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Monthly Archives: May 2010
SDUSA links
As stated in my last posting. there has been a schism within the Social Democrats USA and has a result the leadership of the party lost control of the party web site to the fired executive director. Unfortunately the party’s “Social Democracy in the 21th Century” web site is still not ready for public presentation yet. That will hopefully change within the next couple of weeks. However persons who are interested in knowing more about the Social Democrats USA can still learn more about the party via its “Socialist Currents” blog and the corresponding “Socialist Currents” e-group.
The link to the newly established blog which contains the organization’s statements of principle, heritage, mission, and a list of its officers is http://socialistcurrents.wordpress.com/
The e-group link for those who which join in dialogue with members of the Social Democrats USA is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Socialist_Currents/
Glenn
Taking over the Democratic Party
On Cooperative Socialist Perspectives
While I started this blog as a place in which to discuss both religion and politics, it has undergone several metamorphosis. It is now under going another. I joined the very small Social Democrats USA in January 2009. A lot has happened within that party since that time certainly not all positive. However in spite of this, I feel that the Social Democrats USA, which is the one Socialist party of this nation that is the direct descendent of the old Socialist Party of America of Eugene Debs, Norman Thomas and others, is my political home. Therefore since I am the representative affiliate member for Ohio within the SD, USA I am volunteering this blog to be the representative voice of the party within this state. As such the messages posted within “Cooperative Socialist Perspectives” will be reflective of the views of the Ohio Affiliate but not necessarily of the official views of the Social Democrats USA national organization. I will attempt on a regular basis to let readers know if and when the views taken here represent national Social Democrats USA policy.
A few words about the new name of the blog. In spite of the fact that the future of this blog will be tied to the fortunes of the Social Democratic cause, as its editor I have decided to delete very little of its old content. Most of that material in my own humble view is excellent and is still worth reading. This is so even if some may find it unusual for example that articles be posted to defend Islam from the charge of authorizing the abuse of women on a socialist site. I also do not believe that it hurts for readers to know some of the interests and background of this blog’s owner.
Some may question why the decision was made to call this blog “Cooperative Socialist Perspectives” as opposed to Ohio Social Democracy, Ohio Democratic Socialism, or some more social democratic sounding name. The answer is fairly straight forward. Long before I became a member of the Social Democrats USA I believed in the views of the non establishment socialist traditions which advocated a socialism not of state ownership and control but instead of a “Cooperative Commonwealth” in which the dominant forms of ownership in society would be that of worker owned cooperatives and businesses. Yes privately owned businesses, family farms, and some state forms of regulation and ownership would play important economic roles in society, however most economic institutions in society would be cooperatively owned and managed by worker owners. This vision is quite compatible with the political economic vision of social democracy. It is true that Social Democracy historically has tended to stress primarily the importance of struggling for reforms in side the system of capitalism to benefit working people ( a good thing). Never the less ideological room also exists within the context of Social Democracy for a vigorous vision of a dynamic socialist future. The importance of a vision of the Cooperative Commonwealth or of Cooperative Socialism thus will be a recurring theme of many of the posts within this blog.