Turning the Cyber-Page

A well-known science fiction author once said Words are the tools with which we build all other tools.  An icon of the civil rights movement and a leader among progressives, Congressman John Lewis of Georgia, once declared The vote is the most powerful tool we have for non-violent social change.

As someone who's been talking, reading, and even writing since the age of 3, I couldn't agree more with these assessments of the role of language in our lives and society.  Sadly, though, when ruminating on the state of that society (not at all good, IMHO), words fail to elucidate or suggest alternatives.  Which brings another truism to the forefront: if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

C'est moi.  I've allowed myself to be distracted from the original, stated purpose of 15104: to advocate for workers.  Simply trashing Trump and his Republican toadies (here's looking at you, Paul Ryan) serves no purpose.  So I'm turning over a new cyber-leaf.

From today, 15104 will focus on two inter-related topics:

• income inequality, and how education can help ameliorate that
• how improvements can best (perhaps only) be accomplished if catalyzed by an informed, actively participating electorate

You can take the instructor out of the classroom, but you can't take a passion for education out of at least this instructor.  That's why every post to 15104 for the foreseeable future will present facts and tactics that can provide workers with tools to improve their lives.

Expect lots of references to Rep. Lewis' statement about the vote, and to the records of other elected officials.  Remember, any of them can be replaced by someone more compassionate and progressive.

Next to the plate (spring training to start in earnest on Feb. 22nd): how voter turnout in other Western democracies correlates with individual income in those countries.