\
pro
reo
;'
declared that ... WJ am
COIIMDced that if are to
o the right ide of orld
�ohJlti'OIL a natioa m _,
1IDcJenlO a radical revo .. of
We m rapidly begin
the . from .'thing arlen ed'
society tq a 'person oriented'
society. When machi es and
computers, profi moo aDd
property rights are coesidered
more important than people,
the giant triplets of raci ,
eri and militarism are
iDea of being conquered,"
There ] h unger, poverty,
homeles ness, disease, il­
liter cy, joblessness and en­
viromental contamination in
America because this n lion is
a "thing oriented society.
Profit and property are
valued more highly than peop
d enviroment. The basic
ingredient in our progressive
. ada, therefore, must be an
upcompromising commitment-
to "radical revolution of
values".
Hum n beings, human
development and human fulfill­
ment must become the prin­
cipal reason for being for the
U.S. political and economic sys­
tems. We mu t transform
America into a "person
orie cd' society based on the
principles of political and
ECO OMIC DEMOCRACY.
In that context there are a
number of items that should be
included in progressive
dOtlDe!ilI' c agenda we enter the
decade of the 1990's:
. A ULL E LOY ENT
ECO OMY - America should
be committed to setting human
national priorities which will
, . .
ive ag
.'
n
a for a ne
society
VANTAGE
POI
IGHT 0
.--"I:I� TO 0 GANIZE
ould be a fu ental
right in RiPt to
Work Laws should be
abolished. We t the
present practice of rmit-
tiD81eaoouragiDg orpaized
IabQr to under t or ••• ized
labor.
UNITY·
WNEUBIP -
eel
otkers
a.lUIlllUUlbel to take over
are dosed by cor­
por in order to � jobs.
These more democ:r . ic busi­
ness formations be al-
10 ed to compete in the
domestic and world
marketplace.
UNIVE SAL H ALTH
CA - every citizen in
America should be eed.
quality health care· a basic
, human ript. Coag. RODaId V.
Dellums ha consistly intro­
. duccd legislation calling for a
comprehensive UBi rsal health
care service.
HOUSING ILL OF
·RIGHTS - every citizen
ould have the opportunity to
own or rent a quality living
f cility (a home) in America.
Coogressman Jobo Conyers has
introduced the Jes e Gray
H . Bill . . based on
this principle. .
UNIVE SAL QUALITY
EDUCA'I1 - DO citizen in
this· be deaied •
quality ed the primary
or SCQ)D(jary Ie\d beea of
the improvishcd coDdition of·
the c:ommunity ill . ch they
• 1iYe. 01' sbouJd access to
hiper educatioo be deaied be­
cause of the inability to pay. .
Umenal acce to a quality
cducatio is fu dcmental to
h �loplDCnt and fuIfill-
me
EQUAL IGHTS 1"0
�OMIN - all human beings
are entitled to "life, liberty and
the pursuit of happines ".
Sexism and discrimination
against women is a violation of
human rights and hampers the
full development of society.
Passage of the Equal Right
Amendment, an absolute ins' -
renee on comparability of work,
pay equity, child care, extended
pregnancy I ave without loss of
job, and the right to choose to
have or not to have an bortion
are among the basic rights
which m be guaranteed to all
women.
A FI MATIVE ACTION
- African Americans and
other minoritie have a right to
remedies which seek to correct
. the crippling effects of long
tanding legal and customary
practices of discrimination
based on race. The right of
African Americans and other
racial minorities to affirmative
action should be inviolable.
REPARATIO S· - African
Americans were held in cap­
tivity as slaves for centuries.
Once "emancipated," African
in America were expected to
function and succeed in a
capitalist society without land
or capital. Black peop e, unlike
the Japaoeae who were recently
arded reparations for their
unj . cmmcnt during World
War n, have DeVer been com­
peDSated for the crimes com­
lnitted . our ancestors.
Africans in America are en­
titled to reparations. An educa­
tion and economic
developmeat resource bank
could be established to uplift
the condition of the of
African Americans.
'Other aucial items OD the
progressive agead are
UNIVE SAL VOTE
REGISTRA'nON to insure ac­
cess to electoral political
power; a right to clean air, water
and atmo pheric and ecological
balance to PRESE V
EARTH OTHER for this and
. future generations; and
TOTAL FIGHT AGAI
RACISM, AND AIL 0 S
o 01 CRIM AnO and
oppre sion ba ed on r ce,
color, sex, religion or exual
preference.
American Am ricans must
support politic I le ders,
elected and non-elected, and
measure progress towards the
creation of new society based
on a progressive agenda for
change ..
Ron Daniels �elVU as Presi­
dent of til Institute for Com­
munity Organization and
Development in Youngstown,
Ohio. He may be contacted at
(216) 746-5747 .
� ...
HOLlO Y GIFTS
FOR CH LORE
Once again the holid y
season' upon us, and elver­
tisements for toys are
everywhere. nufacturers
and storekeeper hayc made a
major inYestment in media cam­
paigns aimed t convincing
children that the to to have
are those seen on TV commer­
cials. The money spent on these
ads is considered a sound in­
vestment because the toy in­
dustry has come to depend on
purchases made during the"
holiday n. They assume
, adults will do all they can to find
the brand-name items children
have been conditioned to ask'
for.
All too often they are cor­
rect. Many dults find it easier
to select from items on a child's
"wish list" than to search for
more educational, age-ap­
propriate, nd durable toys.
They do not want to disappoint
the children they love, and are
afraid to buy something that
children have Ot explicitly re­
quested.
More n .more adults, r
h ver, have begun resisting
the urge to imply fulfill the su­
perficial demands created by
dvertisers, 1 tead of ru bing
to buy the latest toy, they are
purchasing tickets for children
to attend a musical, dance or
theatre performance. They e
thinking about the long-term
needs of our community, d
looking for presents that ill
help our children enjo earn ng
throughout the year.
There are many way to
provide children with gift 1 . t
have educational value, Any
child old enough to be exci ed
by the holiday se on is Id
, 1
CHILD
WATCH
enough to receive a sturdy,
brightly illustrated paperb ck.
Th ju t beginning to recog­
nize the. letters of the alph bet
win lake extr pleasure from
book th t h been personal­
ized with their n me and short
me ge. Children ju learning
to re d will be thrilled (and en­
couraged) by book they can
read themselves, or a subscrip­
tion to a children's magazine. $
Older children wiD enjoy dven­
tures, mysteries, biographies,
science fiction, and boo about
their hobbie or special inter­
ests. Pre-teens and dolescents
are probably ready for more
sophisticated collection of
short storie and poetry.
Puzzles, flashcards, and
crayons are fun to play with, nd
at the same time enable
children of all a es to develop
their b ic kills. Globes and �
science kits help to increase a
child's understanding of the
world aro nd them. Small
hand-operated computers
provide hours of entertainment
while teaching mathematics,
reading, spelling, and geog­
raphy. Many families . would
also appreciate receiving one of
the many board game that
several generations can enjoy
together. .
I .
5
