I'm sorry but the more people are involved in decision making the worse a company runs. That’s also true of governments but in governments that’s kind of a feature not a bug.

I think we are taught to believe that we need to be ruled by corporate hierarchy so as to function efficiently to maximize profits, but when profits and shareholders are not the primary goal, humans can work well together without falling apart.

Cooperatives are what they are explaining. Democracy at Work is a source I enjoy; I included information below.

I think there are better solutions like pegging it to inflation and regional cost of living.

I agree!

But childcare for example is very iffy to me, I’d rather have the government pay a salary to one of the parents (or even both?) until the kids are of school age than have government funded child care so that the parents can spend all day working. Seems like enabling the worst parts of capitalism.

I agree as well!

Great points and explanations, thanks for taking the time to explain them to me in simple terms!

About Co-ops

"By democratizing workplaces, worker co-ops can give shape to a real, daily democracy on a society-wide basis." - Richard Wolff

We believe cooperatives (and specifically worker co-ops) are a critical component to realizing a more sustainable, equitable, and democratic future. Read more to learn why.

What is a cooperative?

A co-op is a business that is owned and self-managed by its members with the principle of “one person, one vote.” There is no boss, CEO, or Board of Directors who can make decisions by themselves and for their own personal benefit. Co-ops are people-centered, and are driven to create sustainable enterprises and long-term stability for all involved in them.

The values that form the base of any cooperative are self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. The management structures and day-to-day operations are designed according to the needs and desires of the co-op members and can vary greatly.

There are many types of cooperatives:

1. Worker Co-op: A business that is owned and controlled by the workers, who together decide the business operations, strategic directions, profit distributions, etc. -- Examples: Equal Exchange, Cooperative Home Care Associates
2. Consumer Co-op: Owned by members who direct the co-op to purchase the goods or services they need, ensuring better availability, and more. This model is often seen in groceries, electrical distribution, childcare, banking, and housing. -- Examples: UW Credit Union, REI
3. Producer Co-op: Producers of a product band together to have a greater market share. Members are usually businesses themselves, not individuals, and such co-ops are often seen in agriculture. -- Examples: Dairy Farmers of America, Ocean Spray
4. Purchasing Co-op: Purchasers of a product band together to improve their purchasing power. Members are usually businesses themselves, not individuals. -- Examples: ACE Hardware, Independent Pharmacy Cooperative
5. Multi-Stakeholder Co-op: Owned and controlled by a mix of members and workers. -- Examples: Weaver Street Market, Boisaco Inc.

Cooperatives are not a new idea. Today, the International Cooperative Association’s research shows that “at least 12% of humanity is a cooperator of any of the 3 million cooperatives on earth.”^[[1] https://www.democracyatwork.info/about_co_ops]

Edit:

1. Added missing source [1]

Thanks for explaining!

I agree!

Yes, the right-left spectrum is always used as a divide-and-conquer strategy to keep the working class fighting each other instead of uniting and forcing politicians to push for populist policy like the two lists below:

We won't agree on 100% of our views, but we may agree on some of these points.

Eleven Demands for Real Democracy:

1. Fix big money in politics and government
2. Healthcare for all
3. A minimum standard of living for everyone
4. End the wars
5. Racial and criminal justice reform
6. Respond to the climate emergency
7. Reject censorship
8. Immigration reform
9. An election system we can trust
10. Revamp taxation and funding
11. Democratize the enterprise^[[1] https://elevendemands.org/demands/]

What We Stand For:

1.⁠ ⁠Fight the Rich! End the Billionaire Class & Their System

2.⁠ ⁠Workers Need a Real Raise — $25/Hour Minimum Wage [Living Wage]

3.⁠ ⁠Good Union Jobs for All

4.⁠ ⁠Stop the Climate Catastrophe — Take Big Energy Corporations into Workers’ Ownership

5.⁠ ⁠Fight Racism, Sexism & All Oppression 

6.⁠ ⁠Stop Mass Deportations

7.⁠ ⁠Medicare for All & Quality Affordable Housing — Tax the Rich

8.⁠ ⁠End the Genocal War on Gaza — No Military Aid, No Occupation

9.⁠ ⁠Bring Down Trump, the Billionaires & Their Two Parties

10.⁠ ⁠No More Sellouts — We Need a New Mass Party^[[2] https://www.workersstrikeback.org/whatwestandfor]

The problem with this quote, and things like Ur-fascism is they apply to both sides if you look at the full picture

That is why it is called a duopoly; they both work against the working class while offering crumbs so as to keep us thinking that they fight for us.

