Some more thoughts about the Occupy Wall Street movement

I assume my comments are welcome by the Occupy Wall Street movement whether there is agreement or not--- part of the democratic participation we are all striving for; correct?

The Occupy Wall Street movement suggests, and correctly so, that "democracy" with full participation of the people (99%) in the decision making processes (I assume full participation means social, political and economic?)is the objective yet it seems some solutions to problems are not being considered. Why not put everything on the table for discussion, dialog and debate and let people decide?

We want a participatory democratic process where working people (the majority of the 99%) are involved at all levels of society in ways where our participation actually allows us to make decisions affecting our lives instead of being trapped into thinking that our role is to rubber stamp the actions of Wall Street's two-party scheme and scam; right?

"They" is referred to in this "Declaration" < http://nycga.cc/2011/09/30/declaration-of-the-occupation-of-new-york-city/ > of the OWS movement, and this is called "Occupy Wall Street," yet Wall Street has not been declared our common enemy and obviously this "Declaration" is so vague you do not interpret it to be a statement against capitalism and its most decadent stage, imperialism. Not a single Wall Street office has been occupied--- at least not yet.

The grievances are stated but where are the solutions to these problems stated?

Who are these grievances being presented to for solution?

What is being demanded of government?

Will methods be found to present these grievances to those who have the power to resolve these problems?

Above in my comment I have presented a "people's program for real change" which BEGINS to address many of the specific grievances that are listed in this "Declaration"
< http://nycga.cc/2011/09/30/declaration-of-the-occupation-of-new-york-city/ > you provide us a link to.

We need solutions (reforms) to our (the 99%; mostly working people) problems that are financed by redistributing the wealth of this 1% (Wall Street).

The Occupy Wall Street movement is a very important development only to the extent that it brings people into struggles for very specific reforms (personally, I hope OWS is preparing the ground to get rid of capitalism sooner rather than later) as we challenge Wall Street for power which will take struggles in the streets combined with electoral struggle and occupations of mines,mills and factories where employers lock out workers in an attempt to evade collective bargaining and where Wall Street (corporations/banks) decide to close down factories and ship jobs to low wage/cheap resource areas. Student occupations of colleges and universities demanding free higher-level education while negotiating lower tuitions, etc. Occupations of welfare offices when these arrogant bureaucrats deny people the help they are entitled to. Occupations of Congressional offices demanding peace, the prosecutions of war criminals like Bush, Cheney, Obama.

Occupations of public parks and public squares are good for the purpose of holding discussions about what needs to be done but let us not delude ourselves or anyone else that these occupations of public parks and public squares are going to lead to reforms getting our grievances resolved--- let alone revolution.

Change simply isn't going to come through one big occupation of a park or a public square or even the occupation of hundreds of public parks or public squares.

Begin to occupy Goldman Sachs, congressional offices and dogging Barack Obama on the campaign trail insisting on real reforms intended to solve the very real and very specific problems people are experiencing and we take this movement to a higher level which will assure this movement will not be manipulated and controlled by Obama and the other Wall Street bribed and owned politicians.

If out of these discussions taking place during these occupations we agree to organize a political movement to free ourselves from Wall Street's two-party trap, a political movement capable of articulating these grievances and their solutions, and we elect people's politicians from the ranks of those involved in and supporting the OWS movement we bring together a massive anti-monopoly coalition that can challenge Wall Street for power (take power away from Wall Street and make "power to the people" a reality) we will then have a movement against "them" ("They")--- Wall Street.

The New York Times advises Barack Obama to engage in a demagogic populist rhetoric using the grievances articulated by the OWS movement... are WE (99%) going to allow THEM (Wall Street- 1%)to get away with this--- without so much as solving one single one of our problems?

Again, here are some ideas I put forward for discussion, let's discuss how this fits in with the grievances and what kind of specific legislation, etc. it is going to take to get our (99%) problems solved--- this is our common goal and objective, is it not? Let's call this our "revolutionary road;" reforms on the road to revolution:

A people’s program for real change...

* Peace--- end the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and shutdown the 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil protecting Wall Street’s interests.

* A National Public Health Care System - ten million new jobs; free health care for all.

* A National Public Child Care System - three to five million new jobs; free child care for all working families.

* Works Progress Administration - three million new jobs; repair, restore and build new infrastructure.

* Civilian Conservation Corps - two million new jobs protecting and restoring to health our ecosystems.

* Public Ownership of the 58,000 mines, mills and factories closed by Wall Street – twenty-five million good paying, decent union 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.

* Defend and expand Social Security.

* Wall Street is our enemy.

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

The time has come for working people to break free from Wall Street’s “two-party trap.” We need a working class-based progressive people’s party.

Peace + tax the rich = millions of new jobs at real living wages putting people to work solving our social problems which will solve our economic problems… Redistribute the wealth. Put people before Wall Street profits.

The OWS movement needs to have a real dialog with the American people beginning with asking the question:

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

This is a most basic and fundamental question requiring an answer because from the way people answer this question we find get to the specific problems and what it is going to take to agree on solutions.

Primarying Obama and electing activists from the Occupy Wall Street movement to local, state and federal offices on a third party ticket should also become a part of this movement--- just look at the base of support for these candidates there would be. Occupy public offices with candidates prepared to fight Wall Street for power.

You say you want a revolution.. but want to forego reforms; dialog with a one of the leaders of the "leaderless" Occupy Wall Street movement

This is a post made on FireDogLake--- my comment is at the end.

In my opinion, it is strange to first talk about occupying Wall Street then occupying a park near Wall Street and then not talking about the need to occupy the mines, mills and factories that the Wall Street coupon clippers own.

