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...

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Tell the Dumb Donkeys to go to hell.

The Democrats have become very adept at perverting the meaning of very basic words in the English language like "progressive" and even "peace."

Give these people a dictionary not your votes. 

Perverting and distorting the meanings of words fits in very well with their "bait-and-switch" scams.

They say they are for single-payer universal health care; they deliver Obamacare, the "Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industry Bailout and Profit Maximization Act of 2010."

They ran on a platform of making the Minimum Wage a real living wage; we got another poverty wage.

Obama and the Democrats promised to help Main Street; they bailed out Wall Street as home foreclosures continue to soar.

Every single working class family in this country is the victim of "cost-of-living crisis;" Obama and the Democrats allow and encourage the prices of everything from food to gas, home heating fuels to soar as the only thing they use the economic levers of government to control (depress) are wages while corporate profits reach unregulated and under-taxed record levels.  

Then there was the promise of "jobs, jobs, jobs;" what we got was more unemployment and jobs with lower wages and less benefits as the Democrats refuse to rescind and repeal this hideous "At-Will Employment;" refuse to ban scabbing and employer lock-outs with massive cuts in unemployment compensation and food stamps.

Protection of the environment was another promise--- militarism and these dirty imperialist wars are leaving behind the largest carbon footprint destroying our living environment.

We were promised by Obama an open and transparent government--- what we got was a government cloaking its undemocratic and murderous schemes in secrecy combined with the most outrageous litany of never-ending lies, deceit, cover-up and political repression. 

The worst "BAIT-AND-SWITCH" scheme we got from the Democrats has been the promise of peace; all we get is increased militarism and war on top of war.

I wouldn't bother to walk across the street to vote for another Democrat.

These "progressive" Democrats are just a bunch of phonies and scam artists just like Obama who they supported.

Now they will be trying to pass off Hillary Clinton as a "progressive" pushing the politics of the country so far to the right that it provides a political atmosphere where it is impossible to tell a Democrat from a Republican. 

Our only hope is to break free from this two-party trap in challenging Wall Street for political and economic power.

In my opinion, what real progressives, liberals and the left need to unite around is a "21st Century Full-Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity" based on the promises so eloquently articulated in the "United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights," but never delivered. 

The time has come to build a new working class based progressive people's party that will bring forward, and deliver, peace, jobs, equality and justice for all.

Capitalism and its most corrupt advanced imperialist stage is done for... only socialism, people working together for the common good placing people and the environment before profits will save us.

Just tell these Dumb Donkeys to go to hell. 

Alan L. Maki

Friday, April 25, 2014

A National Approach for Making the Minimum Wage a Living Wage Join Us for a 2-Hour Conference Call Discussion Sunday, April 27, 2014 8-10pm ET / 7-9pm CT / 6-8pm MT / 5-7pm PT Telephone Call-in: 857-232-0157 • Access Code: 353711 Panel Cindy Sheehan, California Peace & Freedom Party Gubernatorial Candidate Lena Buggs, Minnesota Green Party, State House District 65-A Legislative Candidate Alan Maki, Director of Organizing, Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council Theresa Sanchez, Union Steward, Local #1, Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union Frank “Pancho” Valdez, retired trade unionist, Green Party activist Curtis Buckanaga, Asst. to District III Rep. for Leech Lake, Ojibwe Reservation Bill Leumer, former President IAM Local 565, Labor Fightback Network Steering Committee member Mel Rothenberg, founding member of Chicago Political Economy Group, co-author of "A Permanent Jobs Program for the U.S.: Economic Restructuring to Meet Human Needs." Moderator: Devon Nola, Justice Party of New York Each panelist will give a 5-minute presentation during the first hour. The second hour will be open to discussion with Q&A between callers and panelists. Sponsored by: Uniting People for Peace, Equality, Full Employment, Universal Healthcare and Environmental Protection Contact info: Tel: (203) 402-8745 E-mail: unitingpeople1@gmail.com Blog: www.unitingpeopleworks4us.blogspot.com FaceBook: www.facebook.com/USlivablewage A bold livable wage policy must be viewed as a “keystone” fiscal mechanism that will trigger subsequent structural changes in the U.S. economic system to achieve an equitable distribution of wealth and income for all members of our society.

This Sunday evening...

 

A National Approach for Making the Minimum Wage a Living Wage

Join Us for a 2-Hour Conference Call Discussion

Sunday, April 27, 2014

8-10pm ET / 7-9pm CT / 6-8pm MT / 5-7pm PT

Telephone Call-in: 857-232-0157 • Access Code: 353711

Panel

Cindy Sheehan, California Peace & Freedom Party
Gubernatorial Candidate

Lena Buggs, Minnesota Green Party, State House District 65-A Legislative Candidate

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

Theresa Sanchez, Union Steward, Local #1, Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union

Frank “Pancho” Valdez, retired trade unionist, Green Party activist

Curtis Buckanaga, Asst. to District III Rep. for Leech Lake, Ojibwe Reservation

Bill Leumer, former President IAM Local 565, Labor Fightback Network Steering Committee member

Mel Rothenberg, founding member of Chicago Political Economy Group, co-author of "A Permanent Jobs Program for the U.S.: Economic Restructuring to Meet Human Needs."

Moderator:
Devon Nola
, Justice Party of New York


Each panelist will give a 5-minute presentation during the first hour. The second hour will be open to discussion with Q&A between callers and panelists.

Sponsored by:

Uniting People for Peace, Equality, Full Employment, Universal Healthcare and Environmental Protection


Contact info:

Tel: (203) 402-8745

E-mail: unitingpeople1@gmail.com

Blog: www.unitingpeopleworks4us.blogspot.com

FaceBook: www.facebook.com/USlivablewage


A bold livable wage policy must be viewed as a “keystone” fiscal mechanism that will trigger subsequent structural changes in the U.S. economic system to achieve an equitable distribution of wealth and income for all members of our society.

Help launch a national campaign to make the Minimum Wage a real living wage.

Politicians, employers and unions have banded together in Seattle just like the Democrats, unions, foundation-funded outfits and church groups here in Minnesota joined with the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce (the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party's "Business Caucus" or Summit Hill Club) to rob workers of a real living Minimum Wage that was promised in return for workers voting for these Democrats... workers have been the victims of an elaborately concocted "bait-and-switch" scheme.

Since this Democratic Party coalition is now insisting that any employer paid compensation packages like health care, dental care, eyes and hearing, child care and higher education subsidies be considered part of the Minimum Wage we need to talk about the need for all of this to become legislation for government universal social programs rather continuing to be ripped off by the for-profit sectors providing these services to workers while gouging workers thus turning this struggle for a living Minimum Wage into a farce and a sham where employers continue to reap super-profits from poverty wages as these other service providers also reap super-profits from this trough of poverty wages--- what a scam these employers are scheming to plan.