We need an independent (from the duopoly, oligarchy) working-class movement to address the systematic issues that continue to increase the struggles we all face.

TIL

"Ur-Fascism" or "Eternal Fascism: Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Blackshirt" is an essay authored by the Italian philosopher, novelist, and semiotician Umberto Eco. First published in 1995, this influential essay provides an analysis of fascism, a definition of fascism, and discusses the fundamental characteristics and traits of fascism. Drawing on Eco's personal experiences growing up in Mussolini's Italy and his extensive research on fascist movements, the essay offers his insights into the nature of fascism and its manifestations.

Accurate.

I disagree.

the real-world Party “intellectuals[sic]” can’t argue for shit

They don't need to articulate or argue in good or bad faith if all media propaganda is on their side, aside from some 'independent' platforms.

"If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself." -- Joseph Goebbels, Reich Minister of Propaganda, 1933 to 1945

"Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting on their own free will." -- Joseph Goebbels, Reich Minister of Propaganda, 1933 to 1945

MAGA is splitting up a bit due to what Trump promised versus what he is delivering.

Promised:

1. To be anti-war, for peace.
2. The Jeffrey Epstein List.

Independent journalists and commentators have reported on this split between the duopoly and the working class.

If only it was like the Black Panthers Rainbow Coalition, while showing off our 2nd Amendment rights.

An independent (from the duopoly, oligarchy) working class movement.

But we know what happens when we come together, class solidarity, as the working class while showing off our 2nd amendment rights.

Throughout the late 1960s, the militant Black nationalist group used their understanding of the finer details of California’s gun laws to underscore their political statements about the subjugation of African-Americans. In 1967, 30 members of the Black Panthers protested on the steps of the California statehouse armed with .357 Magnums, 12-gauge shotguns and .45-caliber pistols and announced, “The time has come for Black people to arm themselves.”

The display so frightened politicians—including California governor Ronald Reagan—that it helped to pass the Mulford Act, a state bill prohibiting the open carry of loaded firearms, along with an addendum prohibiting loaded firearms in the state Capitol. The 1967 bill took California down the path to having some of the strictest gun laws in America and helped jumpstart a surge of national gun control restrictions.

They also organized a march to the Capitol to draw attention to their cause of fighting against a government that sought to infringe on their right to bear arms. On May 2, 1967, 30 fully-armed Black Panthers occupied the California state Capitol. The demonstration was motivated by Republican Assemblyman Don Mulford’s bill to repeal the law allowing Californians to openly carry weapons, a direct response to the Black Panthers’ “police patrols.”

The group of activists occupying the Capitol with fully loaded weapons on full display was an unforgettable sight. However, their demonstration backfired and the bill passed both the state Assembly and Senate, with support from the NRA. In addition to repealing open carry gun laws in California, Mulford made it illegal to take firearms into the Capitol. On July 28 it was signed into law by Governor Reagan, who later commented that he saw “no reason why on the street today a citizen should be carrying loaded weapons.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the NRA supported restrictions on who could carry guns on the streets in order to decrease hostility towards European immigrants—who were known to openly carry weapons at the time—within the country. And after the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, the NRA backed the Gun Control Act that passed the same year, which put substantial restrictions on the purchase of guns based on mental illness, drug addiction and age, among other factors.

