Texas Longhorns with newborn calf in Bluebonnets

Texas Longhorns with newborn calf in Bluebonnets

Please note I have a new phone number...

512-517-2708

Alan Maki

Alan Maki
Doing research at the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas

It's time to claim our Peace Dividend

It's time to claim our Peace Dividend

We need to beat swords into plowshares.

We need to beat swords into plowshares.

A program for real change...

http://peaceandsocialjustice.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-progressive-program-for-real-change.html


What we need is a "21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity" which would make it a mandatory requirement that the president and Congress attain and maintain full employment.


"Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by concerned citizens"

- Ben Franklin

Let's talk...

Let's talk...

Friday, December 7, 2012

Right to Work

The "Right-to-Work-for-Less" dilemma should be demonstrating to working people something is drastically out of kilter in the labor movement--- actually, something wrong with organized labor because there isn't much of a movement other than that which is led by Democratic Party hacks providing the analysis and pointing the way... pointing the way straight to hell.

I really don't think the "leaders" of organized labor, Richard Trumka and his crew of 50 or so cronies on the AFL-CIO's Executive Council have a clue as to what is going on in this country and because they are so well off themselves with their corporate executive type salaries they don't even care.

On the other hand, rank-and-file workers had better care and bring themselves up to speed on what is going on--- and going down (their standard of living)--- real fast or we are in for a real rough ride from here on out as war upon war makes us all poor.

A part of right-to-work-for-less is "At-will employment" legislation which is the PRIMARY obstacle and impediment to union organizing to begin with. Why hasn't organized labor and their Democratic Party partners rescinded "At-will employment" legislation when they have super majorities in states like Minnesota?

Why isn't the General Strike used to oppose Right-to-Work-for-Less legislation in a state like Michigan?

Why hasn't organized labor proposed a real living--- non-poverty--- minimum wage tied to all cost of living factors and indexed to inflation constantly re-calculated quarterly?

Why hasn't organized labor advocated for massive universal social programs like a national public health care system, national public child care system, re-establishment of WPA, CCC and CETA?

Why hasn't organized labor taken the lead in explaining how to fund massive government universal social programs by advocating a "peace dividend" which would result from ending these dirty wars and propping up the Israeli killing machine in addition for calling for taxing the hell out of the rich and corporate profits?

Why? Why? Why?

Because progressives have been bullied into silence by Obama's supporters. Advocating real specific solutions to working people's problems would come into conflict with Barack Obama's and the Democrat's Wall Street agenda which is the same pernicious Republican agenda of funding sprawling military bases and wars abroad defending Wall Street's interests paid for with austerity measures shoved down our throats.

Failing to see the push for "Right-to-Work-for-Less" legislation as part of Wall Street's agenda to further cripple labor is part of Wall Street's drive to bust the unions because the unions MIGHT become part of the bulwark to Wall Street's imperialist agenda both abroad and here at home.

Once the rank-and-file forces its leaders to consider using all of its weapons, including the General Strike, to fight back against what the employers are doing in this country we will begin to see some progress. But, staying tied to the tail of these Dumb Donkeys picking up what the sparrows leave behind definitely will lead labor to defeat after defeat. We need to build an alternative working class based people's party in this country similar to the most successful third party movement that has ever existed in this country the socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party.

I really think we all UNDERSTAND what is at stake with Right-to-Work-for-Less legislation but do we all understand how this is part of Wall Street's agenda and that we need to now consider using all the weapons we have and create the ones we need?

Do we all understand that Right-to-Work-for-Less is part of the employers' agenda that also includes "At-will employment" and Taft-Hartley along with wars and an attack on universal social programs which need to be vigorously defended and widely expanded?

Do we all really understand that we need to bring forward a progressive agenda for real change that re-constitutes the historic coalition of working class liberals, progressives and leftists if we are going to begin winning these battles?

Do we all understand that we can't strengthen the hand of employers by supporting their candidates who are both Democrats and Republicans? Will we try to free ourselves from this two-party trap Wall Street set for us as they use the twin evils of "lesser-evilism" and fear to lure us into this two-party trap?

Do we all understand that we cannot strengthen the employers' hand by voting for their candidates and then expect to have the strength to successfully fight back?

There is a reason organized labor is always one or more steps behind this employers' attack and unable to defend its gains or win anything of substance. We had better think long and hard about what we need to do to turn things around because we are being dragged down the road leading straight to hell. 

We had better start thinking in terms of challenging Wall Street for political and economic power.

We had better start thinking about placing socialism on the table for consideration by the American people because otherwise we are doomed. Capitalism is on the skids to oblivion dragging us all down.