This Land’s not your Land, This Land is my Land

First let me wish a Happy New Year to all of my readers, and thanks for joining me for another year. (Yes, you’re committed now, don’t try to back out.) I started this blog in 2011, and here we are now in 2013. My readership has grown a bit, and although I am not a huge blog, I also don’t have the time to write every day here (The daily part of communist daily is because you can read it daily, whether or not I’ve posted new content. At least that’s how I rationalize it.) All things considered, I’m grateful for those who take the time to read my rantings, and who take the time to comment and give their opinion. This is what makes the internet great. (Well that and videos of cats doing ridiculous things.) Anyway, thanks for joining me here again, and I wish you and yours all the best in the coming year. That being said, on to the topic at hand!!!

The Melting Pot

Immigrants. In the US we have this image of dirty and gaunt immigrants standing at Ellis Island gaining access to the greatest country on earth (TM). OK, American immigration history is a lot more complicated than the stories of Ellis Island, but many Americans like to think of the US as a land of immigrants. However, we’re not really that kind to immigrants, and we never have been. You see, this is just another in a long line of lies that make up the myth of America. We want to think of ourselves as tolerant and open, but we are nothing of the sort. From the Italians to the Jews, Chinese and Japanese,  immigrants to the US have faced an often hostile place of racial and ethnic tensions. Discrimination abounded and campaigns to disenfranchise millions of immigrants litter our history.

Now after the recent end of the congressional debacle that was the fight over the self imposed and completely absurd fiscal cliff”, it is being reported that Obama wants to tackle immigration reform. No, this probably won’t make much of anything better, it will likely be cosmetic changes. In fact, the Huffington Post is reporting that although the details of the so called reform is a complete mystery, many rightists in congress are already gearing up to address it. Of course that’s assuming it ever gets brought up at all since the fight over the fiscal issues is far from being really resolved and congress spends more time telling each other to go fuck themselves (that’s not hyperbole either) and getting huge paychecks than they do their actual jobs. So what can we expect from the ultra-right assholes in the blogosphere on this issue of immigration reform? (Please note again, I seriously doubt that the Democrats will come up with anything close to progressive, seeing since Obama spent his first time completely putting Bush to shame when it came to deportations.) Well, let’s take a look at the rambling idiot (and ironically an anchor baby of sorts) Michelle Malkin. I’ll spare you her stupdity, and won’t quote the article I’m taking the following from, but in a recent article on her website, she screamed and ranted about the dangers of “amnesty” for illegal immigrants. At the end of her hysterical and xenophobic rant, she listed something from the US Commission on Immigration Reform, which she uses as a template for how immigrants should assimilate to the US. And if they don’t assimilate to her liking, they should get the fuck out of here, because this is HER country. Anyway, here it is (With my responses to it):

We believe these truths constitute the distinctive characteristics of American nationality:

Wait, what makes you think you have the right to define what the identity of 300 million (or whatever the population was in the 90s) people is?

*American unity depends upon a widely-held belief in the principles and values embodied in the American Constitution and their fulfillment in practice: equal protection and justice under the law; freedom of speech and religion; and representative government;

Except those things aren’t true. Plenty of people in the US don’t like the constitution, or want it changed drastically. Plenty of people in the US are bigoted in many ways as well, including violence and discrimination against Muslims, Sikhs and other religious groups.

*Lawfully-admitted newcomers of any ancestral nationality—without regard to race, ethnicity, or religion—truly become Americans when they give allegiance to these principles and values;

Yeah, but I was born in the US and never agreed to these rules, ideas or principles. Ever. Sure, I was forced as a kid to say the pledge of allegiance, sure I was forced to make a stupid oath when I joined the military to be able to go to college, but I don’t agree with the bullshit ideas of the slave owner written constitution and actually look forward to the day the people of THIS time can choose a government that truly represents them. Also, these are recent ideas for the most part. There has been extensive discrimination against religious, and ethnic or national groups throughout US history.

*Ethnic and religious diversity based on personal freedom is compatible with national unity; and

That’s funny. Ethnic diversity was mostly allowed in the US for slave labor purposes, but go on.

*The nation is strengthened when those who live in it communicate effectively with each other in English, even as many persons retain or acquire the ability to communicate in other languages.

Ignoring of course  that the US has no official language, never has, that multilingual countries are not more dysfunctional, and that forcing Americans to learn more languages couldn’t hurt.

As long as we live by these principles and help newcomers to learn and practice them, we will continue to be a nation that benefits from
substantial but well-regulated immigration.

As long as we let in mostly white, rich, and well established immigrants. Also we will never really help immigrants learn English, but we will most certainly make fun of those with accents or struggle with the language. The next part is Frau Malkin again spewing her bullshit nationalist bullshit:

 

Those principles have been abandoned, scorned, and sabotaged. You have not heard an iota about them from Washington. It is the erosion of Americanization and the ascendancy of the collectivists that helped create the conditions for Election Day.

Those principles are jokes that never existed but in the wet dreams of right wing fascists like yourself Michelle. White people, and white people wanna bes, like YOU Michelle, you fascist dick. “Collectivists”. Ha. You don’t know the meaning of the word you privileged fucking Stepford wife.

Amnesty instead of assimilation is a recipe for even greater GOP losses at at the ballot box.

OOOOOOOH, that’s that real reason, isn’t it? You’re afraid that the poor immigrants who crawl through our borders won’t vote the way you want them too. That’s the real issue here isn’t it? You’re afraid that the immigrants who come here won’t be a fascist like you, that they won’t want to work for starvation wages to feed their families. Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. Who saw that one coming.

Amnesty instead of assimilation is a recipe for the furtherance of American decline.

And while they’re at it, make them convert to Christianity, and dye their skin right, is that the plan Malkin? You want them all to be like the Philippines, whence your ancestry hails. It got so much better there after the Christian Spanish, and then the US raped and plundered and colonized it, didn’t it? Oh, wait…

 

Nationalism and Racism

Immigration policies have long been used as excuses for racism, and xenoophobia. They wrongfully claim that immigration, “legal” or otherwise, causes higher crime (that would be poverty sweethearts, not immigration) and that certain groups just cause trouble. It is racist, and it is wrong. If we really thought that freedom was the way to go, and I do personally, I would say that human beings should be allowed to live where they fucking please. Yep, that simple. Oh, you don’t like all those poor people pouring into your country? Well, makes that whole colonialism thing ironic now, doesn’t it. When we allow open borders around the world, capitalism can’t control that. It will help destroy it. So by all means, immigrate illegally, legally, or otherwise. Help break down national barriers, and break the illusion of nationality. We are all human beings, and when we stop allowing countries to hoard resources and power, we stop allowing the rape and colonization of poorer countries. That’s all I want to say today. Fuck nationalism, fuck racism, and fuck capitalism. They all go together. Do what you can to help lead the world to revolutionary change.

