Does socialized health care work?

I have been collecting newspaper articles, editorials, opinion pieces and letters to the editor about socialized health care. I have yet to read one single article stating that socialized health care works.

Like in other newspapers, a number of letter writers to the Grand Forks Herald over the past several months have written claiming that socialized health care doesn't work.

In fact, the United States has two of the best health care systems in the world and both of these socialized health care systems work great when adequately funded.

Veterans (VA) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) are two fine examples of socialized health care.

They should be expanded to include all Americans.

Socialized health care works great; I have yet to hear anyone using either the VA or Indian Health Service calling for them to end.

There have been complaints both programs don't receive adequate funding. Does anyone believe that a Congress and President who won't adequately fund VA or Indian Health Services will properly fund this so-called "public option" over the long haul?

These politicians cry poverty yet they always find money for militarism and wars... the time has come to tell the politicians and the generals to hold bake good sales to finance their wars and fund socialized health care instead.

Alan L. Maki

Broadband: The discussion not taking place

With the upcoming "National Civic Summit" to take place in Minneapolis this week this exchange becomes very important. This posting was made on the Minnesota Forum of e-democracy which I responded to. (My response follows):


-----Original Message-----
From: Ann Treacy [mailto:atreacy@treacyinfo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 6:56 AM
To: mnvoices@forums.e-democracy.org
Subject: Re: [MNVoices] MVO message for broadband task force

Sorry for the funky code in the last email. I sent it thru the MVO web site. I'm trying again thru email.

Thanks! Ann

Hi guys,

I’m following up on last week’s email on a plan to get a message to the Broadband Task Force. I hadn’t heard from anyone so I took that silence to be a resounding – we want to hear more!

Here’s a quick take on what I’ve observed with the Broadband Task Force. I thought that sharing these notes might help set the stage as to what they’re ready to hear form folks like us. I know others on this list have been following too so please feel free to chime in, flesh out or correct any of my notes.

My readers’ digest version is that folks are thinking about speeds, role of government, broadband as a utility and costs depending on how much the TF feels like they need to address costs.

This month they are looking at http://tinyurl.com/lf9vw5:


* How to approach aspirational speed goal – the conflict seems to be setting a goal that is fast enough to inspire but slow enough to be accessible

* Symmetry – everybody seems to love it on paper but when they talk about speeds – asymmetrical speeds are still used

* Role of Government – this is a *hot topic*. Everyone loves to see government as a purchaser, loads of people would like to see the role end there. (In other words no regulation.)

* Recommendations – subgroups will report on the following:

* Policies and actions necessary to achieve ubiquitous broadband – sub-group report

* Opportunities for public and private sectors to cooperate to achieve goal

* Evaluation of strategies, financing, financial incentives used in other states/countries to support broadband development

* Cost estimate

* Evaluation and recommendation of security, vulnerability, and redundancy actions necessary to ensure reliability

Here’s the last iteration I have of their recommendations: http://tinyurl.com/n8joa6 I think we’ll see a lot of changes after these subgroups report in – but this is a good start if you want to see which way the wind is blowing for folks.

List member (and Task Force board member) Mike O’Connor wrote a great article over the weekend about the future of the TF report: http://tinyurl.com/n8joa6 - or kind of like the 3 ghosts in A Christmas Carol, Mike is telling us what could happen. If this is a topic we care about we need to get involved before, during and after. Starting the conversation here is a start.

