Presentation to Minnesota's Legislative Commission on poverty: The Ladder Out of Poverty Task Force

Ms. Amy Brenengen,

Please include these comments in the minutes of your "Ladder Out of Poverty Task Force" meeting.

Thank you.

Alan


I am often asked  when I speak to groups across Minnesota: 

What would you do to end poverty?

Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!

Real living wage jobs!

The point of having a job is so you don't have to be poor; anyone without a job is pretty much guaranteed of being poor. 

Every job an employer requires to be done, the worker doing that job should be paid a real living wage and this should be required, by law: every employee must receive a real living wage--- no exclusions.

We need to tax the rich, and end these wars so we have money to solve the problems of people and society which will create jobs. This is a most basic and fundamental concept that politicians don't seem to grasp:

Solving the problems of people and society is what creates real jobs paying real living wages.

A national public health care system would create around ten million new jobs and a national public child care system would create millions of jobs more--- putting people to work solving our problems creates jobs and ends poverty.




Government has a responsibility to create jobs; private industry has failed. That small business creates jobs is just plain bunk; there is no substance to this myth. Small business creates poverty wage jobs. No one goes to work to stay poor.

Also, we need a minimum wage that is a real living wage based on all cost of living factors where adjustments are made quarterly to keep up with cost of living increases which continue to rise as big-business strives to make greater profits in the midst of this very serious economic crisis which will have no end for working people.

The minimum wage should be a real living wage based upon, and legislatively tied to, the scientific calculations as tabulated by the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

These wars are making us poor as individuals and as a Nation. Peace is pretty much a requirement for creating jobs and ending poverty.

Universal social programs aimed at solving each of the points of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights is required in order to end poverty... mere words on pieces of paper cannot be eaten by hungry children.

There is no reason why in the wealthiest country in the world every school child shouldn't be receiving a free breakfast and free lunch in our public schools; especially in a state like Minnesota where farmers profit by keeping valuable crop lands out of production and the grain companies and dairies have tremendous "waste." Put people to work growing food to feed school children and make waste of food by corporations a crime.

Poverty can not be fought or stemmed as long as working people are losing jobs to plant closings. Whether mines, mills or factories, the state should take over under public ownership any closing operations like the St. Paul Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant.

Anyone with the least little bit of common sense understands that when working people are not working wealth is not being created. Tremendous wealth is going to be required to solve the problems associated with poverty, and ending poverty.

We need to recognize that these wars that are costing us so much financially are at the same time killing jobs the same way they kill people... these wars make us poor.

This "Ladder Out of Poverty Task Force" has a responsibility to place this question before all Minnesotans:

How is the war economy working for you?

Let me remind the members of this "Task Force" that many Minnesotans have, literally, been driven into poverty by this private, for-profit health care system which is also responsible for many people losing their homes because they are not able to pay health care costs.

Finally, let me remind the members of this "Ladder Out of Poverty Task Force" that you have intentionally placed over 200,000 Minnesotans, some 40,000 families, in poverty by approving the "Compacts" creating the Indian Gaming Industry in a way that has, in violation of all international labor standards and norms and in complete violation of what the entire world recognizes to be human rights, FORCED over 40,000 casino workers here in Minnesota to work in loud, noisy, smoke-filled casinos at POVERTY WAGES where the minimum wage is not enforced by either the Minnesota Department of Labor or the United States Department of Labor and where these casino workers are denied ALL other protections under state and federal labor laws. If the government of Minnesota hasn't created a recipe for poverty while enabling the owners of the slot machines and table games to amass tremendous wealth than what would you call this? In fact, people like John McCarthy of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association who has bribed many of you on this "Task Force" to turn a blind eye to these injustices has amassed fabulous wealth as a direct result of how the Indian Gaming Industry has led to a deepening of poverty on Indian Reservations. I further note, that in violation of all labor laws and human rights standards, right under your noses, the huge Mystic Lake Casino operation forces each and everyone of its more than 5,000 employees to sign statements as a condition of their employment that they understand that they will be immediately terminated from employment should they engage in union organizing activities. To these ends, of denying casino workers the right to organize collectively and to engage in collective bargaining--- we all know that a good union contract is better than any government anti-poverty program or what the philanthropists fund through foundations--- tens of millions of dollars are being spent at this time by the casino managements in Minnesota to hire union-busting outfits like USIS/Altegrity in order to keep working people poor. I would further note that poverty is being imposed on the Indian Nations in the most racist manner in order to maintain a pool of cheap labor for these casino operations.