 

Liberal Mindset

I’ve been doing some reading and studying, a lot of it. This blog is basically a place to hash out my ideas and my learning process, and share my views and thoughts with other people, namely you my valued reader. I have to admit that like all writers, I am doing this almost as much for me as I am for you. What this journey of thought and political discovery has led me to is some startling realizations about the society we live in, the state and the future of humanity. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying I have all the answers. However, I think I have stumbled upon some insights that have made me rethink previous positions, and reassess how I see politics and economy a bit. So why the title of liberal mindset? Because I think that the liberal mindset of the “left” in the US is holding back the working class from realizing its real potential, and I’m going to tell you why.

Socialists for Bourgeois Government?

What is the ultimate goal of socialism? Is it to have a chicken in every pot and a house for every family? Or is it something more than that? I would venture to say that the ultimate goal of socialism is the completely change how societies are run. We aim to as Marx said, “overthrow the existing order of things”, and to establish a new society for the benefit of all, instead of just a few. Now we should take a look at the prevailing “socialist” groups in the Western world (the world with which I am the most familiar) and ask ourselves if we moving towards our goals, or away from them. Are we really achieving our objectives? I would answer no, that we aren’t coming close to realizing our goals. The reason is very simple. Take a look at the CPUSA, a political party that I some time ago used to be a member of. When I first joined that party it was the result of my political awakening, and my desire to be an advocate of communism. I wanted to work for the emancipation of the working class, and the destruction in the end of class society and the state itself. Inspired by the rousing words of the Communist Manifesto, I wanted desperately to bring about the fall of capitalism. That goal, those feelings have not changed. What changed was my awareness that the CPUSA was not what I thought it to be. The more I was involved in the organization, the more I realized that it had become the political equivalent of a stone age tool. Sure it may be interesting to look at, but it’s pretty meaningless as an actual tool for accomplishing anything practical whatsoever. I’ve talked before about their current incarnation as red-dyed democratic party cheerleaders, but I want to focus on something that just happened to accentuate why the left in the US has lost its bearings. In a recent post on their site “Peoples World” the party condemned the so called “right to work” laws that were just passed in the state of Michigan. They start out the article by stating that “By taking their first votes to pass anti-worker “right-to-work” legistlation (SIC) on Thursday (they have to wait five more days to finish the job), Michigan’s Republican Party and Gov. Rick Snyder have now resorted to open class warfare.” What the fuck are you talking about? Do you even know what class warfare is? Have you read a single goddamn page Marx? Do you know what class warfare is? The very existence of the bourgeois state is class warfare!!! The state, and yes, Democratic and Republican parties alike, are representatives of the capitalist class!!! The state only exists to advance the rights and privileges of one class over another, and it certainly isn’t a new thing. “Resorting to class warfare” is a phrase uttered by those who have no freaking clue what class warfare is, let alone a clue how to win such a war. The US is also almost completely bereft of unions, and the unions that do exist have lost their bearings as the true representatives of the workers anyway. What the CPUSA and other faux socialist organizations have done is replace their revolutionary spirit with one of acquiescence and have joined forces with a sick political system to perpetuate the capitalist state. “We can’t achieve revolution, we can’t achieve anything but crumbs from the table” they seem to be saying. They uphold Obama as the answer to their questions. OBAMA! For fucks sake this is a man that gave trillions to the banksters as a way to keep the capitalist fucking state intact and stable. They state in the article that they want a good economy, and that workers rights are essential to that aim. Oh yes, I am completely for workers rights. I really am. That’s why I am a socialist. However, in the large scheme of things the right to work laws are not really all that important. I know that I’m going to catch some hell for saying that but let’s look at the real story here. While this capitalist system exists, the unions cannot progress beyond a union mindset. They can’t, it’s not in their interest to. Think about the contradiction here. We as socialists are supposed to be pushing for the complete destruction of the capitalist state, yet you have the CPUSA fighting for its continued existence! How does that in anyway make sense? What we should realize is that the CPUSA and parties like it have a complete disconnect from the lives of workers, from the material conditions that they face, and no understanding of the modern capitalist system whatsoever. They support and defend a corrupt capitalist system at the expense of the people. They are class traitors, stabbing us in the back. They tell us that they support the workers while they do the opposite. Workers rights will not be secured by the victories in the increasingly alienated state, or by meaningless laws about unions. They will be secured by nothing else than the full goddamn emancipation of the working classes by the seizing of the means of production. These piddling little laws taken as “class warfare” -which, if you know even a little bit of Marx, you’d know is a continuous aspect of class divided society- is the height of ridiculous liberal bullshit. I’m sick of seeing supposed communists fighting little diversionary battles. What we should be fighting for is the overthrowing of the corporations, and the overthrowing of the wage slavery that funds them, not the continuation of said system. Are you content to stay in this system with its wage slavery and capitalist mode of production? Then you are not, my friend, a communist. You are at best a social democrat. And that’s being kind. What will bring about the emancipation of the working classes? It will be none other than the greed of the capitalist class the crushes the working class under its heel. When that oppression affects so many people, when their chains are too hard to bear, when they are starving and they are beaten and jailed and killed in the name of capitalism, these are the things that produce a class consciousness. It does not come as a result of welfare state politics. This liberal welfare state mindset is helping capitalism to continue, not ending it. The left has become the group of people in our societies most responsible for the perpetuation of this horrible capitalist system of wage slavery. We have become the epitome of the misled, the vacuous and misinformed masses who fight for the perpetuation of the very thing that keeps us in chains. Raising taxes on the rich will not free us, ending the so called “right to work” laws will not free us. In fact, they will keep us enslaved. We communists are for the full emancipation of the working classes, and the contradiction is that the capitalist system as it exists is not going to allow that. So what’s the answer?

Envisioning a New Society

We must realize that the only way that we are going to move forward is quite counter-intuitive. We must increase the alienation of the working classes. This means that we must let capitalists take the workers for all they’ve got so that they realize that their interests are directly opposed to the goals and motivations of the capitalist class. We must end liberalism, the force that keeps the working classes enslaved, and that means opposing a welfare state that keeps the working classes just happy enough to not revolt. The progression of economy and politics is one that must lead to the abolition of the capitalist state, and one that must lead to the abolition of the need for welfare, for taxes, for the whole capitalist state apparatus. We must work towards building a whole new society. Our so called socialists seem to have missed the entire point of Marx and Engels, and in a coming blog post I am going to take a look at Engels’ work titled “On the origin of the state” and what it means for our current understanding of contemporary politics. The point for today though is a rallying cry against the liberal bullshit that is perpetuating this evil system of enslavement, and the parties like the CPUSA that is helping them to keep their power. Down with capitalism! Down with wage slavery! Down with starvation welfare society! Down with nationalism imperialism and the people who support it! We must unite as workers to bring about the full destruction of this system, a complete overturning of the order of this society. No amount of welfare or union protecting laws is going to change that. Stay tuned comrades, there’s more to come.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

I went to a forum at my university tonight on the subject of the US election. What I heard was people blatantly lie about both the political process, and the policies being enacted. I had the strong feeling that I was the furthest left person in the room as well, so that certainly made things interesting. I also got dressed down by an elderly woman who was incensed that I wasn’t voting for Obama. Long story short, it got me thinking about the political process in the US, and why it is so, so far out of whack. Why things can’t be improved in the current paradigm, and why we need radical change in our political systems.