Thanks! Ann

Ann Treacy
Treacy Information Services
1841 Fairmount Ave
St Paul MN 55105
651-239-4581
http://www.treacyinfo.com
atreacy@treacyinfo.com


My response:

-----Original Message-----
From: Alan Maki [mailto:amaki000@centurytel.net]

Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 9:53 AM

To: 'mnvoices@forums.e-democracy.org'

Cc: 'gamingassoc@midco.net'; 'annamarie.hill@state.mn.us'; 'Aimee Cree Dunn'; 'rachleff@macalester.edu'; 'Rachel Maddow'; 'hq2600@gmail.com'; 'Al Juhnke'; 'rep.bill.hilty@house.mn'; 'rep.carlos.mariani@house.mn'; 'rep.carolyn.laine@house.mn'; 'rep.dave.olin@house.mn'; 'rep.frank.hornstein@house.mn'; 'rep.maryellen.otremba@house.mn'; 'rep.tom.anzelc@house.mn'; 'rep.tom.Rukavina@house.mn'; 'rep.tony.sertich@house.mn'; 'sen.david.tomassoni@senate.mn'; 'Sen.Jim Carlson'; 'sen.john.marty@senate.mn'; 'sen.linda.berglin@senate.mn'; 'sen.tony.lourey@senate.mn'; 'senator_levin@levin.senate.gov'; 'president@whitehouse.org'; 'hq2600@gmail.com'; 'jolynn.shopteese@state.mn.us'; 'pete.palma@state.mn.us'; 'diana.yerbich@state.mn.us'; 'jim.jones@state.mn.us'; 'kleecy@boisforte-nsn.gov'; 'sandidavis@fdlrez.com'; 'chairman.larose@llojibwe.com'; 'margea@millelacsojibwe.nsn.us'; 'ermav@whiteearth.com'; 'rjohnson@piic.org'; 'norman@grandportage.com'; 'jstacy@lowersioux.com'; 'floydjourdain2@hotmail.com'; 'kevinj@uppersiouxcommunity.org'; 'ollamhfaery@earthlink.net'; 'mplsgreen@yahoogroups.com'; '614grand@winternet.com'; 'dave@colorstudy.com'; 'dan@dandittmann.org'; 'maydaybookstore@gmail.com'; 'dave.garland@wizinfo.com'; 'marcus.harcus@gmail.com'; 'at0micgirl@yahoo.com'; 'mjayk24601@yahoo.com'; 'jkolstad@millcitymusic.com'; 'fredric.markus@gmail.com'; 'timnolan7@gmail.com'; 'zevorourke@hotmail.com'; 'david.obamamn@gmail.com'; 'sclickace1@aol.com'; 'h_58room@hotmail.com'; 'luvunkljoe@yahoo.com'; 'darcy.trunzo@gmail.com'; 'charleyunderwood@hotmail.com'; 'johnwilson@gmx.com'; 'mgresist@minn.net'; 'doriandter@aol.com'; 'jday@d.umn.edu'; 'Karen.Bedeau@dot.state.mn.us'; 'Bill.Ziegler@learth.org'; 'Bill.Carter@ci.minneapolis.mn.us'; 'Valerie.Larsen@state.mn.us'; 'jayruss2u@hotmail.com'; 'chris@spottedeagle.org'; 'sovrn@hotmail.com'; 'rep.brita.sailer@house.mn'; 'sen.mary.olson@senate.mn'; 'bswenson@bemidjipioneer.com'; 'mmiron@bemidjipioneer.com'; 'teresa_detrempe@klobuchar.senate.gov'; 'peter.makowski@mail.house.gov'; 'peter.erlinder@wmitchell.edu'; 'mnaflcio@mnaflcio.org'; 