Daring to Dream Dangerously: Making a People’s Revolution in Utah

“All political power is inherent in the people; and all free governments are founded on their authority for their equal protection and benefit, and they have the right to alter or reform their government as the public welfare may require.” -- Article One, Section Two of the Utah State constitution

If one accepts that the legislature is but the people in miniature, then the people are nowhere to be found. This crucial point applies, now, to the whole State government and especially the municipalities, as well.

The will of the people has been, and is completely ignored by Republicans and Democrats equally. Free government is eroded, chipped away at, bit-by-bit; very soon, there won’t be free government anymore.

We the people must radically alter the existing government.

The first stage of the people’s revolution is the political revolution. Mass strikes allow for the triumph of the political revolution at the ballot box.

The political revolution is the people replacing corrupt officials at every level of government, utilizing the ballot as a decisive weapon, in the interest of putting their chosen representatives into power. It serves as the best means to realize a democratized, eco-socialist, and Green government of, by, and for the people.

People’s government will ensure that the vox populi, the voice of the people, is heard. It is government encompassing urban and rural workers, the middle-class, and intellectuals; the three classes put together are to make up the united front.

The Green Party must assume leadership of the united front, drawing all other left parties and mass organizations into a broad antifascist alliance. This multiparty alliance will be our own, distinctly Utahan SYRIZA; SYRIZA is the Greek acronym for Coalition of the Radical Left, which through the joint effort of many allied parties seized power in Greece several years ago in the interest of establishing a radical, liberating alternative to austerity. A founding congress would establish a unified party apparatus, with a single central committee making decisions binding on all participating parties. These parties would retain their independence under the leadership of the united front. A dangerous mistake made by Greece’s SYRIZA was the rescinding of its constituent parties’ overall independence.

In contrast to the current Republican-Democratic Party regime, freedom of speech, press, and assembly would not be infringed by people’s government; rather, it would be dramatically strengthened through the nurturing of independent news media and the setting up of mass, popular assemblies. The right to redress one’s grievances would be augmented by including not just the already existent ability to petition the government, but also the recognition of striking as a legitimate means of protest.

On par with respect for the State constitution, private property will only be taken over by people’s government once just compensation has been duly given out to the previous owners. At a minimum, even more so for educative purposes, private utilities will be rendered public in every municipality. Most private property, especially of an economic nature, will be given up to the commons by use of the public powers.

Laws will come forth from a legislature that reflects the people, ones which would favor urban and rural workers over the other two classes within the united front who, under Green Party leadership, will exercise dictatorial authority over the defeated capitalist class; these laws, passed by the victorious majority, are to be obeyed by the overthrown minority.

The rights to housing, healthcare, a job paying a set, livable minimum wage, a universal basic income among others will be added as amendments to the State constitution. These are human rights in desperate need of state-wide implementation, a real safety net that allows everyone to reach his or her full potential as truly rich human beings. Uplifted from dire poverty, society will see a far-reaching and all-encompassing political, economic, and cultural renaissance.

The March 8th Women’s Strike was a fine start to overthrowing the misrule of capital, but only a start. We Greens, in alliance with other socialists, must exercise economic power in order to obtain political power; this means waging another strike across Utah on May 1st, the workers’ very own International Worker’s Day that celebrates the historic mission to realize a new, socialist society.

The strikes will allow us to exercise political muscle at the ballot box come November 8th, 2018 and into the pivotal year 2020. Utahan Greens can and will take the stage, by getting themselves elected to city councils, the governorship, the legislature, and the national Congress on a grand scale in a concerted effort to realize true people’s power.

People’s revolts have and are rocking America, tearing apart at its very being. These people’s revolts past and present conjure up a disheartening image of broken windows, tear gas and rubber bullets along with much reckless rioting. One can assume that the feverish spate of mass revolts hitting major cities will lead to an uprising soon enough.

People’s revolts will be rendered unnecessary by the overall advance of the political revolution. Each new office won and held is a victory for eco-socialism at the local, State, and Federal level culminating in the democratic leadership of a people’s government. The country will find healing again, peace instead of war. Good will triumph over evil, and love over hate. America will become whole, free, beautiful once and for all.

The will of the Green Party is society’s will. Leaders must mix with the people, learning of their deepest fears, hopes, and desires, using their elected positions to help others. The Party serves the people, and in turn the people serve the Party. There is no fortress that one can’t storm with the aid of the Party. Market forces can be resoundingly defeated by the Party, backed up by the collective will of urban and rural workers, the middle-class, and intellectuals–the people–who are supreme.

Let us cultivate union, strength, and good government in ourselves, so that we might fight effectively and win. The eco-socialist commonwealth is just around the corner, if we but strive for it. For the sake of our posterity, we need to battle the capitalist hydra to the finish. We are Greens because we are socialists, and socialists because we are Greens, confident that we can obtain victory.