Wealth Inequality

One speaker made a load of bullshit accusations and false characterizations about the occupy movement. I answered his stupidity, but it pissed me off that he could stand up there and blatantly lie about a movement he probably never went to, and held such contempt for. This man is white, a lawyer, obviously not poor; in short the poster child for the GOP. He thinks that the protesters were all violent hipsters out to get everything for free, that we just want a free ride in life. Untrue. We’ve worked our asses off for years, for low pay, only to be swallowed in debt, with uncertain futures, a lack of jobs, and a fractured world while men like him play the fiddle and pretend all is well. His material was mostly from the Heritage Foundation, a hack think tank if there ever was one. He slandered and lied the entire time he was slated to talk.

Here are some of his claims:

There is too much debt, the deficit keeps rising, and we’re sinking in debt, and it’s all the democrats fault.

The TRUTH:

Yes, the US is in debt, but why? Because of the democrats and their love for the welfare state? Oh hell no. We’ve spent over a trillion dollars on illegal and pointless wars in the middle east, in addition to massive tax breaks for the wealthy and huge government expansion. (Think PATRIOT Act, NDAA, Dept. of Homeland Security) Bush created a MASSIVE amount of debt, never balanced a budget, and ruined the US economy. Then the GOP gets mad at Obama for CONTINUING THOSE GODDAMN POLICIES.

Another claim: Liberals and the left just want everything handed to them on a sliver platter

The TRUTH: The fact is that in the US, the rich are really scared of something completely different. They’re scared that people will notice that the capitalist class has had everything handed to THEM on a silver platter. They have for too long taken for granted their positions of privilege, and they are now scared that they’re going to lose it. Wanting a society that can provide the basic human needs to the people is not asking for everything on a silver platter. The capitalist class sits around making money off the hard work of the proletariat, and then cries bitter tears of pain when they’re asked to sacrifice a tiny bit of their ill gained wealth for the common good. This only goes to prove that you can’t let the capitalists maintain power and still hope for socialism, or hell, even for some goddamn social progress.

The US Political System

Switching gears now away from the crazy claims of a disingenuous lawyer (also known as a lawyer), the talk tonight really highlighted for me the problem of our political system. There are only two sides. There are the democrats, and the republicans and they will decide what happens to the country. Don’t like the two party system? Too goddamn bad. Don’t like either party? Too bad. While the world is worried about a possible financial meltdown, a possible world war, increasing political tensions worldwide, a lack of jobs, the death of our environment, more war, income inequality, no money for education or housing, no money for anything other than the rich, real fucking problems… While all that is going on our political process consists of two people whose political positions are near enough that they could easily fit into the same political party, arguing on national TV about things that have NOTHING to do with the real problems we face. These same two will not be elected by a popular vote, they will be elected by an unaccountable electoral college, the names of whom no one knows, and political candidates for congress being the same old same old oligarchy that has ruled us since the dawn of this country. No other voices or concerns may enter the debate. No other parties can compete. No other way can be found. Status quo status quo status quo. Neither party candidate wants to end our overseas wars immediately, neither candidate wants us to close our excessive overseas bases, neither of them cares about changing American foreign policy, neither cares about ending the war on drugs, neither cares about anything other than getting elected so they can ensure four full years of power. Nothing changes, and they don’t want it to change. Things are just the way they like it because they can play you all off the other party, and get you so used to this bullshit that you are not educated or brazen enough to speak out against it. “If you don’t vote Republican, the Democrats will win” “If you don’t vote for the Democrats, the Republicans will win”. I said something on twitter the other day that really sums up how I feel about these two corrupt parties. I said “Having to choose between the Dems and the GOP is like being made to choose between salmonella and E.Coli. When will we wake up and see the truth for what it is? The US is nothing more than an oligarchy, a sad corrupt oligarchy that will come crashing down under the weight of its own hubris.

The lawyer who spoke tonight said many damned lies, and tried to back it up with shitty statistics. Like the BS claim that half of all Americans don’t pay tax. (Nearly every American pays tax of some sort)

But this is par for the course. We accept these lies as legitimate debate, when they are not. They are simply lies. Lies like the idea that the human beings who make up the populace of the USA can’t control their own political process, that we are beholden to a hundreds of years old document that we didn’t agree to. The idea that we are to sit down and shut up and not raise these questions. Why are there so many Americans on welfare? Good question, why are there so many Americans who NEED welfare? Are Americans just inherently lazy? It think not, and data backs me up. We’re one of the hardest working countries in the developed world. Why is it then? Maybe it’s because the people hoarding all the money in the US are not the real producers of wealth. Those are the grease stained engineers, the school teachers, the bakers. They are the street sweepers and the hotel desk clerks, they are the mothers and the fathers who bust their asses ever day to provide for their families, and are depressed, hurt and ashamed when there is more month than money. We are the people, teh strugglers, the fighters and the hopeful, and we are the ones who make the wheels of the economy turn. Assholes like that lawyer want you to believe that YOU are lazy, that you don’t want to work that YOU just want welfare. Fuck no. I don’t want welfare, I want socialism. I want a system wherein the workers own the corporations, and there are no CEOs. I want a truly transparent, money free political system that values ideas over political party apparatus. I want a system that believes in free and equal rights for all, including so called illegal immigrants, LGBT et al. I want a better world, not a world where the only way of making it big is to step on the corpses of your downtrodden worker brethren. We can, and indeed we must DEMAND and end to this ridiculous and unacceptable status quo. We need socialism bad, we need real workers democracy bad, we need equal rights for all bad, we need an end to capitalism. That may not be the popular thing to say, but it needs to be said. I will never stop advocating revolution in the US until we overthrow this militaristic fascist state. I will not give in and support Obama and the democrats. I will never OK the current treatment of Palestinians, Libyans and others. I will not accept capitalist imperialism, and I never will

So what are you going to do? Are you going to accept the status qo? Are you going to accept the rhetoric of lies, damn lies and statistics on Fox “news” and CNN? Or will you join me in demanding a better world, and a new political system to bring about that better world. You supported the overthrow of the regime in Egypt, right? Are you too cowardly to advocate the same in the US? It’s high time for a change, it is high time for an uprising, it is high time for a better world.