It would seem to me that this would be a good time to bring forward the need for universal social programs as the way to counter what the employers (and apparently unions?) are demanding in the way of health, etc. care being considered part of the Minimum Wage.

For example, there is no way a Public Health Care System--- socialized health care should cost any more a month than Social Security. A Public Child Care System, too. Both working just like our public schools--- publicly financed, publicly administered and publicly delivered. Way cheaper than the present for profit health care system.

So, you tell them to institute public universal social programs (everyone in) for each type of "compensation package" they want deducted from the $15.00.

But, this is where the "$15.00" movement has been very short sighted. This movement is working with a false figure derived from the U.S. Census Bureau (which only use four cost-of-living categories) instead of the Consumer Price Index of the United States Department of Labors' Bureau of Labor Statistics (which monitors EIGHT categories and 200 sub-categories).

It won't surprise me if all the union "leaders" don't agree with the employers on this because they have worked hand-in-hand with these same employers to force concession contracts down their own member's throats and SEIU has engaged in the practice of offering employers sweetheart contracts in return for union dues.

Here in Minnesota, ALL of the AFL-CIO and Change To Win affiliated unions supported the switch pulled by the Democrats for $9.50 an hour and they were even going to bring in Richard Trumka to support this but Trumka backed out when he knew there was going to be resistance at the rally they had planned for the Humphrey Center at the university of Minnesota where he was going to be greeted by demonstrators exposing the "bait and switch" pulled by the Democrats, the foundation-funded outfits, labor leaders and the churches... most likely the "$15.00" movement will face the exact same coalition in Seattle and elsewhere.

To win a real living Minimum Wage is going to take a campaign that is willing to educate workers about what the real "cost-of-living" actually is based on the fact working class families are experiencing a "cost-of-living crisis" and that the Minimum Wage needs to be tied to both increases in the "cost-of-living" and to inflation which are not the same... monopoly price-fixing is the main reason prices rise and the spending on militarism and wars is the main reason for inflation.

The prices of the basic necessities of life are now under the pretty much complete control of the monopolies.

Obviously the Democrats and their partners, the coalition mentioned above, with their wars on the one hand and "economic populism" full of "bait-and-switch" (single-payer deliver Obamacare; living wage deliver poverty wages, etc.) on the other hand don't want to talk about "cost-of-living," "cost-of-living crisis" or militarism and wars which are making us all poor as austerity measures are being shoved down our throats to pay for all this militarism and wars instead of Public Health Care and Child Care Programs, CCC, WPA and CETA as well as a Conyers type job creation program.

Not coincidentally, this same Democratic Party coalition which stood opposed to single-payer and smashed the single-payer movement is now using the same strategy to smash the $15.00 movement.

Notice that the people's movements were sucked into supporting half-measure reforms in both situations when the demands should have been very clear--- a National Public Health Care System and a Minimum Wage legislatively tied to the "cost-of-living" automatically increased for rising prices and inflation with periodic increases providing for an improved standard-of-living.

We have also failed to define small business as distinct from big-business and family owned businesses like the mom-and-pop convenience store--- there is no way an employer of 15 or more people can't afford a real living wage of between $22.00 and $26.00 an hour which the Minimum Wage would be if using the BLS' CPI. The solution should be obvious for the legitimate small business which employs mostly family members--- just eliminate Minimum Wage enforcement; if someone wants to pay their spouse, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandpa and grandma $1.00 an hour let them. But all this crap with wealthy people buying franchises and then claiming they can't pay a living wage is a bunch of bullshit. Here in Minnesota, the main opponent to raising the Minimum Wage was State Senator Tom Bakk, a building trades union official in his past life, who cried big crocodile tears for the group homes, hotels, motels bars and restaurants.

What is a small business? Does anyone really know except the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (LOL!): 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_business 

A little sarcasm to make a point:

If any industry or business legitimately can't pay the Minimum Wage, certainly no union has any business trying to organize them--- using the logic being pushed by the AFL-CIO. If Target and Wal-mart along with McDonald's and Taco Bell can't afford to pay employees real living Minimum Wages this means unionization would kill them, too--- and this of course is the argument used by big business all the time. So, hey; just phase out unions and implement a government social contract covering all workers except those employed in legitimate family operated small businesses of under 15 employees.

Should a union even be allowed to organize any company defined as a "small business" that can't afford to pay a real living Minimum Wage because using this logic of exempting small business from the full Minimum Wage would lead anyone pushing this notion that unionization of that business would for sure kill the business just like management would surely claim--- and always does; but somehow miracles always happen and the business survives unionization.

I can show you hundreds of businesses with fewer than 25 employees that are unionized--- each of the managements claimed unionization would kill their business; and here they are celebrating 25th and 50 years and longer of being in business.

Unionization of a small business is going to cost that business well over $35.00 an hour and if this doesn't kill a small business how would paying employees a Minimum Wage of $22.00 to $26.00 an hour kill these small businesses?

What we are facing is a union leadership that is demanding dues for raising the living standards of the entire working class--- these union "leaders" in pushing these poverty Minimum Wages of $9.50 and $10.10 are essentially saying, "If we don't get a cut of rising wages, we don't give a fuck if you people stay poor."

Look at who we had pushing the poverty Minimum Wage of $9.50 through the Minnesota legislature and signed into law by the governor:

All Democrats with a Democratic super-majority where Republicans had no say and could only cry:

A corporate/business lawyer in the State House, Representative Paul Thiessen.

A big-shot from the building trades union in the State Senate, Tom Bakk.

And a billionaire Governor, Mark Dayton, whose wealth is derived from the poverty wages of the Dayton-Hudson Company, now Target Stores. 

Of course, the millionaire labor leaders of the AFL-CIO's Executive Council and their state counterparts, millionaires like Eliot Seide of AFSCME, wouldn't be able to shove all these concession contracts down their members throats if there was a focus on "cost-of-living" and the true state of affairs where every single working class family is experiencing a "cost-of-living crisis."

Did you ever hear Richard Trumka so much as mention this "cost-of-living crisis" that is a reality for every single working class family?

Are we just supposed to keep our mouths shut in the name of some kind of desired "unity" as to what is really going on as these Democrats and their hacks jerk us around?  



We need to get this all figured out... join the National Conference Call...


