Barack Obama, the greatest Flim-Flam man in the history of the world--- a creation and creature of Wall Street, Madison Avenue, Hollywood, corporate lobbyists, the American Medical Association & the insurance industry together with the power generating industry and the lucrative gaming industry--- has been elected to the Presidency of the United States in a "contest" where his "opponent" was a ringer thrown into the race to make Obama look good.
Barack Obama was the hand-picked and chosen candidate of military-financial-industrial complex.
When Barack Obama speaks of people having to make a "common sacrifice," these are code-words for squeezing and squishing the working class.
Wall Street, the bankers and the oil companies profit and the working class gets stuck with the problems.
The working class is going to pay a terrible price for Barack Obama's victory.
The Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council participated in the 2008 Election by trying to warn the working class what to expect from an Obama Administration while campaigning against two candidates: Minnesota U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken and State Representative Shelley Madore--- two opponents of the rights of casino workers, two opponents of single-payer universal health care, two candidates who refused to support the repeal of "at-will hiring, at-will firing."
The Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council has found that if we seek out close races where the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party is investing a lot of time and money, that with some talking to people and armed with leaflets in conjunction with effectively using the Internet, e-mail and blogs we can cost the Democrats important elections in retaliation for our problems not being resolved.
We firmly believe working people must pursue through politics what can not be won at the bargaining table and through other means and the Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council will continue its creative approach in struggling for the rights of casino workers while advancing an agenda promoting the unity of the working class around solving our common problems.
We consider our tactics to have been successful--- the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party and its candidates United States Senate candidate Al Franken and incumbent State Representative Shelley Madore (37-A) might want to keep in mind that Minnesota has thirty-thousand casino workers who are not happy about having to go to work in smoke-filled casinos at poverty wages without any rights under state or federal labor laws as the leaders of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party chooses to befriend the crooked and corrupt owners and managers of the Indian Gaming Industry like Melanie Benjamin who we have seen to it that she has received her just rewards just like Al Franken and Shelley Madore.
The Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council will continue the struggle for the rights of casino workers while advancing an agenda speaking to the needs of the working class for:
* the rights of casino workers to be employed in safe, healthy, smoke-free workplaces with the full rights of all other workers under state and federal labor laws at real living wages--- including the full rights to organize because a union contract is better than any government welfare program;
* an end to these dirty imperialist wars for oil, the dope trade and regional domination--- we want all troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan now, no wars in Iran, Syria or Pakistan;
* single-payer universal health care as the first step towards socialized health care:
* the repeal of "at-will hiring, at-will firing" while supporting legislation and for "card check," the Employee Free Choice Act;
* a minimum wage that is a real living wage legislatively tied to, and based upon, real cost of living factors as calculated and determined by the United States Department of Labor and its Bureau of Labor Statistics;
* a moratorium on home foreclosures and evictions--- we support the organization of unemployed councils and committees in defense of homeowners to militantly fight foreclosures and evictions;
* bailing out the working class instead of Wall Street Bankers;
* a free quality public education through college and university for all;
* full implementation of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
* a speedy implementation of the Millennium Statement for the Elimination of Poverty in our world and with-in the time frame agreed to by the leaders of the world.
The time has come for real change; this change will require united working class action.
We are firmly convinced that the Democratic Party is a dead-end street and a trap for working people; a new working class political party along the lines of Canada's New Democratic Party is called for here in the United States if working people are to advance.
In the mean time... working people must come together in militant, united struggle to push the Obama Administration and the United States Congress along with state and local governments for the real changes required. To these ends, the Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council is willing and prepared to work with all people sharing these common goals and objectives.
Once again, the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party has paid a huge price by ignoring the plight of casino workers. Millions of dollars spent; tens of thousands of volunteer hours wasted simply because the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party continues its anti-labor agenda and its attacks on casino workers.
This Election has been a rejection of George Bush and the Republican Party... we do not yet have a rejection of the neo-liberal Wall Street agenda with an anti-monopoly progressive agenda... we have a huge struggle and much work before us.
We hope Al Franken and his uncaring middle-class backers are full of smiles and jokes this morning.
Education. Organization. Unity. Action.
Yours in the struggle,
Maggie Bird
President,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council