'hrhmbwise8@comcast.net'; 'riverlot@paulbunyan.net'; 'loneagle@paulbunyan.net'; 'brian.melendez@usa.net'; 'lwmpls@visi.com'; 'WCS-A@yahoogroups.com'; 'amistad.nai@rcn.com'; 'eliot.seide@afscmemn.org'; 'jo.pels@afscmemn.org'; 'john.westmoreland@afscmemn.org'; 'bob.hilliker@afscmemn.org'; 'jerry.serfling@afscmemn.org'; 'diane.johnston@afscmemn.org'; 'jim.niland@afscmemn.org'; 'eric.lehto@afscmemn.org'; 'michelle.stein@afscmemn.org'; 'lois.mcewen@afscmemn.org'; 'bart.andersen@afscmemn.org'; 'bob.buckingham@afscmemn.org'; 'tom.burke@afscmemn.org'; 'joyce.carlson@afscmemn.org'; 'chris.cowen@afscmemn.org'; 'sandra.curtis@afscmemn.org'; 'jeff.dains@afscmemn.org'; 'kurt.errickson@afscmemn.org'; 'diane.firkus@afscmemn.org'; 'Jeff.Fowler@afscmemn.org'; 'carole.gerst@afscmemn.org'; 'scott.grefe@afscmemn.org'; 'sid.helseth@afscmemn.org'; 'bruce.iverson@afscmemn.org'; 'linda.jackson@afscmemn.org'; 'laurie.johnson@afscmemn.org'; 'jill.kielblock@afscmemn.org'; 'al.lehrke@afscmemn.org'; 'ken.loefflerkemp@afscmemn.org'; 'nola.lynch@afscmemn.org'; 'steve.marincel@afscmemn.org'; 'chas.martin@afscmemn.org'; 'gladys.mckenzie@afscmemn.org'; 'loretta.meinke@afscmemn.org'; 'christi.nelson@afscmemn.org'; 'cindy.nelson@afscmemn.org'; 'matt.nelson@afscmemn.org'; 'lorita.powell@afscmemn.org'; 'amanda.prince@afscmemn.org'; 'barb.sasik@afscmemn.org'; 'marshall.stenersen@afscmemn.org'; 'ryan.welles@afscmemn.org'; 'jim.niland@afscmemn.org'; 'laura.askelin@afscmemn.org'; 'julie.bleyhl@afscmemn.org'; 'jon.grebner@afscmemn.org'; 'pam.lofquist@afscmemn.org'; 'mark.mcafee@afscmemn.org'; 'john.thorson@afscmemn.org'; 'mark.baker@afscmemn.org'; 'ryan.hanson@afscmemn.org'; 'marybeth.juetten@afscmemn.org'; 'adrienne.kern@afscmemn.org'; 'beth.neubert@afscmemn.org'; 'kevin.piatt@afscmemn.org'; 'Jeff.Sabin@afscmemn.org'; 'jessica.hayssen@afscmemn.org'; 'jennifer.munt@afscmemn.org'; 'judy.carlson@afscmemn.org'; 'rita.during@afscmemn.org'; 'leslie.evans@afscmemn.org'; 'amy.williams@afscmemn.org'; 'claudia.schufman@afscmemn.org'; 'cindy.pince@afscmemn.org'; 'jodi.ochocki@afscmemn.org'; 'kathy.mcginnis@afscmemn.org'; 'laureen.karnick@afscmemn.org'; 'laureen.karnick@afscmemn.org'; 'maya.hendricks@afscmemn.org'; 'amy.heitman@afscmemn.org'; 'mary.hamilton@afscmemn.org'; 'dixie.englund@afscmemn.org'; 'Christina.Domeier@afscmemn.org'; 'deb.cassidy@afscmemn.org'; 'maurine.barcus@afscmemn.org'; 'lisa.altendorfer@afscmemn.org'; 'sovrn@hotmail.com'

