Sooooooo… if this is what has finally shaken your faith in American bourgeoisie democracy, good news (sorta)! Alternatives exist, although the struggle to achieve them will be long and arduous. Our current system of propping up billionaire-approved octogenarians to give our stolen wealth tax breaks and investment incentives to defense contractors, cops, and landlords exists very explicitly to preserve a system of private property that keeps you poor and desperate.

The alternative to this is to build class consciousness and working class power in order to contest this awful system and put political and economic power directly in the hands of the working class before our impending environmental collapse. Join an organization that exists locally that’s building that working class power. Seriously, don’t even get caught up on which -ism best fits you, just join whatever exists locally that you can contribute to. Democratic Socialists of America, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Socialist Alternative, the Industrial Workers of the World, Food Not Bombs, even a small community mutual aide network that supports a few of your unhoused neighbors.

This debate should be your wake-up call. The state is a fuck and you’re just a sacrificial pawn in a system designed to funnel wealth upwards. It’s a big club and you ain’t in it.