25 Years DEMOCRATIC WINTER NUMBE~ VOLUME XXV NUMBER 5&6 S1.50 PUBLISHED BY THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA DSA , Crap Shoot Pensions? . Tony and Bill's Max on Economy , ThirdWtry Dyck on Cuba PRESENT PROGRESSIVE he November elections re­ record on women's rights, worker and "This vote represents a vital shift sulted in striking gains for immigrant rights and has the strong in the U.S. Congress towards progres­ progressives as well as the support of the Sierra Club and other sive Democrats," said Karen Dolan Tdownfall of outgoing Speaker of the environmentalists. Napolitano is also of the Institute for Policy Studies. "It House Newt Gingrich. All 55 mem­ a strong supporter of public educa­ 1s important to point out that Tammy bers of the Congressional Progres­ tion. Baldwin and the other new sive Caucus who ran for re-election • Charlie Gonzalez, a Democrat progressives in Congress won by im­ won their races (three members of from Texas' 20'h di!arict, has stood pressive mobilization at the the Caucus retired). for workers rights and equality grassroots," concluded Shelley The 55 winners included Lane throughout his campaign. He is a Moskowitz, Political Director of Evans, who won with 53 percent of supporter of public schools, immi­ Neighbor to Neighbor." Baldwin, for the vote in the hotly contested 17'h grant rights and equality for women. example, had 1,500 \'olunteers in the district of Illinois despite the enor­ • Tammy Baldwin, won in field on primary day." mous amount of corporate money Wisconsin's 2•d district after a tough The Progressive Challenge plans poured into his opponent's race. grassroots campaign. She has led the to work with the Progressive Caucus Other members were re-elected by fight on progressive issues through­ to invite this new members and other much higher margtns, including rank­ out her career in the \\1isconsin state returning members to join to caucus. ing House Judiciary Democrat John legislature, proposing bills on a range Work continues, as well, on mobiliz­ Conyers of Michigan, with 75 per­ of issues from living wage and work­ mg grass roots Progressive Challenge cent of the vote, Nydia Velazquez ers rights, to support for public edu­ forums. (D-NY) 83 percent of the vote, and cation and strong environmental pro­ In addition to the election of new Bernie Sanders (l-V1) 64 percent of tection. She has advocated a progres­ progressives, Americans had the plea­ the vote. sive tax system, universal health care sure of seeing the back of both Newt Fourteen new Members were and women's rights. She is also the Gingrich and Bob Livingston. More elected who ran on progressive plat­ first openly gay, nonincumbent to come, one hopes. forms. The 14 were gauged "progres­ elected to Congress. sive" by the Institute for Policy Stud­ ies after comparing their campaign literature and past activities with the Progressive Challenge "Fairness Agenda for America." On issues ranging from shifting budgetary pri­ orities from military spending and corporate giveaways to health care and education, to promoting worker and environmental rights, fair trade, and equality, these 14 candidates stood for the liberal values that re­ cent polls show most Americans embrace. The 14 new progressive members included: •Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat from Illinois' 9•h district, has long been an advocate for consumers, se­ nior citizens and women's rights. She has spoken out about human rights and demilitarization as well as sup­ ported campaign finance reform. •Grace Napolitano, a Democrat from California's 34•h district, served as chair of the Women's Legislative Caucus during her 6 years in the Cali­ fornia State House, with a strong page2•Democratic Left• Winter Present Progressive by Chris Riddough . Social Security by Joe Schwartz Living Wage in Detroit by Dave Green Incarceration in DC "Michael Harrington was one of the most important figures in the by Bill Mosley twentieth century." -William Julius Wilson WATCH THESE PAGES FOR INFORMATION ABOUT VIEWING The Coming Recession Harrington and Today's Other America J by Steve Max F Corporate Power and Inequality The new film with Bogdan Denitch, Congressman Bernie Sanders, Our Person in Havana Francis Fox Piven, John Kenneth Galbraith, Rush Limbaugh, by Reg Dyck Senator Ted Kennedy, Jim Chapin, Robert Kuttner, Charles Murray, Robert L. Heilbroner, Joanne Barkan, Joseph Murphy, Bob Herbert **Music by Bruce Springsteen and The Adjusters!"