 

And the Nobel Peace Prize goes to…

The internet erupted with outrage at the announcement of the winner of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize. A prize that is supposed to be given to those who have advocated for peace, and helped bring about a more peaceful world. Of course as you most likely know, this year’s prize went to the European Union. After having given the prize to other capitalist imperialists such as Barack Obama and Henry Kissinger, this only helps solidify the meaninglessness of the prize and its control by those who wish to advance, not human rights or democracy, but capitalist control over everyone and everything. Their rationale for awarding the peace prize to the EU was that it had solidified unity on a continent that used to be torn by war. This may sound reasonable to some, but if you dig just below the surface you’ll see that this is a farce, and that giving the peace prize to the EU is like giving a prize for outstanding human rights to the keepers of Guantanamo bay. Now I’m going to tell you why.

Peace and Human Rights my Ass

While it’s true that Europe has managed not to kill off the entire globe yet, that is hardly cause for a Nobel Peace Prize. Hell, I’d qualify for that shit if that was the case. What is the EU’s stance on human rights? Have they actually produced a more peaceful world? The answer to both, unfortunately, is a negative one. Let’s start with the first question, human rights. Is Europe upholding human rights? The answer is an unequivocal NO. Let’s start with the support of many EU countries for and complicity in illegal CIA renditions. No less than 14 EU member countries have been explicit in helping the US with their illegal kidnapping and imprisonment structure in Europe. Countries like the UK, Germany, Poland, Italy, Greece, Sweden among others. Want to read more about this? Glad you asked, because here is a link for you from the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/07/world/europe/07iht-prisons.1915898.html

And that’s not all. Amnesty International reported that migrants to Greece, many of them minors were being unfairly and illegally imprisoned in detention centers. Here’s the story here:  http://www.amnesty.eu/en/press-releases/security-and-human-rights/detention-of-minors-in-greece-shows-failings-of-eus-immigration-policy-0463/

Migrants left to die: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/28/left-to-die-migrants-boat-inquiry

These problems are important egregious violations, and I could talk about support by the EU member nations and participation in the US’s illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that has killed upwards of a million people, but there is something closer to home that I want to focus on.

The EU financial crises is years old now, and the struggle continues as Brussels, Germany and France try to squeeze the poorer member nations for all they have. Greece, Italy and Spain among others are floundering in ridiculously high unemployment, sagging economies and corrupt governance. Hundreds and hundreds of people in countries like Spain and Greece have taken their own lives because of austerity programs that took away from them what they had worked hard their whole lives to build. Men who had worked for a lifetime found that their guaranteed pensions were being stripped away from them, leaving them with nothing to live on. The disabled and sick are left hanging as the government cuts and cuts and cuts social programs that helped these people live with a modicum of decency. Surely it was because all those social programs had bankrupted those countries, right? (this is what the right likes to bray every time you bring up the trouble in Europe) NO. It is the fault of none other than the EU itself. It brought poorer countries like Greece, Spain and Portugal under the common currency when they were not ready to do so, and created a tidal wave of economic excess. Banks borrowed at ridiculously low rates and bet on bad debt over and over again, and the whole economy was managed very very badly. A mountain of debt piled up and the banks were about to go under so the governments bailed out the bad decision making bankers and put themselves deeply into debt. The bankers, the governments made out like bandits, and the working people were thrown under the bus. Higher taxes, for less government services. That’s not fiscal responsibility, that is straight up theft from the working classes. That is reprehensible. Mothers in Greece are abandoning babies they can’t feed, homeless numbers are growing, riots in the streets and anger abounds. The EU is in the throws of a social movement that could possibly bring down the whole damn apparatus. The police hit, shoot, beat and gas protesters for expressing their anger against this travesty, and pictures of bloodied and beaten protesters abounds. Speak out against this sickening fleecing of Europe and you’re thrown in jail, kill millions of jobs and steal pensions, you’re a hero. It is down right sickening. Here’s some pictures from “peaceful” Europe:

This is all going on RIGHT NOW. People are suffering and dying thanks to the economic terrorism wafting out of Brussels, Berlin and Paris, and there are loads of riots and talks of war, separatist groups and economic collapse. And it is to this region, that they awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Seems legit.

Dear Europe, you don’t deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. You don’t deserve it because there is no justice in Europe, only class warfare. And as you may have heard before, no justice, NO PEACE.

FUCK the EU and its capitalist tyranny. End the EU and build socialism in your countries.

Also, give up on ever respecting the Nobel Peace Prize, it’s a joke and has been for some time.

It is important enough to say again:

NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE.

Chavez Does it Again

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has won a 4th term in office after winning the presidential election against his foe, Henrique Caprilles. Various news outlets have reported dancing and celebrations in the streets of Venezuela, as the nation’s poor and working classes celebrated their beloved president’s reelection. Hugo Chavez has devoted his time in office to improving the lives of the poor of Venezuela, and standing up against US imperialism, not only in South America, but in the rest of the world as well. He is a supporter and ally of Fidel Castro and the Cuban people, helping them with aid and receiving medical care in Cuba as well. The lives of many Venezuelans have been improved by Chavez’s stalwart defense of the poor, and he has done much to build up a great socialist democracy.  In spite of assassination attempts by the US government, he has survived, and thrived in his political career. This blog wishes to congratulate Hugo Chavez and the people of Venezuela on their socialist revolution, and I wish them the best of luck for the next six years. Felicitaciones al pueblo de Venezuela! Hasta la victoria siempre!!!

PSL on the ballot in 13 states nationwide

PSL on the ballot in 13 states nationwide.

September 14, 2012

The Party for Socialism and Liberation is proud to announce that our presidential campaign has achieved ballot access in 13 states. In six of these states, the PSL candidates will be the only socialists on the ballot.

In each one of these states, supporters of the Lindsay/Osorio campaign volunteered their spare time to do the work required to gain ballot access. We collected almost 45,000 petition signatures and met 125 people willing to be electors for the PSL in a period of six months.

The PSL will be on the ballot in every region of the country: the West – Colorado, Utah, Washington; the South – Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana; the Midwest – Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin; and the Northeast – New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont.

About 85 million people live in these states, which include the third and fourth most populous states: New York and Florida. Almost 40 million registered voters — representing more than one-quarter of those registered in the country, and more than one-quarter of electoral votes — will have the option to vote for the PSL.

It’s not too late to be a part of this exciting campaign:

Get involved with the Lindsay/Osorio 2012 Presidential Campaign today!

Request Peta Lindsay or Yari Osorio as a speaker for an event in your area.

Join the Party for Socialism and Liberation!

---

Below is a report published following the completion of ballot access efforts in New York State in August.

PSL campaign volunteers wait to file petitions for ballot access in New York State.

On Aug. 14 at 9:03 a.m., the Party for Socialism and Liberation filed an Independent Nominating Petition with the New York State Board of Elections in Albany to place Peta Lindsay and Yari Osorio on the ballot. PSL volunteers arrived at the BOE early in the morning before they opened to ensure that we could file at the very first opportunity when the filing period opened.

We met all of the requirements to be on the ballot for the 2012 presidential elections, including submitting nearly 30,000 signatures – almost double the required number. We are proud to say that millions of working-class people will be able to vote for a socialist alternative in New York State. Peta Lindsay and Yari Osorio will be the only socialists on the ballot in New York for the office of president and vice president.

