by Canyon Lalama — Minneapolis, MN, Student
From a young age, I was misled into believing that the world’s problems had to do with which politician was in office. I thought that these problems could be solved if we could just get Democrats elected.
Bill Clinton quickly demolished that idea. Here was a liberal Democrat who presided over a massive polarization of wealth, an increase in the prison population, and numerous military conflicts.
I realized the need for an independent party and became involved in Ralph Nader’s 2000 campaign. The failure of the Democrats to mount a successful opposition to Bush’s racist theft of the election further solidified my break with the two-party system.
I quickly recognized that simply voting wasn’t going to be enough. The world’s problems are the result of the unjust capitalist system. It will take a strong, independent movement of the working class to once and for all free society from the evils this system creates.
We cannot rely on politicians to do this for us. We will only be able to fix these problems when workers, young people, and the rest of the oppressed population can take power into our own hands and institute democratic socialism.