Sunday, March 1, 2020

Wages and Poverty

A wage study from the Social Security Administration no one wants to talk about... people work so they aren't poor... yet, here are the facts that working often makes people poor:

https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/netcomp.cgi?year=2014&fbclid=IwAR3sfvx3eYzOb1LvZyKtOw0lio6hDBuxL9NDyD-N1ka1ECdW_8NVyeusvtU

This study below is from 2014...

Now check out the latest study from 2018:

https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/netcomp.cgi?year=2020

Facts do matter:

Note: None of these studies take into consideration wages versus the actual "cost-of-living." When the real "cost-of-living" factors are figured in, the working class as a whole, which produces all wealth, is more impoverished now than in 2014.

Question:

What kind of society allows those who produce all the wealth, the working class, to live in worsening social and economic conditions after creating so much wealth?

Question:

Should we be discussing wealth and poverty and wage labor and capitalist exploitation?

Question:
How do we correct this?

Social Security Online	Automatic Increases

Office of the Chief Actuary	Wage Statistics for 2014

Automatic increases
Development of the AWI

The national average wage index (AWI) is based on compensation (wages, tips, and the like) subject to Federal income taxes, as reported by employers on Forms W-2. Beginning with the AWI for 1991, compensation includes contributions to deferred compensation plans, but excludes certain distributions from plans where the distributions are included in the reported compensation subject to income taxes. We call the result of including contributions, and excluding certain distributions, net compensation. The table below summarizes the components of net compensation for 2014.

**Net compensation components for 2014**
Compensation subject to Federal income taxes	$6,797,372,805,419.35
Deferred compensation plan Contributions^a Distributions^b	+ 255,336,805,992.78 - 2,450,397,767.58
Net compensation	7,050,259,213,644.55

^aWages on which contributions were paid by 53,592,754 workers.
^bDistributions, to the extent included in reported wages (see text above), paid to 60,572 workers.

The "raw" average wage, computed as net compensation divided by the number of wage earners, is $7,050,259,213,644.55 divided by 158,186,786, or $44,569.20. Based on data in the table below, about 67.2 percent of wage earners had net compensation less than or equal to the $44,569.20 raw average wage. By definition, 50 percent of wage earners had net compensation less than or equal to the median wage, which is estimated to be $28,851.21 for 2014.

**Distribution of wage earners by level of net compensation**
Net compensation interval	Number	Cumulative number	Percent of total	Aggregate amount	Average amount
	Wage earners			Net compensation
$0.01 — 4,999.99	22,574,440	22,574,440	14.27075	$46,647,919,125.68	$2,066.40
5,000.00 — 9,999.99	13,848,841	36,423,281	23.02549	102,586,913,092.61	7,407.62
10,000.00 — 14,999.99	12,329,270	48,752,551	30.81961	153,566,802,438.45	12,455.47
15,000.00 — 19,999.99	11,505,776	60,258,327	38.09315	200,878,198,035.07	17,458.90
20,000.00 — 24,999.99	10,918,555	71,176,882	44.99547	245,317,570,246.88	22,467.95
25,000.00 — 29,999.99	10,192,863	81,369,745	51.43903	279,865,461,187.05	27,457.00
30,000.00 — 34,999.99	9,487,840	90,857,585	57.43690	307,828,947,411.16	32,444.58
35,000.00 — 39,999.99	8,578,215	99,435,800	62.85974	321,200,755,103.44	37,443.78
40,000.00 — 44,999.99	7,553,972	106,989,772	67.63509	320,563,569,965.15	42,436.43
45,000.00 — 49,999.99	6,542,882	113,532,654	71.77126	310,391,706,424.23	47,439.60
50,000.00 — 54,999.99	5,723,269	119,255,923	75.38931	300,016,377,448.51	52,420.46
55,000.00 — 59,999.99	4,846,517	124,102,440	78.45310	278,354,367,841.41	57,433.90
60,000.00 — 64,999.99	4,201,232	128,303,672	81.10897	262,203,932,128.68	62,411.20
65,000.00 — 69,999.99	3,573,471	131,877,143	83.36799	240,948,179,180.40	67,426.93
70,000.00 — 74,999.99	3,094,739	134,971,882	85.32437	224,145,278,103.36	72,427.85
75,000.00 — 79,999.99	2,684,481	137,656,363	87.02140	207,853,372,824.62	77,427.77
80,000.00 — 84,999.99	2,297,338	139,953,701	88.47370	189,370,862,869.17	82,430.56
85,000.00 — 89,999.99	1,975,400	141,929,101	89.72248	172,719,042,418.70	87,434.97
90,000.00 — 94,999.99	1,714,370	143,643,471	90.80624	158,442,931,588.44	92,420.50
95,000.00 — 99,999.99	1,486,636	145,130,107	91.74604	144,858,203,365.61	97,440.26
100,000.00 — 104,999.99	1,309,068	146,439,175	92.57358	134,083,282,259.67	102,426.52
105,000.00 — 109,999.99	1,117,128	147,556,303	93.27979	120,020,513,136.11	107,436.67
110,000.00 — 114,999.99	977,055	148,533,358	93.89745	109,855,105,705.14	112,434.93
115,000.00 — 119,999.99	865,889	149,399,247	94.44483	101,693,061,676.62	117,443.53
120,000.00 — 124,999.99	773,339	150,172,586	94.93371	94,660,281,091.31	122,404.64
125,000.00 — 129,999.99	673,971	150,846,557	95.35977	85,886,152,964.93	127,433.01
130,000.00 — 134,999.99	595,827	151,442,384	95.73643	78,899,843,713.01	132,420.73
135,000.00 — 139,999.99	527,341	151,969,725	96.06980	72,476,546,845.30	137,437.72
140,000.00 — 144,999.99	466,992	152,436,717	96.36501	66,519,743,635.12	142,443.00
145,000.00 — 149,999.99	419,003	152,855,720	96.62989	61,787,674,520.19	147,463.56
150,000.00 — 154,999.99	384,581	153,240,301	96.87301	58,607,775,121.57	152,393.84
155,000.00 — 159,999.99	335,391	153,575,692	97.08503	52,801,735,517.69	157,433.37
160,000.00 — 164,999.99	296,048	153,871,740	97.27218	48,087,213,596.86	162,430.46
165,000.00 — 169,999.99	265,309	154,137,049	97.43990	44,426,198,104.69	167,450.78
170,000.00 — 174,999.99	239,515	154,376,564	97.59131	41,304,379,348.95	172,450.07
175,000.00 — 179,999.99	216,255	154,592,819	97.72802	38,370,042,895.27	177,429.62
180,000.00 — 184,999.99	200,592	154,793,411	97.85483	36,588,064,085.78	182,400.42
185,000.00 — 189,999.99	179,005	154,972,416	97.96799	33,554,727,208.93	187,451.34
190,000.00 — 194,999.99	165,277	155,137,693	98.07247	31,807,897,759.84	192,452.05
195,000.00 — 199,999.99	154,070	155,291,763	98.16987	30,425,466,536.83	197,478.20
200,000.00 — 249,999.99	1,039,897	156,331,660	98.82726	230,863,458,226.21	222,006.08
250,000.00 — 299,999.99	565,105	156,896,765	99.18450	153,945,762,663.99	272,419.75
300,000.00 — 349,999.99	333,584	157,230,349	99.39537	107,708,119,615.81	322,881.55
350,000.00 — 399,999.99	219,923	157,450,272	99.53440	82,117,070,706.61	373,390.10
400,000.00 — 449,999.99	151,162	157,601,434	99.62996	63,997,346,472.50	423,369.28
450,000.00 — 499,999.99	108,881	157,710,315	99.69879	51,583,042,398.64	473,756.14
500,000.00 — 999,999.99	345,935	158,056,250	99.91748	230,331,407,862.96	665,822.79
1,000,000.00 — 1,499,999.99	65,548	158,121,798	99.95892	78,672,933,288.58	1,200,233.92
1,500,000.00 — 1,999,999.99	24,140	158,145,938	99.97418	41,431,838,733.52	1,716,314.78
2,000,000.00 — 2,499,999.99	12,137	158,158,075	99.98185	26,997,226,154.27	2,224,373.91
2,500,000.00 — 2,999,999.99	6,871	158,164,946	99.98619	18,747,446,313.27	2,728,488.77
3,000,000.00 — 3,499,999.99	4,799	158,169,745	99.98923	15,507,304,422.66	3,231,361.62
3,500,000.00 — 3,999,999.99	3,258	158,173,003	99.99129	12,166,741,762.34	3,734,420.43
4,000,000.00 — 4,499,999.99	2,353	158,175,356	99.99277	9,970,953,222.98	4,237,549.18
4,500,000.00 — 4,999,999.99	1,822	158,177,178	99.99393	8,633,941,395.34	4,738,716.46
5,000,000.00 — 9,999,999.99	6,468	158,183,646	99.99802	43,887,775,808.42	6,785,370.41
10,000,000.00 — 19,999,999.99	2,230	158,185,876	99.99942	30,065,006,121.19	13,482,065.53
20,000,000.00 — 49,999,999.99	776	158,186,652	99.99992	22,450,911,983.01	28,931,587.61
50,000,000.00 and over	134	158,186,786	100.00000	11,564,829,969.82	86,304,701.27


