I believe you hit all the major points in the OP without question....

Are social issues as far as I'm concerned.

They do not necessarily require raising taxes and spending they merely require extending freedoms to those whose freedoms are limited.

Sanders would not place more priority on the other. Not that you said that, but I think there is a clear demarcation here between the issues. There is a concerted effort to clump social issues with economic issues, and we can go in circles all day and night about what is or isn't.

economic issues first and foremost. It's completely nonsensical to claim that improving schools won't take massive investment, particularly in inner cities. To begin with there are bricks and mortar issues. Lots of them. Affordable childcare? Again,that requires investment by the government. Guess what Josh? Programs for at risk youth cost money

Huge fail, Josh. your biggest ever. And anyone who tries to separate social issues from economic justice is full of..... it.

For an example, from an economic perspective, childcare has zero cost, because there is an opportunity cost for not having child care. If a child is not cared for it loses opportunities in youth development, and this affects minority communities the most. A middle class white suburban mother with a working husband (and she has a job too) isn't going to be effected as much as a black poverty class woman whose father is absent. That's just objectively factual. Anyone can agree with that. And therefore that "fix" would target those minority black women far more than it would that middle class white suburban mother. Yes, some poor working mothers would benefit, and that's great, but no where near as much as black working mothers.

To me economic issues are targeted at everyone equally. Which is why high education is definitely iffy for me, but I think it will impact and improve the lives of the impoverished more so than those in better living conditions. The student loan bubble is looming, however, so in the short term it's a major issue for everyone and would fall under economics.

SS cap doesn't fall in the social category for me because it needs to be made solvent, and it only affects the top 5%, so it's a no brainer (and Obama supports it; Clinton epically fucked up by saying the cap raise would hurt the "middle class" but she can flip flop on that and I'm OK with it, as it was never true to begin with and was a losing issue back in 2008).

In any case you're just making stuff up in a blatant and outrageous way.

this is just false bullshit:

"To me economic issues are targeted at everyone equally".

First of all, that ludicrous claim doesn't say anything. Secondly, it has nothing to do with economic justice.

I am so done with you here.

Welcome to ignore since you can't comprehend how much child care disproportionately affects minorities.

As I said, I agree with you both in the OP and your responses in terms of content. But Josh seems to be expressing a differing opinion in a reasonable way with nothing personal.

All the policies you included in the OP are great and it is great that Bernie will push them in the primary and, hopefully, implement them (congress notwithstanding) once he is president.

this statement on its face makes no sense. People are not restricted from using high quality childcare, but for the fact that it may not exist where they live, or if it exists, they cannot pay for it.

Higher Ed is a no brainer, it costs money up front, but generally increases incomes and tax revenues later. You have to raise taxes now to pay for it, the benefits are long term.

Schools are also simple math. We have been searching for the "cheaper" formula for 30 years. It does not exist. If it existed, we would have found it by now. Suck it up, tax and pay.

If you think

then maybe just consider that people who say over and over again that they're intertwined or connected or 'clumped' or whatever term you want to use simply categorize different issues differently than you do. And that they 'prioritize' issues you would consider 'social' but call them 'economic'. Then they get attacked for prioritizing 'economic' issues, but in reality, a lot of what they think of as 'economic', you think of as 'social'.

In which case, does it really matter what the hell categories people want to dump them in as long as everyone is focusing on addressing those problems? We have more problems than we can ever all 'focus' on, so it only makes sense that various people focus on different issues, and it's a good thing that people are working on all of them, even if not everyone prioritizes exactly the same ones at any given time.

One side is saying, "No, you can't separate out economic issues! They're just as important!" and the other side is saying, "No, you can't separate out social issues! They're just as important!"

then there should be no 'sides', and they can only exist because trolls set people up to believe there is a divide at all and keep hyping such a 'divide'.

I think one side really does think the other side doesn't care about social issues, and the other side really does think the fist doesn't care about economic issues.

And not being run on this mysterious geographical/lottery/wait-list business so it's a matter of a poor person having to disrupt their lives and chase after Section 8. Most of the people who are eligible for it don't even have it and pay more than half their income in rent.