Don't forget to check out and join the FaceBook pages, also:

Check out my "Letter to the Editor" on the "Bait-and-Switch" politics of the Democrats:

http://www.ifallsjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/beware-of-the-bait-and-switch/article_cfd312be-7955-57eb-8120-fa4b44cb4e3d.html


Did anyone really believe that Seattle's employers would not come back fighting this proposed increase in the Minimum Wage to $15.00 an hour? Is this not the same community where the police were turned loose to savage working people who came out to peacefully protest against these trade agreements and the same city where the police beat the hell out of the Communist-led unemployed demonstrations of the 1930's and sent the police out to viciously attack the IWW soap-box speakers who tried to explain the need for the working class to fight for their rights and livelihoods and the same politicians who tried to have the police beat into submission the longshore workers led by Harry Bridges and the city that turned the HUAC hearings into a vicious attack on the CPUSA, organized labor and students? And isn't Seattle the same city that sent police thugs out to try to bust the organizing efforts of Boeing workers initially led by Wyndham Mortimer who had led the organizing drive that forced General Motors to sign a contract with the UAW?

What was expected from Seattle's ruling class when it was suggested the Minimum Wage should be $15.00?

Isn't it obvious to anyone that this struggle to raise the Minimum Wage to a real living wage is going to have to be a well thought out, coordinated national struggle in which the leadership arises from the grassroots working class communities and rank-and-file activists?

That the struggle for a living Minimum Wage is connected first and foremost to "cost-of-living" and the "cost-of-living crisis" for working class families is the most important aspect of this struggle... what the Minimum Wage dollar figure will be established at follows from this and not the other way around.

In fact, for many cities across this country, cities are not even allowed to enact Minimum Wage legislation.

Already, most of the states with Democratic super-majorities have enacted Minimum Wage "increases" which once again makes government the enforcer of poverty for millions of working class families. This also needs to be exposed that these Democrats, no different from the Republicans are using the levers of government (legislation) to enforce poverty--- thus assuring not only the poverty of millions; but a huge pool of impoverished workers intended to pressure all wages. down.

Going at this rate it won't be long before all workers are in the same boat as workers employed in the loud, noisy, smoke-filled casinos of the Indian Gaming Industry at exclusively poverty wages without any rights or any voice at work.

Of course, all workers in this country are employed under terms of "At-Will Employment except for the 13% employed under union contract although even these workers are finding that these same millionaire union "leaders" who shove concession after concession contract down their throats are finding their contract rights failing to be enforced through grievance procedures. here in Minnesota, where AFSCME kicked off the drive for a $9.50 Minimum Wage is now telling members who are victims of discrimination and harassment on the job to "go hire your own attorney we don't go beyond the two step grievance process." 


-- 
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
 
58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763

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

Primary E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Workers paid poverty wages are going to be poor.

Does anyone else but me think that it is strange that these AFL-CIO unions claim they are supporting workers in the fast food industry, Wal-mart and Target workers in their struggles to get better wages when these same unions come along and support these poverty Minimum Wages like $9.50, $10.10 or like in Wisconsin where the Democrats were pushing for $7.60?

If the Minimum Wage was a real living wage directly tied to all cost-of-living factors the wages of these workers would rise to providing a decent standard of living... all of which begs the question, why haven't all of these workers been brought into the struggle to increase the Minimum Wage to a real living wage?

Then the working class would be struggling united, together.

How does it make sense to split the working class as the AFL-CIO has done?

Let's have one great big push to raise the national Minimum Wage so it is legislatively tied to all cost of living factors tracked by the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, then index this to inflation with periodic increases to improve the standard of living of working class families.

The Democrats and their AFL-CIO partners are making these ridiculous claims that $9.50 and $10.10 are lifting millions of workers out of poverty. How can this possibly be when $9.50 and $10.10 are poverty wages? Workers are going to remain in poverty if paid a poverty wage.

Here we are with corporations boasting higher profits than ever and the Democrats and the unions refuse to fight and struggle for making the Minimum Wage a real living wage. This is disgraceful.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

It's time for grassroots and rank-and-file activists to step forward and take control on the movement for making the Minimum Wage a real living wage.

The movement for a real living Minimum Wage continues to run into snags---

Politicians, employers and unions have banded together in Seattle just like the Democrats, unions, foundation-funded outfits and church groups here in Minnesota joined with the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce (the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party's "Business Caucus" or Summit Hill Club) to rob workers of a real living Minimum Wage that was promised in return for workers voting for these Democrats... workers have been the victims of an elaborately concocted "bait-and-switch" scheme.

Since this Democratic Party coalition is now insisting that any employer paid compensation packages like health care, dental care, eyes and hearing, child care and higher education subsidies be considered part of the Minimum Wage we need to talk about the need for all of this to become legislation for government universal social programs rather continuing to be ripped off by the for-profit sectors providing these services to workers while gouging workers thus turning this struggle for a living Minimum Wage into a farce and a sham where employers continue to reap super-profits from poverty wages as these other service providers also reap super-profits from this trough of poverty wages--- what a scam these employers are scheming to plan.

It would seem to me that this would be a good time to bring forward the need for universal social programs as the way to counter what the employers (and apparently unions?) are demanding in the way of health, etc. care being considered part of the Minimum Wage.

For example, there is no way a Public Health Care System--- socialized health care should cost any more a month than Social Security. A Public Child Care System, too. Both working just like our public schools--- publicly financed, publicly administered and publicly delivered. Way cheaper than the present for profit health care system.

So, you tell them to institute public universal social programs (everyone in) for each type of "compensation package" they want deducted from the $15.00.

But, this is where the "$15.00" movement has been very short sighted. This movement is working with a false figure derived from the U.S. Census Bureau (which only use four cost-of-living categories) instead of the Consumer Price Index of the United States Department of Labors' Bureau of Labor Statistics (which monitors EIGHT categories and 200 sub-categories).

It won't surprise me if all the union "leaders" don't agree with the employers on this because they have worked hand-in-hand with these same employers to force concession contracts down their own member's throats and SEIU has engaged in the practice of offering employers sweetheart contracts in return for union dues.

Here in Minnesota, ALL of the AFL-CIO and Change To Win affiliated unions supported the switch pulled by the Democrats for $9.50 an hour and they were even going to bring in Richard Trumka to support this but Trumka backed out when he knew there was going to be resistance at the rally they had planned for the Humphrey Center at the university of Minnesota where he was going to be greeted by demonstrators exposing the "bait and switch" pulled by the Democrats, the foundation-funded outfits, labor leaders and the churches... most likely the "$15.00" movement will face the exact same coalition in Seattle and elsewhere.