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Wage Statistics for 2018

Automatic increases
Development of the AWI

**Net compensation components for 2018**
Compensation subject to Federal income taxes	$8,068,989,240,801.19
Deferred compensation plan Contributions^a Distributions^b	+ 317,553,567,481.16 - 3,002,179,766.84
Net compensation	8,383,540,628,515.51

^aWages on which contributions were paid by 61,607,387 workers.
^bDistributions, to the extent included in reported wages (see text above), paid to 63,661 workers.

The "raw" average wage, computed as net compensation divided by the number of wage earners, is $8,383,540,628,515.51 divided by 167,669,326, or $50,000.44. Based on data in the table below, about 67.4 percent of wage earners had net compensation less than or equal to the $50,000.44 raw average wage. By definition, 50 percent of wage earners had net compensation less than or equal to the median wage, which is estimated to be $32,838.05 for 2018.

**Distribution of wage earners by level of net compensation**
Net compensation interval	Number	Cumulative number	Percent of total	Aggregate amount	Average amount
	Wage earners			Net compensation
$0.01 — 4,999.99	20,912,646	20,912,646	12.47255	$43,795,099,366.21	$2,094.19
5,000.00 — 9,999.99	12,993,812	33,906,458	20.22222	96,170,371,134.60	7,401.24
10,000.00 — 14,999.99	11,550,542	45,457,000	27.11110	143,915,223,674.78	12,459.61
15,000.00 — 19,999.99	10,937,984	56,394,984	33.63465	191,083,130,375.42	17,469.68
20,000.00 — 24,999.99	10,930,426	67,325,410	40.15368	245,963,571,026.59	22,502.65
25,000.00 — 29,999.99	10,649,685	77,975,095	46.50528	292,595,699,011.64	27,474.59
30,000.00 — 34,999.99	10,157,201	88,132,296	52.56316	329,598,837,106.29	32,449.77
35,000.00 — 39,999.99	9,281,197	97,413,493	58.09858	347,575,046,812.88	37,449.38
40,000.00 — 44,999.99	8,242,459	105,655,952	63.01448	349,799,179,987.80	42,438.69
45,000.00 — 49,999.99	7,405,906	113,061,858	67.43145	351,372,718,041.82	47,444.93
50,000.00 — 54,999.99	6,542,812	119,604,670	71.33366	343,025,577,206.83	52,427.85
55,000.00 — 59,999.99	5,612,864	125,217,534	74.68124	322,379,314,296.40	57,435.80
60,000.00 — 64,999.99	4,920,595	130,138,129	77.61594	307,114,651,240.23	62,414.13
65,000.00 — 69,999.99	4,239,330	134,377,459	80.14433	285,846,106,689.33	67,427.19
70,000.00 — 74,999.99	3,682,829	138,060,288	82.34081	266,740,577,128.07	72,428.17
75,000.00 — 79,999.99	3,208,818	141,269,106	84.25459	248,463,045,944.21	77,431.33
80,000.00 — 84,999.99	2,780,381	144,049,487	85.91284	229,208,728,016.53	82,437.88
85,000.00 — 89,999.99	2,403,623	146,453,110	87.34639	210,164,860,939.67	87,436.70
90,000.00 — 94,999.99	2,117,062	148,570,172	88.60904	195,678,875,591.61	92,429.45
95,000.00 — 99,999.99	1,836,034	150,406,206	89.70407	178,907,004,914.35	97,442.10
100,000.00 — 104,999.99	1,625,690	152,031,896	90.67365	166,523,614,588.61	102,432.58
105,000.00 — 109,999.99	1,410,799	153,442,695	91.51507	151,582,528,351.71	107,444.45
110,000.00 — 114,999.99	1,251,905	154,694,600	92.26172	140,759,527,453.30	112,436.27
115,000.00 — 119,999.99	1,112,417	155,807,017	92.92518	130,658,936,970.24	117,455.00
120,000.00 — 124,999.99	1,008,410	156,815,427	93.52660	123,445,569,084.30	122,416.05
125,000.00 — 129,999.99	893,730	157,709,157	94.05964	113,899,350,244.55	127,442.68
130,000.00 — 134,999.99	795,949	158,505,106	94.53435	105,394,346,162.49	132,413.44
135,000.00 — 139,999.99	704,467	159,209,573	94.95450	96,825,136,762.18	137,444.53
140,000.00 — 144,999.99	632,559	159,842,132	95.33177	90,103,990,021.70	142,443.61
145,000.00 — 149,999.99	568,126	160,410,258	95.67060	83,773,312,894.63	147,455.52
150,000.00 — 154,999.99	514,078	160,924,336	95.97721	78,345,402,361.02	152,399.83
155,000.00 — 159,999.99	457,177	161,381,513	96.24987	71,980,277,465.39	157,445.10
160,000.00 — 164,999.99	413,863	161,795,376	96.49671	67,227,968,053.70	162,440.15
165,000.00 — 169,999.99	369,549	162,164,925	96.71711	61,877,593,240.22	167,440.84
170,000.00 — 174,999.99	327,834	162,492,759	96.91263	56,534,539,025.14	172,448.68
175,000.00 — 179,999.99	297,171	162,789,930	97.08987	52,729,141,686.28	177,437.04
180,000.00 — 184,999.99	275,711	163,065,641	97.25431	50,292,801,283.59	182,411.30
185,000.00 — 189,999.99	246,893	163,312,534	97.40156	46,281,835,141.84	187,457.06
190,000.00 — 194,999.99	227,017	163,539,551	97.53695	43,688,908,036.57	192,447.74
195,000.00 — 199,999.99	213,964	163,753,515	97.66456	42,253,967,707.90	197,481.67
200,000.00 — 249,999.99	1,422,744	165,176,259	98.51310	315,840,558,223.01	221,993.95
250,000.00 — 299,999.99	770,463	165,946,722	98.97262	210,183,088,243.46	272,801.01
300,000.00 — 349,999.99	465,576	166,412,298	99.25029	150,344,927,027.33	322,922.42
350,000.00 — 399,999.99	301,514	166,713,812	99.43012	112,548,961,845.06	373,279.39
400,000.00 — 449,999.99	207,014	166,920,826	99.55359	87,659,845,451.61	423,448.88
450,000.00 — 499,999.99	145,935	167,066,761	99.64062	69,122,112,993.00	473,650.00
500,000.00 — 999,999.99	446,625	167,513,386	99.90700	296,291,408,374.06	663,400.86
1,000,000.00 — 1,499,999.99	79,292	167,592,678	99.95429	95,099,320,931.96	1,199,355.81
1,500,000.00 — 1,999,999.99	28,756	167,621,434	99.97144	49,367,971,329.43	1,716,788.54
2,000,000.00 — 2,499,999.99	14,321	167,635,755	99.97998	31,866,540,833.10	2,225,161.71
2,500,000.00 — 2,999,999.99	8,173	167,643,928	99.98485	22,303,744,889.78	2,728,954.47
3,000,000.00 — 3,499,999.99	5,302	167,649,230	99.98801	17,132,086,593.98	3,231,249.83
3,500,000.00 — 3,999,999.99	3,634	167,652,864	99.99018	13,569,833,052.39	3,734,131.27
4,000,000.00 — 4,499,999.99	2,719	167,655,583	99.99180	11,502,119,789.27	4,230,275.76
4,500,000.00 — 4,999,999.99	2,024	167,657,607	99.99301	9,581,300,012.15	4,733,843.88
5,000,000.00 — 9,999,999.99	7,861	167,665,468	99.99770	53,257,917,392.30	6,774,954.51
10,000,000.00 — 19,999,999.99	2,684	167,668,152	99.99930	36,478,246,019.07	13,591,000.75
20,000,000.00 — 49,999,999.99	963	167,669,115	99.99987	27,613,022,901.01	28,673,959.40
50,000,000.00 and over	211	167,669,326	100.00000	20,201,257,572.92	95,740,557.22