Are we talking about building a movement capable of challenging Wall Street for power or are we simply talking about creating a militant looking front that plays well for Barack Obama's re-birthed and perverted sense of populism aimed at getting himself re-elected so he can kick us under the bus as he continues to carry out Wall Streets thoroughly reactionary Wall Street agenda of more wars abroad paid for through austerity measures imposed on the working class here at home.

Here we go again with a new New Left agenda under the guise of "occupy everything" as long as it's a public square or public park; when what we need is to re-build the historic popular front of working class liberals, progressives and leftists fighting and struggling for real change as we prepare the ground to put and end to capitalism and bring forward the socialist alternative.

What the moment requires is a strong anti-capitalist, anti-monopoly coalition--- recognizing the parasitical exploiters, profiteers and warmongers of Wall Street as our enemy--- struggling in the streets, in our communities, in our schools and in our places of employment backed up by a progressive people's party carrying forward an anti-monolpoly agenda aimed at taking political and economic power out of the hands of Wall Street coupon clippers.


Alan L. Maki

http://my.firedoglake.com/luckymw/2011/10/08/occupy-wall-street-defining-the-undefinable/#comment-124

« Try And Catch The Wind

Occupy Wall Street: Defining The Undefinable

By: LUCKYMW

Saturday October 8, 2011 12:48 am

"Occupy Everything" (Photo: Yung GrassHopper)

Occupy Wall Street is about revolution, not reforms.

The movement is about creating a democracy based on mutual respect, compassion, and looking out for each other’s best interests.

It is all-inclusive to people of any political party and all voices are welcome to the debate as to how to replace the existing corporate/government co-dependency which results in 99% of the people being excluded from the opportunity to succeed on a level playing field.

We have a list of grievances that was generated by Occupy Wall Street in NY, and those issues are all on the table for discussion in a democratic fashion in order to create solutions.

We have only a horizontal hierarchy to prevent one person’s agenda from skewing the needs of the group.

This is not a political movement, it’s a social movement in which we are now first getting to know one another while we’re beginning a national conversation to rectify the position we’ve been put in by the monolithic Wall Street machine that has purchased our representative government.

We are aware that this movement will take time to grow and for that conversation to synthesize the specific changes we democratically choose to take effect.

We are committed to no set timetable, we’re here for as long as it takes and for as long as people stay unified in this shared vision.

Right now we are engaging in direct non-violent action so that we can show our sense of strength and purpose in order to attract more voices to the conversation.

This is not an anti-capitalist campaign, nor do we seek to destroy capitalist institutions.

The goal is to create a new paradigm in which we all enjoy the promises made to us in the Constitution, not just the crumbs left to us by the privileged class.

We are only seeking to benefit from our labors and protect our rights to liberty, health, education, and the pursuit of shared prosperity.

My response---

Alan Maki 

October 9th, 2011 at 6:09 am «

LUCKYMW,

Could you post the complete “list of grievances” you have referred to?

I travel quite widely and often through the Great Lakes Region talking to working people about their problems and the solutions to these problems.

You talk about “occupying” everything. Shouldn’t we be concerned with “occupying” public offices with politicians who will advance an alternative to Wall Street’s agenda of imperialist wars abroad paid for through austerity measures here at home?

I find it interesting you unequivocally state that this is NOT an anti-capitalist movement and on the other hand you claim this is a revolutionary movement and not about reforms.

You say you are prepared to occupy for as long as it takes. Fine. But, can people being evicted from their homes wait that long? Can people who are unemployed “wait” for a job until your, as so far claimed but not stated “list of grievances” are addressed and resolved?

By the way, I really have to wonder what kind of “grievances” you have if these “grievances” don’t include reforms aimed at solving the problems working people are experiencing.

Quite frankly, what you have written here demonstrates that you don’t understand the relationship between reforms and revolution nor do you seem to understand that working people need a political party to advance their agenda relating to what they struggle and fight for in the streets, in their communities and at work.

You talk about “occupying everything” but I don’t see any suggestions that closing mines, mills or plants be “occupied” to prevent lockouts in labor disputes nor when mines, mills and plants are designated to be closed while Wall Street ships the jobs to low-cost labor areas overseas.

Wall Street’s Ford Motor Company has determined— without community and worker participation— that it will close the St. Paul Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant here in St. Paul, Minnesota later this year as it has begun production of the Ford Ranger in Thailand. Has Occupy Wall Street discussed occupying this plant to save it from the wrecking ball to make way for a housing project that only the well-heeled Wall Street coupon clippers will be able to afford?

I think it is quite clear this Occupy Wall Street movement has all the traits and earmarks of an anarchist operation the Obama supporting trade union leadership just loves to promote to “prove” its militancy as it tries to shove Wall Street’s Obama down our throats for a second shafting.

I find it interesting that a movement claiming to be in opposition to Wall Street hasn’t mouthed one single word in opposition to Wall Street’s hand picked and financed president without so much as asking the American people the question: How is Barack Obama’s Wall Street war economy working for you?

How interesting you call for broader participation in the decision-making process by the people but fail to acknowledge that Wall Street manipulates and controls us to their profit seeking, profit gouging end through the control they have in the corporate boardrooms and through its control of our public institutions including local, state and national public office.

I don’t think you know what the hell you want.

Most people in this country do see Wall Street as their enemy. Most people— working people— have a pretty good idea of the kind of country they want even if you don’t want to acknowledge what most Americans want because it doesn’t fit in with your stated ideas of “revolution without reforms.”

