As part of his Labor Day message to workers in the United States, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday re-upped his call for the establishment of a 20% cut to the workweek with no loss in pay—an idea he said is “not radical” given the enormous productivity gains over recent decades that have resulted in massive profits for corporations but scraps for employees and the working class.

“It’s time for a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay,” Sanders wrote in a Guardian op-ed as he cited a 480% increase in worker productivity since the 40-hour workweek was first established in 1940.

“It’s time,” he continued, “that working families were able to take advantage of the increased productivity that new technologies provide so that they can enjoy more leisure time, family time, educational and cultural opportunities—and less stress.”

  • Refurbished Refurbisher@lemmy.sdf.org
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    1 year ago

    TL;DR: Corruption and capitalism

    Any kind of socialism (even relatively-speaking weak social democrats like Bernie) is severely underrepresented in US politics due to the influence of private money/capital in the government and in elections. The two party system/first past the post voting doesn’t help matters either.

    The people with money actively want to supress socialism by any means necessary. Look at Joe McCarthy and the Red Scare if you want an example in US history that still affects us today.

    Also Reagan with deregulation and Bill Clinton with “triangulation” (effectively becoming more economically right wing by finding the middle ground between right and left, while the right is constantly pushing right. See: the Ratchet Effect)

    Bernie is one of the extremely few principled politicians who doesn’t take corporate money, but he also lacks power as he is one person.

    • SCB@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Any kind of socialism (even relatively-speaking weak social democrats like Bernie)

      This move is not socialism and calling it socialism makes it harder to pass in America.

      If you’re in a gun fight, don’t start tossing your opponent ammunition.

      • Saneless@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        Thank you

        We’ve already proven that idiots don’t understand the words they parrot, so attaching it to one they hate is just stupid.

        Same thing with shit like vaccines and autism. Don’t even put the two in the same sentence. It’s not even worth legitimizing the bullshit the handlers put out there

          • Furbag@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            They’ll still vote straight R down the ballot regardless. I’ll take payment up front before I start kissing their asses, thanks.

        • SCB@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          At some point you have to play the game, and everyone to the left of Trump sucks ass at meaningfully doing so with the notable exceptions of Obama almost 20 years ago.

          If Dems don’t fix their messaging we aren’t going to win any of this shit.

          • DarthBueller@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Seriously. There’s a serious messaging problem when the Nazis/white power groups push for social equity programs (for whites only, of course) and get more traction with poor whites than the Dems who give lip-service to equity for all while doing jack shit to deliver. EDIT: My friend’s job is to monitor white power groups in person and online. They share some crazy ass shit with me. During the Trump election, the white power folks were straight up (extremely racist) socialists – they sounded like Star Trek Mirror Universe Bernie Sanders, and it was wild to hear Trump’s populist talking points sometimes mirror what the white power socialists were saying.