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I was asked a question; this was my answer.

At a recent forum in Thief River Falls, Minnesota where I was on a panel discussing Minnesota's financial woes, I was asked what I would do if I was governor.

This is a fair question.

This was my answer:

Please keep in mind as I proceed with my thoughts that there is a "fare" and a "fair." One is spelled "f-a-r-e" and means something completely different from "fair" spelled "f-a-i-r."

If I were elected governor of Minnesota the very first reforms I would implement to solve the state's budget problems would be:

1. A hefty tax on the rich like Mark Dayton promised as he campaigned for election but reneged on once elected.

2. Substantially increase the taconite tax; the mining companies are robbing us blind leaving us with poverty and pits filled with pollution while they abscond with the profits. This has to end.

3. Place a really hefty tax on the forestry industry in the form of stumpage fees; cut down any tree and you pay what the tree is really worth.

4. I would place toll booths at the entrances to each and every casino in Minnesota charging the exact same fee Minnesotans are charged to enter our State Parks. Anyone who can afford to gamble can afford such a fee. I would also initiate a "gambling license" on all gamblers. Just like a fishing license

Like most of you, I am fed up with this "circus in the Cities." Democrats and Republicans don't know the difference between the words "f-a-r-e" and "f-a-i-r;" we should give them all a dictionary not our votes.

I think most Minnesotans would agree with these four solutions. So, what kind of democracy do we have where politicians won't do what people want and expect?

It's just like the priorities at the national level... like they say in the Navy--- it's a SNAFU. If you don't know what a S-N-A-F-U stands for, look it up in the Urban Dictionary on your computer when you get home.

If the United States government would stop spending our tax dollars on this insane militarism and all these dirty imperialist wars we would have the money to put people to work solving the problems of the people.

I recently read this little book by former Democratic Vice-president under FDR, Henry Wallace, "Sixty Million Jobs." I would encourage everyone to read this book because it was in 1945 when this book was published to support the Full Employment Act of 1945 when Democrats and Republicans--- at Wall Street's insistence--- decided not to take Henry Wallace's advice provided in this book that our country began going way off track.

Henry Wallace pointed out that Peace will put everyone to work which will solve just about every major problem we have in this country.

How capitalism works...

How capitalism works explained from a worker's perspective...

Abba Ramos, a veteran organizer in the International Longshore and Warehouse Union:

"If they can get a trained monkey to unload that boxcar tomorrow morning, rest assured, they'll have them over there and they'll have some bananas for lunch, and you'll be out on the street looking for work. Simple as that. You've got to remember, they follow only one rule of economic law, and that's that maximum production-minimum cost yields the greatest amount of profit. They don't deviate from that."

A program for real change...

* Peace--- end the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and shutdown the 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil.

* A National Public Health Care System - ten million new jobs.

* A National Public Child Care System - three to five million new jobs.

* WPA - three million new jobs.

* CCC - two million new jobs.

* Tax the hell out of the rich and cut the military budget by ending the wars to pay for it all which will create full employment.

* Enforce Affirmative Action; end discrimination.

* Raise the minimum wage to a real living wage

* What tax-payers subsidize in the way of businesses, tax-payers should own and reap the profits from.

* Moratorium on home foreclosures and evictions.

* Defend democracy by defending workers' rights including the right to collective bargaining for improving the lives and livelihoods of working people.

* Roll-back and freeze the price of food, electricity, gas and heating fuels; not wages, benefits or pensions.

* Wall Street is our enemy.

Let's talk about the politics and economics of livelihood for a real change.

Follow and support the important working class' victory at the polls in Canada

Canadian workers and their New Democratic Party are blazing the path of independence from the big-business controlled political parties. Manitoba will be having elections in the fall. Workers here in the United States should be paying attention to Canadian politics as there is a lot to learn. Ask your union to link its websites to the Canadian Labour Congress, New Democratic Party and Manitoba NDP.