I do know what most people in this country want. And I challenge you or anyone else to prove me wrong. In fact, I challenge you to place this before your “General Assembly” for discussion to see what people have to say. This is nothing more than what I have written down in my notes from talking to people in their homes, at work, in grocery stores and at gas stations. Place it before the “General Assembly” for discussion to see if people agree:

A people’s program for real change…

* Peace— end the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and shutdown the 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil protecting Wall Street’s interests.

* A National Public Health Care System – ten million new jobs; free health care for all.

* A National Public Child Care System – three to five million new jobs; free child care for all working families.

* Works Progress Administration – three million new jobs; repair, restore and build new infrastructure.

* Civilian Conservation Corps – two million new jobs protecting and restoring to health our ecosystems.

* Public Ownership of the 58,000 mines, mills and factories closed by Wall Street – twenty-five million good paying, decent union 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.

* Defend and expand Social Security.

* Wall Street is our enemy.

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

The time has come for working people to break free from Wall Street’s “two-party trap.” We need a working class-based progressive people’s party.

Peace + tax the rich = millions of new jobs at real living wages putting people to work solving our social problems which will solve our economic problems… Redistribute the wealth. Put people before Wall Street profits.

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

What is the movement against Wall Street really all about?

What is the movement against Wall Street really all about? The New York Times assigned one of its top reporters to "clarify" what the movement in opposition to Wall Street is all about. The NYT reporter, Mark Landler, went even further in attempting to falsely explain: the ideology behind our movement, our goals and objectives and how we are going to get what we want. I would note that over the past weeks the NYT first tried to ignore our movement against Wall Street, then tried to claim the movement was "leaderless" without any ideology and there were no concrete demands that could be addressed--- of course this was all just the typical hypocrisy that is normal and typical for the NYT which always pretends not to know what working people want because the NYT is Wall Street's voice--- owned lock, stock and barrel by the Wall Street coupon clippers who hire "the best" capitalist Sooth-sayers

and apologists for capitalism's highest stage, imperialism, the money derived from the exploitation of the working class can buy. Mark Landler in his article below has proven himself well suited and equipped for the task required by his Wall Street bosses. Check out Mark Landler's background then read what he wrote... below Landler's article in the New York Times I will explain why Wall Street is our enemy, what we think, what we want and how we are going to get what we want. Our vision is very clear as anyone can see for themselves; but, the New York Times never lets us state our vision, what we want and how we are going to achieve what we want even as it's editors and reporters continually--- and hypocritically--- boast that the United States is the world's greatest bastion of democracy even though 99% of the people are denied a voice through the MainStreamMedia while the 1% always get their say because they own the MainStreamMedia the same way they own the mines, mills and factories. As usual, this article from the New York Times uses "kernels of truth" to convey its falsehoods in an attempt to manipulate and control the "news" to suit the aims of Wall Street and the politicians--- like Barack Obama--- who they own and control just like their newspapers, radio and television stations... and even the Internet Service Providers and FaceBook. And of course, this manipulation and control of the media is conveniently called: democracy.    

Here is my response to this article from the New York Times.

Here are my thoughts about this movement against Wall Street; I hope Obama backers will pass on my thoughts to their "leader:"

http://movementagainstwallstreet.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-is-movement-against-wall-street.html

Alan L. Maki

 

 

An exchange on FireDogLake: Is the NDP's electoral victory in Manitoba "big news?"

My complete post and all comments can be found here:


http://my.firedoglake.com/alanmaki/2011/10/06/have-progressives-missed-the-most-important-political-news-this-week/#comment-419


Kurt,

The socialist, labor-based New Democratic Party's electoral victory in Manitoba is not only good news; it is very big news because this is a working class victory over over both Bay Street and Wall Street achieved in opposition to some of the largest multi-national corporations in mining, manufacturing, big-agribusiness, the forestry industry, the banking and telecommunications industries--- and most important of all, this important victory stymied and thwarted the attempt by Bay Street's and Wall Street's parasitical coupon clippers to get their greedy hands on Manitoba's huge publicly owned power generating industry like they did with Manitoba's modern provincially owned and operated telecommunications industry when the Bay Street and Wall Street backed Conservatives gave away it all away to these ravenous and greedy vultures.

This fourth consecutive victory for Manitobans comes at a time when the G-8/G-20 are trying to gain a choke-hold over all humanity and the fact that Manitobans are holding firm in opposition to Bay Street and Wall Street at this time as an example of how working people can stand up to these bastards makes this electoral victory placing Manitobans squarely in the forefront of international working class struggles makes this very big news.

Manitoba farmers, through their support for the NDP, are standing up in defense of the Canadian Wheat Board which has been a thorn in the side of the big grain cartels including the huge U.S. multi-nationals like Archer-Daniels-Midland and Cargill.

In choosing the NDP, workers at the huge nickle mining operation in Thompson, Manitoba have voted to save the refinery and hundreds of jobs as Vale/INCO tries to shut down the operation.

Manitoba's working class and farmers have done what workers everywhere need to do: back up their struggles in the workplace and in the streets by electing politicians from among their ranks to lead their government through these very troubling and difficult times.

Show me another local, state/provincial or federal government in North America that better reflects and represents the needs of working people and I will agree with you that this "is good news but hardly big news."

Manitoba's working class is not occupying a public square or public park--- Manitoba's working class dominates and controls the provincial government. It is time for workers everywhere to take a lesson from Manitoba's working class if we are going to be able to not only "Occupy Wall Street" but take it over and nationalize it by bringing the multi-nationals under public ownership so the wealth can be re-distributed as required.

