Socialism or Barbarism: Those Are Our Options
Comrades,
In order to stem the spread of the highly-infectious coronavirus, the Austin DSA Leadership Committee, our elected executive body, has voted to cancel all in-person events for the foreseeable future. This includes next Tuesday’s Austin DSA Monthly Meeting and next Wednesday’s Socialist Night School. Both events will be held online via Zoom calls (download Zoom here to prepare to join us). In the meantime, and with the understanding that for many of us our jobs make this difficult, we encourage everyone to take steps to protect yourselves and others from the virus.
In the midst of this looming health, economic and political crisis, it’s essential that we stay committed to demanding the better world we need. For months, Austin DSA members and socialists across the country have been canvassing with the message that a better world for working class people — with guaranteed healthcare, housing, and good union jobs — is possible. Now more than ever, we need to build a movement that calls for a humane response to this critical time — including immediately guaranteeing unlimited paid sick days; full unemployment insurance; a moratorium on evictions, debt collection, and mortgage payments; an end to cash bail; and Medicare for All. We need to make it clear: solidarity is the only treatment for coronavirus. Every day, but especially in times of crisis, an injury to one is an injury to all — it’s socialism or barbarism.
We’ve claimed that our society can guarantee everyone housing, healthcare, education, and a good union job. We’ve claimed that it’s possible to reduce the work week to four days. We have boldly said that in the richest country in the history of the world, every single one of us deserves the opportunity to flourish as individuals, with ample leisure time to spend with our friends and family, to watch movies, to learn languages and instruments, to cook, and to be free.
The rich and powerful have worked to make our demands seem ridiculous. The for-profit media, from tells us that, despite the unimaginable wealth in this country, a better world is not possible. They are paid millions of dollars to make us think there are simply no solutions to half a million people sleeping on the streets tonight, or to the 40,000 people who die every year from inadequate health insurance coverage.
But just yesterday, the Federal Reserve “injected” $1.5 Trillion into the economy in a desperate and futile attempt to stop the free falling market. Where has that money been? Where has it been for the people sleeping out on the streets? Where has it been for us workers who work multiple jobs just to pay an ever-increasing rent bill? Where has it been for the water system in Flint, Michigan?
It’s clear now that the resources to guarantee everyone in this country a good, dignified life have always existed — they’re just hoarded at the top. To combat this crisis, we need to demand that drastic steps are taken in the public interest. We need a major social transformation to ensure the least number of deaths from this virus and to protect ourselves from future emergencies, especially those from climate change.
As DSA’s National Political Committee urges in their statement, now is the time for solidarity. We have watched too many crises be exploited by profit-seekers, but we know that human beings are capable of so much more than greed and exploitation. We can come together to take care of one another, overcome crisis, and build a world that works for working people. And if any of these contradictions of corporate bailouts resonate with you, please share the statement with friends and family and on social media.
To reiterate: as a practical measure and show of solidarity for all working class people, especially the elderly, unhoused, chronically ill, and immunocompromised who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, Austin DSA is canceling all in-person meetings. We will follow up over email and text soon with more details about upcoming online events, including Sunday’s Delegate Training and Strategy Session, Tuesday’s Monthly Meeting, and Wednesday’s Socialist Night School. Additionally, we are in contact with National leadership and other DSA chapters to plan a big, nationwide DSA stream of Sunday’s debate.
Stay safe, comrades. Call one another to check in. Take steps to protect yourselves and others by washing your hands and avoiding close contact. And please reach out to anyone on Leadership by emailing leadership@austindsa.org if you have questions or would like to chat.
Solidarity Forever,
Austin DSA Leadership Committee