Also, I would encourage you to paste this into your own personal blogs, web sites and FaceBook and other social netwoking sites.

Here are the links:

Canadian Labour Congress---

http://www.canadianlabour.ca/home

New Democratic Party---

http://www.ndp.ca/

Manitoba NDP---

http://todaysndp.ca/

Also, check out Howard Pawley's new book---

"A Life in Politics, Keep True" available through:

http://msupress.msu.edu/bookTemplate.php?bookID=4250

Check out my blog:
http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/

Question...

Could Minnesota's debt be eliminated by modestly taxing the Indian Gaming Industry in Minnesota?

If, so, why haven't any of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party candidates for governor brought this idea forward as part of their campaigns?

Other businesses and industries are faced with a myriad of taxes... shouldn't there be a level playing field in taxation?

Wouldn't such a tax on gaming revenues amounting to tens of billions of dollars provide working people and small business owners and the middle class with a little much needed tax relief?

Suggestion:

Ask this question at a "meet the candidates forum;" no one else will ask this question if you don't.

Comment:

We have toll booths at the entrances to all Minnesota State Parks; put up toll booths on the public roads going into all casinos--- budget problems solved.

Building a new era of justice and peace

Post from Alan Maki's Blog:

Building a new era of justice and peace

By Alan L. Maki - Mar 23rd, 2009 at 8:37 pm EDT

The United States has 800 military bases on foreign soil... What we need--- instead--- is 800 public health care centers spread out across the United States where people can universally access, for free, all their health care needs from pre-natal care, to general health care to eye, dental and mental care right through to burial.

Instead of moving in this progressive direction, President Barack Obama and the United States Congress are moving in a most reactionary direction towards establishing military bases in outer space as they seek to insure the profits of both the merchants of death and destruction and the profit-driven health care industries... talk about skewed priorities and your wacky ideas which will execerbate the problems surrounding the failing capitalist economy, and ideas devoid of common sense.

In addition to these 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil, Barack Obama and the United States Congress continue funding--- with our tax-dollars--- the Israeli killing machine to the tune of tens of billions of dollars. Where is the "change?"

This is the change Americans want, and the change we need:

A network of 800 public health care centers spread out across the United States would create over four-million good-paying, decent jobs--- talk about your "economic stimulus" package!

We would be redistributing the wealth as we are planting the seeds of socialism while helping to eradicate poverty by keeping people healthy and getting them well when sick.

Think about this kind of solution in relation to what Barack Obama, the U.S. Congress and the Wall Street bankers and coupon clippers are offering the American people, and the peoples of the world... just what is the reason for bailing out the banks and AIG and maintaining more than 800 expensive U.S. military bases of foreign soil?

The Mt. Carmel Clinic in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada offers us a glimpse at what militarization and wars continue to rob us of.

The problems created by Wall Street will not be solved as long as the military-financial-industrial complex is allowed to squander human and natural resources on militarism and wars... we might just as well be dumping these resources out into the ocean... at least no one would die in wars.

These merchants of death and destruction must be stopped if humanity is to survive in a livable world.

The time has come to talk about working class Marxist politics and the economics of livelihood... capitalism has failed humanity miserably and left us a real mess to clean up.

Capitalism is on the skids to oblivion and unless we take a "left turn" we will continue down this road to perdition.

Something for working people to think about and discuss around the dinner table... the capitalist sooth-Sayers certainly are not going to broach such solutions to the problems of working people as they hide behind the skirt of Rosy Scenario as this global capitalist economic depression intensifies while wars rage on.

The times and conditions call for "building a new era of justice and peace;" this is one step in that direction; this is the change the American people voted for.

Alan L. Maki

Founder,

Frank Marshall Davis Roundtable for Change

A gift returned...

Dear Mr. Ambassador,

Thank you for the 3 bottles of wine that you sent me as season’s greetings. I wish to you, your family and everybody in the Embassy a happy new year. Good health and progress to you all.

Unhappily, I noticed that the wine you have sent me has been produced in the Golan Heights. I have been taught since I was very young not to steal and not to accept products of theft. So I cannot possibly accept this gift and I must return it back to you.

As you know, your country occupies illegally the Golan Heights which belongs to Syria, according to the International Law and numerous decisions of the International Community.

I take the opportunity to express my hope that Israel will find security within its internationally recognized borders and the terrorist activities against Israel territory by Hamas or anybody else will be contained and made impossible, but I also hope that your government will cease practicing the policy of collective punishment which was applied on a mass scale by Hitler and his armies.

Actions such as those of these days of the Israel military in Gaza remind the Greek people of holocausts such as in Kalavrita or Doxato or Distomo and certainly in the ghetto of Warsaw.

With these thoughts allow me to express to you my best wishes for you, the Israeli people and all the people of our region of the world.

Athens, 30/12/2008

Theodoros Pangalos, Member of Parliament (Greece)

Ann Holdreith

Michigan poet--- The poetry of Ann Holdreith merges the mystical with the everyday. A chapter of her work is included in "Beyond the Lines", an anthology of Michigan authors published by Plainview Press. Her publishing credits also include: Wayne State University, Gravity Presses, Dixie Phoenix, Poetry Motel, Free Fall, Snakeskin, Gravity Webzine, Stirring (Best Love Poems), Aether, Friction Magazine and a Pushcart Prize nomination. Ann has taught for the Detroit Writer's Voice and is a Magna Cum Laude graduate in Fine Art and Literature from the University of Detroit. She has featured at the Michigan Opera Theatre, The Detroit Festival for the Arts and Spring Fed Arts of Detroit. Her riveting performance style synthesizes her background as an actress, vocalist, dancer and performance artist. Ann has been teaching her Fire Seed workshop, designed to free the authentic self, since 1987. Her work is dedicated to the full expression and elevation of the human spirit.

Autumn Sky

By: Ann Holdreith

On the ride home from Toledo,
from a worn out school
resurrected for good honest men,
for men with kids and grandkids,
guys who eat sugar doughnuts and wink
while they hammer-out fenders
and hurl the carcasses of metal beasts,
against autumn’s haunted sky,
I wonder if they remember
the grip of thighs around engine-less
muscle and sweat, ragged dirty hair
assaulting the wind, buttocks and back
pounding with hooves that know
exactly where they belong
on this earth.

On the way from Toledo,
a pulsing cloud of blackbirds
hurls its wings against the dying blue;
dark umbrellas opening
to summer’s last ride.

Democratic majority in the Michigan House abandons casino workers...

