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, March 21, 2014

No end to the stupidity and the hypocrisy of the millionaire labor "leaders" on the question of the Minimum Wage.

The AFL-CIO sent out another e-mail today about raising the Minimum Wage.

The sheer stupidity and hypocrisy just doesn't end.

The AFL-CIO and their "press conference coalition" (holding a press conference is their idea of struggle) of foundation-funded Democratic Party front groups have been backing a Minimum Wage of $9.50 pushed by the Democrats here in Minnesota.

Now, get what they say here in the e-mail today:

"These questions and many others are answered for one low-wage woman and her family in the new HBO documentary, "Paycheck to Paycheck." Katrina Gilbert is a single mother of three children younger than 7 who is trying to survive while earning $9.49 an hour as a certified nursing assistant at a nursing home. Watch the full documentary online and meet some of the real people whose lives depend on raising wages."

I don't think one-cent, one penny, more is going to help Katrina Gilbert pay her bills; do you?

Does it make any sense that the AFL-CIO would advocate for another poverty Minimum Wage which they acknowledge in their own e-mail sent out today, after six-months of daily e-mails advocating a Minimum Wage of $9.50?

Question: Why wouldn't labor unions back a Minimum Wage that is tied to all cost-of-living factors?

Why would anyone advocate for a Minimum Wage knowing the wage they are advocating is just one more poverty wage working class families can't make ends meet on?

Please; someone, anyone, explain this publicly to help us all understand this push for a $9.50 Minimum Wage.

And we know there won't even be a Minimum Wage of $9.50 because the Democrats know they have these millionaire labor "leaders" so tightly wrapped around their little finger that no matter what the "increase" will be, these millionaire labor "leaders" and these foundation-funded front groups for the Democrats who more loyal to the Democrats than the working class will respond to whatever meatless bone they are thrown with: "It's the best we can get; we wouldn't even get this from the Republicans."

When will left-thinking workers begin to organize rank-and-file organizations to take on these millionaire labor "leaders" who can't "negotiate" anything other than concession contracts for them as these same labor "leaders" are brought into a struggle initiated by unorganized rank-and-file workers and grassroots activists from working class families?

Workers paying union dues paying the big fat salaries of these millionaire labor "leaders" need to be careful because someone might just step forward and say something like, "If $9.50 is good enough for me its good enough for everyone."