To win a real living Minimum Wage is going to take a campaign that is willing to educate workers about what the real "cost-of-living" actually is based on the fact working class families are experiencing a "cost-of-living crisis" and that the Minimum Wage needs to be tied to both increases in the "cost-of-living" and to inflation which are not the same... monopoly price-fixing is the main reason prices rise and the spending on militarism and wars is the main reason for inflation.

The prices of the basic necessities of life are now under the pretty much complete control of the monopolies.

Obviously the Democrats and their partners, the coalition mentioned above, with their wars on the one hand and "economic populism" full of "bait-and-switch" (single-payer deliver Obamacare; living wage deliver poverty wages, etc.) on the other hand don't want to talk about "cost-of-living," "cost-of-living crisis" or militarism and wars which are making us all poor as austerity measures are being shoved down our throats to pay for all this militarism and wars instead of Public Health Care and Child Care Programs, CCC, WPA and CETA as well as a Conyers type job creation program.

Not coincidentally, this same Democratic Party coalition which stood opposed to single-payer and smashed the single-payer movement is now using the same strategy to smash the $15.00 movement.

Notice that the people's movements were sucked into supporting half-measure reforms in both situations when the demands should have been very clear--- a National Public Health Care System and a Minimum Wage legislatively tied to the "cost-of-living" automatically increased for rising prices and inflation with periodic increases providing for an improved standard-of-living.

We have also failed to define small business as distinct from big-business and family owned businesses like the mom-and-pop convenience store--- there is no way an employer of 15 or more people can't afford a real living wage of between $22.00 and $26.00 an hour which the Minimum Wage would be if using the BLS' CPI. The solution should be obvious for the legitimate small business which employs mostly family members--- just eliminate Minimum Wage enforcement; if someone wants to pay their spouse, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandpa and grandma $1.00 an hour let them. But all this crap with wealthy people buying franchises and then claiming they can't pay a living wage is a bunch of bullshit. Here in Minnesota, the main opponent to raising the Minimum Wage was State Senator Tom Bakk, a building trades union official in his past life, who cried big crocodile tears for the group homes, hotels, motels bars and restaurants.

What is a small business? Does anyone really know except the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (LOL!):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_business

A little sarcasm to make a point:

If any industry or business legitimately can't pay the Minimum Wage, certainly no union has any business trying to organize them--- using the logic being pushed by the AFL-CIO. If Target and Wal-mart along with McDonald's and Taco Bell can't afford to pay employees real living Minimum Wages this means unionization would kill them, too--- and this of course is the argument used by big business all the time. So, hey; just phase out unions and implement a government social contract covering all workers except those employed in legitimate family operated small businesses of under 15 employees.

Should a union even be allowed to organize any company defined as a "small business" that can't afford to pay a real living Minimum Wage because using this logic of exempting small business from the full Minimum Wage would lead anyone pushing this notion that unionization of that business would for sure kill the business just like management would surely claim--- and always does; but somehow miracles always happen and the business survives unionization.

I can show you hundreds of businesses with fewer than 25 employees that are unionized--- each of the managements claimed unionization would kill their business; and here they are celebrating 25th and 50 years and longer of being in business.

Unionization of a small business is going to cost that business well over $35.00 an hour and if this doesn't kill a small business how would paying employees a Minimum Wage of $22.00 to $26.00 an hour kill these small businesses?

What we are facing is a union leadership that is demanding dues for raising the living standards of the entire working class--- these union "leaders" in pushing these poverty Minimum Wages of $9.50 and $10.10 are essentially saying, "If we don't get a cut of rising wages, we don't give a fuck if you people stay poor."

Look at who we had pushing the poverty Minimum Wage of $9.50 through the Minnesota legislature and signed into law by the governor:

All Democrats with a Democratic super-majority where Republicans had no say and could only cry:

A corporate/business lawyer in the State House, Representative Paul Thiessen.

A big-shot from the building trades union in the State Senate, Tom Bakk.

And a billionaire Governor, Mark Dayton, whose wealth is derived from the poverty wages of the Dayton-Hudson Company, now Target Stores.

Of course, the millionaire labor leaders of the AFL-CIO's Executive Council and their state counterparts, millionaires like Eliot Seide of AFSCME, wouldn't be able to shove all these concession contracts down their members throats if there was a focus on "cost-of-living" and the true state of affairs where every single working class family is experiencing a "cost-of-living crisis."

Did you ever hear Richard Trumka so much as mention this "cost-of-living crisis" that is a reality for every single working class family?

Are we just supposed to keep our mouths shut in the name of some kind of desired "unity" as to what is really going on as these Democrats and their hacks jerk us around? 



We need to get this all figured out... join the National Conference Call...
http://unitingpeopleworks4us.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-national-approach-for-making-minimum.html

Don't forget to check out and join the FaceBook pages, also:
https://www.facebook.com/events/763527720348169/?notif_t=plan_user_joined

https://www.facebook.com/USlivablewage?notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite

Check out my "Letter to the Editor" on the "Bait-and-Switch" politics of the Democrats:
http://www.ifallsjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/beware-of-the-bait-and-switch/article_cfd312be-7955-57eb-8120-fa4b44cb4e3d.html


Did anyone really believe that Seattle's employers would not come back fighting this proposed increase in the Minimum Wage to $15.00 an hour? Is this not the same community where the police were turned loose to savage working people who came out to peacefully protest against these trade agreements and the same city where the police beat the hell out of the Communist-led unemployed demonstrations of the 1930's and sent the police out to viciously attack the IWW soap-box speakers who tried to explain the need for the working class to fight for their rights and livelihoods and the same politicians who tried to have the police beat into submission the longshore workers led by Harry Bridges and the city that turned the HUAC hearings into a vicious attack on the CPUSA, organized labor and students? And isn't Seattle the same city that sent police thugs out to try to bust the organizing efforts of Boeing workers initially led by Wyndham Mortimer who had led the organizing drive that forced General Motors to sign a contract with the UAW?

What was expected from Seattle's ruling class when it was suggested the Minimum Wage should be $15.00?

Isn't it obvious to anyone that this struggle to raise the Minimum Wage to a real living wage is going to have to be a well thought out, coordinated national struggle in which the leadership arises from the grassroots working class communities and rank-and-file activists?

That the struggle for a living Minimum Wage is connected first and foremost to "cost-of-living" and the "cost-of-living crisis" for working class families is the most important aspect of this struggle... what the Minimum Wage dollar figure will be established at follows from this and not the other way around.

In fact, for many cities across this country, cities are not even allowed to enact Minimum Wage legislation.