An army of volunteers is working hard to get a socialist campaign on the ballot in as many states as we can — but your help is needed. Please make an urgently needed donation toward travel and accomodations for volunteers, filing fees and other costs of obtaining ballot status.

The requirements to be listed on the ballot include submitting 15,000 valid signatures of registered voters, with at least 100 valid signatures from each of half of the state’s 27 congressional districts. These signatures could not be collected prior to July 10, and were due on Aug. 21 – but the PSL filed a full week early because of an extraordinary all-volunteer effort carried out around the state.

The first phase of the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Presidential Campaign has been a great success. Through a tremendous amount of hard work, we have succeeded in meeting the requirements for ballot status in nine states and are in the process of achieving status in several more.

New York State was our biggest challenge. For 35 consecutive days, volunteers worked tirelessly in New York City’s five boroughs, and cities in Upstate and Long Island to collect the necessary signatures and prepare the filing. The army of volunteers sacrificed vacation time, days off, and time with their families to make sure that a powerful voice of socialism and struggle would be on the ballot in November in this key state.

PSL on the ballot nationwide

We are very excited at the prospect of being able to reach millions of people across the country with the Peta Lindsay/Yari Osorio campaign.

The PSL has now gained ballot status in every major region of the country. We are already on the ballot in New York, New Jersey and Vermont in the Northeast; Arkansas in the South; Iowa and Wisconsin in the Midwest; and Colorado, Utah and Washington in the West – and we are still working on several additional states in these regions.

Since we began the petitioning effort in March, we have collected more than 40,000 petition signatures, recruited more than 100 electors, held conventions and paid filing fees. Hundreds of volunteers are working around the clock in cities and towns throughout the country.

The capitalist elections impose burdensome and costly ballot access requirements designed to exclude third parties – but we are meeting this challenge with a massive nationwide mobilization to give voters a socialist option in as many states as possible. Be a part of this effort by making a generous donation now.

Join our campaign of struggle

The PSL’s Lindsay/Osorio Campaign is one of struggle. We will carry forward the message that the key to bringing about real progressive change is building a powerful people’s movement that stands together with our sisters and brothers around the world who are resisting imperialism and exploitation.

As capitalism sinks further into crisis, it is more important than ever that we explain that there are really only two choices for the future: Continue with a system based on maximizing profits for a tiny elite regardless of destruction to people or the planet, or create a new, sustainable system based on meeting people’s needs – socialism.

How many cities, towns and campuses we can travel to, how many people we can reach and bring into the struggle – in short, how successful we can be with the precious few weeks we have until election day – depends largely on you.

There are many ways you can help:

• Become a campaign volunteer.
• Contact us to help bring our campaign to your area or organization.
• Organize a speaking engagement or house meeting for our candidates.
• Make a generous contribution to the campaign. We can’t move forward without your help.

The Lindsay / Osorio Presidential Campaign will be organizing around the country in the coming months to bring the message of socialism into the electoral arena and provide an alternative to the corporate-dominated two-party system in 2012. Be a part of this effort by making an urgently needed donation!

Content may be reprinted with credit to VotePSL.org.

Risk

I watched a video of Melissa Harris-Perry wherein she slams a guest on her show for talking about risks the wealthy take to make money. I’d like to elaborate for a moment if I may on that thought. What is risk? Who are the risk takers? Let’s take a minute to think about this logically.

Risk Takers

The right wing just loves to talk about risk takers. That multi-billionaire deserves his wealth, deserves to not be taxed, because he “risked” his money to build a business. That hedge fund manager “risked” a lot to make a lot. Mitt Romney “risked” a lot to make tens of millions and more at Bain Capital. Did they really? What exactly did they risk? Did they risk their lives? Oh, no of course not. Mitt Romney wouldn’t do that. After protesting in favor of the Vietnam War, when it came his time to go, he picked up, put his tail between his quavering upper class legs and beat feet to France. In fact many who died in Vietnam were poor, minorities and those who didn’t have the college deferment, because they couldn’t afford it. The wealthy man thinks he is a “risk taker” because he gambles a little bit of his money? HA! First, how did he get that money? He got it from the labor of his wage slaves. He got it from his birth, and his privilege. He got it from his tax breaks and his evasions. He got it from usury and he got it from his class status. He has lots of it. He risks a small portion of it? If he fails, will he have to live on the street? Doubt it. If he fails will he have to sell his Audi to pay his debts? Not likely. If he fails will he end up in jail? most certainly not. He risks nothing but the ill gotten and kept wealth he has, at no real personal risk to himself. Who are the risk takers then?

The REAL Risk Takers

The real risk takers do exist in America. They are the poor single mother investing time and energy into going to Community College to better herself, even while she lives on welfare and a part time job. They are the college student that spent a tour in the military to get his college education, and still has to work himself to the bone to make ends meet. The real risk taker is the father who works to low paying jobs to put food on the table for his family. The real risk taker is the factory worker who toils away making consumer products for a living. The real risk taker is the student who is in debt, hoping against hope that she’ll have a job when she graduates. The real risk taker is the mother huddling in the cold, trying to keep her daughter shielded from the icy blast in front of a store in the winter. The real risk taker is the miner who risks his life to keep the rent paid and the lights on. The real risk taker is the single dad who smiles to keep from crying, to keep his kids thinking that everything’s OK. Those risk takers put their hard earned money in banks, they get their hard earned money and put it towards a house or a car. Then the interest rates go up. The economy goes down. The REAL risk takers lose what little work they had. Those that had worked a lifetime to just break even lose everything. The “risk takers” at the top screw up the economy, they take it down with their greed and like in 2008, the whole thing comes crashing down. When the dust settles, the “risk takers” are fine. Sure, they lost a couple million, but hell, there’s more where that comes from. The REAL risk takers however, they die. They starve. They lose their homes. They lose their cars. They lose their livelihood. The “risk takers” took the money of the poor and working classes, played fast and loose with it, brought it all down, took the houses from the poor, the cars, the property. Then the “risk takers” turned to the government and said “We’re to big to fail”. The government panicked of course. Papers flying everywhere, pulling out hair, gnashing of teeth. Then they turned to the banks and said “Of course we’ll help you out, that’s what Americans do.” They gave hundreds of billions in loans to the corporations. They “risk takers” gave themselves lavish bonuses, threw parties, at caviar and drank champagne. And in the cities, the REAL risk takers huddled against the cold. Their jobs gone, their savings gone, their education savings gone, their hope gone. Deep in debt, mired in sadness. The country begins to crumble. The REAL risk takers lost. It was a rigged game and they had no chance of winning. 46 million Americans now living in poverty. The gas gets turned off. The electricity gets cut off. No water. The landlord kicks em out heartlessly into the street.