The electoral victory of the NDP further provides us with proof of what the working class can achieve when it has real leaders; something the "leaderless" Occupy Wall Street movement might want to consider very closely lest it be hood-winked and hi-jacked by a bunch of worthless Wall Street backed politicians like Barack Obama and Ron Paul.

I understand why the Wall Street owned MainStreamMedia wants to ignore this most important electoral victory of the NDP in Manitoba; but, why has our alternative media from The Real News to Democracy Now to FireDogLake to the many left-wing newspapers and progressive blogs ignored this good news and important news story, too?

Manitoba NDP wins 4th consecutive victory at the polls; MainStreamMedia has no comment.

We need to be asking why the MainStreamMedia refuses to cover the NDP in Manitoba. What are they afraid of; that the idea for a labor-based people's party may spread south of the border where so many people are fed up with the Democrats and Republicans?

Even the alternative media refuses to acknowledge or cover the Manitoba elections: Why?

My computer; a billboard for peace that travels with me

The American people are thoroughly fed up

Obama admonished people to, "...stop your grumbling and put on your marching shoes." What a worthless, two-faced, hypocritical demagogue Obama is. Obama has never marched for anything. Let's see how Obama and his crooked and corrupt Chicago crowd handle those who put on their marching shoes in opposition to Obama bringing together the G8/NATO warmongers trying to shove austerity measures down our throats to pay for their dirty imperialist wars in mid-May.

In fact, people are fed up with Obama and his Wall Street agenda.

In fact, people have put on their "marching shoes" to protest Obama's Wall Street agenda. Just ask anyone:

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

The struggles in Wisconsin are far from over. I just traveled across Wisconsin talking to people.

The struggles in Michigan continue.

Now people have occupied Wall Street.

In another week, on October 6, demonstrators will hit the streets of Washington D.C.

Everyplace people are on the move because they are fed up.

I would encourage people to watch these YouTube videos with author/activist Michael Parenti explaining what is going on:

The Face of Imperialism-Michael Parenti

Part I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKhRE61VE0E&feature=share


Part II

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ7bVhJ0-n0&feature=related




What we need to consider is an anti-capitalist/anti-imperialist commentary that could be used to further educate the public about the "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrations which seem to be spreading to other cities across the country including pointing out the need for organized labor to become involved, and the need for those in the streets and labor to come together to build a political party advocating at the ballot box what is being demanded in the streets as we work towards a General Strike.

The racist execution Troy Davis

The racist execution of Troy Davis proves how bestial and barbaric this entire system has become. There is no longer even the pretense of justice left. How hypocritical for Obama and most Democratic Party elected officials to have remained silent in the face of such an injustice. One more example of how racism, corruption and attacks on the very basic democratic traditions we hold dear are destroying our country. An innocent man was allowed to be legally lynched in the racist state of Georgia as those who could have stopped this execution remained silent. Tells us a lot about how rotten this government really is.

For good jobs with real living wages provide the American people with free health care and free child care

For good jobs at real living wages provide the American people with free health care and free child care.

Why this subservience by organized labor to Obama and the Democrats? There are plenty of working people, including union members, who are fed up with both the Democrats and the Republicans and workers have a right to expect that organized labor will show the courage to lead and not follow Obama and the Democrats into the abyss of wars and poverty.

Obama made the most politically self-serving speech I have ever heard using the problems of the people in a most demagogic way that only a Hitler or Mussolini could appreciate.

While I support Medicare For All as a step towards a National Public Health Care System, I fail to see why we should continue to advocate it since the Wall Street bribed crowd of politicians is never going to budge or bend in accepting it.

In fact, it is the private delivery of health care with Medicare For All that has failed to bring out the American people in large enough numbers to force Congress to consider it.

People see how greedy doctors are in milking and bilking Medicare; the fraud in the system by the doctors and others who aren’t satisfied with the enormous profits the government provides them with to begin with is disgusting that they then have to engage in outright fraud is well-known to all, and hundreds of these crooked doctors are being prosecuted for this fraud.

The solution is a National Public Health Care System— everybody in, nobody out; no-fees/no-premiums, comprehensive and all-inclusive, pre-natal to grave, universal— publicly funded, publicly administered, publicly delivered.

Such a health care system would require over 30,000 primary health care centers in communities and neighborhoods where primary health care would be provided for free.

Want jobs?

You got jobs; jobs, jobs and more jobs— over ten-million new good paying union jobs.

All this crap about “private industry” is just that; elephant and donkey dung.

The government providing public sector jobs where private profiteers gorging themselves at the public trough has to end.

A National Public Health Care System would be funded by ending these dirty imperialist wars and taxing the rich. The alternative— or in combination— would be financing the National Public Health Care System the same way that Social Security or our public schools or the Post Office is funded.

Isn’t it obvious to all that for any change to take place in this country we are going to have to build massive and powerful movements in the streets supported by a new third party capable of challenging Wall Street for power?

Well, why not make a National Public Health Care System and a National Public Child Care System the centerpieces of our struggle for people’s power?

A National Public Child Care System would provide another five-million new good-paying union jobs. Fund it the same way. Tax-the-hell out of the rich until they cry real tears— after all, it is the wealth that we, as working people, have created.

I am sure all the great “philanthropists” like Warren Buffett will be pleased.

Peace + tax-the-rich = Health Care + Child Care + 15 million Jobs; it is a very simple equation any child can understand— all it takes is for us to understand that it takes a powerful people’s movement creating a ruckus in the streets backed up by a working class led people’s party at the polls to achieve.