Already, most of the states with Democratic super-majorities have enacted Minimum Wage "increases" which once again makes government the enforcer of poverty for millions of working class families. This also needs to be exposed that these Democrats, no different from the Republicans are using the levers of government (legislation) to enforce poverty--- thus assuring not only the poverty of millions; but a huge pool of impoverished workers intended to pressure all wages. down.

Going at this rate it won't be long before all workers are in the same boat as workers employed in the loud, noisy, smoke-filled casinos of the Indian Gaming Industry at exclusively poverty wages without any rights or any voice at work.

Of course, all workers in this country are employed under terms of "At-Will Employment except for the 13% employed under union contract although even these workers are finding that these same millionaire union "leaders" who shove concession after concession contract down their throats are finding their contract rights failing to be enforced through grievance procedures. here in Minnesota, where AFSCME shamefully kicked off the drive for a $9.50 Minimum Wage and is now telling members who are victims of discrimination and harassment on the job to "go hire your own attorney we don't go beyond the two step grievance process." And even during the grievance process next to nothing is done by the union grievers who often even go into the grievance process never having talked with the worker they are supposed to be representing--- they simply get the "details" from management.

Is it logical to expect that union "leaders" who refuse to even adequately represent their own members can be expected to lead the struggle for a real living Minimum Wage?

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

58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763

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

Primary E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net
E-mail: alan.maki1951mn@gmail.com

Blog: http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Obama's "vision."

U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez made a speech. In just these two paragraphs of his speech are lie upon lie that are such big lies it would take an entire book to refute these lies. Here is what he said:

"I can assure you of this: your issues and your work are receiving unprecedented attention at the very highest levels of the federal government. President Obama has laid out a vision based on the fundamental principle of opportunity for all. No matter the circumstances of your birth or the zip code you live in, you should have a chance to live out your highest and best dreams. How far you get should depend on how hard you work.

There are a few pillars of this opportunity agenda. First, it means creating good jobs that pay good wages. It means access to a world-class education for everyone, beginning in early childhood. And opportunity also means making sure hard work is rewarded — with a wage you can live on, savings you can retire on and health care that's there when you need it."

In a way, I feel sorry for people who believe this; but, who are the people who believe this? They are the muddle-headed, self-serving, well-heeled upper-middle class intellectuals who have never worked a day in their lives and have no concept of what life is like for working class families now caught up in the crisis of everyday living, struggling to make ends meet, many from day-to-day, others from pay-check to pay-check because for all working people there is a "cost-of-living crisis" Secretary Perez, in spite of being the United States Secretary of Labor--- like Obama and the rest of these Dumb Donkeys--- will not even acknowledge.

What "opportunity" is there for any of the more than forty-million Americans, working class Americans, now living in poverty?

What "opportunity" is there for the more than 90-million workers in this country struggling to survive who are only a pay-check or two away from poverty according to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal?

We have a Secretary of Labor talking about "a wage you can live on" who has refused to acknowledge that the only measurement of whether or not a wage is a "living wage" is how it compares to the actual cost-of-living using the figure from his own department's Consumer Price Index (CPI).

"Health care?" Perhaps the biggest sick joke of all is Obamacare--- with it, one major illness will wipe out any working class family.

"Retirement?" The Social Security Trust Fund has been looted by a bunch of thieves--- the thieves are our own government.

"World-class education for everyone?" Yes; Finland has it and the United States ranks below the country U.S. imperialism has forced into poverty--- Cuba.

Cuba and Finland come out ahead of the United States in both education AND health care.

"President Obama has laid out a vision based on the fundamental principle of opportunity for all."

Yes, Obama is very good at "laying out visions." In fact, Obama is the all-time master of "laying out visions."

The problem is, Obama's "visions" never materialize into programs--- except for programs that continue to redistribute the wealth to the elite super-wealthy .25%.

Kind of ironic, but the Koch brothers who pretend to hate the Democrats even as they contribute to their campaigns, have done better than anyone because of Obama's programs for "change."

The Koch brothers now own and control more wealth than the bottom 40% of our entire population.

The 1% accumulated over 34-trillion dollars in capital (from exploiting the workers in the mines, mills and factories who created this wealth) just since economic hard times--- when Obama came to office--- hit the world.

Obama jokes about redistributing wealth as being on par with his having shared his peanut butter sandwich with another child in school.

No doubt Obama gave his peanut butter sandwich to a a child who was allergic to peanuts because his Wall Street "vision" of the world is killing the rest of us.

All of this begs the question:

In future elections, what should we be supporting and organizing for?

In my opinion, we should be participating in the electoral arena fighting for peace and an end to these dirty imperialist wars making most of us poor while enriching the 1% (the Wall Street merchants of death and destruction)--- the masters of war (the Military-Industrial Complex); making the "living wage" Obama and the Democrats promised but refused to deliver when they had the opportunity a reality; we should place legislation on the table for a National Public Health Care System--- socialized health care; we need to bring before the American people a "21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity;" we should participate in the elections with the intent of challenging Wall Street for political and economic power.

When all is said and done, we need a new "vision" backed by real programs that will improve the standard-of-living for the many instead of the few.

To accomplish this we are going to need to free ourselves from Wall Street's two-party trap.

We need to build a working class based progressive people's party that is anti-monopoly and anti-imperialist with a working class agenda led by grassroots and rank-and-file activists as free from the manipulation and control of the foundation-funded outfits and the millionaire labor leaders as from Wall Street.

We need to organize local, state, regional and national conferences all across this country to discuss all of this... the sooner the better; later may be too late because Wall Street's insatiable greedy drive for profits just might end up killing us all because it appears the wrath of an angry Mother Nature has had enough.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Keynesian hypocrisy.

My thought for the day...

Does anyone see the pattern developing here?

All of a sudden Robert Reich comes out saying he is for a $15.00 an hour Minimum Wage while not so much as suggesting working class families are experiencing a "cost-of-living crisis."

http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/Political-Action-Legislation/Why-the-Minimum-Wage-Should-Really-Be-Raised-to-15-an-Hour

I never heard such a hypocritical crock of shit.

Will even $15.00 an hour solve the "cost-of-living crisis" for any working class family, in spite of this being a hefty increase in the Minimum Wage? No; and Robert Reich more than anyone knows this.

What we have here is these Democratic Party hacks and the millionaire labor leaders along with the foundation-funded outfits comprising the "partnership" between them kept in line by the hacks on the one hand before legislation is passed using their name recognition "influence" to undermine the struggle advocating real and specific solutions to problems to buy the Democrats time to get their Wall Street approved legislation through and then after its a "done deal" these shit-asses come talking about "it really wasn't enough" as if these Dumb Donkeys are going to go back and rescind the bad legislation and do what is right by the people.