I am a REAL risk taker. You see, I am poor. I’ve always been poor. And I know that there is only one way to set this rigged game right. The answer is to knock all the pieces off and refuse to play their sick game. The game is capitalism, and we’ve been playing it far too long. No more of this 3 card Monty sham. It’s time for a world of equality, justice and hope. It’s time for socialism. Now, reaching for socialism, advocating revolutionary change, that’s taking a big risk. People will attack you, they will call you names, threaten to kill you. They will say you’re a murderer, they will make all kinds of ridiculous accusations. They’ll do whatever they can to stop you. Yes, socialism is taking a risk, betting on humanity, betting on the future. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been a risk taker all my life. Time to roll the dice. Socialism now. Demand it.

Romney and Israel

Presumed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is in Israel today to polish his (non-existent) foreign policy credentials. The former governor of Massachusetts is trying valiantly to capitalize on what the GOP sees as a crack in Obama’s defense, his apparent rocky relationship with the state of Israel. What’s interesting is that the Democrat and Republican position on the much disliked terrorist government of Israel are almost identical. Both parties are fully invested in continued support for their illegal puppet state, as it has continued for many years to be the foothold of US imperialism in the region. Romney and Obama are both outdoing themselves to suck up to the state of Israel, or more accurately, the evangelical rabid right wing in the US. Obama recently signed an agreement to send more civilian and military aid to Israel, but it may not be enough for Israel and it’s ignorant supporters in the US. Romney is touting a plan wherein he puts on the table more offensive tactics to show his support for the apartheid state. He said that Iran poses a huge threat to the state of Israel, and that he is willing to, not only support an offensive attack against Iran by Israel, but would put on the table the possibility of a US military strike on Iran. This all stems from a nuclear program in Iran that the government claims is merely for peaceful power purposes. (That’s some alliteration eh?) Even though Iran has not attacked Israel, these military industrial complex loving hawks in the US and Israeli governments are threatening to attack Iran. Let’s think about that logically. The US, which is responsible for the sole two times that nuclear weapons have EVER been deployed on a civilian populace, and Israel, which has been responsible for countless acts of aggression against its neighbors and its inhumane and evil treatment of the Palestinians, considers IRAN a threat. Both of those countries, responsible for brutal amounts of human rights abuses are threatening to attack a country that never attacked them. Religion doesn’t make this OK. Geopolitics doesn’t make this OK. This is hypocrisy, and a hypocrisy that will end up killing untold thousands of people.

It gets worse though. This would be like throwing a match into a pile of kerosene soaked hay. The world is not a vacuum, and when one act is taken by a country or two for their own selfish benefit, it could have lasting repercussions on people around the globe, especially with how interconnected the world is right now. Neither Russia or China, two large powers with growing economies would stand by ad let this kind of action go unanswered. Both rely heavily on Iranian oil for their industrial and power needs, and this action would likely end in a multi-front war. You can’t just invade or attack any country you like and pretend there wouldn’t be any consequences. This foreign policy line by both the democrats and republicans is just yet another example of their utter incompetence in the job of governing the largest economy in the world. They act with reckless abandon, destroying millions of lives while padding their own pockets. You can only roll that dice so many times before you get the snake eyes. The US has for the last century, built up a foreign policy based on bad ideas and worse execution, and it is one that will ultimately destroy this government, and by proxy the Israeli one as well. The US will not be top dog forever. Indeed, we are already seeing a changing of the guard in terms of power in both hard and soft power. The People’s Republic of China has a growing economy, the fastest in the world, and second only in size to that of the US. It is also developing a modern military, one to rival the US in numbers and technology. In spite of this, the government of the US is ignoring the writing on the wall. The oppressed nationalities of the world will not forever put up with this bullshit. They will only be walked over so many times. From the financial crises in Europe, to the fights over disputed territory in the South China sea, the world right now is a kindling box waiting for a spark. The US government is on its last match, and is threatening to throw it.

We need a new kind of foreign policy in the US. End the wars, bring all the troops home. Invest in education and infrastructure. Most of all, before that can really happen, the US is in dire need of a complete and total overhaul of its political system. We need to get the entrenched bourgeoisie out of government, and throw some of them in prison for their crimes against humanity. End the religious control of the US, end the reign of the robber baron banksters, and bring a new era to the USA. We need more than reform, we need a revolution. Not only of government, but in how we see the world. I hope that the people of the USA will see the light of day, and realize that their quaint vision of the world is myopic and wrong. Stop protesting for the banks to be nicer. Burn the banks. Stop protesting for an end to the Citizens United ruling; overthrow the government. Stop pretending anyone gives a shit about the constitution and write new one already. Stop worshiping the founders, and start taking hold of the present that you have. It’s time for the world to move into the future, it’s time for a better world. It’s time for socialism.

What Next?

On a recent blog post here on the Communist Daily, a reader keeps insisting that I don’t have a plan for an economy, and that the best way to win battles for the working class is through electing Democrats. Here, I will show why he’s wrong about socialism, and dead wrong about the democrats.

Elections in the US of A

America’s form of government is technically a “Federal Republic.” What does that mean? Well, it means that we’re a union, or federation of states under a central government, and that we elect officials to represent us. It sounds nice. It sounds democratic. It’s not very accurate. What we have in the US is a dictatorship of the capitalist class. What does that mean? It means that the capitalist class controls and owns every aspect of political life in this country. Don’t believe me? Well, let’s look at the facts.

Interesting Facts about the American Political System

Less than 1% of the American population are millionaires. About 47% of congress members are millionaires. The median net worth of congressional members was an average of  $2.56 MILLION.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/47-of-congress-members-millionaires-a-status-shared-by-only-1-of-americans/

Women make up about 50% of our population. How are they represented in congress? As of 2011, in the 112th congress, they represented just 16.8 % of the seats in the House of Representatives, and only 17% of the seats in the Senate.

Source: http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/fast_facts/levels_of_office/Congress-CurrentFacts.php

Who is controlling government? Do we the people really have the power? Not according to the facts we don’t. Throughout our government are members who have close ties to companies like Goldman Sachs, and politicians have received millions of dollars in financial contributions from them. Here’s a good source where you can see just how pervasive this corruption is:

Source: http://littlesis.org/list/39/Government_Officials_with_Ties_to_Goldman_Sachs#members

Spending in Elections: In 2010 both parties broke records for amount of money raised and spent on getting themselves elected. Hundreds of millions of dollars wasted to win a popularity contest.

Source: http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/10/election-2010-to-shatter-spending-r.html

The solution

I could go on and on with these kinds of facts, that show that both parties are complicit in the corruption that controls our government. I could go on about how the same corporations support and defend both the Democratic, and the Republican parties, because they’re both the same, and the results are the same. I could go on about the minutiae of political interworkings, but instead, I’m going to lay out the way forward. We know that our political system is broken. Let’s not kid ourselves. Congress at last check had an approval rating of just 9%. We’re not happy with our government. The problem is that we’ve been told for so long that we’re powerless to change it. We’re told to just shut up and vote, ignoring the limited nature of our choices. Shut up and vote, ignoring the war, economic trouble and corruption that both parties represent. We’re told to shut up and vote, ignoring that our voting doesn’t really matter in a rigged system. It’s time to reject that line of reasoning. We do have a voice, we do have a choice, and it’s time we exercised our prerogative.