Ironically, it was the gun control laws that were put into effect against African-Americans and the Black Panthers that led “rural white conservatives” across the country to fear any restriction of their own guns, Winkler says. In less than a decade, the NRA would go from backing gun control regulations to inhibit groups they felt threatened by to refusing to support any gun control legislation at all.^[[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20250627043451/https://www.history.com/articles/black-panthers-gun-control-nra-support-mulford-act | https://www.history.com/articles/black-panthers-gun-control-nra-support-mulford-act]

Related Links:

1. https://odysee.com/@alltheworldsastage:0/Gaza-Doctors-Under-Attack---2025-Full-Documentary:4
2. https://archive.ph/Q9nbm | https://zeteo.com/p/watch-now-gaza-doctors-under-attack
3. https://www.channel4.com/programmes/gaza-doctors-under-attack
4. https://www.basementfilms.co.uk/work/gaza-doctors-under-attack
5. https://odysee.com/@BIOLOG%C3%8DA_y_CONCIENCIA:e/BBC-Gaza:b

WATCH NOW: 'Gaza: Doctors Under Attack' – The Full Film They Didn't Want You To See

Exclusive: The powerful film the BBC refused to air is out now, released globally by Zeteo. It documents Israel's destruction of Gaza's hospitals and the killing of Palestinian doctors.

“We are in the theater, in the operating room, full darkness, no water, no electricity. But we have a hero, surgeons in Gaza.” -- Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, 1974-2024

It goes without saying that the livestreamed cruelty of Israel’s genocide has been indescribably shocking and painful to witness over the last 21 months. A particularly problematic and disturbing aspect of it has been around Gaza’s hospitals, targeting healthcare workers and the besieged Strip’s medical infrastructure at an unprecedented scale, and in clear violation of international law. Now, a new documentary, available in most countries across the globe exclusively here at Zeteo, takes you inside those hospitals to hear accounts from doctors there, on the ground, about the impossibility of saving lives in a Western-backed Israeli onslaught. It is a comprehensive investigation into the systematic targeting of Gaza’s healthcare system, including all 36 of its main hospitals, multiple times, and the killing of its doctors, nurses, and paramedics.

‘Gaza: Doctors Under Attack,’ produced by the award-winning Basement Films team that brought us last year’s Zeteo exclusive ‘Israel’s Reel Extremism,’ includes harrowing on-camera testimony from Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, who was arrested by the Israeli military in December 2023 and, according to a UN report, “subjected to sexual violence in an Israeli prison prior to his death in Israeli custody.”

It also features shocking accounts of torture at the Israeli prison Sde Teiman from an anonymous Israeli doctor there, who accuses his fellow Israeli medics of being complicit in the abuse of Palestinians held in detention.

This was a film that the BBC had originally commissioned. However, after several delays, they decided, very controversially, not to publish it, issuing a statement saying they had “come to the conclusion that broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality.” In a response, Basement Films, in a statement posted on Twitter/X, said, “The truth must be told… It’s a damning indictment that it is not possible under the national broadcaster’s current leadership.”

The final film that you’re about to watch, above, is no longer a BBC film. It is ours.

For the tens of thousands of you who are paid subscribers to Zeteo, we could not have acquired it without your support. In fact, it may have remained in the BBC archives forever, never to be seen or shared as widely as we can do so now. For those of you in the UK, you can watch it on Channel 4 – and we commend that British broadcaster for also stepping forth and allowing this to broadcast in the UK.

Around 1,500 doctors, nurses and healthcare workers have been killed at home or in their workplaces in Gaza, a conservative estimate, and many have been illegally taken into Israel where they, their relatives, human rights groups, watchdogs, allege they have been tortured, and some of them killed. Attacks on hospitals and healthcare workers are prohibited under international law, but started almost the day after Hamas’s attacks on October 7, 2023 which killed 1,200 Israelis.

Please note that this is not a Zeteo original documentary, like ‘Israel’s Reel Extremism’ or ‘Who Killed Shireen?’ but one we acquired once it had been filmed, edited and finished, so as to share it with the world as fast as possible.