We really do have to educate and organize to unite the American people to fight against Wall Street for the kind of country we really want.

We need to understand what the Dumb Donkeys like Obama are desperately trying to obscure: The way to create jobs is by putting people to work solving the pressing problems of the people where the government becomes the employer— not of second choice or last choice— but where the government becomes the employer of first choice. I have yet to hear a teacher or any other public employee complain about receiving a nice government check with good benefits… in fact, I have never seen any of these politicians who decry government programs and “big government” turn down their government issued checks.

Think about it; if every single member of the House and Senate was a politician just like Barack Obama would we have the kind of country we want? Hell no!

The Democrats, even the "best" of them offer no more than "economic populism" free from any discussion about the role played by war and militarism when what we need is an anti-imperialist politics which brings to the American people the true cost of these dirty wars and how they kill jobs just like they kill people as we are deprived of health care and child care and the rest of our social programs and our standard of living is decimated through austerity measures to pay for these dirty wars that no one wanted to begin with and even fewer people support as the bills come due.

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

Taking apart the Wall Street web to create a beautiful tapestry

I kind of like the comparison of the tapestry and the threads to our society that I read in a posting here on FaceBook but there is a lot left out.

It isn't so much that "we didn't see how the threads are connected;" most of the problem is that we didn't see that the threads now are put together to create a web rather than a tapestry.

There has been so much governmental repression against a way needed to examine what was, and is, going on in this country and around the world that people have feared articulating the problem/s. 

Marxism has been the best and most effective critic of capitalism. This is the only country in the world where socialism has been successfully "purged" from the body politic, and as a consequence there is no socialist alternative political party critiquing the consequences of first capitalism, and then state monopoly capitalism in its imperialist stage.

Following on this government repression as mass opposition is arising to Obama's Wall Street policies and agenda resulting in the emergence of a left that has being resuscitated because of the vicious attack on the standard of living of the working class required to pay for imperialist wars; now, again, the FBI, the New York Times, the New Republic along with all the MainStreamMedia and Public Radio and Television is once again on the attack against "the left."

The attack on the left was first initiated by Obama, his campaign staff and his Administration, then picked up by the Tea Baggers and now we get this massive effort under the guise of "what the left doesn't understand about Obama." Like in the late 1930's, into the 1940's and then throughout the 1950's, this attack is broad and sweeping in scope branding everyone including liberals and progressives together with the Marxists as "leftists."

It was interesting to see how Naomi Klein's "soft" socialist analysis was welcomed enthusiastically in Canada and all over the world but here in the United States her "soft" socialist critique of capitalism was downplayed with most liberals, progressives and the left refusing to use the opening she created to open up a full-scale attack on capitalism.

We saw how the phony liberals, progressives and the left who used their "credibility" to create and provide Obama a false image of being something he was not--- liberal, progressive and left--- latched on to Naomi Klein in order to marginalize her in this country within a small circle rather than use her popularity to bring socialist ideas out into the public square.

Marxism not only provides the "magnifying glass" to closely examine the tiny threads of the tapestry or what holds the system together and how it works; but it enables people to articulate alternatives to the reactionary Wall Street agenda--- which has created not so much a beautiful rug, but a strong web trapping us all--- to free ourselves from this trap.

The "new" attack on "the left" (liberals, progressives and the left) is taking on the creation of this straw-man of what the left is and what the left believes in order to knock down this straw-man without having to debate--- or acknowledge--- the real left.

It goes like this: The left doesn't understand Obama. The left says Obama should have focused on the economy and instead he focused on solving the health care problems and then the left tries to toss these wars into the mix even though the wars have nothing to do with health care or the economy--- this left just has a moral objection to wars and tries to work the wars into everything else. This attack then goes on to say, "Yes, alright; the left has a point that Obama should have been more vigorous in pushing more taxes on the wealthy but the left doesn't understand that the presidency is just one branch of government and Obama has all these Republicans he has to work with because, after all, the Republicans represent an important segment of society, too."

What is ignored in this straw-man argument now making its rounds through the MainStreamMedia is that the real left said what we needed to do is create a National Public Health Care Program which would have create over ten-million new jobs providing the American people with free primary health care through a vast network of over 30,000 neighborhood health care centers--- in other words, health care would be publicly funded, publicly administered and publicly delivered just like public education or the United States Postal Service--- which, perhaps not coincidentally, has over 30,000 local post offices across the country now under attack by the very forces that refused to use the creation of a public health care system to create jobs and solve the problems of unemployment all at the same time; all financed by ending these dirty imperialist wars and taxing the rich... the only thing we need is our own socialist working class people's party made up of those of us under attack--- liberals, progressives and the left--- to explain all of this to the American people and advocate such a progressive alternative agenda to Obama's reactionary Wall Street's agenda of wars paid through austerity measures intended to decimate the standard of living of the U.S. working class.

In the past liberals, progressives and the left retreated when under attack--- this time we need to mount an attack of our own.

Together, we can take the fine threads that have been spun to create this "web" that now serves as a trap for the parasitical Wall Street coupon clippers to suck the life-blood from the working class, and turn these fine threads into a beautiful tapestry.

Some people object to my using Marxist terms like "imperialism" to describe these dirty wars. But, Mark Twain who was well on his way to developing a Marxist analysis declared--- "Before the Spanish American War I was not an anti-imperialist but after seeing what we have done to the Philippines and Puerto Rico after the war I am now an anti-imperialist." (the quote is not exact but it conveys accurately what Mark Twain thought and said)

Well, before the Spanish American War the United States was not a full-fledged imperialist Nation even though the campaign of genocide in the way the land and wealth of this country was stolen from Native Americans and how slavery was imposed reflected the embryonic stage of imperialism--- the highest and most barbaric and cannibalistic stage of capitalism.

