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 4, 2015

We need debates now: Capitalism or Socialism--- Which way for the United States of America?

Something you may want to think about:


In about 150 years the capitalists have polluted and contaminated just about all the air we need to breath, almost all the land required to grow the food we need to eat and most of the water we need to drink and sustain life.


And they have done all of this using exploited labor.


Workers along with no small amount of help from Mother Nature created ALL wealth.


How much longer can we tolerate and allow the exploitation of labor and the rape of Mother Nature?


We have people saying, including many socialists who are supporting Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, that this is no time to initiate a discussion about socialism because it will jeopardize the chances of either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton being elected.


Considering the predicament capitalism has placed us in I don't think we can afford to not discuss how we can replace capitalism with socialism.


Some people like to push the idea that "humans" are responsible for this climate change and global warming but the culprits are a very small section of humanity--- the capitalists.


Will we allow Wall Street and a handful of financial centers to continue to dominate and dictate how we will live and work and produce and for what ends production will take place?


Will we continue to tolerate the private ownership of the mines, mills, factories, banks, agriculture, health care and energy industries?


All the polls show that after decades of the most vicious red-baiting and government repression, the majority of the American people believe we at least need a discussion about socialism.


Just before the Civil War began Congress was debating whether or not a discussion should be has as to what kind of economy was best for the Nation and all the people.


Granted, it is a little late to now have this discussion but better late than never.


And the only way this discussion is going to take place is if the discussion is advanced from the grassroots just like all struggles for reforms come from the bottom up into the mainstream.


Without this struggle, the battle of ideas in our modern world, the discussion will never take place.
So... Speak up! Write! Talk to people!


There are no capitalist solutions to our common problems.


Solving our problems must include socialist solutions to our specific problems.


Now I know someone is going to come back and say they are sick of hearing nothing but carping from the back rows; so, once again I bring forward specific solutions to our problems... solutions that will get us on the road to socialism.


Remember, we don't need "reforms" intended to "improve," "make better" or make capitalism more people friendly since this can't be done--- there is no such thing as a "people's capitalism" because the very nature of capitalism is that the many work and the few profit.


We need reforms that solve the problems of the people as we struggle for the revolutionary transformation of society.

http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/so-worthless-democratic-party-hacks.html



Consider organizing a Marxist Study Club and Political Action Committee where you live, go to school or work.


Something else to think about:


Honest people would engage in a discussion about these kinds of reforms and socialism not try to shut discussion down using all kinds of devious and dishonest attacks.


Now would be a good time to organize debates all over the country in urban and rural areas taking up the debate:


Should we continue down the capitalist road or take the road to socialism?


Have a proponent of capitalism and a proponent of socialism debate this question.


Isn't this what democracy is supposed to be all about.


Send me an airline ticket, bus ticket or train ticket and I will travel anyplace, anytime to defend the socialist perspective in a debate with any proponent of capitalism.


Tuesday, December 1, 2015

So; the worthless Democratic Party hacks demand to know...

What's my solution the worthless Democratic Party hacks demand to know; as if I don't have any answers...


We need to agitate for a "21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity" which would include creating real living wage jobs providing people with not just infrastructure improvements to streets, roads and highways, schools parks and recreation centers but a National Public Health Care System which would provide us with 800 community-based health care centers instead of over 800 U.S. military bases dotting globe acting as security protecting Wall Street's interests and profits abroad attained through cheap labor raping other countries of their natural resources in a way that destroys the planet by leaving behind a mess and contributing to global warming, and we need a National Public Child Care System both publicly financed, publicly administered and publicly delivered services just like public education.

Both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton promote projects falling far short of this kind of "21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity" which is needed, not in "baby steps" or "incrementally" further down the road but right here and now.

Wall Street didn't have to wait for the government that is supposed to be "of, by and for the people" to step in and save them; why should the working class which creates all the wealth and pays for everything have to wait a hundred years or more for what we require to live decent and healthy lives with dignity.

What we need is a new progressive people's party bringing together liberals, progressives and leftists--- the vast majority of the U.S. population which polls tell us that there is a healthy growing surge for socialism as an alternative to capitalism; a party that would be both anti-monopoly and anti-imperialist with the stated goal of challenging our common Wall Street enemies for political and economic power.

When the Sanders and Clinton supporters tell us we have no alternatives to what these Democrats are offering in the way of "properly framed issues" with no specific solutions to our problems we should politely tell them to "go to hell" as we forge a "New Broom" electoral coalition to sweep Washington clean of all the Wall Street bribed politicians who always manage to find a way to finance their dirty imperialist wars but cry like babies when it comes to providing for the needs of the people.

If all the money and human resources wasted voting for a bunch of Dumb Donkeys was spent to create a real working class based people's progressive party we could re-build our country but this can't be done when the wealth and resources of our Nation are being squandered on militarism and war after dirty war.

Are you fed up enough to join a struggle that will break us free from Wall Street's two-party trap--- NOW, not later.

A "21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity" would create over twenty-million living wage jobs for less what all this militarism and all these dirty wars will cost us and it will be one big leap towards solving climate change since the Military-Industrial Complex leaves in its wake the largest carbon foot-print of any human endeavor.

Debate should center not on whether or not Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton have the best job-creating infrastructure plans but how their proposals stack up against the "21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity."

And Affirmative Action should be enforced every step of the way so we finally eliminate racism and discrimination in employment, housing and education.

And people are entitled to, by birth, a Basic Income Guarantee as advocated by our great revolutionary Thomas Paine.

This is the way to a better world creating peace through mutual respect among all peoples.

This is what is required to bring the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights to reality for every human being:



December 10 will mark the 67th Anniversary of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights... as Eleanor Roosevelt and Frances Perkins would have said, they didn't intend for this document to become one more yellowing piece of paper they called for its full implementation... and, it is up to us, you and me, to implement it because all these Wall Street politicians care about is making war after war.

We can do much, much better.




The socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party of Floyd Olson, Elmer Benson and John Bernard had the correct vision and program many years ago and the vision and program is still valid today:

People and the planet before Wall Street's profits.

Peace NOW!