Which...also underscores the fact that newly developed housing is AUTOMATICALLY unaffordable to even MIDDLE class incomes in normal urban area salary ranges. So either governments have to subsidize housing somehow or governments have to subsidize salaries. Methinks it would be easier to put the fix on the housing side.

One of the things that would draw down the cost of housing fast would be to somehow pull the plug on the condos-as-commodities market. A lot of foreign investors are parking their money in real estate, and often those units just sit their empty, but their high price inflates property values and rents all around them because heated speculation in these properties pushes up demand. Just imagine if all the sudden these units were available and landlords had *trouble* finding renters because housing was flooding the market? This seems like a fast fix to me.

But, anyway...if we still want to do things via Section 8, we should be bringing it TO the poor people!

If the TPP is passed these things will become even less of a priority than they are now.

Obviously we are being "governed" in a way that does not have our best interests at heart. For some reason this has become downright blatant in recent years.

Does anyone have an explanation for this phenomenon?

Thank you for sharing your view, and good luck with it.

It's a very widespread one. Also it is, to a t, Sander's view.

It's insane our economy hasn't done half of what's on this list: especially in regards to our infrastructure and opportunities for the youth.

Not sure how you argue with any of that, to do so would be disingenuous of a liberally minded person IMO.

Anything you earn, from wages, interest, and any other device that is money you get to spend as you like.. .

And then I would enforce the graduated income tax.

No offshore hidey-holes.

You have to raise taxes on the wealthiest, and not just income taxes.

With the GOP in control and most signing pledges to "not raise taxes", this is difficult. Trillions are sheltered offshore, and the sequester is a result of attempting to let the tax cuts expire. Corporate loopholes is likely the easiest target. This is not "raising taxes", but shutting off the spigot to transferring money to tax havens.

One of the easiest ways to raise taxes would be to give a path to citizenship for the "underground economy" that includes millions (15 to 20 estimated) of undocumented people. As they become part of the system, it brings in new dollars. The wealthy take advantage of the undocumented now. This would not "raise taxes" technically, but would bring in new tax dollars.

You have to raise the cap on Social Security.

SS is VERY complex! For a fun reference, read "Get What's Yours: The Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security". Raising the cap is one idea and maybe that could happen if it was phased in over time. Increasing the number of folks who MUST contribute to SS also would help. Again, look at the undocumented pool! BTW, Hillary has figured out the economic benefits of a path to citizenship for everyone! Reforming the SSDI, the spouse benefits, and the required number of working quarters to qualify would also help. Likely there should also be a means test on receiving SS benefits.

Invest in communities and schools in a significant way

The reason this is dicy is because it's often a state or local function. Faced with crazy GOP governors and legislatures who want to privatize schools, sacrifice communities to make a profit, and corporate lobbies who don't care about the environment; well, you need to win some local and state elections. That means getting rid of gerrymandering, fixing the voting problems, and including the millions of undocumented. Again, a path to citizenship and improved voting rights would make more differences to communities and schools than anything else.

Invest massively in our crumbling infrastructure, creating jobs

This needs a federal WPA. It's disappointing that Obama didn't try harder for a federal work program. Meanwhile, the sequester and "no more taxes" limits the current spending to things like the gas tax and other consumption taxes. Maybe the country will rise up and call for improved infrastructure, but not likely. This differs widely across the country. The NE has older infrastructure than Texas for example, so it becomes a regional fight for resources that will be difficult.

Provide quality affordable childcare

Arne and Obama dropped the ball on this one. Childcare affects immigrants, minorities, and the poor more than anything else. It's confusing if you consider this part of "education" (like preschool), then it becomes a state function and is roadblocked by the repubs. It also requires licensing and oversight (usually a state function). The only hope is add some minimal federal block program and require all states to have childcare for the low income families. The FMLA could be expanded (maybe). It would be a tough sell.

Ensure affordable housing through expanding section 8, rent control, mixed income housing,etc

Again, a path to citizenship would add a lot of voters who are currently crowded into substandard housing, but have no voice. Rent control is more of a big urban issue, but federal subsidized housing has been around for a long time, but it's poorly managed. Carter's Homes for Humanity was a great effort that gave a sense of dignity to people. I think we've learned that people have to have a stake in their living space.