Today Mark Twain is on a new "Forever Stamp;" the government would like Twain to be remembered as a teller of tales not a person of great political and economic understanding and vision.

Just like these same people would like us to remember Albert Einstein for his work with the atom and not his involvement in the struggles against racism and war and his socialist politics and vision.

Just like the people in power would like us to remember Abe Lincoln as the president who saved the union and not as the liberal who was strongly influenced by Marxist thought when it comes to the struggle between labor and capital.

It sounds to me like there are a lot of people who are really fed up; this might be a good time for people to read a little essay by Albert Einstein, "Why Socialism?," in which Einstein explained why he was a socialist:

http://socialismtheoryandpractice.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-socialism.html 

Another good read is a new book by socialist Howard Pawley who had been the Premier of Manitoba, Canada--- elected on the socialist New Democratic Party ticket. His book is, "Keep True, A Life In Politics."

Here is an interesting recent interview of Pawley:

http://www.channels.com/episodes/show/14571014/Howard-Pawley-Pawley-on-Politics?page=38

Pawley and his NDP government started to tear apart the "web" using the threads to begin weaving together a beautiful tapestry for the people of Manitoba.

Of course, the history books have totally eliminated any mention of the socialist governments here in Minnesota led by Floyd Olson--- if you want to learn about Floyd Olson and the socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party you have to go dig through the archives of the Minnesota Historical Society:

Jobs, jobs, jobs--- flushed down the St. Paul sewers into the Mississippi River

Ford is closing the St. Paul Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant this year here in Minnesota.The Plant is built on the high banks over-looking the Mighty Mississippi River where over two-thousand workers were employed assembling Ford Ranger pick-up trucks. Compliments of the U.S. tax-payers who built and maintained a hydro-dam, Ford powered this plant FOR FREE for over 80 years and Ford was allowed to sell for its own profits, huge amounts of "excess" electricity which could have been used to light the public schools for free, too. Ford got all kinds of tax-breaks and tax-abatements and tax-payers even foot the complete bill for a college-training center just recently built and physically attached to the plant. Now Ford intends to bulldoze everything over and go into the upscale apartment rental real-estate business. Where will Ford now build and assemble the Ford Ranger? In a brand new plant it just opened up in Thailand. This after the Democrats gave Ford millions more, including money to pay its workers' wages!

These Democrats said the hand-out would result in this plant continuing to operate until 2085!

It is not only the present workers who will lose their jobs but over the projected promised another 85 years of operation this plant would have employed well over 20,000 workers.

Obama was in Minnesota campaigning and he was just here twice over the last month talking about, "jobs, jobs, jobs."

Local and state politicians say they can't afford to bring the plant under public ownership where some kind of joint venture between Minnesota, China, Japan and Canada could most likely be worked out producing clean green vehicles and other "green" energy equipment--- no money they say; not even to protect over twenty-thousand jobs.

Too much money being squandered on wars and no taxes on the rich--- oh, yes, Ford has absconded to Thailand to build its Rangers without paying a lot of their property taxes because for years--- over 80 years--- some absent-minded assessors forgot to put the property on the books.

My response to Leo Gerard's call for no protests and demonstrations on Labor Day

United Steel Worker's President, Leo Gerard, has offered (see his blog posting below) a very typical example of what is wrong with organized labor in this country today.

Gerard, in advising and counseling against protests on Labor Day is “covering Obama’s back;” a pledge Leo Gerard made to Obama while backing Obama during the 2008 campaign. How would it look for Obama to be addressing a hundred-thousand workers at Detroit's Labor Day march and rally with the leaders of the AFL-CIO and Change To Win promoting his re-election with workers in Detroit and across the country protesting Obama's wars which he is trying to pay for by shoving the most Draconian austerity measures down the throats of working people?

Gerard knows that labor protests will result in working people making demands for peace and jobs on Obama which would call into question workers supporting Obama.

Gerard knows that Obama’s response to these protests will be to unleash the police against workers just like what happened in Haymarket Square many years ago.

In fact, the head of the Chicago Police Department has already publicly stated that his police department is preparing for mass arrests of protesters during the G-8/NATO meetings to be held in Chicago at Obama’s request May 15 to 19.

Gerard is afraid that his members will show up at protests and demonstrations with signs asking:

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

Gerard is irate that members of his union showed up with signs like this Tuesday as Barack Obama addressed the national convention of the American Legion at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Leo Gerard doesn’t want to see workers protesting in the streets demanding an end to these dirty wars that kill jobs just like they kill people because these kinds of protests aren’t conducive to Obama’s re-election campaign.

I don’t know if any labor leader in this country has ever had the “brass” or “the balls” to undermine the struggles of working people to protect the jobs, lives, rights and livelihoods like Leo Gerard has done in this disgraceful essay which he arrogantly placed on the FireDoglake web site not intending to respond to anyone.

Labor Day and May Day are two days where the actions of workers should strike fear in the hearts of every employer and serve as notice to the blood-sucking, parasitical Wall Street coupon clippers that they are being challenged for power.

Working people would be well advised not to take Leo Gerard’s advice and bring their concerns and demands into the public square where they rightfully belong.

A good start would be for Obama to receive the kind of welcome to Detroit he really deserves during the Labor Day march and rally.

Obama should be met with signs calling for:

* Dump Obama.

* Primary Obama!