We got the same shit with single-payer; now we get the same shit with the Minimum Wage.

We get the same shit with these people saying there is a need for a new political party but their utterances are only deception intended to make people think they are planning a new political party so grassroots and rank-and-file working class activists will not take the initiative on their own to become the catalysts for organizing a working class based progressive people's party.

Well, any raise is always better than no raise at all, workers understands this--- especially in the era of millionaire labor "leaders" negotiating nothing but concessions for the members paying the dues--- but this isn't the point.

And who asked these millionaire labor "leaders" who can't negotiate an improved standard-of-living for their own members to be the voice of poverty-waged unorganized workers who these union leaders have never offered assistance to organize?

The point is, these Democrats promised a living--- non-poverty--- wage and they should have kept their promise.

A living wage is not the same as "a raise."

Typical "bait and switch" bullshit we get from the Democrats and their partners.

As for this idea of Robert Reich's that there are "lousy jobs" this is just outright bullshit, too.

Any job that needs to be done is a good job provided it pays a real living wage, the health and safety of workers doing the job is protected, workers have rights and a voice at work and when there are decent benefits like adequate vacations, etc.

I don't include health care benefits because these same worthless millionaire labor leaders are the ones who hoodwinked workers into believing that health care should be part of collectively bargained agreements instead of fighting for what we really need: a National Public Health Care System.

We see what this bargaining for health care with individual employers has resulted in--- the health care mess we have now.

What these worthless millionaire labor leaders who now are nothing but negotiators of concessions did was to divide the working class over the health care issues when the struggle for real health care reform should have remained a point of unity as the left-led CIO was pushing for.

Not having decent pay and benefits with rights on the job and a voice at work is what makes a job "lousy."

Workers being forced to work under the "Doctrine of At-will Employment" is what makes a job "lousy."

Of course, Robert Reich did his part in the Clinton Administration to make sure millions of workers in other countries got "lousy jobs"--- low pay without any rights--- while making sure the jobs that remained here in the United States became "lousy jobs"--- poverty wages without many or any rights.

Come on, really; what kind of rights can a worker forced to be employed under terms of "At-will Employment" have? None.

What excuse is there here in Minnesota that the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party doesn't use its super-majority status to make every job a good job with real living wages as they promised to get the votes of workers? I would really like an answer, not excuses, to this question.

What excuse is there for the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party not to rescind and repeal "At-Will Employment" replacing this Draconian, repressive, anti-labor legislation with "Just Employment" legislation protecting workers from unjust and unfair terminations?

What excuse does the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party have for not passing anti-scab and anti-lockout legislation?

Is there any excuse for the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party failing to lobby Congress to enact real full employment legislation with teeth?

Robert Reich has now come forward supporting a $15.00 an hour Minimum Wage. Where has his voice been since 2008 when it was needed?

Good for Robert Reich; he know comes out for a $15.00 an hour Minimum Wage knowing this will not resolve the "cost-of-living crisis;" not some, but all working class families are experiencing and being subjected to by politicians bribed by Wall Street employers using the levers of government (legislation) to keep all wages down--- thus creating poverty instead of eliminating poverty as promised... again, "bait-and-switch." 

The only problem is, this guy, Robert Reich, if anyone, should know what a real living wage is--- after all, he was Secretary of Labor and completely understands the idea of what it means for wages to be living wages those wages must correspond to, and be in line with, all cost-of-living factors.

Robert Reich and the rest of these well-heeled, over-paid, muddle-headed upper-middle class intellectuals have not one iota of the fact of life that finds every single working class family in this country caught up in a "cost-of-living crisis" struggling just to make ends meet--- many struggling from day-to-day, others struggling from pay-check to pay-check with some 90 million workers being one or two pay-checks from poverty with some forty-million working class people living in poverty during a period when their labor has created the very wealth resulting in record high corporate profits for Wall Street money-bags--- greedy shit-bags.

It was Robert Reich's job as Secretary of Labor to make sure the Bureau of Labor Statistics was compiling the facts accurately for the Consumer Price Index which is the one and only valid set of statistics on which to base a real living wage in line with cost-of-living.

So, this begs the questions:

Why would Robert Reich keep proposing Minimum Wages that are substantially less than what it costs working class families to survive?

Why would Robert Reich, or anyone else for that matter, expect any worker to work for less than what it costs to live?

Robert Reich was silent on the Minimum Wage issue for years into the Obama Administration. Only a few short months ago, Reich was pushing a $9.50 Minimum Wage. Then he supported Obama's $10.10. Now he is backing $15.00 at the very time he lauds Minnesota's super-majority for passing a miserly pathetic poverty wage of $9.50 after Minnesota politicians refused to raise the Minimum Wage from $6.15 an hour for ten years.

Had these same politicians in Minnesota pushed for a yearly Minimum Wage increase of just 25-cents an hour tied to a measly 2.5% capped inflation adjustment, workers would have a Minimum Wage higher than the present $9.50 they just passed if we want to really put things in perspective.

Here we have a former Secretary of Labor, playing games with the lives of working class families when all he has to do is stand up and say, "Here is the empirical data on cost-of-living so here is what the Minimum Wage should be and we should keep the Minimum Wage legislatively tied to this data."

It is very simple; no guessing; no pulling figures randomly from a hat for self-serving political expediency.

Let Robert Reich have the courage to bring these figures forward--- when he does this I will be satisfied; until then, he is nothing but one more worthless Democratic Party hack enabling these Democrats to carry out "bait-and-switch."

Simple honesty requires Robert Reich to stop playing around with this important issue.

Let Robert Reich produce a video with his scribblings, doodlings, drawings and graphs based on the actual figures from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index.

Also, notice that Reich sidesteps the fact that these Minimum Wage "increases" won't take effect until future years which means all the purchasing power of these increases will have already been eaten up by rising costs of goods and services together with inflation at the time they come into effect.

And what is with Reich's refusal to call a poverty wage just what it is: A POVERTY WAGE?

A worker paid a poverty wage will be living in poverty along with their family.

And, Reich--- while mentioning Minnesota--- doesn't mention that here in Minnesota, and he did mention Minnesota increasing the Minimum Wage, that the maximum inflation increase is only 2.5%--- get out your calculator and figure out what this comes to at $9.50 an hour.

Plus, this inflation indexing, as pathetic as the $9.50 itself is miserly, doesn't even kick in until 2018!

The $9.50 doesn't kick in until 2016!