Wednesday, August 8, 2007--- Lansing, Michigan. By a shameful vote of 63 to 41... not a single Michigan Legislator--- with the exception of one lone Republican--- would take a stand in defense of the rights of casino workers to be employed in a workplace free of second-hand smoke. Not one single Michigan Legislator would take a stand for casino workers being paid real living wages protected by state and federal labor laws along with the right to organize for collective bargaining. House Democratic Floor Leader Steve Tobacman and Democratic Representative Barbara Farrah did this dirty work for the Fertitta Family and the Kansas City mob which will "skim" the profits from the Gun Lake Casino like they have done in all the other casinos managed by the Fertitta Family. The United Auto Workers union leadership, fearing estrangement and being shunned by the Democratic Party, dropped its feeble opposition to this legislation giving a hint as to how they intend to abandon autoworkers in the present contract negotiations with the "Big Three."

This Land Is Your Land

Words and Music by Woody Guthrie, one of America's outstanding working class Communists

Chorus:

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me

As I was walking a ribbon of highway
I saw above me an endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley
This land was made for you and me

Chorus

I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me

Chorus

The sun comes shining as I was strolling
The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and me

Chorus

As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!

Chorus

In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me.

Chorus (2x)

Marxism on right-wing talk radio

Saturday April 25, 2009

The Headliners Hr2. With The Northern Alliance

Mitch Berg interviews Alan Maki, union organizer and socialist.

Length: 00:48:55

AM 1280 The Patriot; Right-wing talk radio with Mitch Berg

Maki calls for:

* health care not warfare

* smoke-free casinos to protect worker health

If He Only Had A Clue

He could get it fixed on Wall St.
create real jobs on Main St.
and select a better crew,
He'd end blank checks to Israel
and bring some peace to that hell
-- if he only had a clue

He could make the Congress line up
if he pressed them all to sign on
but instead he tries to woo
the right-wing crooks who hate him
and will still block and berate him
-- if he only had a clue

He could deal with all the Repugs
imprisoning the worst thugs
and save the constitution too
but instead he will continue
their imperialist venue,
-- if he only had a clue

He could close down all our gulags
and end so-called "renditions"
but this he will not do--
He could bring the world together
and address the changing weather
-- if he only had a clue

posted by Jaded Prole

Words used around the kitchen table

constitution
predatory lending
capitalism
imperialism
socialism
public ownership
single-payer, universal health care
real living wage
standard of living
secure the population
McGovern "Blueprint" to end the war in Iraq
"new democratic majority"
fiduciary responsibilities
Benchmarks for progress in Iraq
democracy
accountability
neoliberalism
redistribution of wealth
People's Lobby
People's Front
People's Bailout
obstreperous citizens' movement
Obamalism: lack of contact with reality.
Matchstick Man
Full Employment
NEW WORD:
Living wage

It's time to start thinking outside the capitalist box...

We need to get off the beaten path and begin to explore the cooperative socialist alternative to capitalism. The Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party together with the "Red" Finns on the Iron Range created a solid progressive foundation; we can continue to build on the legacy they left to us as we network and grow our movement for peace and social justice by establishing working class clubs for education and action... now is the time to begin discussing how we are going to put an end to capitalism as we struggle to end this dirty war for oil in Iraq and work towards socialized health care by taking the first step with single-payer, universal health care... these discussions should take place frequently around the kitchen table with family, friends, and fellow workers.

Writing a Letter the Editor

Write A Letter To The Editor--- a very effective way to influence public opinion.

By: Alan L. Maki

Letters to the Editor are an effective way of speaking to a large group of people, and often getting the attention of elected officials; but, most important is that elected public officials understand that through a Letter to the Editor you are speaking directly to your friends, neighbors and fellow workers in the proverbial public square and these politicians will understand that their own positions are being publicly challenged and people are beginning to “think outside the box” which often leads to movement building.

First, you should pick an issue that you feel strongly about and you are familiar with; citing your own personal experiences with unemployment and poverty or with war makes for a very strong Letter to the Editor.

One important thing to remember is that newspapers like to publish letters that have a local tone; so your letter should address how the issue is pertinent to people in your area.

Also, it is best to always refer to an article that was published in the newspaper you are submitting your letter to. State that you are opposing or supporting the views in the article or editorial. Give the date and page of publication you are referencing.

If you need the address for your local paper, check out this site which has links to newspapers all over Minnesota: http://www.mnnews.com/

Remember to show your published Letter to the Editor to everyone you know; encourage them to write, too.

If you and a couple friends get Letters published you can photo-copy them and use it as a leaflet.

One effective way to use Letters to the Editor to build movements is to write a Letter and then get friends to follow up with Letters of their own on different aspects of the issue.

Remember to stick to the newspaper's guidelines as to limitation on words, etc. that the newspaper establishes.

* If your Letter doesn't get published, call the Editor and ask for the reason your letter wasn't published. Often the Editor will suggest “corrections” that you can make and then you can resubmit the Letter for publication consideration. Also, don't waste a Letter to the Editor; submit it to another paper if one doesn't publish it.

There are some important working class issues many Editors of corporate newspapers will not publish unless pressured to do so. If this happens then take the opportunity to publish your Letter as a leaflet with a big, bold headline like this: The Duluth News-Tribune refused to publish this--- why? What is happening to democracy in our community?

If you are working on an issue or problem, gather together a few people and have a Letter to the Editor writing party at your home, in a union hall, community center, library, church or park. Libraries are good places to have such a party because you have many resources available.

Provided courtesy of:

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

A blog for working class activists.

Alan L. Maki, publisher

58891 County Road 13

Warroad, Minnesota 56763

Phone: 218-386-2432 Cell Phone: 651-587-5541 E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net

An example of some well-written Letters to the Editor which were published:

http://nativeamericanindianlaborunion12.blogspot.com/2009/10/finally-pioneer-published-this-letter.html

http://nativeamericanindianlaborunion12.blogspot.com/2009/08/letter-to-editor.html

This was rejected by the Editor as a Letter to the Editor because of its length but the Editor then agreed to publish it as an Op-Ed piece: http://nativeamericanindianlaborunion12.blogspot.com/2009/08/grand-forks-herald-op-ed-piece.html

A good writing guide: “Elements of Style” by W. Strunk & E. B. White; free on-line: http://faculty.washington.edu/heagerty/Courses/b572/public/StrunkWhite.pdf

Each of us is like one little snowflake; we don't amount to much... but watch out for a Minnesota blizzard!

How capitalism works...

How capitalism works explained from a worker's perspective...

Abba Ramos, a veteran organizer in the International Longshore and Warehouse Union:

"If they can get a trained monkey to unload that boxcar tomorrow morning, rest assured, they'll have them over there and they'll have some bananas for lunch, and you'll be out on the street looking for work. Simple as that. You've got to remember, they follow only one rule of economic law, and that's that maximum production-minimum cost yields the greatest amount of profit. They don't deviate from that."

Money should go to health care and jobs, not wars

« Readers view

Reader's view: Money should go to health care and jobs, not wars

Published: April 24, 2010 12:00:00 AM CDT

Barack Obama has turned out to be just one more Wall Street flim-flam man and con artist posing as a president while selling health insurance on the side. Here we are spending billions on wars with unemployment soaring as the economy collapses. With Obama’s health-care reform, the for-profit health-care system is in an even bigger mess.

