The California fires and the case for socialism

Statement of David Moore—California gubernatorial candidate of the Socialist Equality Party

[wsws.org]

{Immediate responsibility for these disasters lies with the state’s utility companies like Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), which have prioritized paying billions in dividends to investors over maintaining and modernizing the electrical grid. The courts have consistently found them criminally liable for the wildfires their faulty equipment has sparked. To escape their obligations to wildfire victims, PG&E declared bankruptcy, and the Newsom administration responded by bailing them out with rate hikes and public funds.}

While we have a war on socialism in the US, the citizens are forced into a corporate ---- state run communism. The above details the very aspect of corporations having power over the state and citizenry as the corporations can hand over the vast amounts of their profits to each other while the state forces the citizenry to pay for the failures of the corporations. On top of that, they do to little to actually confront the issues. Basically, the citizens are merely feeding the corporations extended profits within the higher taxes. I've been posting about PG&E for at least a couple years now.

The last episode entailed several members of the corporation, some retiring, others being switched around to positions to fill the retired, promotions, !undeserving promotions!, as politicians and judicial entities were erroneously deciding on who and how to place blame on the then current fire disasters. Those who walked away from the disaster via retirement did so with multi million dollar bonuses and compensation. As all the others also receiving bonuses in the millions or 100's of thousands.

There isn't really a war on socialism, there's a war on who and what benefits from socialism. As I've stated before with democracy. Within the war on democracy, it's not really a war on democracy, but who benefits the most from our controlled democracy. The claim we have a democracy is ludicrous. Democracy has been at odds with wealth since the very beginning of this colony. And we are virtually still a colony. Marxism is the only type of democracy that would actually provide the citizens of the US a country, putting democracy into our hands in all aspects of society, over the still existing colonialism we're trapped in.

The 3 basic types of socialism are defined within Democratic Socialism found in Marxism ----- State ran Communism ---- Corporate State ran Communism. China highly resembles the second as the state staunchly dictates over all of society. While virtually all western societies are ran under the last today.

In the US, all media is owned by 6 major billionaire corporations controlling approximately 90% of what you see and hear from the MSCM. 80% of that media is manufactured for these medias by public relation firms, think tanks, and NGO's to manage our perception towards a false reality. Their job is to paint a false reality and keep us divided within a fake representation of left and right media that never delivers all the facts or any facts at times. They have virtually taken over our judicial system finding overwhelming favor throughout all aspects of society. They have virtually managed to buy out all our politicians and the election process that comes with them. We're not being represented in DC, state, or local governments. What we are getting is what the ruling class and corporations are willing to give us in efforts to keep us obedient.

{PG&E pled guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter after its role in starting the Camp Fire in 2018 and the destruction of the town of Paradise, which was caused by poorly maintained power lines. It has also admitted that this year’s Dixie Fire, which started near where the Camp Fire originated, was also likely started by a similar problem, a fallen tree downing a power line. Yet not a single executive has been charged, much less arrested, for their role in destroying workers’ livelihoods and lives.}

{Both the Democrats and Republicans are responsible for the deregulation that has occurred over decades, allowing utility companies to operate with virtual impunity while at the same time slashing funding for necessary public services such as wildfire prevention in one of the most wildfire prone regions on the planet. At the same time, PG&E and other utility companies continue to rake in billions.}

{The situation is the same nationally. The budget for the United States Forest Service has largely remained static through successive Democratic and Republican administrations even as fires have grown in size. In effect, this has meant that resources previously directed to preventing fires are used to fight wildfires, meaning that the next year’s fires are even larger in a continuous and increasingly dangerous cycle.}

{As with the Covid-19 pandemic, a fight against climate change is blocked by two interrelated factors: First, the subordination of social need to private profit. The continued overuse of fossil fuels and other activities that generate greenhouse gases are subordinated to the imperative to pump out more money for corporate executives, hedge fund managers and Wall Street bankers, as well as the politicians and media figures who defend and ultimately justify their actions.}

{Second, a rational and scientific response to climate change is blocked by the division of the world into competing nation-states, each beholden to the interests of their own ruling elites.}

Support the campaign of David Moore for governor! [wsws.org]