Of course, Reich never mentions that he sat in cowardly silence as Bill Clinton knocked millions of impoverished working class families off welfare to make sure there was a huge pool of poverty workers that would be "eager" (read: forced) to work in lousy poverty waged jobs from which Wall Street has reaped trillions upon trillions in super-profits; nor does Reich mention that this Clinton "welfare reform" set back people of color and women many decades as Clinton also gutted Affirmative Action--- another "little" fact Robert Reich with his "populist economic message" which also omits how militarization and these dirty imperialist wars are making us all poor.

Robert Reich peddles this Wall Street Keynesian bullshit as "economic populism."

President Franklin D. Roosevelt called John Maynard Keynes a "quack."

Instead of buying tickets to Reich's movie, working people would be better off taking the time to study a little Karl Marx.

Graphic artist Hugo Gellert made studying Karl Marx very easy to do--- maybe someone should turn these lithographs into an animated movie with background music from Nina Simone, Woody Guthrie and Leonard Cohen's "Democracy Is Coming to the U.S.A."

Here are the Hugo Gellert lithographs making Karl Marx very easy for anyone to understand:

http://www.graphicwitness.org/contemp/marxtitle.htm

We don't need Robert Reich to confuse things more than they already are when we have Karl Marx to explain in very simple everyday common language why what is happening is happening.

Something you might want to think about:

Any job paying a wage that isn't a real living wage in line with all cost-of-living factors is going to be a "lousy" job.

And, by the way; I do think "flipping burgers" should pay a real living wage which would make jobs at McDonald's and Burger King good jobs.

Any employers who don't want to pay workers a real living wage should just do the lousy job themselves instead of living as parasites off the labor of others.

What we need is a national campaign of united struggle in the  streets, at places of employment and at the ballot box to make the Minimum Wage a real living wage.

Employers will never increase wages one single penny without a struggle.



"Bait-and-switch" politics we get from the Democrats...
What Governor Mark Dayton and the DFL state legislative candidates campaigned for while seeking our votes:


The Bait:



FROM THE MINNESOTA DEMOCRATIC FARMER-LABOR PARTY PLATFORM...



     LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT

     We promote the American labor movement and the rights of all workers.

    We Support:



    * A Minimum Wage that keeps pace with inflation and provides full time workers with an income above the poverty level.



The Switch:


Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton's statement on raising the Minimum Wage:

http://mn.gov/governor/blog/the-office-of-the-governor-blog-entry-detail.jsp?id=102-126316



The Governor's "Fact Sheet:"

http://mn.gov/governor/images/2014_04_13_adv_fact_sheet_min_wage.pdf


Fact: Minnesota Democrats campaigned for a "living--- non-poverty--- wage;" not a "raise" that is another poverty wage.

Fact: Democrats did raise the Minimum Wage.

Fact: Democrats did not raise the Minimum Wage as promised to a real living wage.

Quote: "No worker should have to live in poverty." Governor Mark Dayton

Question: Why did Governor Mark Dayton sign into law a Minimum Wage leaving workers mired in poverty?

Comment: This is the epitome of hypocrisy laying bare everything that is wrong with the political and economic system in the United States today.



The Keynesian economists work for Wall Street not the working class.

The Keynesian economists want workers with just enough money to spend in their pockets to keep the economy humming along but do not want wages to increase to the point where workers will have a decent standard-of-living.

Wages down = profits up.

Thus, the Keynesian economists want millions of workers languishing in poverty as a club used to keep most workers' wages down with the majority of working class families living pay-check to pay-check, always a pay-check or two away from poverty.

The Keynesian economists fail to recognize the "cost-of-living crisis" all working class families are experiencing because this is just what these mean-spirited, over-paid economists want for their Wall Street employers.






Thursday, April 10, 2014

More problems for Obamacare... who is responsible for paying for the children if their parents don't?

Now there is another problem with Obamacare.

This time it is about forcing people to insure their children. The claim being made by the government is that paying for health care for children is a "parental responsibility."

The controversy arose because the Church of Scientology doesn't want to be forced to insure their children.

Senator Harry Reid wants to make accommodations for this outfit.

In my opinion, both positions prove why the ACA is a farce and nothing but a profit gouging fiasco.

We need a National Public Health Care System in this country and a movement should be started to put it on the table. With all the opposition to Obamacare it shouldn't be too difficult to initiate a movement for what we really need.

Publicly financed, publicly administered and publicly delivered health care--- based on the model of public education.

Free health care for everyone.

Paid for by cutting funds for war--- the long-promised "Peace Dividend." If that won't cover it then tax the rich.

We, as a people, could even finance it ourselves through a pay-roll tax just like with Social Security and it would still be a good deal.

Indeed, we might not have to pay anything.

Right now we pay more in medical costs  (both total and per patient) and have poorer results (percentage people covered, quality of care, infant mortality, etc.) than any other industrialized country on this planet. Looking at decades of  experience in other countries - socialist or otherwise - it is likely that transitioning to a single payer system would immediately yield better results for less cost.

Plus it would create 12 to 15 million jobs putting people to work in neighborhood and community health care centers.

Politicians and others will tell you that a National Public Health Care System is a far out radical idea the American people will never accept--- this is an outright lie.

What they really mean is the corporate lobbyists bribing them would be opposed.

How many people in this country are opposed to public education? Not many. Millions of children go to public schools every single day and this is a vote of support for public education.

A National Public Health Care System would be even more popular than public education.

Obama and the Democrats betrayed us on single-payer universal health care; in my opinion, the only way we should view single-payer anymore is that it would make a good first step in preparing the ground to make the transition to a National Public Health Care System.

While single payer payer may be a transition to a National Public Health Care System, what should be clear is the Affordable Care Act is not a transition to anything; but, rather, a huge step backward with the poor, the working class and the middle class with this government program enriching insurance and pharmaceutical companies.

But the transition period from single-payer universal health care to a National Public Health Care system should be of very short duration so we don't get stuck with a bunch of problems like those now hobbling sections of the Canadian Health Care system.

Everything should be covered from pre-natal to burial: general medical, eyes (including glasses), ears (including hearing aids) and mental health.

Keep in mind, Canadians led by Tommy Douglas and Dr. Norman Bethune had their hearts and their minds set on socialized health care; it was a thoroughly reactionary party which bent to the will of the people in bringing forward this Canadian Health Act as a compromise--- Tommy Douglas didn't set out to settle for this compromise and he insisted to his dying day that nothing short of socialized health care would solve the problems of Canadians... and nothing short of a National Public Health Care Program is ever going to solve all of our problems with health care as this newsletter lays out the problems being encountered. As we all know there are a myriad of problems with Obamacare and lots more to come. There is nothing fair about it; it is one big scam to transfer wealth from the working class to the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries.

