SEIZE THE MOMENT
Booth, Heather
Seize the Moment BY HEATHER BOOTH Facing a squeeze on housing, health care, child care, wages, and the prospect of new taxes to pay for the party they did not participate in, the great majority of...
...The times are changing...
...For example, we need a serious peace dividend, and we need to apply it to human priorities...
...Our current military establishment does not reflect the priorities of this changed period...
...For example, it is important to provide full health coverage for the thirty-seven million uninsured...
...But our solution must also address the cost of care...
...We must fund our real security needs...
...From the vitality of the pro-choice forces to the growing support for the environmental movement, there is a new popular stirring...
...The problems are serious...
...She is past president of Citizen Action, with more than two-and-a-half million members working for a better society...
...A bold plan like Canada's covers everyone at almost one-third less cost because it challenges health-care administration...
...People will only be re-engaged in politics as they find that it reflects their concerns...
...We must move programs that are universal in appeal...
...a timid, tinkering alternative has too often been the Democratic approach...
...We must give people something worth fighting for...
...We need to make sure that our "leaders" in fact lead, follow, or get out of the way...
...From public financing of campaigns to expanding citizen participation, we need to fight for the democratic principles we talk about...
...Heather Booth is executive director of the Coalition for Democratic Values, a new venture designed to turn the terms of national political debate in a more people-oriented direction...
...11 Leaders need to catch up with the people and send a populist appeal...
...Seize the Moment BY HEATHER BOOTH Facing a squeeze on housing, health care, child care, wages, and the prospect of new taxes to pay for the party they did not participate in, the great majority of Americans are open to politics that put their priorities first...
...We need to connect with the vitality We need bold, appealing solutions to serious problems, and we need 'leaders' who can catch up with the people and lead—or get out of the way...
...The same approach should apply to housing: It is not only the tragedy of the homeless that we must address, but the need for low- and moderate-income housing...
...The principles we need to guide us, if we are to seize this moment, include the following: ¶ We must be bold in our proposals...
...of the popular forces and movements of this period...
Vol. 54 • November 1990 • No. 11
