Daniel TilsonWorking and retired Floridians from all walks of life commonly flock together in long lottery ticket lines, dreaming of better days.
But joining forces to vote for progressive political candidates who could help fulfill that dream … that’s another story.
I get it that no politician or elected official, no matter how progressive, can make your Powerball jackpot dream come true.
What about other, more modest and mainstream dreams?
Dreams of good educations and job opportunities, of economic security and upward mobility … dreams we all deserve to have within our reach, but don’t.
You know it, and I know it.
For a lot of us, what should and could be within reach is kept out of our grasp by political puppeteers, posers and pawns.
If you dig down deep, you’d discover who and what they are, how destructive they are.
You’d discover that in exchange for campaign contributions and other “support” of the Republican Party, in control of the Florida Legislature since 1996, Florida’s richest people and corporations have largely guided state economic policy for years.
Working through the Chamber of Commerce, countless other front organizations and elected officials, they have called lots of the shots fired squarely at the middle class.
That’s why there’s no estate tax, not even a little, not even for multimillionaires.
That’s why there’s no state income tax whatsoever, not even a little, not even for multimillionaires.
That’s why corporations are able to evade taxes by sheltering billions in profits offshore.
That’s why corporations get hundreds of millions a year in taxpayer-funded “incentives.”
That’s why so many growth and development regulations have been weakened or dropped.
I could go on.
The system has long been rotten, and has gotten worse with Gov. Rick Scott and other “hardcore conservative” Republicans in control of government in recent years.
It doesn’t have to stay that way.
Working and retired Floridians from all walks of life can flock together to make a dream come true beginning in 2014.
Not the dream of winning Powerball; the dream of gradually winning back populist middle-class control of the Florida Legislature, and economic policy.
Mind you, Republicans running for office will keep saying it’s “big government” that’s causing the shortfall between your aspirations and reality.
They’ll tell you that government spends way too much time and money helping people in need, which of course is not you … right?
Because these days, low salaries, poor benefits and little advancement opportunity just make you middle class, right?
It’s the “new normal” you may have heard about.
If you buy into that, then they’ve got you collared, grateful for whatever you’ve got, primed and ready for their version of “Believe It Or Not.”
They’ll tell you their policies spurred broad economic growth, even though Florida’s wealthiest individuals and corporations are the ones who’ve reaped all the rewards.
They’ll tell you their policies created lots of good new jobs, even though most of them are low-wage ones without benefits.
They’ll tell you the housing market recovered, even though Florida leads the nation in foreclosures again after a bank-friendly “fast track” law they passed last year.
They’ll tell you the initially broken, now-fixed Obamacare website somehow proves progressive government policies and programs won’t work in Florida.
They’ll tell you to oppose any candidate or initiative seeking populist progressive reform of the system they’ve custom-built and carefully camouflaged for the rich and powerful.
And in a state clouded by bottom-dwelling national rankings in wages, benefits, healthcare, education, foreclosures, and income inequality…
They’ll tell you to vote Republican, again.
Believe it, or not.
