never seen that before, always gotten it from the opposition, LeBlanc said. Its basically the same thing. [AIPACs] selling their brand.

Natalia Meneses, 24, of East Boston, said she attended to learn more about Palestinian liberation because it has ties to the liberation of immigrants to the United States from south of the border.

[Capital and private interests] profit from detaining and imprisoning both immigrants and Palestinians, Meneses said.

Willie Burnley, 23, of Somerville, said he was concerned that while the goals of the PSL may be achieved one day, it might not be soon enough.

Historys very long, and within it people suffer for a very long time, Burnley said.

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Party for Socialism and Liberation hosts forum, addresses liberation movements - Daily Free Press (subscription)

Transnational socialism vs. Transnational Socialism TechCrunch Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel I declare the global social space we are building to be naturally independent of the tyrannies you seek to impose, declaimed the Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace ...

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Transnational socialism vs. Transnational Socialism - TechCrunch

Headlines about the end of the republic litter political commentary across the political landscape. They usually mark the beginning of a discussion of the merits of Donald Trump as president of the United States, but his ascendency is not the leading sign of a collapse of American society. For that, see a recent poll indicating a tectonic shift occurring in the political preferences of U.S. adults. When you consider current trends in cultural norms and widely held beliefs, you will see that we are headed toward the end of the American experiment.

The American Culture and Faith Institute recently conducted a survey of adults 18 and older. It shows not only how deeply divided Americans are on some issues but also how their view of the nation stands in many cases in stark contrast to our nations founding principles. Most Americans (58 percent) see themselves as politically moderate, while a quarter identify as conservative, and 17 percent as liberal. Those who were both socially and fiscally conservative, the group tracked by the ACFI in greatest detail, were 6 percent of the population.

But those differences dont reveal the greatest divide and danger to Americas future. The most alarming result, according to [George] Barna, was that four out of every ten adults say they prefer socialism to capitalism, the ACFI noted in its commentary on the poll. That is a large minority, Barna said, and it includes a majority of the liberals who will be pushing for a completely different economic model to dominate our nation. That is the stuff of civil wars. It ought to set off alarm bells among more traditionally-oriented leaders across the nation. That 40 percent of Americans now prefer socialism to capitalism could spell major change to the policies advanced by legislators and political leaders and to the interpretations of judges ruling on the application of new and pre-existing laws.

How did we get here? The popularity of Bernie Sanders, whose 2016 presidential campaign was marked by an altruistic spirit and a consistent value system, is of course not the cause of this movement in public opinion but rather an indicator of it. Many Americans have forgotten the lessons of the Cold War and the disasters witnessed in the crumbling economies and failed polities of Communist and socialist countries in the 1990s. Communism was on its last leg, it appeared, and its little brother socialism was not far behind.

Little did we know that the fires of socialism were being stoked in corners all across America where it is held in higher regard than in nations that have suffered under it. It is obvious where such thinking abounds and continues to spread: in our colleges and universities. The ideologies of professors and educators have proven stronger than facts: The benefits of socialism and Communism are taught from the Ivy League to the local community college. A generation has been taught a lie, and they now believe it.

Americans who believe in limited government, welfare reform, and states rights should look over their shoulder and realize that a dangerous ideology is gaining ground. A crowd that you thought history had left behind is growing. It prefers an America that would look drastically different from what it has been from its founding through the present day.

One reason that such a dangerous political construct has advanced is that left-leaning activists have hijacked terms of the debate and muddied the popular understanding of political language. Consider that more than 80 percent of all respondents to the ACFI poll said they supported traditional values, as did nearly 70 percent of those who identify as liberal, even if in fact they tend to be socially progressive.

Barna described those who in the poll were identified to be liberals. They are

a group among whom three-fourths support same-sex marriage; seven out of ten advocate legalized abortion; a majority want socialism to replace capitalism; and nearly one out of five claim to be LGBT. Its hard to imagine which traditional moral values they are referring to. This oddity does, however, reflect how the ideological Left consistently appropriates language and imputes new meaning to terms that are known and popular. The survey data raise the possibility that liberals may redefine traditional moral values to include beliefs and behaviors that are not at all traditional or moral, from a biblical perspective.

It all depends on what the definition of values is.

Freedom isnt free is inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., reminding all who visit of the blood and treasure that has been paid to end tyrannical rule abroad. That America itself may become a socialist country must be abhorrent and foreign to the many who have fought, and to those who still fight, for free markets, traditional values, and capitalist ideals. Conservative and traditionally minded Americans can no longer assume that their neighbor believes what they believe or that he defines the terms of political discourse the same way. The country has changed.

Sadly, Barna is only partially wrong that this divide is the stuff of civil wars. In this case, the civil war is fought not directly and openly, with bullets and bombs, but with an intellectual assault on history and facts a quiet revolution.

It is time to play both the short and the long game.Now is the time to speak out and educate all who will hear about the history of this nation and the benefits of traditional values, free markets, and capitalism, which, though not perfect, are better than all the alternatives. Those who love this nation and the ideals of our experiment in liberty must counter the gainsayers in academia and the media or they will soon find that America as one nation under God is no more.

David Nammo, an attorney, is the executive director and CEO of the Christian Legal Society.

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Socialism's Rising Popularity Threatens America's Future - National Review

CAPE CANAVERAL

Surrounded by Brevard County officials and reporters, Gov. Rick Scott stood in an empty field at Kennedy Space Center where a satellite factory soon will rise.