* Wars kill jobs the same way they kill people.

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

* W- Wasted

   A- American

   R- Resources

What the hell is wrong with Leo Gerard? The AFL-CIO Executive Council, of which he is a member, just four weeks ago pointed out that these wars need to end so we can use that money to create jobs putting people to work solving the problems of our own country.

How does Gerard think we are going to take this from AFL-CIO statement to government policy without protests and demonstrations after he has the unmitigated gall to admit that, like the Employee Free Choice Act and every other promise for “change” that Obama made, there will now be no jobs programs?

Oh, yes; according to Gerard the problems are all the fault of the Republicans— but, even if this is true— which it is not— it will for sure take one hell of a ruckus in the streets to turn this country around.

Leo Gerard has traversed the country talking all militant and tough; but, now that it is time to act he counsels that Labor Day is no time to act. And he backs up his stupidity with quoting fellow "Progressive for Obama," Frances Fox-Piven when he should be quoting Marx encouraging the working class to step up the class struggle.

Of course, the AFL-CIO and Change To Win have seen fit to turn the Detroit Labor Day march and rally into a mammoth effort to launch Barack Obama’s re-election campaign when this should be a militant display of working class anger calling for a Primary challenge to Obama with Obama’s opponent speaking instead of Obama who will use his oratorical skills to try to hoodwink the working class, again; again with the help of labor “leaders” like Richard Trumka and Leo Gerard who sold working people this Wall Street flim-flam man in the first place— what a couple of cowardly, two-faced, worthless hypocrites.

And what do Trumka and Gerard propose for a working class response to Obama inviting the G-8/NATO to Chicago to make plans to enforce austerity measures and plan more wars? All we hear is defeaning silence.

No doubt Trumka and Gerard would like us to forget the kind of struggles it took to win the Eight Hour Day— remember Haymarket, Mr. Gerard?

Left to labor “leaders” like Leo Gerard, May Day never would have been born out of the struggles for the Eight Hour Day which originated in Chicago— but, oh yes, we are talking about Labor Day, not May Day; yes, by all means, workers should applaud Wall Street’s president as he prepares for more war paid through austerity measures destroying the standard of living of the working class. Do not Leo Gerard and Richard Trumka understand that these wars are making us all poor as Wall Street coupon clippers amass greater wealth?

Better check out your dictionary, Mr. Gerard, for the definition of “class collaboration.”

Leo Gerard and Richard Trumka have not offered one single solution to what it will take to save U.S. plants being closed like the St. Paul Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant where Leo Gerard and Carl Pope held a press conference at the plant gate when Ford announced the closing of the plant. Gerard and Pope pledged at this press conference that they would "fight to save the plant and two-thousand jobs." Neither Gerard nor Pope were ever to be heard from again after this press conference--- the plant is now closing as a special Labor Day "gift" from Ford Motor Company to its employees. And Gerad counsels workers: No Protests.

What we need to do is to begin using Labor Day, May Day and protests and demonstrations during the G-8/NATO meetings in Chicago as building blocks toward a general strike--- a global general strike by workers would be appropriate considering that Wall Street is working with Bay Street, The Square Mile and the other financial centers against working class interests in creating massive unemployment leading to growing poverty as a way to depress wages on a global scale as workers are deprived of the rights won over years through tremendous sacrifices and struggles.

"Workers of the world unite!"

In struggle and solidarity,

Alan L. Maki

Director of Organizing,

Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council

Labor Day: Build Esprit de Corps for Action

By: Leo W. Gerard Wednesday August 31, 2011 8:44 am

"San Francisco Labor Temple Wall Painting" by xeeliz on flickr. The San Francisco Temple of Labor was built to house the San Francisco Labor Council and labor union offices and to provide a meeting hall for San Francisco's unions.

Celebrate Labor Day. Really, celebrate. It’s important.

Wear a t-shirt announcing to the world the name of your union and march in a parade, chanting and whooping it up about how glad you are to belong to an organization whose members are devoted to looking out for each other. If you’re among those without a union, proclaim your profession and declare your pride in the hard work you do. Make some happy noise. Infect your fellow marchers with your zeal.

Invite your most beleaguered neighbors, friends and co-workers over for a picnic. Raise a pint, braise some burgers and praise your companions for their skill, devotion and compassion. Recognize them for all they’ve persevered through since this relentless recession began in December of 2007. Build esprit de corps among your fellow workers.

This is one day devoted to labor, to the middle class, to the majority. One day out of 365. On this holiday, everyone gives an obligatory nod to workers. So don’t fret this Labor Day. Don’t waste it away in apathetic doldrums. Don’t let the minority rich and their purchased politicians take this celebration away from us too.

Some, including former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, have called for protests on Labor Day. They say workers must use this opportunity to demand that Washington solve the real crisis debilitating this country – dogged joblessness.

Reich is right. But it’s too early for that. Ultimately, workers must flip this ugly situation upside down so that once a year it’s Rich People’s Day. Once a year, the middle class gives the frivolous Kardashians and tax-shirking GEs of the world an obligatory nod. But every other day, 364 days a year, is labor day.

Then, we would have a country committed to the wellbeing of the majority, the middle class, the workers, whose labor creates wealth.

Getting there is a long haul from where we are now, though. We must develop some self-confidence before we start protesting. Achieving the change we want requires an uprising of hope and anger. There’s plenty of anger out there.

