By Colleen Armuelles, Administrative Assistant and Professional Singer, Quincy, MA

I was raised primarily by my single mother – a brilliant, fierce, progressive liberal. I used to be so shy that when I experienced injustice, my default response was to accept it. My mom always put things in perspective. She said that correcting an injustice, no matter how small, is never just for my benefit. It’’s for everyone that comes afterward. A Canadian immigrant and former attorney and activist, my mom raised me on Baez and Lennon, stories of Columbia University in ‘’68 and ‘’69, and the words, ““I don’’t care who you love; I only care that you love.””

I used to believe Democrats always tried to help working people and provide opportunity to the many rather than to the few. The theft of the presidency from Al Gore, for whom I campaigned, broke my then just burgeoning political spirit. The more I learned, the more I realized that corporate influence pervades the U.S. government, and that the two-party system does not sufficiently address the needs of regular people. It was my frustration with the Democrats and the compromises of health care reform – I rooted for single payer all the way – that moved me to join Socialist Alternative (SA). I didn’’t become a socialist when I found SA. I discovered through SA that I was already a socialist. Socialism is the system that fits my worldview.

I’’ve been exposed to a lot of ideas, philosophies, kinds of spirituality, and politics. In how I live, these elements are inextricable. Socialism is the system that fits my worldview. It is an ultimate application of The Golden Rule.