Listening to Democrats making excuses for Obama has been sickening. People voted for peace and got more war. People voted for health-care reform and got a health insurance industry bailout and profit maximization act. The Democrats scream, “Jobs, jobs, jobs!” and we get more unemployment and poverty-wage jobs.

Common sense tells us to end these dirty wars and use the money to pay for a world-class, socialized, health-care system, providing free health care for all, which would create as many as 10 million new jobs with the enforcement of affirmative action.

Every single delegate to the Minnesota DFL State Convention in Duluth should have to pass through a gauntlet of warriors for peace and social justice, insisting on the change they voted for. If we can’t get peace with social justice out of the Democratic Party, we are going to have to look elsewhere —possibly start a new political party.

Alan L. Maki

Warroad, Minnesota.

The writer is a delegate to the 2010 Minnesota DFL State Convention in Duluth.

An open letter to: The organizers of the “Minnesota Tea Parties.”

Thursday, April 16, 2009

An open letter to:

The organizers of the “Minnesota Tea Parties.”

What kind of ideas do you people have if you are afraid to debate and fear the ideas of others?

You are no better than, certainly no alternative to, Barack Obama and the pathetic Democrats and the even more corrupt and disgraced Republicans.

Come on, put your ideas up against a real socialist.

I challenge you to hold debates in everyone of the Minnesota communities where you had your big-business/Wall Street financed “Tea Parties.”

Just give me the dates and times and I will be there to debate any of you on the issues you claim to be so concerned about.

It is easy for you to rant and rave against the perverted caricature of socialism you have created without having to sit side by side with a socialist and debate the issues.

Here I am… let’s have at it… or are you afraid to put your ideas out where they can be challenged in the “public square.”

Alan L. Maki

Director of Organizing,

Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council

When I try to post this message on the Tea Bagger's blog I keep getting this message with my posting never posted:

Please Note: Your comment is awaiting moderation.

What I see in your Tea Party “movement” is:

1. racism
2. vicious anti-communism
3. warmongers
4. people sucked in by Wall Street
5. a gross distortion of “patriotism.”

I would encourage all of you to read “Citizen Tom Paine” by Howard Fast and his other historical novels on the American Revolution to get some kind of basic grounding and understanding as to what constitutes fighting for freedom, justice and liberty.

You really have a very shallow understanding of the issues.

For instance—

Why no mention of this “little” fact:

Our government is wasting trillions of dollars maintaining over 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil dotting the globe in countries where we have no business when, instead, we should be establishing 800 public health care centers spread out across the United States providing free health care for everyone.

It is easy for you all to say things like you do using assumed names and monikers… I am wondering if you would dare to say such pathetically stupid, harmful and hurtful things if you had to sign your real names and provide contact information?

I would challenge any of you to debate these issues: anytime, anyplace anywhere.

Any takers?

Bak, bak, bak, bak, baaakkk, bak, bak, bak, baaaaakkkkkkkk.

Just a bunch of chicken shit patriots.

Give me a call if you can converse intelligently.

Alan L. Maki
218-386-2432

Alan L. Maki

58891 County Road 13

Warroad, Minnesota 56763

Phone: 218-386-2432

Cell phone: 651-587-5541

E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net

Check out my blog:

Thoughts From Podunk

http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/

The United States has 800 military bases on foreign soil...

What we need--- instead--- is 800 public health care centers spread out across the United States where people can universally access, for free, all their health care needs from pre-natal care, to general health care to eye, dental and mental care right through to burial.

Instead of moving in this progressive direction, President Barack Obama and the United States Congress are moving in a most reactionary direction towards establishing military bases in outer space as they seek to insure the profits of both the merchants of death and destruction and the profit-driven health care industries... talk about skewed priorities and your wacky ideas devoid of common sense.

In addition to these 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil, Barack Obama and the United States Congress continue funding--- with our tax-dollars--- the Israeli killing machine to the tune of tens of billions of dollars.

A network of 800 public health care centers spread out across the United States would create over four-million good-paying, decent jobs--- talk about your "economic stimulus" package!

We would be planting the seeds of socialism while helping to eradicate poverty as we keep people healthy and get them well when sick.

Think about this kind of solution in relation to what Barack Obama, the U.S. Congress and the Wall Street bankers and coupon clippers are offering the American people, and the peoples of the world... just what is the reason for bailing out the banks and AIG and maintaining more than 800 expensive U.S. military bases of foreign soil?

The Mt. Carmel Clinic in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada offers us a glimpse at what militarization and wars continue to rob us of.

The problems created by Wall Street will not be solved as long as the military-financial-industrial complex is allowed to squander human and natural resources on militarism and wars... we might just as well be dumping these resources out into the ocean... at least no one would die in wars.

These merchants of death and destruction must be stopped if humanity is to survive in a livable world.

The time has come to talk about the working class Marxist politics and economics of livelihood... capitalism has failed humanity miserably and left us a real mess.

Something for working people to think about and discuss around the dinner table... the capitalist sooth-Sayers certainly are not going to broach such solutions to the problems of working people as they hide behind the skirt of Rosy Scenario as this global capitalist economic depression intensifies.

Alan Maki

Simple Crusty Bread

[This recipe, from the New York Times, really is simple and produces a crusty crust and soft interior. It uses the bare minimum of ingredients, and no kneading, and works fine with either free-standing or pan loaves. Next time I may enhance it with sun-dried tomatoes, or Kalamata olives, or onions.]

1½ tablespoons yeast

1½ tablespoons salt

6½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough

Cornmeal.

* * * Directions * * *

1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water.

Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches.

Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid.

Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).

2. Bake at this point; or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks.

When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife.

Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom.

Put dough on pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes.

Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.

3. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. [Instead of this, I spritzed the oven with water several times during the baking.]

Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.

4. Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times [once worked fine].

Slide onto stone.

Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam.

Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes.

Cool.

Yield: 4 loaves.

Variation: If not using stone, stretch rounded dough into oval and place in a greased loaf pan.

Let rest 40 minutes if fresh, an extra hour if refrigerated.

Heat oven to 450 degrees for 5 minutes.

Place pan on middle rack.

Here is a good recipe for Au Gratin Potatoes:

Nine ingredients…

A. 9 large potatoes

B. 1 16 oz container sour cream

C. 2 cans cheddar cheese soup

D. 1/2 cup melted butter

E. 2 tsp salt

F. pepper to taste

G. 1 pint half and half or regular milk or evaporated

H. onion – optional

I. 12 oz package of mild shredded cheddar cheese

Seven easy steps…

1. Cut uncooked potatoes in thin slices

2. Spray 9x13 pan with oil spray

3. Layer cut potatoes in oiled pan

4. Mix above ingredients together

5. Pour ingredients on top of potatoes

6. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until potatoes are soft and done

7. Ten minutes before taking out of oven add shredded cheese

Recipes for Jams, Jellies & Juice...

Green Tomato Preserves

8 lbs. green tomatoes, cut up

4 lbs. sugar

1 quart vinegar (white)

1 tbsp powdered cloves

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp salt

Boil slowly and stir frequently till thick. Can in sterile jars.