The populace is seething after suffering years of “no, not-for-you” politics from country club conservatives:

No more unemployment insurance extensions. No more Social Security and Medicare as you and your parents know it. No public option, providing health insurance for all. No end to tax breaks for corporations that off-shore jobs. No more Trade Adjustment Assistance workers who lose their jobs because of off-shoring. No end to tax breaks for corporate jets. No end to tax breaks for oil companies making billions. No end to income tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires.

No extension of the payroll tax break for the middle class. No reasonable restrictions on the big Wall Street banks that got bailed out with taxpayer money. No help for unemployed homeowners threatened with foreclosure. And no, there won’t be any jobs program. The country club conservatives must sustain high unemployment to regain the White House.

So too bad for the jobless.

These unremitting attacks on the middle class have left workers feeling beaten up and beaten down. Workers are suffering from what author, psychologist and social critic Bruce E. Levine calls “battered people syndrome.” Exhausted, depressed, and blaming themselves for the country’s problems, too many workers feel unable to challenge the elite overlords.

This combination of anger and hopelessness produces destruction and self-destruction, like the riots that left London burning last summer. Hopeless about their future and angry at the rich for bilking the poor and at expense-padding British politicians imposing “austerity,” the city’s jobless ruffians abandoned morals, just as the wealthy and the ruling class had.

Frances Fox Piven counsels in her book, Challenging Authority: How Ordinary People Change America that hope is crucial, that constructive change arises from the mix of hope and anger. In places like Libya and Egypt this Arab Spring, wealth proved insufficient to overpower the majority invigorated by hope and anger.

The bitch for the rich in a democracy like America’s is that majority rules. And, frankly, the rich and corporations (newly dubbed persons by the U.S. Supreme Court) are a tiny minority in America.

Even though we’re the majority, workers can’t win until we hope we can, until we feel some assurance that we can overcome. It’s a long haul to hope from resignation and pessimism.

So let’s put some effort into fostering optimism. Let’s strengthen each other this Labor Day. We must raise that hope before we organize Reich’s protests.

Rile yourself up and pump up a friend this Labor Day so we can unite in anger and hope to push back the naysayers and make every day Labor Day. This video helps.

***

Leo W. Gerard also is a member of the AFL-CIO Executive Committee and chairs the labor federation’s Public Policy Committee. President Barack Obama recently appointed him to the President’s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations. He serves as co-chairman of the BlueGreen Alliance and on the boards of the Apollo Alliance, Campaign for America’s Future and the Economic Policy Institute. He is a member of the IMF and ICEM global labor federations and was instrumental in creating Workers Uniting, the first global union. Follow @USWBlogger

Leo Gerard was responding to this blog post by Robert Reich:

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Robert-Reich-s-Blog/2011/0825/This-Labor-Day-we-need-protest-marches-rather-than-parades

Robert Reich's Blog---

This Labor Day we need protest marches rather than parades

It's been the worst decade for American workers in a century. That hardly calls for a celebration.

By Robert Reich, Guest blogger / August 25, 2011

"Labor Day is traditionally a time for picnics and parades. But this year is no picnic for American workers, and a protest march would be more appropriate than a parade."

Robert Reich

[Robert is chancellor's professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Clinton. He has written 13 books, including 'The Work of Nations,' 'Locked in the Cabinet,' and his most recent book, 'Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future.' His 'Marketplace' commentaries can be found on publicradio.com and iTunes.]

Not only are 25 million unemployed or underemployed, but American companies continue to cut wages and benefits. The median wage is still dropping, adjusted for inflation. High unemployment has given employers extra bargaining leverage to wring out wage concessions.

All told, it’s been the worst decade for American workers in a century. According to Commerce Department data, private-sector wage gains over the last decade have even lagged behind wage gains during the decade of the Great Depression (4 percent over the last ten years, adjusted for inflation, versus 5 percent from 1929 to 1939).

Big American corporations are making more money, and creating more jobs, outside the United States than in it. If corporations are people, as the Supreme Court’s twisted logic now insists, most of the big ones headquartered here are rapidly losing their American identity.

CEO pay, meanwhile, has soared. The median value of salaries, bonuses and long-term incentive awards for CEOs at 350 big American companies surged 11 percent last year to $9.3 million (according to a study of proxy statements conducted for The Wall Street Journal by the management consultancy Hay Group.). Bonuses have surged 19.7 percent.

This doesn’t even include all those stock options rewarded to CEOs at rock-bottom prices in 2008 and 2009. Stock prices have ballooned since then, the current downdraft notwithstanding. In March, 2009, for example, Ford CEO Alan Mulallyreceived a grant of options and restricted shares worth an estimated $16 million at the time. ButFord is now showing large profits – in part because the UAW agreed to allow Ford to give its new hires roughly half the wages of older Ford workers – and its share prices have responded. Mulally’s 2009 grant is now worth over $200 million.

The ratio of corporate profits to wages is now higher than at any time since just before the Great Depression.

Meanwhile, the American economy has all but stopped growing – in large part because consumers (whose spending is 70 percent of GDP) are also workers whose jobs and wages are under assault.

Perhaps there would still be something to celebrate on Labor Day if government was coming to the rescue.

But Washington is paralyzed, the President seems unwilling or unable to take on labor-bashing Republicans, and several Republican governors are mounting direct assaults on organized labor (see Indiana, Ohio, Maine, and Wisconsin, for example).

So let’s bag the picnics and parades this Labor Day. American workers should march in protest. They’re getting the worst deal they’ve had since before Labor Day was invented – and the economy is suffering as a result.

[The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here. This post originally ran on www.robertreich.org.]

As I have been pointing out there are alternatives to paying for wars through austerity measures---

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.

* Defend and expand Social Security.

* 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.