We at Zeteo, as journalists, as a media organization that has vowed to uncover and share the truth and hold those in power to account, had one clear goal: to ensure this important documentary from Basement Films, dropped by the BBC, was released. We cannot say when this genocide will end, when the Western world will say ‘enough,’ but we take our responsibility seriously in making sure the public knows – and that no one forgets – what is happening. Thank you for supporting and joining us on this mission.

I wonder!

They may be labeled as contractors or similar to a merc.

Third-party contractors that don't have to follow the same 'rules' as government or military personnel.

Edit:

1. Word, merchs to merc, meaning mercenary

The government (politicians) and institutions that profit and lobby (legal bribes) determine and spew out the talking points to label what is 'true,' 'fake news,' 'misinformation,' and much more when it goes against the status quo.

Look into the Iraq WMD talking points in the early 2000s and how MSM framed and spoke of what was happening.

Look at the military leaks; there are many. It shows a different picture than what we are told.

Glenn Greenwald worked with Edward Snowden on leaks and discussed what was found.

Again:

"We all have our preferred propaganda sources. Using our critical thinking skills will help us navigate through government and MSM propaganda. Listening and learning from dissenting sources or people that don’t think like we do will help us avoid self-censorship and self-built echo chambers, which I think is healthier for our society."

Glad you approve! I’ll send then $200.

It is your money; you do you.

Well, I thought I explained it in simple terms.

I mentioned that I do not agree 100% with Tucker Carlson, but I did point out where I do agree, which is criticism of US foreign policy and the constant push for more forever wars where the wealthy continue to increase their quarterly profits and take all the important natural resources in exchange for the mass murder of the working class.

I see the US government, politicians, and media as pushing propaganda at all times so as to benefit the oligarchy. We are born into this system on purpose, so it is difficult for people to notice or care if they do not question or learn dissenting views.

I'll make a note to do it later, I’ll see if I can indicate to them that it’s in your honor.

Great, you do you!

I hope all is well, and thanks for the small chat.

Peace!

I agree.

We need more people that are not afraid to call out politicians and to interview world leaders even if it goes against the status quo (a little bit, but it is a start).

Was Maddow ever proven to have lied on purpose about anything for damages worth almost a billion dollars?

I am not a shareholder, nor am I invested in the cost these corporations face, but it is a bit funny the back and forth with the US and lawsuits. I am more for fixing the systematic issues the working class faces by building up an independent (from the duopoly and oligarchy) working-class movement.

Correction on Rachel Maddow and Tucker Carlson defamation lawsuits:

In response, OAN sued Maddow, MSNBC, and its parent corporation Comcast, Inc. for defamation, alleging that it was demonstrably false that the network, in Maddow's words, “literally is paid Russian propaganda." In an oddly overlooked ruling, an Obama-appointed federal judge, Cynthia Bashant, dismissed the lawsuit on the ground that even Maddow's own audience understands that her show consists of exaggeration, hyperbole, and pure opinion, and therefore would not assume that such outlandish accusations are factually true even when she uses the language of certainty and truth when presenting them (“literally is paid Russian propaganda").

McDougal's lawsuit was dismissed in September, 2020, by Trump-appointed judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, based on arguments made by Fox's lawyers that were virtually identical to those made by MSNBC's lawyers when defending Maddow. In particular, the court accepted Fox's arguments that when Carlson used the word “extortion,” he meant it in a colloquial and dramatic sense, and that his viewers would have understood that he was not literally accusing her of a crime but rather offering his own subjective characterizations and opinions, particularly since viewers understand that Carlson offers political commentary:

When discussing Carlson's show generally and how viewers understand it, the court used language extremely similar to that invoked to protect Maddow from defamation lawsuits: namely, that Fox viewers understand that Carlson is, in addition to presenting news, offering his own subjective analysis of it:

This is worth noting because of how often, and how dishonestly, this court case regarding Carlson is cited to claim that even Fox itself admits that its host is a liar who cannot be trusted. This court ruling has become a very common argument used by liberals to claim that even Fox acknowledges that Carlson lies. Indeed, Maddow's own colleague Chris Hayes — whose MSNBC program is broadcast at the same time as Carlson's and routinely attracts less than 1/3 of the Fox host's audience — has repeatedly cited this court case to argue that even Fox admits Carlson is a liar, without bothering to note that his companies’ lawyers made exactly the same claims about his mentor, Rachel Maddow, to defend her from a defamation lawsuit:^[[1] https://greenwald.substack.com/p/a-court-ruled-rachel-maddows-viewers]

Do you think it’s relevant to include in this whether we are learning and listening to people that are objectively lying to us? I feel like that’s an important thing to include, but maybe you do not.