* The Third Way by Jeff Gold TODAY'S OTHER AMERICA: "Michael Harrington was a moral gi­ Editors: Christine Riddiough ant." '99 Jeff Gold -Larry Brown, Tufts University Editorial Com1111ttee: Suzanne Crowell, "He had a lot of influence. All of it Bill Dixon, David Glenn, bad." Steve Max, Bill Mosley, -Irving Kristo/, A.E.I. Maxine Phillips, Robert Woodruff "He was the voice of America." DEMOCRATIC Fo1111di11g Editor: -Willy Brandt Michael Harrington (1928-1989) ERRATA Democratic Socialists of America share a vision of a humane interiutional social order based on equitable distribution of resources, meaningful work, a The fast cdiuon of Demo<rallr I ..tji, healthy environment, sustainable growth, gender and racial equality, and non­ the Labor Dar issue, was marked vol­ opprcssive relationships. Equality, solidarity, and democracy can only be ume XXV Number 4. I 1 should ha\·c achieved through international political and social cooperation aimed at en­ been marked as Number 3 & 4. The current issue is also a double issue, suring that economic institutions benefit all people. We arc dedicated to build­ and serves as the final issue for 1998. ing truly international social movements-of unionists, environmentalists, femi­ For most of 1998 issues were late and niijts, and people of color-which together can elevate global justice over bcu­ we regret this very much. tali:dng global competition. Our New Year'~ Resolution 1s to DSA NATIONAL OFFICE do much better in 1999. \X'c are going 180 Varick Street FL 12 to give you more pages in each lJUar­ New Yark, NY 10014 terly issue. The issue, Spring 13ooks, 212.727.8610 will be mailed at the end of March http://www.dsausa.org/ dsa and should reach most readers by mid­ f),,,.,,,,.,,;, 14' (ISSN IG4J207)" pubhshcd lnmonlhly al 180 Varick Street. New Yurk, NY 10014. l'cnod1cal• April. P'"i.gc paid oi Nrw York, NY (Pubhcauon No. 701-960). Sub•crlpuon" $10 regular, $IS inrnruuonal. We intend to ~pruce up the look l'n,.mO!tcr l>cnJ oJtlre>< changes tn 180 Varick Sucet, New York. NY I 0014 [),... ""'" 141 i• pubhshcd by and content of Dm10rralir /,,,ft as we the Ocmocr:tuc S•><iahm of J\mcnca, 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014 (212) 727-R610.J1&"'il •rli.'/rs the yca1 2000. '-"/'"" 11H op1•1.. 1 If Jbt ••l~n ut1J .., n'<tst.iril] Jbou of lht •'1.""'t•ll••· DL Wtnttr completes 1998. approach Winter•Democratic Left• page 3 Crap Shoot Pensions or Social Security JOSEPH M. SCHWARTZ ocial commentators from the right to neo-Liberals claim that the Social Security system is in crisis. An Social Security is under honest look at the workings of Social Security reveals attack by the finance and that only minor tinkering is needed to preserve its investment industry. solvency through the next millennium. The main­ stream consensus in favor of overhauling the system is driven by conservative ideological preferences for all things "private" and political impetus behind both so­ and "market-driven," coupled with the tempting cash cow \\Tall cial insurance and quality, universal Street could milk by siphoning off public pension money. Nei­ public provision is the recognition that ther partial nor complete privatization of insurance against old a fully democratic society requires, in addition to civil and political liberties, age and disability is needed: Social Security continues to do an the equitable provision of those goods efficient job of insuring the population against loss of income needed by an individual to develop to due to old age, disability, or death of a family income-earner. the fullness of his or her potential. Barring a disastrous decline in economic growth, the public good The United States, being the most "exceptional" of political democra­ known officially as Old Age and Survivors and Disability Insur­ cies, has limited its social forms of ance (OASDI) could continue to provide our nation with social provision to public education funded security straight through the twenty-first century. in an non-egalitarian manner by local Social Security is under attack by and prime it for private schemes. property taxes, and old age and dis­ the finance and investment industry The privatization consensus has ability insurance. Public provision of so that a new, massive pool of capital solidified in part because of the de­ health care has been limited to the eld­ would be available-and at risk, in the dine of American liberalism as a erly and very poor. Until recent "wel­ stock markets. The recent bull mar- popular ideology. Few members of the fare reforms," some poor single par­ ket has been partly propelled by ents were subsidized to provide significant growth in privately­ in-home care for their infant owned, defined-contribution children. The mean-spirited, pension plans, driven some by means-tested narure of this Baby Boomers now facing an ac­ program allowed the Right cre­ tuarial need to consider their im­ ate a popular backlash of work­ minent old age or retirement. mg and middle-income people Since less than half of Ameri­ against AFDC and, to a lesser can workers have significant, extent, Medicaid. If the U.S. job-related private pensions, the joined other industrial democ­ securities industry must look for racies in providing universal a new pot-of-gold in the social health care and child assistance insurance system.