Obama and "economic inequality."

Obama's speech on "economic inequality"... text and video: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/obama-income-inequality-100662.html

This speech should be widely discussed.

Here is my position:

The Democrats have a mean and cruel strategy for 2014 and 2016 which goes like this...

They intend to pass all these phony Minimum Wage increases across the country where they have Democratic majorities--- claim the Republican Congress prevented a Minimum Wage increase nationally, run on that along with all the rhetoric about how they are the party of "jobs, jobs, jobs"--- elect us--- we raised the Minimum Wage where we could and now we are going to put American back to work. 

I would note that for all the talk about "living wages" that when the discussion turns to the Minimum Wage these Democrats pass so-called "increases" that enforce a continued poverty wage when that Minimum Wage is compared to the actual "cost-of-living." Is there anything other than "cost-of-living" that the Minimum Wage can be fairly compared to? No.

Obama talks about putting people to work; but, do you hear Obama or any other Democrats calling to create legislation that would make it mandatory for the president and Congress to work together to attain and maintain full employment? No. Without such full employment legislation, there is no way to enforce accountability from politicians like Obama who talk about "jobs, jobs, jobs."

Obama says he wants to hear from people who have ideas contrary to his own--- but, who does he ask? Republicans. He should be asking liberals, progressives and leftists just like President Franklin D. Roosevelt did.

Roosevelt, unable to get around and confined to a wheelchair, sent his wife, Eleanor, and Frances Perkins out across the country to ask the victims of the economic depression what kind of help they required. They met with Communists and Socialists, trade unionists and activists struggling against racist injustices and inequality.

Who does Obama go to talk to? The Center for American Progress; a bunch of foundation-funded hypocrites who receive their funding from the "philanthropists" who are the same Wall Street parasites growing fatter and richer from paying workers poverty wages--- the very group who helped create a phony image of Obama in the first place. The very group which, along with the Campaign for America's Future and the Century Foundation and the AFL-CIO leadership, helped to smash the movement for single-payer universal health care.

The Democrats had every opportunity to pass a real living Minimum Wage when they had a super-majority; but, like here in Minnesota with a Democratic super-majority, these Democrats CHOSE to do nothing.

Now, with Obama's record being one continual Wall Street assist, these Democrats opportunistically jump in a self-serving way saying they support "living wages" when in fact their passage of poverty Minimum Wage legislation across the country tells their real story--- and whose side they are on.

Obama rewarded Wal-street, whoops, I mean Wal-mart, by appointing the head of the Wal-mart foundation to be the Director of Management and Budget and billionairess Penny Pritzker as Secretary of Commerce.

Where is the Eleanor Roosevelt, Frances Perkins, Harry Hopkins, Victor Perlo, Fred Stover, Rex Tugwell or Henry Wallace in the Obama Administration? They don't exist.

And, as far as the people's movements... where are the Harry Bridges, Wyndham Mortimers, Art Biggs, Phil Raymonds, Albert Fitzgeralds, Charles Hayes and Roger Jourdains?

To win real change it takes a combination of sympathetic and empathetic people in government and people's organizations and movements with militant and determined leaders brought forward through the ranks of these movements.

We don't have the kind of people in government, the massive organizations behind huge movements with the kind of left wing leaders required to win real change... so, Obama pulls off another one of his infamous dog-and-pony shows standing in front of a bunch of his hand-picked "people's advocates" paid by Wall Street who will applaud for him on cue... but, what do we get from Obama and the Democrats? Shit.

We need a "21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity;" the only way we are going to get this is when we are able to elect politicians from within our movements.

How is economic equality achieved when Affirmative Action is not being enforced and the Nation's wealth is being squandered on militarism and these dirty imperialist wars?