Letters to the Editor
Published in - UWRF Student Voice - fall semester 2006
Opposition to Socialist Alternative in letters to the editor and our member's responses
Eric Bohl was listed as co-chair of the College Republicans (on their campus community page) at the time that these letters were written although he doesn't mention it in his letter. Alex Halverson, Nick Shillingford and Brett Hoven are members of UWRF Socialist Alternative. Although our letters were written and submitted by the listed writers, the letters were collectively reviewed and modified by a broader group of members before submission.
9/22/06
Socialist
talk leaves students wondering
On Sept. 12, 2006, a new group on campus called the Socialist Alternative hosted
a guest speaker from Ireland to help spread its agenda on campus. I disagree
with the notion of Socialism. I feel very strongly that it does not work.
However, one of the members from the Socialist Alternative gave me a flier and
told me to attend. I always like to hear other people’s perspectives, so I went.
There were roughly 50 students at the meeting. I was very surprised and disappointed when a 25-year-old from Ireland got up and began to speak about Socialism. When I was told there would be a world-renowned expert speaking about the socialist movement, I envisioned a professor from a well-known university.
Don’t get me wrong; he was a very good and interesting speaker. I did not agree with many of his ideas and became more disappointed when he refused to answer questions after his presentation. This gave me the impression that he was not firm in his beliefs and that he did not have credible sources. His main topics were war and the evils of money and capitalism. I had three questions that I really wanted to ask him:
1. Where did you get your information? He had many interesting points, but he did not cite his sources. Being that he was so young, he didn’t have as much credibility with me.
2. How much do you get paid to speak on campuses like ours? To many people this may seem like an inappropriate question that isn’t anyone’s business. However, much of his speech dealt with the evils of making money. He was well dressed, and there is absolutely no way he travels around the world for free.
3. Without mentioning the words “United States” and “Iraq,” what is a socialist’s perspective on war? This person seemed to have a very deep hatred for the U.S. and the Bush administration. Much of his speech dealt with the evils of the Iraq war. I would have like to know what his views about war in general were.
Overall, the speaker was interesting and I was glad that I went, but I really wish he would have been bold enough to answer questions. I feel he owed it to his audience. I spoke with a few other people who attended and they felt the same way.
Eric Bohl
Student
9/29/06
Socialist
speaker issues addressed
I am a member of the new campus organization Socialist Alternative. I would like
to take this opportunity to address some concerns raised in the “Socialist talk
leaves students wondering” letter to the editor in last week’s Voice.
The author of the letter had many valid questions concerning our speaker and socialism in general.
1. The statistics that Chris used in his speech were from public sources. Some specific citations were skipped in the interest of time. After Chris spoke, the room engaged in an open discussion with more than 14 participants. The meeting concluded with Chris giving a brief summary, in which he addressed questions left unanswered in the discussion.
2. Chris does not get paid to speak at these meetings. Chris is a student just like you and I. He actually took time off from school to go on a speaking tour of the United States, which was sponsored entirely by Socialist Alternative’s national members. Chris did not profit from this speaking tour in any way whatsoever.
3. Another question that was posed in this letter concerned a Socialist’s point of view on war. As we see it, in the contemporary world war largely benefits the owners and shareholders of corporations such as those producing arms or involved in rebuilding after a conflict. War does not, however, benefit the people who actually work for a living. These people are instead sent to die to help increase the profits of companies like Halliburton. We believe that the money spent on arms and occupation could be better directed into funding for education and jobs for people who need them.
While Chris
mentioned the United States and Iraq many times in his speech, we would like to
make it clear that he doesn’t hate the United States. Chris, like many people
who live in this country, simply disagrees with the policies of the U.S.
government.
I would like to encourage anyone with other questions, concerns, or a general
interest about socialism to contact myself.
Alex Halverson
Student
10/13/2006
Campus has no need for socialists
The Oct. 6 issue of Falcon Daily announced the Student Organization Committee is welcoming three of the newest student organizations to the UW-RF Community. I was dismayed to find the Socialist Alternative was among these organizations.
I came to this country from the Czech Republic, where I lived in a socialist society for more than 15 years of my life. I was lucky to immigrate to the United States and enjoy the benefits of a functioning capitalist economy.
Some of my friends and relatives were not lucky. Relatively few died in political prisons, but most lost a lot of opportunities in life. There were not many opportunities in “workers paradise,” surrounded by a barbed wire fence, unless you were a member of the ruling elite.
I am not afraid that the democratic system of this country could be overthrown by socialism. However, I have to speak out against an organization on our campus that glorifies one of the world’s most oppressive socioeconomic systems.
I attended the initial public meeting the Socialist Alternative held last month on campus and read what Socialist Alternative stands for at http://socialistminnesota.org/what-we-stand-for.