Women, people of color and young workers suffer the brunt of the poverty created by the Indian Gaming Industry in Minnesota while growing numbers of senior citizens are now forced to take jobs in these casinos because the economic collapse has robbed them of their retirement savings and impoverished them.

Might I remind you that the health problems casino workers incur from second-hand smoke are among the most costly to treat--- heart and lung problems and cancers; and, people with such illnesses usual end up in deeper poverty than what their poverty wage jobs working under these conditions force upon them. 
Which brings me to my conclusion:

Not one member of this "Ladder out of Poverty Task Force" nor any member of the Minnesota State Legislature ever come forward insisting affirmative action be enforced in Minnesota. Quite literally, it is criminal that state departments like the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and the Department of Transportation have refused to enforce affirmative action as intended by federal Executive Order #11246 even though most large state projects like the Bemidji Regional Event Center receive substantial federal funds, too.

There is a certain sad and sick irony that the Minnesota State Legislature establishes a "Ladder Out of Poverty Task Force" while government works behind the scenes under the cover of darkness and "under the color of law" to create poverty because those providing you with lucrative campaign contributions get wealthy because they keep so many people poor.

Keep in mind when discussing poverty that behind every single statistic is a living, breathing human being living in poverty. 

Playwright Bertolt Brecht said is best:


"The rich create the poor but cannot stand to look at them." 


I would also note that the poorest amongst us, Native American Indians, don't have one single seat in the Minnesota State Legislature. Deprivation of democracy is, also, apparently, the cost of being poor in Minnesota... just like casino workers who have no rights at work have no rights in the communities where they live... something you might not understand--- or not want to understand--- but might want to think about.


Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council 


Quoting Amy Brenengen :

Meeting dates and times have been posted for the Ladder Out of Poverty Task Force:  See below and posted here:  http://www.commissions.leg.state.mn.us/ladder/meetings.html

 ###

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Asset Development Work Group
Thursday, October 21, 2010
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Room 112, State Capitol
Agenda: To be announced

Financial Literacy Work Group
Friday, October 22, 2010
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Basement Hearing Room, State Office Building
Agenda: To be announced

Community Supports Work Group
Meeting Date: To be announced (This meeting will occur the day following the special session)
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Room: To be announced
Agenda: To be announced

Ladder Out of Poverty Task Force (Full Task Force Meeting)
Co-Chairs: Rep. Morrie Lanning and Sen. Michael Jungbauer
Thursday, November 18, 2010
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Basement Hearing Room, State Office Building
Agenda: To be announced

Ladder Out of Poverty Task Force (Full Task Force Meeting)
Co-Chairs: Rep. Morrie Lanning and Sen. Michael Jungbauer
Monday, June 13, 2011
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Room: To be annouced
Agenda: To be announced

Ladder Out of Poverty Task Force (Full Task Force Meeting)
Co-Chairs: Rep. Morrie Lanning and Sen. Michael Jungbauer
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Room: To be announced
Agenda: To be announced

Ladder Out of Poverty Task Force (Full Task Force Meeting)
Co-Chairs: Rep. Morrie Lanning and Sen. Michael Jungbauer
Monday, December 5, 2011
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Room: To be announced
Agenda: To be announced

###

Amy Brenengen
Director, Office on the Economic Status of Women
LCC Staff Liaison, Ladder Out of Poverty Task Force
651-296-0711

Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council

58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763

Phone: 218-386-2432
Cell Phone: 651-587-5541

E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net

Check out my Blog:
http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/

One Nation rally: Is the message being sent to the wrong person?

I don't get it... why is this rally being pawned off by the primary organizers themselves as a response to Glenn Beck, which has prompted the media to hone in on this?

Why isn't this rally being touted by the organizers as a caution to Barack Obama and the Democrats to do what they promised or they aren't getting the votes of liberals, progressives and the left?

Aren't the organizers of this rally the same ones who said, "Vote for
Obama and the Democrats and we will hold their feet to the fire?"

Now, here we are, two years later and these party hacks like Leah Daughtry say they are sending a message to Glenn Beck!

Glenn Beck isn't the president of the United States--- the message needs to go to Barack Obama and the Democrats who apparently didn't listen very well to Harry Belafonte's speech.