Red Pepper Jelly

7 sweet red peppers

2 sweet yellow peppers (optional)

5 hot peppers

1½ cups vinegar

1½ cups apple juice

1 package powdered pectin

½ teaspoon salt

5 cups sugar

Wash peppers and remove stems and seeds. Cut up. Puree peppers and vinegar. Stir in apple juice. Refrigerate overnight.

Strain mixture through cheesecloth. Measure 4 cups juice. Combine juice, pectin, and salt in a saucepot. Boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Boil 1 minute more, stirring. Remove from heat, skim foam (if any).

Ladle hot jelly into hot, sterilized jars. Process 5 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Tomato juice

Cook the following for half an hour:

Heirloom tomatoes, mixed varieties and colors

Fresh herbs (basil, Italian parsley, oregano, thyme)

celery, chopped

carrots, chopped

onions, chopped

garlic, cut up

hot and sweet peppers, cut up

lemon juice

salt, pepper

Put through a food strainer. Process pints 40 minutes, quarts 45 minutes, in a boiling water canner.

From Leonard Cohen's, "The Energy of Slaves"

Any system you contrive without us

Any system you contrive without us
will be brought down
We warned you before
and nothing that you built has stood
Hear it as you lean over your blueprint
Hear it as you roll up your sleeve
Hear it once again
Any system you contrive without us
will be brought down
You have your drugs
You have your guns
You have your Pyramids your Pentagons
With all your grass and bullets
you cannot hunt us any more
All that we disclose of ourselves forever
is this warning
Nothing that you built has stood
Any system you contrive without us
will be brought down

Recipe for Coney-Roney:

Crock Pot Method

Put the beef and turkey meet in the crock pot and let it cook for at least 35 minutes:

1 lb of Angus Ground Beef
1 lb of Premium Ground Turkey

Season the meat with this:
1 tablespoon of Curry
1 tablespoon of Lawry's
1 tablespoon of black pepper

Then add the Veggies:

1 - small or large can of corn (drained)
1 - Jar of Paul Newman's Tomato Sauce
1- Can of diced tomatos
1 - diced Onion
1 - Cut up bunch of Cilantro
2 - "Hand full's of either Minute Rice or Regular Rice

After the meat has cooked for 35 minutes just throw the rest of the stuff in including the sauce and put the lid back on the crock pot. The food will be ready to eat in about an hour. Remember, the longer you let it cook at low in the crock pot, the flavor will get better.

As posted to FaceBook by Donald Allen

A program for real change...

NASTURTIUM CHICKEN KEBABS

1 LB Chicken Breasts Fillets,Cubed

1/3 Cup Herb Vinegar

1/3 Cup Garlic Oil

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

1 Teaspoon Crushed Fresh Ginger

1 Tablespoon Sherry

24 Button Mushrooms

24 Cherry Tomatoes

1 Green Pepper,Cubed

1 Red Pepper,Cubed

12 Pickling Onions

2 Tablespoon Chopped Chives

8 Nasturtium Flowers,Chopped

Pickled Nasturtium Seeds,Chopped

1/4 Cup Plain Yogurt

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Nasturtium Leaves

Marinate the chicken in a glass dish overnight in the combined vinegar,garlic oil,soy sauce,ginger and sherry.

Drain the chicken and reserve the marinade.

Thread the chicken and vegetables alternately onto 8 skewers.

Grill or barbecue the kebabs,brushing with the reserved marinade,until cooked through.

Combine the chives,nasturtium flowers and seeds then mix the plain yogurt and salt and pepper to make a dressing.

Remove the kebabs from the skewers and serve on the nasturtium leaves.

Top with the dressing.then roll up and eat.

Serves 4......ENJOY!

**********************************************************************************************************

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune---

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, Bill Hilty: The nation's wars are a heavy burden on the state

Article by: JACK NELSON-PALLMEYER and BILL HILTY
Updated: July 25, 2011 - 7:02 PM

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/otherviews/126142923.html

Budget gap could have been easily closed with the money we send away.

Citizens in Minnesota are being encouraged to see scarcity as the new normal. If you are an elected official at any level of government, your job has been reduced to managing austerity.

It doesn't have to be this way -- if we address the elephant lurking in the budget deficit hall. That would be the high costs of militarization and war.

Technically, the military budget is a federal issue, distinct from state, county and city budgets. However, we can no longer maintain the fiction that distorted federal spending that prioritizes war and militarism is disconnected from state and local budget crises and is eroding living standards.

According to the nonpartisan National Priorities Project, Congress devotes 58 cents of every dollar of federal discretionary spending to war-related purposes. To better understand the impact on Minnesota of privileging military spending priorities, consider this: We have just experienced a painful government shutdown over how to deal with a two-year $5 billion shortfall. Yet Minnesota taxpayers over the same two-year period will spend $8.4 billion just for our share of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

This will bring Minnesotans' total contribution to those wars to about $36 billion. Additionally over the next two years, Minnesotans will pay $26 billion for our share of the nation's base military budget, a budget that has doubled since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Every Minnesota citizen and every layer of government is impacted negatively by current war-related priorities. Faced with pressing local needs, taxpayers in Fergus Falls will pay $17 million for their share of counterproductive Iraq/Afghan wars over the next two years; Minneapolis taxpayers will contribute $255 million.

We believe it is time for Minnesotans to communicate clearly to our members of Congress and to President Obama that federal funding priorities must shift from unnecessary wars to meeting essential needs. A new citizen-driven effort, the Minnesota Arms Spending Alternatives Project (MNasap), is a vehicle for doing so.

We have crafted a simple resolution that can be adapted and enacted by individuals, community groups, library boards, city councils and other elected bodies throughout the state. It reads in part: "Whereas our nation desperately needs to better balance its approach to security to go beyond military defense and include the economic, social, and environmental needs of our communities, state, and nation ... Therefore [we] call on Senators Klobuchar and Franken, and Representatives Walz, Kline, Paulsen, McCollum, Ellison, Bachmann, Peterson and Cravaack as well as President Barack Obama, to shift federal funding priorities from war and the interests of the few, to meeting the essential needs of us all."

The state government shutdown has ended, but the pain will be ongoing for many Minnesotans. As a recent Star Tribune editorial ("New budget rests on shaky structure," July 20) states, borrowing against future state revenues and delaying school payments will have serious consequences, and the budget "inflicts too much pain. The hurt will be felt most keenly on college campuses and among those who serve low-income disabled and elderly people."

Imagine what we can accomplish if we stop squandering wealth and talents on militarization and counterproductive wars. Schools could reduce class sizes and have adequate supplies. Bridges could be repaired. Food shelves could be adequately stocked but rarely needed. We could take steps to make homelessness rare and temporary. Cities and states could adequately provide essential services, including meeting their authentic security needs. Critical investments could be made in infrastructure and green technologies. Public libraries could expand hours and programming. Urban and national rail systems could be built. The country could address climate change and end child poverty. All Americans could have access to quality, affordable health care.

