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Part II of “Replace Cronyism With Cooperativism” Series
Finally, a New York-based new political party, United Centrists of America (UCA), has listened to this columnist’s op-ed pieces, especially on political and socioeconomic reforms. Several UCA co-founders and the CEO are studying this journalist’s written ideas, including the need for bipartisanship.
The two major American political parties have boxed themselves into extreme positions — either on the left wing of liberalism or on the right wing of conservatism. The UCA is one of several centrist groups, and it fulfilled its vision of becoming a registered political party. Yes, so that they will not just talk about visions but also promote and initiate bipartisan, nay multi-partisan, solutions for social cancers.
This writer is now facing a quandary about whether to accept an appointment as the chairman (or president) of the still-being-organized UCA chapter in California. To his limited knowledge, it is bound to become a trailblazing appointment, if not a historic first.
As of October 12, 2025, Google says that “No American journalist has been appointed chair of a U.S. political party’s state chapter based on the provided search results. The searches return some information on state party chairs and also on journalists who held political positions, but do not show any instances of the two roles being held by the same person.”
It may be sweeter for non-Caucasian voters to know that this writer is also a minority journalist and book author with extensive experience in California politics, having volunteered and worked unpaid for several city, congressional, state, and presidential candidates. He has supported some candidates who ran as Reagan Democrats or Democrats.
The distinction and honor are not for this writer but for the Filipino-American community and the multiethnic communities where he has lived and worked. Perhaps he may be tapped to co-chair the Platform Committee, in addition to a seat on its National Directorate of the soon-to-be national political party. And even help in organizing UCA chapters in cities or states with many Filipino-American and other minority voters, such as the Great State of Hawaii, where 16 percent of the population is of Ilocano (Filipino) descent.
“Most policy-and-decision makers in the United States are just concerned with bottom-line issues that are purely economic activities. Yes, all monetary enrichment is usually at the expense of taxpayers.”
Reinventing Politics
Perhaps this adventure may be the start of reinventing politics, so that it becomes for the people, by the people, and of the people, with their cooperatives functioning as chapters of a political party. That is, if the Federal Election Commission does not prohibit it.
Most policy-and-decision makers in the United States are just concerned with bottom-line issues that are purely economic activities. Yes, all monetary enrichment is usually at the expense of taxpayers. Many causes and concerns now are no longer anchored solely on financial matters. It is now driven by “Socioeconomical Science”.
Many reference sites define it as “a social science that studies the relationship between social processes and economical activities. It analyzes how a society’s economy affects its progress, stagnation, or decline.” Socioeconomic science also explores the connection between economics and ethics, as well as the social aspects of the economy.
Socioeconomic Studies Must Restructure Politics
Academicians stress that socioeconomic studies can also be used to assess the social, cultural, economic, and political conditions of individuals, groups, communities, and organizations. Some topics that socioeconomic science covers include: justice, poverty, cooperation, income distribution, and economic institutions.
Perhaps community activists, along with political-party prime movers and their members, can conduct further research and make inroads in promoting socioeconomics. They can pressure and complete the education of many elected and appointed public leaders about socioeconomic back-to-basics reforms. Political parties should do meaningful reforms that may trigger a modern “Age of Renaissance” for socioeconomics and politics. And family lives as well.
