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Examining justice

To the Journal editor:

As part of celebrating July 4th, the birthday of our nation, We the People of the United States pledge to progress justice (Preamble to the Constitution of the United States).

What is justice?

Justice is revealed in our history when we progressed from justice for few to justice for all.

In our founding our minimalist government used an individualistic ideology to establish justice for the few wealthy white men.

In our history we progressed through many revolutionary rights movements, including New Deal (worker rights), civil rights, environmental rights and feminist rights movements, when our activist government described conditions using scientific methodological justice and evaluated conditions and passed laws using all rights for all ethical justice to establish and progress justice for all.

We progress economic rights for all, including progressing just incomes for all, the dominating injustice for our generation, by:

1. Raising funds to progress just incomes for all and to prevent deficit spending by: 1.1 having all pay their just share of our progressive redistributive taxes, 1.2 raising our income tax rate for millionaires and billionaires from 37 percent to 70 percent (1970s rate), 1.3 eliminating tax breaks that chiefly benefit millionaires and billionaires, 1.4 creating a 2 percent wealth tax for millionaires and billionaires, and 1.5 eliminating tax breaks enabling wealthy corporations to pay no taxes.

2. Progressing just incomes for all by: 2.1 raising our national hourly minimum wage from $7.25 to $15, 2.2 creating higher-paying infrastructure jobs with trickle over benefits for all, 2.3 creating workplace equality, including women receiving equal pay as men for comparable work, and 2.4 creating full employment (regional or national unemployment over 3.9 percent requires government stimuli).

We progress all educational rights for all, including tax-financed and government-run goods and services with no public university tuition.

We progress all environmental rights for all, including stopping human-caused climate change.

We progress all health care rights for all (“Medicare-for-All”), including tax-financed goods and services with no out-of-pocket costs.

We progress all legal rights for all, including presumption of innocence and due process.

We progress all political rights for all, including publicly funded elections.

We progress all religious rights for all, including freedom for religious beliefs.

We progress a synthesized right for all when there is a conflict between rights.

As part of celebrating July 4th, We the People pledge to progress justice.

Justice for all!

GORDON PETERSON

Marquette

Editor’s note: This letter writer should not be confused with Gordon J. Peterson, a retired funeral director who worked many years for Swanson-Lundquist Funeral Home in Marquette.

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