We all have our preferred propaganda sources. Using our critical thinking skills will help us navigate through government and MSM propaganda. Listening and learning from dissenting sources or people that don't think like we do will help us avoid self-censorship and self-built echo chambers, which I think is healthier for our society.

Okay so now it’s “our” government and politicians only… bravo, that’s probably a tactically smart revision to make lol.

I was talking about US foreign policy and the continued aggression and escalations, so that explains the wording of just including the US government and politicians.

You are correct, though. I mean, when I say we should always be highly critical of all governments and politicians, this includes the United States, Israel, Ukraine, the UK, NATO countries, and other Western regime allies.

Wow, that is awesome!

Any information you would like to share with us?

To my knowledge, Maddow and Carlson were labeled as entertainment due to lawsuits.

All is well, though.

Back to the big picture.

I am more interested in their dissident views on being against the forever wars and US foreign policy.

We must continue to always be critical of our government, politicians, and the fourth branch's propaganda.

We must continue to not be afraid to learn and listen to people that do not share our views or think like we want them to.

In this case I agree with their criticism of US foreign policy, where aggression and escalation are the only goals instead of dialogue and negotiation.

Great points; I do not agree 100% with him or his views.

He is religious, so that explains his views on Christians and the mass murder and genocide of people, a bit, similar to Candace Owens.

Again, I am more aligned with Sabby Sabs, RBN, and Jimmy Dore.

I do agree with his Russia, Israel, Iran, and Palestine views, though.

The US is causing and funding these forever wars, and we must stop our aggression and lies.

You should check out Professor Jeffrey Sachs's explanations on the cause and history of these foreign forever wars.

Most third parties struggle to raise more than a few million in a federal election.

Correct.

This party could split the vote and swing the election to the GOP too. This could all be BS, and Trump and Elon are still working together.

It may be a bigger split between Trump and Elon due to the Epstein post Elon made.

"The speculation about Elon Musk having compromising information on Donald Trump related to the Epstein files."^[[1] https://lemmy.world/post/32636494]

You are right; we shall see how this goes. Some say Elon may lose interest between 6 months and a year.

You are right.

It would only affect close races so as to swing the election.

Third parties would have to increase their turnout a good amount for them to have a chance in the national elections, but I think local elections can be impacted if more parties challenge the duopoly seats.

The Green Party and other third parties have won seats at the local level.

https://greenpartyus.org/greens-in-office/

Thanks for sharing this with us!

TIL:

It seems to be from 1974, by Max Romeo.

Tags: R&B, Politics, Roots Reggae, Jamaica, Reggae^[[1] https://archive.ph/uSUTV | https://genius.com/Max-romeo-socialism-is-love-lyrics]

I also like his other songs as well!

Songs:

1. Max Romeo - One Step Forward | https://youtu.be/Lixm0ajWCi8 | https://genius.com/Max-romeo-and-the-upsetters-one-step-forward-lyrics
2. Max Romeo - Chase the Devil | https://youtu.be/XcMNfX5yh28 | https://genius.com/Max-romeo-and-the-upsetters-chase-the-devil-lyrics
3. Max Romeo - War Ina Babylon | https://youtu.be/oGYFobPWmck | Lyrics: https://archive.ph/pUNYC | https://genius.com/Max-romeo-and-the-upsetters-war-ina-babylon-lyrics

Great points.

I would prefer if it split the duopoly votes so third parties could win seats.