I am a registered socialist. When I registered, I thought if everyone who turned 18, who didn’t feel Democrat or Republican, registered as a different party, whichever party most closely aligned to their ideologies, we could dispatch with the two-party system, and begin to create a government that represented what new voters really wanted for their country. I acted as my best instincts told me, and I’ve never regretted it.
Now, 17 years later, my political affiliation is mostly a point of personal pride. Some states in the U.S. have had an S.W.P. candidate for president on the ballot in recent years, but not New Mexico.
Two years ago, I got a postcard from Enrique Cardiel, inviting me to a gathering for “people registered with progressive parties.” Most of them were L.R.U., and I think there may have been a couple Greens there too. I was disappointed not to meet other Socialist Workers, but Enrique and co. explained to me that they were considered socialists for the most part, and he explained to me why.
“I think being socialist means we take care of each other,” he said, and that pretty much fit with everything I’ve been trying to verbalize about my idea of government. We choose to live together in communities, and we elect a government to make sure our communities are as productive as possible. We all pay dues (taxes) to pay for agreed upon necessities, like roads, schools, police, firefighters, etc., and we make sure that everyone in our community is cared for. The L.R.U. works to ensure everyone has access to the communal amenities their taxes have paid for. The L.R.U. works to ensure everyone is represented by our elected government.
Our taxes pay for the roads we drive on, the schools our children attend, the safety regulations that control the food we eat; the safety net that surrounds each of us when something terrible and unexpected happens. I am happy to pay for that safety net, because I see people every day who might fall, and I know I am no so far from the edge. The L.R.U. party works to ensure everyone has access to that safety net, even if they aren’t corporate lobbyists or high-dollar contributors to someone special’s campaign. I love the L.R.U.’s platform of The People. The People are the ones doing the work, paying the taxes, using the services. If the people we elect to represent us aren’t doing the job, we need to replace them with People Like Us, who WILL represent us.
Each of us, teacher, nurse, letter carrier, sanitation worker, administrative assistant, administrator, is a soldier on the ground. We live and work in the state and country governed by Santa Fe and Washington, D.C. We deserve to be led by people who live like us, think like us, who REPRESENT us. That is why I support L.R.U.