This sounds like a fantasy only because current choices keep us on the dead-end road of militarization. It is a realistic possibility once we demilitarize priorities, realistically assess security needs and refocus governing on serving the common good.

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is associate professor of justice and peace studies at the University of St. Thomas. Bill Hilty, DFL-Finlayson, is a member of the Minnesota House. For information on the resolution campaign, contact MinnesotaASAP@gmail.com

Previously Pallmeyer and Hilty authored this resolution:

Resolution Calling for Re-ordering Priorities

Resolution Calling for Re-ordering PrioritiesResolution Calling for Re-ordering of Priorities:

Whereas Minnesota is faced with a $5.028 billion budget shortfall; and,

Whereas past budget cuts have resulted in painful reductions in essential services and future cuts would further erode the quality of life for and, in fact, endanger the lives of many citizens; and,

Whereas many cities and communities in Minnesota are laying off police, firefighters, teachers and other essential employees; and,

Whereas past budgets have been balanced by cutting social services, under investment in essential infrastructure, and other measures that push the crisis onto local governments and the poor; and,

Whereas Minnesota taxpayers even during these times of economic crisis and fiscal austerity are poised to pay the equivalent of the entire state biennial budget, more than $35 billion over the next two years, for their share of the Defense Budget of the Federal government; and,

Whereas Minnesota taxpayers alone have already spent more than $27.5 billion, and will spend $8.4 billion more over the next two years for the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; and,

Whereas 58 cents of every dollar of federal discretionary spending is devoted to military purposes; and,

Whereas military spending priorities at the national level negatively impact budgets and quality of life at all levels of government and society; and,

Whereas our nation desperately needs to better balance its approach to security to go beyond military defense and include the economic, social, and environmental needs of our communities, state, and nation;

Therefore be it resolved that we, the Legislature of the State of Minnesota call on Senators Klobuchar and Franken, and Representatives Walz, Kline, Paulsen, McCollum, Ellison, Bachmann, Peterson and Cravaack as well as Congressional leadership and President Barack Obama, to shift federal funding priorities from war and the interests of the few, to meeting the essential needs of us all.

Approved [date]

Drafted by Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party State Representative Bill Hilty.

A more comprehensive alternative I put together based on talks with people across the Great Lakes Region:

A program for real change...

* Peace--- end the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and shutdown the 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil.

* A National Public Health Care System - ten million new jobs.

* A National Public Child Care System - three to five million new jobs.

* Works Progress Administration - three million new jobs.

* Civilian Conservation Corps - two million new jobs.

* Tax the hell out of the rich and cut the military budget by ending the wars to pay for it all which will create full employment.

* Enforce Affirmative Action; end discrimination.

* Raise the minimum wage to a real living wage

* What tax-payers subsidize in the way of businesses, tax-payers should own and reap the profits from.

* Moratorium on home foreclosures and evictions.

* Defend democracy by defending workers' rights including the right to collective bargaining for improving the lives and livelihoods of working people.

* Roll-back and freeze the price of food, electricity, gas and heating fuels; not wages, benefits or pensions.

* Wall Street is our enemy.

How is Barack Obama's Wall Street war economy working for you?

Let's talk about the politics and economics of livelihood for a real change.

Obviously the resolutions by Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer and Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party State Representative Bill Hilty will never be realized as government policy while we are stuck in this "two-party trap" because militarism and wars are an integral and primary component of Wall Street's imperialist agenda.

Woods for grilling

Here's a list of Smoke Wood

ACACIA - these trees are in the same family as mesquite. When burned in a smoker, acacia has a flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as heavy. A very hot burning wood.

ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.

ALMOND - A sweet smoke flavor, light ash. Good with all meats.

APPLE - Very mild with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.

ASH - Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor. Good with fish and red meats.

BIRCH - Medium-hard wood with a flavor similar to maple. Good with pork and poultry.

CHERRY - Mild and fruity. Good with poultry, pork and beef. Some List members say the cherry wood is the best wood for smoking. Wood from chokecherry trees may produce a bitter flavor.

COTTONWOOD - It is a softer wood than alder and very subtle in flavor. Use it for fuel but use some chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor. Don't use green cottonwood for smoking.

CRABAPPLE - Similar to apple wood.

GRAPEVINES - Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.

HICKORY - Most commonly used wood for smoking--the King of smoking woods. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor. Good with pork, ham and beef.

LILAC - Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and lamb.

MAPLE - Smoky, mellow and slightly sweet. Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds.

MESQUITE - Strong earthy flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game. One of the hottest burning.

MULBERRY - The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple.

OAK - Heavy smoke flavor--the Queen of smoking wood. RED OAK is good on ribs, WHITE OAK makes the best coals for longer burning. All oak varieties reported as suitable for smoking. Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game.

ORANGE, LEMON and GRAPEFRUIT - Produces a nice mild smoky flavor. Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry.

PEAR - A nice subtle smoke flavor. Much like apple. Excellent with chicken and pork.

PECAN - Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory. Tasty with a subtle character. Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese. Pecan is an all-around superior smoking wood.

SWEET FRUIT WOODS - APRICOT, PLUM, PEACH, NECTARINE - Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory.

WALNUT - ENGLISH and BLACK - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.

Basic Pizza Dough

• 2 1/2 tbsp fresh cake yeast or 1 pkg dry yeast
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3-3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

Warm a medium mixing bowl by swirling some hot water in it. Drain. Place the yeast in the bowl, and pour on the warm water. Stir in the sugar, mix with a fork, and allow to stand until the yeast has dissolved and starts to foam, 5-10 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to mix in the salt and about one-third of the flour. Mix in another third of the flour, stirring with the spoon until the dough forms a mass and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Sprinkle some of the remaining flour onto a smooth work surface. Remove the dough from the bowl and begin to knead it, working in the remaining flour a little at a time. Knead for 8-10 minutes. By the end the dough should be elastic and smooth. Form it into a ball. Lightly oil a mixing bowl. Place the dough in the bowl. Stretch a moistened and wrung-out dish towel across the top of the bowl, and leave it to stand in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume, about 40-50 minutes or more, depending on the type of yeast you used. (If you do not have a warm enough place, turn the oven on to medium heat for 10 minutes before you knead the dough. Turn it off. Place the bowl with the dough in it in the turned off oven with the door closed and let it rise there.) To test whether the dough has risen enough, poke two fingers into the dough. If the indentions remain, the dough is ready. Punch the dough down with your fist to release the air. Knead for 1-2 minutes. Divide dough into smaller balls.

Roll to desired thickness, top with desired ingredients, and bake at 475° until crust is crispy and golden (about 10 minutes).

The trick is to ALWAYS use a pizza stone to bake on, it is not nearly as good and crispy if you don’t...

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From Capitalist Crisis to Building a Movement to Win a New Era of Justice and Peace: A Worker's Perspecti ve by Alan L. Maki, Director of Organizing, Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council and Founder, Minnesotans for Peace and Social Justice