On Jan 15, 2006, at 9:51 AM, Bitch | Lab wrote:
>
> After I sent that .... I guess I was interpreting NN's as a claim
> that all anyone involved in social change cares about is the
> judicial arena. As I said to someone offlist, that's not how it
> works -- it's always a well-rounded strategy. Offlist, someone else
> told me that we need to work on the legislative arena. Yeahbutt. We
> already _are_. Any social movement tends to engage in multiple
> strategies: agitation, education, protests, legislative campaigns,
> lobbying, grass roots support, the list goes on.
>
> I think the differences sometimes have to do with wanting to see
> immediate relief for people wherever we can get it. I think of all
> the people who lived in the old 'hood who were disabled and who
> benefited from the meager disability support. Because that complex
> was built with federal HUD monies, they had to build to code, they
> had to support a percentage of disabled, they had to accept the
> lower income, they had to fix things when they broke, they had to
> make sure there was a ramp to the dumpster, they enforced handicap
> parking violations.
>
> I don't like hearing at Daily Kos that we need to rachet down our
> demands and accept the erosion of abortion rights, disablity
> rights, or anything else ... for what? So the democrats can win?
>
>
It is frustrating isn't it? In this damn country the Democrats are the ones who made HUD monies possible. Note that Bush has cut back HUD and Section 8. In LA they aren't even taking people on the waiting list. I don't like the Dems either. I'm not defending them but our reality is that Democrats generally are not for ending all social programs that help poor people, I am against any more destruction. I know of people committing suicide from lack of Medicaid or being evicted from HUD housing due to funding shortcomings and ensuing evictions. Things are SO BAD right now that the slightest change can save people's lives. This is my daily reality.
Marta