Tucson Progressive

Pamela Powers, a progressive voice for Arizona

Abortion, Drugs, Charter Schools, & Private Prisons: Is It All about Race, Money, & Power?

American FlagRight-wing strategies baffle me, when I attempt to analyze them in the aggregate. “Regressives” simultaneously hold so many seemingly conflicting beliefs that I often wonder: Where are they going with this? What is the desired outcome of these behaviors and policies?

How can they be “pro-life” but also

  • Support war, the death penalty, and guns everywhere
  • Fight to deny healthcare Americans
  • Allow millions of children to live in poverty
  • Ignore widespread hunger, food insecurity, and homelessness
  • Defund public education and promote self-segregation through privatized, for-profit schools
  • And fight against programs that help children and families — after the birth?

How can they be “anti-government” freedom fighters but also…

  • Build the world’s largest prison state
  • Deny the right to vote to certain segments of the population
  • Pass hundreds of bills each year at the state level that oppress segments of the population– particularly women, minorities, and the poor?

How can they continue the failed War on Drugs and continue over-policing casual marijuana use and…

  • Ignore rampant prescription drug abuse and addiction
  • Support mandatory sentencing, with its well-known, inherent racism?

How can they say they want our country to be a strong Christian nation while…

  • Denying basic education, housing, food, and healthcare to our citizens
  • Ignoring institutionalized racism, sexism, and classism
  • And promoting violence, guns, drugs, fear, and low wages?

None of this makes sense, until you realize that it is all about money, power, and continuing a system built on discrimination. Hunger, violence, fear, disease, poverty, drugs, militarization of police forces, incarceration, and lack of housing, education, and healthcare: these are tools of oppression. Happy Fourth of July.

One comment on “Abortion, Drugs, Charter Schools, & Private Prisons: Is It All about Race, Money, & Power?

  1. Pingback: Ending Structural Racism in the US (video) | Tucson Progressive

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About

The Tucson Progressive: Pamela J. Powers

I stand on the side of Love. I believe in kindness to all creatures on Earth and the inherent self-worth of all individuals–not just people who agree with me or look like me.

Widespread economic and social injustice prompted me to become a candidate for the Arizona House, representing Legislative District 9 in the 2016 election.

My platform focused on economic reforms to grow Arizona’s economy, establish a state-based public bank, fix our infrastructure, fully fund public education, grow local small businesses and community banks, and put people back to work at good-paying jobs.

In the Arizona House, I was a strong voice for fiscal responsibility a moratorium on corporate tax breaks until the schools were fully funded, increased cash assistance to the poor, expansion of maternal healthcare benefits, equal rights, choice, unions, education at all levels and protecting our water supply.

After three terms, I retired from the Arizona Legislature in January 2023 but will continue to blog and produce my podcast “A View from the Left Side.”

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