Living Liberally by Justin Krebs

In a Game of Monopoly Without All the Rules

May 9, 2013 by Living Liberally

Banks behind foreclosure fraud & the mortgage crisis are failing to comply with the meager settlement, underpaying homeowners, facing no real enforcement. They continue to pass go and collect $200.

While Lauryn Hill serves time for tax evasion, Enron's Jeffrey Skilling gets a reduced sentence & Wall Street's criminals evade repercussions. Some folks have a Get Out of Jail Free card.

Student debt has now surpassed credit card debt, both of which are at an all-time high. And since bankruptcy can't discharge that debt, Americans are force to keep rolling the dice.

It can feel like 99% of us are on the losing side of a big game of high-stakes Monopoly. Yet in Monopoly, we all start with the same cash & the same rules apply to everyone.

Maybe Monopoly is fairer than what we're seeing now.

Take a Chance on a night of pints & politics, like a Community Chest for like-minded liberals at your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY Find - or start - a chapter near you.

Boston Massacre: A Mass Scare Into Mass Care?

April 25, 2013 by Living Liberally

As we try to make sense of the Boston bombing, some say it should make us fear Islam, distrust immigrants & be suspicious of our neighbors.

Some set off alarms & say the rules don't apply invoking WMDs, seeking military tribunals, arguing against Miranda rights & defense attorneys.

We're scared so we consider desperate steps: more surveillance, monitor Muslims, cancel public events, limit individual rights.

But it's also a moment of extraordinary generosity, as people open homes, hearts & wallets; of communities pulling together in caring; of respect for our public first responders.

And tempered voices call for patience, speak against stereotypes & frenzied reactions & affirm that a stronger civic space will keep us all safer in the end.

The last Boston Massacre was part of a Revolution. Maybe this one will be part of our Evolution and the Massacre can turn Mass Scare into Mass Care.

We'll think of Boston as we share a drink together, sharing public space & public space in a pub at your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY Find - or start - a chapter near you.

More Social. More Security.

April 11, 2013 by Living Liberally

More Social. More Security. We can reform immigration in a way that builds community with people & families who are contributing to America -- or we can keep criminalizing our neighbors.

We can pass sensible gun regulations to create a sense of trust, safety & relief -- or we can succumb to the paranoia calling for more guns, danger and distrust.

Our budget can strengthen our country, invest in infrastructure, provide a safety net -- or can cut successful social programs that support the most vulnerable among us.

So why is Obama out to cut Social Security, when on issue after issue, we need policies that are More Social for More Security?

You can be secure in the social scene where you share views, and sip some booze at your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY Find - or start - a chapter near you.

Related Video: 

The Grand Old Party or A Gay Old Party

March 28, 2013 by Living Liberally

As arch-conservatives cling to definitions of marriage as between a man and a woman, more and more Americans come to believe that people have the right to marry whom they love.

While the Supreme Court's right flank seems uncomfortable recognizing gay families, Anthony Kennedy, the presumptive swing Justice, is recognizing history's swing toward equality.

Dem leaders finally follow public sentiment, 2016 contenders and coming out for gay rights & though the Republican Party lags behind, more GOP voices are calling for change.

In the end, people love who they love, couples have the right to start families, and why stand in the way of a great wedding?

Whether through Courts, States or the Capitol, before long, even the Grand Old Party will be celebrating a Gay Old Party, and we'll all be better off for it.

Speculate about SCOTUS, pipe up about politics & pass around a pitcher to share a toast as you gather with like-minded lefties at your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY Find - or start - a chapter near you.