We have been jerked around by these worthless Democrats on both health care reform and the Minimum Wage.

Working class families are experiencing a "cost-of-living crisis" and this health care mess only exacerbates and intensifies this "cost-of-living crisis."

I wouldn't expect politicians and the well-heeled to understand how this health care mess is related to the "cost-of-living crisis;" these people who can afford everything have never had any empathy or sympathy for working class families who they arrogantly keep referring to as "middle class" as if most working people are in some kind of "middle income bracket" far removed from poverty when the situation is such that the majority of working class families live on the very edge of poverty, one or two checks away from poverty--- and I don't call this "middle income" or "middle class"... in fact, just one hospital stay away from poverty--- with or without Obamacare.

I have not heard one single politician explain how Obamacare has created one more cost-of-living problem for working class families but good old Harry Reid who finds it more lucrative to pimp for Wall Street than his hookers will look for a gimmick to satisfy the Church of Scientology which is nothing but one big racket that attracts a bunch of dingy Hollywood celebrities while the working class foots the bill.

More coverage?

Better results?

Let us use old fashioned conservative principles and get more bang for our buck with single payer transitioning to a National Public Health Care System.

As far as "children's health care being a legal duty of the parents?" I say, "bullshit."

This is the government's responsibility to provide health care for children... and everyone else.

Any country that can afford trillions for war after dirty war can afford to provide health care for its own people--- especially health care for children.

And I think it is a dirty shame that those pushing for single-payer are as dirty and devious in keeping the proponents of a National Public Health Care System out of these discussions and debates just like Obama and the Democrats silenced their own voices.

There isn't one single politician in Congress (the House or Senate) who can be trusted to stand up to Wall Street when it comes to health care reform, making the Minimum Wage a real living wage or when it comes to the most important issue of all: peace. This is just plain out pathetic that the majority of the people, workers who create the wealth, have no voice in Congress.

What happened to, "We, the People?"

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

58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763

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

Primary E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net
E-mail: alan.maki1951mn@gmail.com

Blog: http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/

Do you prefer donkey dung to elephant shit?

Democrats have betrayed workers on the two most important issues:

1. Single-payer.

2. A living Minimum Wage.

I don't include the most important issue of betrayal of all other issues--- peace; because expecting the Democrats to do anything other than get us into imperialist war after imperialist war would be like thinking the Republicans may have something to offer us, the American people--- We, the People.

On the issue of peace which is the most important concern for working people, the Democrats have betrayed all of the American people as they carry out these dirty imperialist wars at our expense to look after the interests of the greediest bunch Wall Street parasites, the .25%--- the Military-Industrial Complex.

Robert Reich has actually been one of the very worst liberal impostors because he makes people think the very serious problems plaguing this country can be solved on the basis of some kind of "economic populism" without putting an end to militarism and wars.

I was recently on a conference call where Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Robert Reich and Elizabeth Warren were praised as being "shrewd progressive politicians we need to learn from because they know how to finesse issues."

It was stated, "President Obama is a liberal politician with a progressive agenda who has been trapped in a corner by neo-cons on domestic and foreign policy."

Obama's support continues to erode in all the polls--- talking to people this can easily be verified.

Hillary Clinton can't run on Obama's "coat-tails" as a result of his loss of popularity; so what is the Democrats "game plan?"

Clinton can't denounce Obama either or she looks like a complete fool because she is so entangled in the entire Obama Administration.

So how do these Democrats extract themselves from the pickle they have themselves in?

They need to use these progressive impostors like Bernie Sanders, Robert Reich, Elizabeth Warren to attack Obama and appear to distance the Democrats from Obama's Wall Street imperialist agenda.

They will be trying to make us think that Hillary offers something different even though they know she will continue the exact same Wall Street imperialist agenda.

And notice how they have used Richard Trumka and the entire Executive Council of the AFL-CIO to destroy the single-payer movement and now they take the leadership away from the grassroots and rank-and-file movement for a real living wage.

And now Richard Trumka has announced that he will support Obama "when" he brings forward a trade agreement (TPP?) that is satisfactory for labor.

Trumka and the entire AFL-CIO Executive Council have been silent on Obama's Wall Street imperialist agenda when it comes to foreign policy and these dirty wars--- at least they inserted one sentence in an Executive Council report (quite literally one lousy sentence) questioning Bush's wars while Bush was president.

Hillary Clinton is going to be the Democratic Party's candidate in 2016. There is no doubt about this. The Democrats have to bring out the clowns to distract us from thinking about Obama's lousy performance while they change circus acts.

Jokers to the left, jokers to the right and we are trapped in the middle.

The Democrats don't want to create any risks for Hillary so they have consigned themselves to let the House remain under Republican control and they are even ready to give up control of the Senate if defending Obama is required to maintain Democratic control.

Then they have the nerve to call those of us who no longer buy into this fiasco "spoilers."

The entire phony left is gearing up to create the facade that Hillary Clinton comes forward with a "populist economic agenda" that doesn't include ending militarism and wars--- forget about turning swords into plowshares; they may talk occasionally about the Air Force spending $500.00 for toilet seats but their focus will be on ending "military waste" not on putting an end to Wall Street's imperialist agenda--- the generals can sit on $20.00 toilet seats plotting their next war. 

With all the talk about "progressive" and "left" from the likes of Bernie Sanders, Robert Reich, Elizabeth Warren we will hear no challenge to Wall Street's imperialist agenda which is the agenda of both the Republicans and the Democrats and what seems to be on the horizon some kind of "Independent" campaign that will be the embodiment of the thinking coming from the libertarian CATO Institute--- more confusion for people to have to wade through with the likes of Paul Craig Roberts who is a master at conflating right and left thinking adding to the confusion providing the intellectual leadership that will be articulated by someone like Jesse Ventura... again under the guise of "economic populism."

Do you like eating donkey dung better than elephant shit?

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Tune in, call in; a discussion on the Minimum Wage on Stewart Alexander's "Socialist Insight" program.


6 p.m. Central---14 April---Monday---

Alan L. Maki, www.thepodunkblog.blogspot.com, political analyst and social activist is back. 

Our discussion: Interpreting the Minimum Wage Debate; What does it all mean? 

Stewart and Alan will show how the working class in the United States has been reduced to a labor force working for poverty wages. 

They will also explain how that minimum wage guarantees poverty. 

A living wage should be the standard for all working people. If you are earning less than $23.00 an hour for a 40 hour work week, don’t miss this program. Every week, same time---More things we all need to know and be talking about!!

-- 
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
 
58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763

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

Primary E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net