Texas Longhorns with newborn calf in Bluebonnets

Texas Longhorns with newborn calf in Bluebonnets

Please note I have a new phone number...

512-517-2708

Alan Maki

Alan Maki
Doing research at the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas

It's time to claim our Peace Dividend

It's time to claim our Peace Dividend

We need to beat swords into plowshares.

We need to beat swords into plowshares.

A program for real change...

http://peaceandsocialjustice.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-progressive-program-for-real-change.html


What we need is a "21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity" which would make it a mandatory requirement that the president and Congress attain and maintain full employment.


"Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by concerned citizens"

- Ben Franklin

Let's talk...

Let's talk...

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Sample resolution on Health Care Reform for precinct caucuses and conventions

Note: This Resolution is submitted for discussion, dialog, debate and action by the Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council as our part in celebrating the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 2013: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ Feel free to circulate.


Resolution on Health Care Reform (267 words)

Where as the for-profit health care system has failed to provide the American people with adequate health care;

Where as this for-profit system of health care has resulted in forcing millions of Americans into poverty as a result of huge health care bills;

Where as a National Public Health Care System would create twelve to fifteen million new jobs providing the American people with free health care which is a human right;

Therefore, be it resolved a National Public Health Care System is required;

Therefore, be it resolved health care should be publicly financed, publicly administered and publicly delivered based on the model provided by public education--- everyone in, nobody out.

Therefore, be it resolved a National Public Health Care System should be funded and financed through these various methods in combination:

1. “Peace dividends” resulting from ending militarism and wars.
2. A hefty tax on the wealthy.
3. A payroll tax levied one-quarter on employees and three-quarters on employers.

Therefore, be it resolved that a single-payer universal health care system of short duration is an acceptable first step in implementing a National Public Health Care System;

Therefore, be it resolved the American people are entitled to free health care as a human right;

Therefore, be it resolved that health care will be publicly delivered through a network of neighborhood and community health care centers and shall include: primary health care including, but not limited to, general health care, eyes, ears, dental and mental health; pre-natal through burial.

Therefore be it resolved this becomes the position of (name of organization/party)

Sample resolution on the Minimum Wage for use in precinct caucuses and conventions

Note: This Resolution is submitted for discussion, dialog, debate and action by the Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council as our part in celebrating the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 2013: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ Feel free to circulate.

Resolution on the Minimum Wage (209 words)

Where as workers who are without jobs are going to be poor;

Where as workers paid poverty wages are going to be poor;

Where as a “living wage” is a non-poverty wage;

Where as hundreds of thousands of working class Minnesotans and their families are poor because of unemployment and poverty wages;

Where as the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares the right to a job with a real living wage to be the criteria for a decent standard-of-living as a human right;

Where as we can not call for a “living wage” and then legislate a poverty Minimum Wage;

Where as “cost-of-living” is the only way to establish what is a decentstandard-of-living” and what constitutes a “living wage;”

Therefore, be it resolved that the Minimum Wage should be a real living wage legislatively tied to all “cost-of-living” factors, empirical data, based on all cost-of-living factors as tracked by the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics indexed to inflation and increased periodically to provide an improved standard-of-living;

Therefore, be it resolved we support a guaranteed annual income;

Therefore, be it resolved that every Minnesotan is entitled to, by legislation, a decent standard of living based on cost-of-living and is also entitled to a guaranteed annual income based on cost-of-living;

Therefore, be it resolved that this becomes the position of the (name of party/organization here).

Sample resolution on the plight of workers employed in the Indian Gaming Industry for use in precinct caucuses and conventions

Note: This Resolution is submitted for discussion, dialog, debate and action by the Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council as our part in celebrating the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 2013: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ Feel free to circulate.

Resolution on the Plight of Casino Workers Employed in the Indian Gaming Industry (140 words)

Where as over 40,000 Minnesotans are employed in the Indian Gaming Industry;

Where as these 40,000 Minnesotans are forced to work in loud, noisy, smoke-filled casinos and associated enterprises of the Indian Gaming Industry at poverty wages;

Where as these 40,000 workers have no rights defined under state, federal, tribal labor or international laws capable of being enforced to protect them;

Where as the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly declares all workers are entitled to such protections as basic human rights;

Therefore, be it resolved that the “Compacts” creating this Indian Gaming Industry be re-opened and re-negotiated to include the state, federal and international protections enjoyed by all other workers;

Therefore, be it resolved this becomes the position of (name of organization/party).

Sample resolution on Full Employment for use in Precinct Caucuses and Conventions

Note: This Resolution is submitted for discussion, dialog, debate and action by the Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council as our part in celebrating the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 2013: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ Feel free to circulate.
Resolution on Full Employment (705 words)
Where as the politicians talk about “jobs, jobs, jobs” but have not taken on to themselves the responsibility for "Full employment;"
Where as the “free market capitalist system” has proven to be very unstable with boom and bust cycles--- and with the massive unemployment producing bust cycles of economic “slumps,” recessions, and depressions occurring with greater frequency and with full employment failing to be achieved even during the short periods of economic boom;
Where as "Full employment" is all about governmental accountability to the people;
Where as "Full employment" is all about peace and democracy;

Where as "Full employment" is all about the most fundamental human right of all--- the right to a job at a real living wage;
Where as unemployment is the major source of poverty for tens of millions of people;
Where as unemployed workers are going to be poor;
Where as unemployment has been used by government, business and industry as an “economic lever” to keep all wages down instead of controlling prices of food, housing, health care, college tuition, electricity, home heating fuels and gas to create a more stable economy;
Where as wars kill jobs just like they kill people;
Where as the “Full Employment Act of 1945” would have mandated “Full Employment” which was passed by the United States Senate but defeated by the U.S. House after a massive campaign by big business interests who realized they were about to lose super-profits obtained by unemployment pushing all wages down;

Where as the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares in no uncertain terms:

Article 23.
 (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
 (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
 (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
 (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24.
 Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25.
 (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
 (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.




Therefore, be it resolved a “Full Employment Act” to be known as the “21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperityshall be enacted which shall include:

1. A mandate requiring the president and Congress to work together to attain and maintain full employment.

2. Rely on government programs making the the government the employer of first choice whenever required.
3. Include a provision for the enforcement of Affirmative Action to assure people of color, women and the handicapped receive the jobs to which they are entitled.
4. Include a Minimum Wage provision making the federal Minimum Wage a real living wage based on all “cost-of-living” factors as monitored and tracked by the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, indexed to inflation quarterly and periodically increased to provide an improved standard-of-living.
5. A guaranteed annual income the equivalent of a living wage during any period of time when employment is not available for individuals.


Therefore, be it resolved that the 21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperityshall provide the guidance to create jobs by putting people to work solving the most pressing problems of people and society.


Therefore, be it resolved that all funds required to finance “Full Employment” shall come from “peace dividends,” a hefty tax on Wall Street transactions and profits along with taxing the rich.


Therefore, be it resolved this resolution becomes the position of (name of organization/party) on Full Employment.