Raise the minimum wage to a living wage

This is confounded because it's a number that's always chasing it's tail. If people get FAIR wages, through equal pay for women, minorities, immigrants, and seniors - then the minimum wage becomes less a problem. Also, the best way to raise wages is encourage UNIONS and collective bargaining! Even if every paycheck is not part of a union, the union wages set the standard that others must match. Unions also fight for other conditions of employment (safety, retirement, insurance, etc.). Everyone wants to raise the minimum wage, but without dealing with the other problems, it won't help much. Remember that the 20 million undocumented can't demand a "minimum wage" - they have to take what they can get. If they are citizens, it floats all the boats.

Repair and strengthen the social safety net

The GOP has been trying to privatize or destroy the safety net. It's true that Scandinavia has a great example of a safety net, but it's not clear if that system would work in the US. This could be VERY expensive. Likely, putting money into education, universal health care, child care, etc. would reduce the need for a large "emergency" safety net. The easiest thing would be to turn public schools into community social centers with lots of services.

Ensure affordable healthcare

I think we all want a single-payer system. Until some individual states make it work, we won't see it spread. Medicare for all would be possible. That's one reason that the GOP is fighting Medicaid expansion. They see health care creep will ultimately include everyone.

Make post high school education affordable

This is a state function. If Bernie's Robin Hood tax was implemented; it would tax the retirement funds of union and public employees plus states would simply raise tuition in order to get more money from the Feds!!! The STATES are the ones who have stopped supporting higher education - they want to privatize education to make a PROFIT. We need to fix voting so we can put a stop to the crazy GOP governors and legislatures - then they would support higher education. Community colleges have expanded. More people are going to college than ever before. To make it less costly, take out the profit incentive and make it public/non-profit. Look up the Land Grant initiative to see an example of the impact of federal legislation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land-grant_university

Invest in programs for at risk youth

The most "at risk" youth for education and jobs are women, minorities, and immigrants. Those groups need to be empowered so their parents can register and vote, form unions, get a fair treatment from the courts and NLRB. That means new transparency laws (on salary for example), but also appointed officials and judges. Don't privatize "white flight" schools with charters and vouchers. Support expanded education programming, and make public schools social service centers!

Cut our obscenely bloated defense budget

Absolutely. The defense budget should be capped at some per cent of the GDP or something. It's been out of control since WWII.

Finally, one of the BIGGEST ways to fix economic justice would be to make POST OFFICES into public BANKS - like big credit unions. Highly regulated, non-profit, and with no speculation or real estate investments. People (including the low income) would be able to save, get loans, and bank with security. It would put the big Goldman Sachs out of the abuse business! You didn't mention that idea.

You post over and over about topics that you don't think about while ignoring what others say. At least I make points based on easily obtainable references, links, or opinions. You may not agree, but instead of making rational arguments you just go off the wall and label a post as "pile of bull".

When others try to inform, you post derogatory comments. To me that's immature, but regardless I'll continue to enjoy learning new things on DU. I can use ignore if all you want to do is hurl insults, but sometimes I think it's better to at least have a discussion on DU where folks can learn from each other.

Just note that you hurt your own cause and candidate (if it happens to be Bernie) by acting badly. That's one reason I think it's interesting to see you continue with these threads - it's really bringing out Sander's weaknesses! Most of what I posted in response to your original list are simply observations that Bernie will likely have to debate if he ever gets past the primaries.

You are the one who continues to put out threads on "economic justice", presumably because you hope to elect Bernie and see some kind of economic reform. If economic change was so obvious and simple, maybe Obama or others would have solved all those problems with their magic wand. Frankly, I've listened to lunch with Bernie on Thom Hartman for years, and I've heard others (including TH) question the practicality of his rhetoric.

You don't seem to understand that lots of reasonable people think Bernie's "solutions" are often simplistic, and even flat wrong in some cases. Everyone wants "economic justice" but exactly how to get there is open for debate.

That's the working definition for Hillary supporters.

They would not bring about economic or social equality, but they are great goals we would make society more just.

One hundred percent agree.

that's only for the rich people. Economic justice occurs when we're all in it together and all contributing.

on people who are already struggling to live day by day?