I thought the “alternative way” of eliminating the national debt was pretty hilarious. I have taken and passed a few economics classes myself. The writers of the following could benefit from those classes, “Cancel the national debt with no payment to the big investors. Use the money to rebuild the inner cities and the infrastructure under union conditions and wages.”
I was not entertained to learn the group is promoting “militant action.” That’s just another reason why I feel this student organization should not be welcomed on our campus.
Jan Pospichal
Employee
10/20/2006
Socialist
beliefs misunderstood
In response to the letter, “Campus has no need for socialists,” it seems
necessary to clear up misconceptions about what our student organization,
Socialist Alternative, actually represents.
I’d like to say that I agree with the writer’s assessment of the conditions in the former Soviet Bloc. Under the policies started by Stalin, the economy was planned by a privileged party bureaucracy. We agree that under this system the economy favored the members of the ruling elite.
However, Socialist Alternative is an organization that fights for the rights of workers, students and communities against the exploitation and injustice perpetuated by the capitalist system. We see the global capitalist system as the root cause of terrorism, war, poverty, discrimination and environmental destruction. Socialist Alternative absolutely rejects the totalitarian systems of Russia and eastern Europe, which have nothing to do with real socialism. The Stalinist oligarchy that oppressed the working class was obviously not a genuine workers’ democracy.
We campaign for the building of a mass workers’ party to represent workers, youth and the environment against the two parties of big business. We call for democratic socialism where people will have control over their daily lives. Some might say that our stances on particular issues are unrealistic under capitalism. We believe that the realization of these goals is more reason to strive for a socialist society, based not on profit, but on need.
On our national organization’s Web site, http://www.socialistalternative.org/about, we do say that we stand for, “Mass pickets and militant action to stop union busting, plant closures, and layoffs.” Militant action can be as simple as a strike or the type of civil disobedience employed during the civil rights movement. This has proven effective as a tool for winning wage increases, benefits and rights for workers the world over.
Unlike under the political systems of Russia and eastern Europe, Jan Pospichal was free to speak about his opposition to the formation of Socialist Alternative at the public meeting that we held last month. I chaired that meeting, and Mr. Pospichal asked questions and voiced his opposition multiple times during the discussion. I do find it odd, however, that while he writes of democracy in his letter, he feels that our organization, which was formed and is run by students at UW-River Falls, should “not be welcomed on our campus.” True democracy welcomes all viewpoints, and as such democracy itself welcomes the Socialist Alternative.
Nick Shillingford
Student
10/27/2006
Socialists do
not deserve funding
I am glad that “Socialist Alternative absolutely rejects the totalitarian
systems of Russia and eastern Europe, which have nothing to do with real
socialism,” as Nick Shillingford stated in his letter last week.
Unfortunately, the socioeconomic system that the ruling party of Czechoslovakia
called socialism in the pre 1989 era is what I associate with socialism. Can
anyone from
Socialist Alternative point me to a working model of real socialism?
I am delighted that militant action as practiced by Socialist Alternative today does not involve guns and explosives. I doubt it would be possible to take into public ownership the top 500 corporations, banks, and insurance and finance houses without the use of violence.
This goal is stated at http://www.socialistalternative.org/about among other stances unrealistic under the prevailing system.
Since taking someone else’s property is considered stealing in the current system, I do not see why your organization should be welcomed on our campus. I was unable to look up what “true democracy” means. So I cannot make up my mind if we are striving for this type of democracy on our campus. Since most recognized organizations get financial support from the University, it is economically impossible to support student organizations representing every possible viewpoint.
Jan Pospichal
Employee
11/03/2006
Large
companies deprive citizens
This past week, there was yet another letter to the editor, this time
questioning Socialist Alternative’s approach to achieving democracy. The writer
criticized the idea of taking the top 500 corporations into public ownership.
Major U.S. corporate empires influence every aspect of our political and social lives - from who gets elected to what is played on our TVs and radios. Such powerful entities should not be controlled by a board of directors solely concerned with maximizing profit, but rather by the people.
As socialists, we support democratizing the economy by taking these corporations that dominate our lives under democratic workers’ control. This is the only way to bring accountability to the major economic decisions that impact our everyday lives. What is meant by “true democracy” is an expansion of rights far beyond what capitalism is capable of allowing. This is what was characterized in last week’s letter as “stealing.”
We argue that the real thieves in this country are the rich elite whose profit-driven agenda fills our world with war and poverty. The working class currently props up this elite by the sweat of our collective brow; meanwhile 50 million American workers go without access to health care. In a socialist society, the wealth created by our labor could be used to fulfill the needs of society. These include such things as: free public education through college, safe public transportation and socialized medicine under democratic control.
It is extremely difficult to communicate ideas in 300 words or fewer. For more complete information than these letters allow, I would encourage anyone with an interest in socialism to attend a Socialist Alternative discussion meeting. These meetings take place every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in the Cooklock room of the Davee Library. Otherwise, consult our Web site at socialistalternative.org.
Brett
Hoven
Student