 

 Step One:

Demand a new government. Yes, I know that this scares some people. I know that it’s frightening to abandon the old and reach for the new. However, we must. Our current government is broken beyond repair, yet we hang on to it like it was a priceless heirloom. Let go America. Demand a government that truly represents you. Demand a government that is not controlled by money, not controlled by the capitalist class. Demand a government where you really do have a voice; one where we all really have the opportunity to pursue democracy. Before we can do anything else, the US needs a new government. Stat.

Some Plans for a New Country:

Now I am going to talk about issues. First, bring every last troop home . Every last one. Close EVERY base in foreign countries. Yes, that means close our bases in Germany, Japan, South Korea, the UK, Afghanistan, Iraq, Cuba etc. EVERY LAST ONE. Close them down immediately. Cut the military down to bare bones. Close hundreds of bases in the US, as much as possible.

Seize the wealth of the capitalist class. This means outlawing the stock market. Freeze all assets above $200,000. To build a new society, we will need to use the money that has been stolen from us for so long. The US has a GDP of around 14 trillion (with a T) dollars. Yet we cannot provide the most basic services to our citizens. This is unacceptable, it needs to end NOW.

Reform the education system. Abolish all for profit schools and seize their assets. Make education free and open to all citizens through at least the masters degree level. Education is a human right. Forgive all student loan debt.

Nationalize the health care industry. All medical care shall be free and open to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay. This is a human right as well, non-negotiable.

Redistribute the seized wealth, pay reparations to the countries we’ve invaded.

Start building an economy that works for the working class. Invest in research and development, medicine, public transport, green technology, alternative fuels.

End energy production using fossil fuels.

Destroy all nuclear weapons and make the US a nuclear free country.

Mandate that women make up half of the new government, with proportional representation and autonomy for the oppressed nations within the US. Give full unabridged autonomy to the Native Americans.

Conclusion:

These are some ideas for a new America. One free of capitalist corruption, imperialism, racism, sexism and the threat of nuclear war. A country that is truly democratic, socialist and free. I know that many Americans agree with me. They are sick and tired of the old status quo, sick of the lies and hubris of a political and financial class that walks all over them, and sick and tired of being sick and tired. We can build a new, better society, free from capitalism. The first step is to wake everyone up to the fact that we can, and must demand a new government. We are beholden to nothing but our consciences, our morals and our dreams. The planet is dying. Human beings are suffering because of this system. We can turn this around, but not until we achieve STEP ONE: A new government.

Some, like the commenter I mentioned above, think that we should settle for scraps from the table. They think that we can achieve our goals by begging the democrats pretty please. Surely they’ll listen to us. They ignore that it has been Democrats that have sent the police after activists, shot protesters in the face with tear gas canisters; Democrats were those like Obama and Rahm Emanuel that helped suppress the occupy movement. Democrats like the mayor of Seattle who has battled to protect the racist and brutal Seattle Police Dept. against Justice dept. inquiries. Democrats like Obama who have not only NOT stopped our imperialism, but have accelerated it. Democrats like the ones whose money grubbing hands are stained with the blood of innocent Iraqis, Afghans, and Palestinians. Democrats are JUST as guilty as the Republicans. Don’t be fooled. Don’t be swayed. The only way to get real change is to change the corrupt and evil system that has allowed all of these horrible things to happen, that has allowed criminals to go free while innocent Americans sit in prison by the millions. If you really believe in the courage of your conviction leftists, then stand up and demand what we have needed for so long; a new government, one that is truly of, by, and for the people.

Until we have the courage to do that, our demands will fall on deaf ears. They know that we are powerless because we make ourselves powerless. We refuse to have the courage to demand a new government, that we have no way to really pressure them.

Change that. Bring this government down.

 

 

Behind the defeat in the Walker recall election

Behind the defeat in the Walker recall election.

 

Behind the defeat in the Walker recall election

How does capitalist democracy work?

By Jeff Bigelow

JUNE 6, 2012

 

Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-recall campaign sold the lie that greedy public sector workers and their unions were costing the taxpayers exorbitant amounts for high wages and lavish pensions.

The recall election in Wisconsin was won by organized Big Money. Lots will be said by many pundits about various aspects of the election, but the most important issue is how Big Money or the 1 percent were able to shape the electoral environment. Looking at that question exposes how capitalist democracy operates.

 

It also helps to answer the question being asked by many—why do people vote against their own interests?

 

In his victory speech, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said he wanted to first of all thank God for his abundant gifts. This was not only an appeal to the religious right-wing but also an attempt to give praise to the billionaires whose gifts brought him the election victory.

 

On Jan. 18, 2011, Walker told billionaire Diane Hendricks that his strategy was to go after collective bargaining rights for public employees first and then get a Right to Work for Less law, in a strategy which he explicitly described as divide and conquer. She gave him over $500,000 during just a three month period in 2012. Hendricks’ ABC Supply Inc., the nation’s largest wholesale distributor of roofing, windows and siding paid no state income taxes in 2010.

 

Just a few weeks later, on Feb. 23, 2011, Walker told someone who he believed to be billionaire David Koch that he had a bat in his office which could be used to achieve his goal of union busting.

 

Although pay for teachers had been capped since 1993 and public sector unions were not on the offensive, the goal of Walker and his backers in 2011 was to eliminate these unions. Unions for public employees are the last sources of significant power for organized labor as well as for the interests of unorganized workers.

 

Tens of millions of dollars were pumped into Walker’s campaign to win the recall election. Much of it came from the super wealthy outside of Wisconsin. This money created the slick right-wing Madison Avenue ads that inundated every household.

 

The rich put their money into this fight because they saw it as part of their class war against the workers. This was a referendum on slashing workers’ rights, especially public workers. It was played out in Wisconsin but finance capital saw that it would have national ramifications.

 

Role of the Democratic Party

 

The recall effort itself was the result of the efforts of hundreds of thousands of workers who gathered one million signatures to recall Walker. When they filed those petitions on Jan. 17, it was crystal clear that they wanted this election to be about basic labor rights—the right to bargain, the right to have a contract and the right to have union recognition including long established union security clauses providing for dues.

 

The Democratic Party took over the message and shifted it to a blander mixture with a focus on corruption. The national Democratic Party essentially ran away from the Wisconsin battle in a way that once again shows that they have no interest in supporting labor’s cause. President Obama did not come to the state to support the fight for basic rights. His absence served as another example from a long list of unfulfilled campaign promises—that he would walk on union picket lines after he became president and that he would fight to get labor laws passed with fairer terms for union elections—the Employee Free Choice Act—and more.