The plant, being built by OneWeb Satellites, is a project that President-elect Donald Trump touted as an exemplar of American job creation. The company has raised nearly $2 billion from investors, including a Japanese technology conglomerate.

OneWeb, a new company, is going to be hiring 3,000 people, so thats very exciting, Trump told reporters at the Mar-a-Lago Club in December.

OneWeb is not the only emerging player on the Space Coast.Across the street, construction crews bustled at a massive rocket factory being built by Blue Origin, a company launched by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos.

Both high-tech ventures are recipients of subsidies negotiated by Enterprise Florida, the public-private partnership that serves as the states economic development agency and an entity that suddenly is the subject of an intense ideological debate among Republicans in Tallahassee.

OneWeb, Blue Origin and other high-paying employers wouldnt be here if it werent for Enterprise Florida, Scott said during Thursdays event.

Scott, a second-term governor, has made job creation the focus of his six years in office, and he routinely lobbies the Legislature for more money for jobs subsidies. In recent years, lawmakers have pushed back, approving less for incentives than Scott requested.

Now, the Legislature is in full revolt. The state House this month voted 87-28 to abolish Enterprise Florida. Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran has hammered jobs incentives as corporate welfare and de facto socialism, and many in the Legislature seem to agree.

This is not where we should be spending other peoples money, said Rep. Paul Renner, a Palm Coast Republican who sponsored the bill to kill Enterprise Florida, according to the News Service of Florida. There are better, higher uses for that money, whether its public safety, whether its quality education, or infrastructure.

During Scotts appearance Thursday at Kennedy Space Center, the governor touted Floridas robust job growth and low taxes and he griped about lawmakers vote.

Im really frustrated with my Legislature, Scott told reporters.

The battle between Scott and Corcoran is a rare example of opponents attacking the governor from the right. Scott was a political novice when he swept into office during the Tea Party wave of 2010, and he has hewed to conservative positions on taxes, regulation, gun control and the death penalty.

Scott also has been a strong advocate for job incentives, which he considers an investment rather than a subsidy. State taxpayers get a fivefold return on incentives, Scott said, an estimate critics say is overly optimistic.

Without subsidies, Scott said, OneWeb Satellites would be building its factory somewhere else. Brian Holz, chief executive of OneWeb Satellites, agreed with Scotts assessment.

We looked at seven other states besides Florida, and they were all very competitive in terms of incentives, Holz said.

The company also entertained offers from four other countries. In the end, OneWeb took Floridas package of $20 million in incentives in exchange for promising to hire 250 workers.

I can tell you we didnt choose it for the beaches, Holz said. Even though theyre really nice.

Scott worries that killing Enterprise Florida would mean letting other states win economic development prizes like OneWeb. But critics of jobs incentives say theyre not swayed by the everyone-is-doing-it argument.

Its not in the best interests of taxpayers to take their money and give it to private companies, said Andres Malave, spokesman for Americans for Prosperity Florida, a group that has been pressing state leaders to end incentives. Its a matter of my tax dollars, your tax dollars, being straight-up given to someone else.

Paying subsidies directly to large employers grants an unfair competitive advantage for recipients, Malave said. He suggested devoting the money to schools, roads and police instead.

If lawmakers kill Enterprise Florida over Scotts objections, the state would honor the incentive contracts in place, Malave said. But companies shopping for future tax breaks would have to turn to county and municipal governments, which typically match a percentage of state subsidies.

If state jobs incentives were to disappear, the effects could hit especially hard in Palm Beach County, which has been the state champ in landing subsidies.

The county pulled in $425 million in state incentives from 1996 to 2013, according to a Palm Beach Post analysis of state data. Thats 42 percent of all state incentives paid to a county with just 7 percent of Floridas population.

The grand prize for Palm Beach County, of course, was a $310 million state grant to lure the Scripps Research Institute to Jupiter. But there have been other big payments, including $94.1 million to bring the renowned Max Planck Institute to Jupiter, $6.7 million to aerospace giant Pratt & Whitney, $2.7 million to struggling retailer Office Depot and $2 million to failed start-up DayJet.

By encouraging subsidies, Scott is following a precedent set by his Republican predecessors in the governors mansion. Jeb Bush personally wooed Scripps and spearheaded the states billion-dollar bet on biotech.

Bush promised the nonprofit biotech labs would create tens of thousands of private-sector spinoff jobs. That bonanza has yet to materialize, helping to set the stage for the Republican revolt against subsidies.

And Charlie Crist signed off on a $20 million incentive package for Digital Domain Media Group, the Port St. Lucie-based movie effects venture that crashed and burned. Enterprise Florida didnt grant incentives for Digital Domain, but Corcoran has made that companys collapse part of his pitch to kill the agency.

As for OneWeb, the company has raised $1.7 billion from a blue-chip list of investors that includes Japanese tech giant SoftBank, Qualcomm, Coca-Cola Co. and the Virgin Group.

OneWeb itself expects peak employment of 1,200 employees, many of them at its new factory at Kennedy Space Center, although Scott mentioned only the 250 jobs called for in the states agreement with OneWeb. Add in employment from suppliers of solar panels and other equipment, and total employment related to the satellite system could reach 3,000, OneWeb said.

Americans for Prosperitys Malave said he wishes OneWeb well in its goal of launching hundreds of satellites, but he says its ridiculous for a private company to receive a $20 million boost from taxpayers.

Thats not the role of government, Malave said.

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Smart bet or socialism: Is satellite firm touted by Trump both? - MyPalmBeachPost