Message from Democratic Socialists of America

In the wealthiest country in the history of the world, private health insurance and pharma companies have left us unforgivably vulnerable to the pandemic and hospitals now compete for ventilators on the free market, leading to a price jump from $20,000 to $40,000 each in just two weeks. Forty years of neoliberal austerity budgets are culminating, in the case of my own state of New York, in 2.5 billion dollars in Medicaid cuts by Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo in our state budget. He’s also taking the opportunity to roll back historic bail law reforms which our movement had only just won months ago. Every state has its own story.

Wall Street Democrats have warned us for months that “if you like your health insurance now, you can keep it” to scare us away from Medicare for All. Now that the politicians have allowed 40 million people to lose work, and those of us still with private insurance face a 40% premium costs hike in 2021, a whole lot are realizing that was a hollow promise. Meanwhile, Donald Trump seeks to expand his right to detain us without trial, a power grab reminiscent of that completed by Hungary’s Viktor Orban just days ago, and deflects our fear and anger towards China and Chinese people.

We think we are at the mercy of the capitalist class.

But now is the time to think differently. As we huddle at home wondering where to get next month’s rent or tomorrow's meal or whether ICE will come knocking, or venture into danger to make low wages doing essential work, or grieve in solitude the losses of friends, family or coworkers, it is the time to recognize our place. Our place is not at the bottom of the economic pyramid. It is not gasping for breath because a wealthy politician decided we are expendable.

In truth, our place is running this economy, and controlling it too.

Workers walked off the job at multiple Amazon worksites here and abroad, this week at Instacart & Whole Foods, and last week it was nurses, sanitation workers, meatpackers and others. Hazard pay, paid sick leave and personal protective equipment are becoming common demands as essential workers realize they are indeed essential. And they are often winning.

But the thing that gives me the most hope, besides people realizing our collective power to protect ourselves and each other, is what I heard about General Electric workers: they demanded to make ventilators.

In the face of a deadly White House and often complicit Democratic politicians, workers are looking out for each other, demanding to control the means of production so they can meet human needs not corporate profits.

I am a socialist because I know that even after the tidal wave of layoffs in March, if we stand together we have the power not just to survive. We have the power to transform this society. We can change the capitalist economy that set us up to fail when the virus hit, and instead build a democratic socialist one. We can make an economy and society for the benefit of the many, not the few.

Our April Dispatch is full of ways you can get involved even while physically distant as well as organizing co-workers or neighbors if you have no choice but to go out.

We are in this together.

Maria Svart
DSA National Director