 

Role of labor

 

The ranks of labor were pushing for a battle in the electoral arena. Public unions put significant money and organizational resources into the fight. These unions included the teachers unions, firefighters, AFSCME (state city and county workers), SEIU and others.

 

However, two locals in Milwaukee—police and fire unions—endorsed Walker in the recall, while no statewide unions did. It is important to remember that Walker exempted these unions from any of the negative effects of his anti-collective bargaining law. Firefighters, of course, are workers that all of labor should support, and this local union betrayal was especially odious because an African American firefighter and union leader was a candidate for lieutenant governor.

 

Instead of a message that public workers have rights that everyone should have, the anti-labor story is that if anyone has a wage, a right or a pension that others do not have, then we should take it away from them.

While Walker is most known for his initial attack against the public sector unions, the construction trades also joined the recall effort in a more significant way than in almost any other previous fight. The statewide Operating Engineers Local 139, with about 9,000 members, previously had endorsed Scott Walker for governor in 2010 on the promise that he would not support Right to Work legislation while delivering a larger budget for bridges and infrastructure. Walker’s flip on that overcame reservations about the Democratic candidate who, as a Mayor of Milwaukee, bargained hard against them on major contracts.

 

Union leaders had come together as a coalition and chosen Democratic Party politician Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk as their candidate in the recall primary. The time limits imposed by the state’s election process required quick action, but the union leaders’ lack of involvement among the hundreds of thousands of activists who had put the recall on the ballot was a signal of things of things to come. Falk was defeated in the recall primary by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (who had previously been defeated by Walker in 2010).

 

No thought was given to having a truly independent candidate with a real program addressing workers’ needs. Eventually, the labor leaders deferred to the regular Democratic Party pundits and confined the campaign to a shifting message that did not resonate with people.

 

Support for labor from the most oppressed communities

 

Organizations and leaders in the African American and Latino communities—some of the most oppressed sectors of the population—campaigned hard to get rid of Scott Walker. Early reports reveal that record numbers were mobilized to vote.

 

SEIU had organizers working in poor communities for some time to help mobilize action and exert power on a number of issues.

 

Democrat Barrett’s concession speech

 

When Barrett took the podium to announce that he had lost the race, he stressed that now is the time to “work together” with Walker. This is typical “good form” for a Democratic Party leader but poison for labor. Now is not the time to work with union busters; now is the time to organize even more diligently against them.

 

He talked about “democracy”—but not workers democracy. He called on people to stay engaged with city and state politics.

 

Why did some workers vote for Walker?

 

Without a doubt some people are wondering: What were they thinking! Why did they vote for Walker?

 

The Walker campaign focused on taxes and make-believe figures on job creation. Their message was that greedy public sector workers and their unions were costing the taxpayers exorbitant amounts for high wages and lavish pensions that others don’t have.

 

Walker constantly refers to “union bosses” and his allies frequently refer to “union thugs” or “union goons”. These terms turn reality on its head. If he were speaking the truth, he would be talking about the captains of finance who are his bosses and who are financing and directing his actions.

 

When Walker’s Wisconsin budget bill was passed, it increased spending in FY 2013 on prisons while imposing $792 million in aid cuts to school districts, $250 million in cuts to the university system and $71.6 million in cuts to technical colleges. In addition, nearly $500 million was cut from Medicaid programs, eliminating necessary important components of health care. At the same time, these financial bosses have gotten Walker and the legislature to approve $1.6 billion in corporate tax breaks over the next 10 years. Profits have increased—but not jobs.

 

That is their program, and they sell it by vilifying labor. In areas reached mostly by right-wing radio and governed by right-wing elites from the pulpit to the County Board, the Big Lie works. It is a Big Lie that has been in development since the 1940s and especially since the 1960s. As corporations move production overseas, the ruling class spins the story in a way to blame unions here for “pricing themselves out of the market.” They spin the story to divide workers in the United States from workers abroad.

 

In 2012 so far, General Electric has moved its medical equipment division headquarters from Waukesha, Wisconsin to Shanghai, China. The Thermo-Fisher Corporation is planning to move nearly 1,100 jobs from Wisconsin to Mexico.

 

In the race for maximum profits at any cost and the race to shove workers down to the lowest level of rights and pay on a world scale, they have refined the Big Lie technique and used it on a mass scale.

 

The truth about public services such education, health care, child welfare and transportation is never told. These services are rights that were won through struggle—and which would never be provided by private companies that only care about profit.

 

The truth about public workers is never told—that their pay is modest, that most do not qualify for social security and their only pension is what the union has been able to win in a contract or through legislation.

 

Instead of a message that public workers have rights that everyone should have, the story is that if anyone has a wage, a right or a pension that others do not have, then we should take it away from them. And at the same time ignore the vast wealth of the CEOs. Ignore the vast profits made by the banks and the holders of state and local government bonds who get their interest payments first from every state budget while programs for the people get cut.

 

The principal blame for the election result in Wisconsin is not with the workers of Wisconsin but with the rich who spin this message and who control the levers of power in that state and around the country.

 

The road not taken: This is what democracy could have looked like

 

In March of last year, when Walker threw down the gauntlet and signed the “Budget Bill” killing many collective bargaining rights, labor leaders opted to move the struggle from the streets into the electoral arena.

 

Many experienced labor activists, including some leaders in the Madison area, know that workers have greater power in the streets because of the way money controls elections. On Feb. 22, 2011, the 97 unions of the South Central Federation of Labor of Wisconsin, representing 45,000 workers, unanimously passed a resolution calling for the preparation for a general strike.

 

A general strike would have electrified workers everywhere. It could have begun as a one day strike in Wisconsin cities with the greatest union strength and then expanded in terms of both days and areas covered. Millions of workers across the country who were upset with cutbacks, layoffs, privatization and more would have been inspired to take action.

 

Shutting down the state would have been a quicker and more definite blow to Walker and could have resulted in a defeat for Walker as compared to the defeat for labor experienced in the recall election.

 

General strikes are feared by the ruling class. In reference to a Philadelphia teachers strike—Jan. 8 to Feb. 28, 1973—William Usery, director of the Federal Mediation Service, said that “We came within an eyelash this year of having a test of the effectiveness of the general strike as a weapon in the United States—a weapon that has at times paralyzed the economies of France and Italy.” He went on to say that if labor had engaged in the general strike that many had called for—and if they had won—then “there would have been enormous pressures to do it again—and again—and again.”

 

That is the fear of the ruling class. If workers exercise their power, there could be no stopping them. No rights would be out of reach.

 

The Democratic Party is doing all it can to orient people to the November presidential election and away from struggle. Almost without exception labor leaders are focused on that election.

 

Rank-and-file members can learn a lot from this experience in Wisconsin. Labor’s hope lies not in the electoral arena but in solidarity and action on the job and in the community.

 

Content may be reprinted with credit to LiberationNews.org.