"Tax the rich" needs to become not only a new political party but a movement of ordinary people determined to take power from the hands of Wall Street thieves.
The entire economic and political system is as corrupt as Bernard Madoff; yet, of all these Wall Street liars, crooks and thieves, only Bernard Madoff is behind bars. Wall Street was willing to sacrifice one of its own hoping they could continue their scam. In the meantime, we all "do the time" as our country suffers from austerity measures dictated by Wall Street to pay for its wars.
Don't buy into this crap about how we need to "raise the debt limit" or face economic catastrophe--- Wall Street bankers profit from our Nation's debt the same way the Wall Street merchants of death and destruction profit from these wars. We have this debt as a result of over 100 years of dirty imperialist wars.
The web we are trapped in has been spun with lies and deceit.
If we are to free ourselves from this two-party trap spun by Wall Street, ordinary citizens must become politicians and each and every one of us must become active citizen/lobbyists in the "Spirit of 1776" marching in the footsteps of Thomas Paine, Frederick Douglas, Floyd Olson, Elmer Benson, John Bernard, Nellie Stone-Johnson, Roger Jourdain, Rudy Perpich and Paul Wellstone.
If we are going to free ourselves from this two-party trap it will take much more than simply declaring ourselves to be "independents."
What we need is a "Declaration of Independence from the Democratic and Republican parties."
We need a "meeting of the minds" from liberals, progressives and the left united around a common agenda for real change--- for peace, social and economic justice.
These dirty wars must end now--- not later. No nation can continue to squander its wealth on wars; this is like dumping the wealth of the Nation into the sewers and the deepest depths of the oceans. For over 100 years our Nation has been squandering our wealth on dirty imperialist wars defending Wall Street's interests. The rich have profited from these wars in many ways and now the wealth they have accumulated over a century must be taxed to the hilt if we are going to solve our problems.
The worst political blunder in American history was when the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party merged with the thoroughly corrupt Minnesota Democratic Party which was, and remains as the MNDFL, controlled and manipulated by the "Summit Hill Club."
At a time of weakness while under severe attack from the bankers, mining companies, forestry companies, big agri-business and the power generating industries, the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party should have reached outwards to workers and farmers in other states to build a national Farmer-Labor Party for its strength--- not to the Democratic Party.
Today, Minnesotans are paying a very heavy price for not having a political party like the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party which elected two socialist governors: Floyd Olson and Elmer Benson.
"Tax the rich" is a good campaign slogan but if it is going to become the basis for government policies we need a "Tax-the-Rich" political party; a political party that becomes a powerful movement of ordinary people willing to become citizen/politicians and citizen/lobbyists.
We can break free from Wall Street's two-party trap but first we must declare our independence from the Democratic and Republican parties while stepping forward to organize our own political party and movement--- we should call our new political party and movement what we are after: Tax-the-rich.
How is Barack Obama's Wall Street war agenda working for you?
Here is a program for real change:
* Peace--- end the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and shutdown the 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil.
* A National Public Health Care System - ten million new jobs.
* A National Public Child Care System - three to five million new jobs.
* Works Progress Administration - three million new jobs.
* Civilian Conservation Corps - two million new jobs.
* Tax the hell out of the rich and cut the military budget by ending the wars to pay for it all which will create full employment.
* Enforce Affirmative Action; end discrimination.
* Raise the minimum wage to a real living wage
* What tax-payers subsidize in the way of businesses, tax-payers should own and reap the profits from.
* Moratorium on home foreclosures and evictions.
* Defend democracy by defending workers' rights including the right to collective bargaining for improving the lives and livelihoods of working people.
* Roll-back and freeze the price of food, electricity, gas and heating fuels; not wages, benefits or pensions.
* Wall Street is our enemy.
* A National Public Health Care System - ten million new jobs.
* A National Public Child Care System - three to five million new jobs.
* Works Progress Administration - three million new jobs.
* Civilian Conservation Corps - two million new jobs.
* Tax the hell out of the rich and cut the military budget by ending the wars to pay for it all which will create full employment.
* Enforce Affirmative Action; end discrimination.
* Raise the minimum wage to a real living wage
* What tax-payers subsidize in the way of businesses, tax-payers should own and reap the profits from.
* Moratorium on home foreclosures and evictions.
* Defend democracy by defending workers' rights including the right to collective bargaining for improving the lives and livelihoods of working people.
* Roll-back and freeze the price of food, electricity, gas and heating fuels; not wages, benefits or pensions.
* Wall Street is our enemy.
How is Barack Obama's Wall Street war economy working for you?
Let's talk about the politics and economics of livelihood for a real change.
Let's talk about the politics and economics of livelihood for a real change.
Something to think about around the dinner table this evening.
What you can do:
* Circulate this blog posting.
* Write a "letter to the editor."
* Become your own lobbyist by becoming a blogger.
* Consider running for public office.
* Become a citizen/lobbyist/activist.
* Organize a get-together in your home with a few friends and lets talk about these things. This is where real change begins--- in your living room or sitting around the kitchen table.
I'm fed up; are you?
Check out this short YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEYwVb-6TeE
Here in Minnesota we have learned that you can't hope to tax the rich without a new political party that is part of a broad people's movement for change. We have learned that it is the same Wall Street crowd that profits from wars that is against taxing the rich to pay for social programs.
For anyone who thinks this "battle over the budget" is at an end they are in for a rude awakening--- the real troubles are yet to begin.
"The Summit Hill Club" reminds me of the old Finnish feudal lords and these old Finnish feudal lords weren't dragged down from their hills without quite a little ruckus.
Yours in the struggle,
Alan L. Maki
Former elected member
State Central Committee
Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party
Read about what one citizen did when he decided it was time for change--- check out the new book written by our neighbor to the north from Manitoba, Howard Pawley: Keep True. Get Keep True from your local library; if the library doesn't have it you can get it through the inter-library loan program. A great summer read.