Subject: RE: [MNVoices] MVO message for broadband task force

Ann,

You were right about the silence I think... people want to hear a little more. I know I do.

Like all other issues, Barack Obama and the Democrats apparently intend on ramming broadband through without any input from the people or widespread dialog, discussion and debate even though one of their primary stated objectives is to use broadband to expand democracy and citizen participation... although I don't hear it stated as such, I assume that the citizen participation is intended to further empower people to become fuller participants in the decision-making processes.

I would note that you missed one important point that Obama and the Democrats repeatedly have brought forward concerning their support for this broadband initiative--- job creation, and you have left out one important item that very few except for us socialists have brought up which I believe requires discussion far beyond the political left which is that broadband should be a complete "public enterprise;" what taxpayers finance, taxpayers should fully own and control... like the CCC and WPA projects of yester-year's Great Depression, this should be a public works project in the full sense of the word so public funds are not diverted to corporate and business profits to the extent this is at all possible in our country today where the focus has been on privatization of just about everything from water to health care.

In addition, in spite of a lot of discussion about how broadband will be worked on to serve presently underserved areas at present, there has been no specific discussion of how this broadband system will be undertaken in a way that will serve Native American communities and Indian Reservations. Some may argue that such special consideration is unneeded and unnecessary, however, these are the same political forces who have argued the same thing when it comes to the electoral arena which is supposedly the centerpiece of our "great bastion of democracy;" and, yet, not one single Native American presently is sitting in the Minnesota State Legislature nor a member of our Congressional delegation in the House or Senate... and as far as I know, this has been the case since Statehood (perhaps I am wrong on this point and someone will correct me if I am wrong); but, none-the-less I don't think any of us can cite one single Native American serving in the Minnesota State Legislature in recent years for sure and this is a very real problem--- the state's original inhabitants and presently the largest minority have no rights of participation in the political process so somewhere, somehow words do not live up to deeds and we must make certain this exclusion does not repeat itself with broadband.

I would note that there is at present at least 50% unemployment rates in Native American communities and on Indian Reservations in Minnesota. Anyone can drive through any Indian Reservation and see non-Natives are the primary workers employed by the power companies and private firms like Paul Bunyan Telephone to do the work; ditto for roadwork, natural gas and fuels, cable companies, etc. So, in addition to assuring access to the broadband is the issue of assuring that Native Americans will be assured a percentage based upon full implementation of affirmative action of the jobs associated with broadband throughout the entire system including installation and maintenance on and off the Reservations.

You stated:

"I hadn’t heard from anyone so I took that silence to be a resounding – we want to hear more!"

Last week Gregory Paquin from Bemidji posted a letter concerning Native Americans not having representation in the Minnesota State legislature and I was surprised there was so little discussion on such an important issue. So I take "that silence to be a resounding – we want to hear more!"

In the past there has been some discussion about how the mainstream media and its reporters are under-serving us... I can't help but wonder why both the mainstream media and alternatives like e-democracy seem to be evading this important issue of Native Americans having no representation in the Minnesota State Legislature; this should be an issue of concern to us all because democracy can only be as strong as its weakest link... and Native Americans being left out of the electoral process, the mainstream media, the alternative media and jobs, not to mention the problems involved with education, housing and health care while being used as a base for cheap labor in the smoke-filled casinos working for poverty wages without any rights serves to suppress democracy and the standard of living for all of us.

Are we going to allow and tolerate racism to taint broadband like it has everything else in our state and our country?

I find it very interesting that the same tribal governments which have pumped so much money through their Minnesota Indian Gaming Association to elect racist and non-Native politicians to public office without putting any money into electing Native Americans, are now backing Obama's broadband proposals without insisting on full equality through affirmative action programs when it comes to jobs involved in broadband... apparently this is part of the process of maintaining a cheap labor pool for the casino industry... otherwise, how do these same tribal governments explain outfits like Paul Bunyan refusing to fully implement affirmative action hiring programs on and off the Reservations? I can see no reason why this intolerable racist situation should be allowed to take hold at the very outset of this broadband initiative of Obama's and the Democrats lest they deliver our society into one more racist quagmire excluding Native Americans like Native Americans not being represented in the Minnesota State Legislature... if anyone thinks this cannot happen with exclusion of Native Americans in this broadband initiative, perhaps we need a discussion of why this deplorable, racist situation exists where Native Americans have no representation in the Minnesota State Legislature as we are well into the 21st Century where we are all supposedly so attuned to human rights.

I would also note that this entire discussion surrounding this broadband initiative is taking place as Minnesota State employees are having their pay checks reduced. Which makes me wonder just what kind of poverty wage jobs will be involved in this broadband initiative if we can't even live up to the collectively negotiated agreements for present government employees. Members of MAPE and AFSCME might want to comment about this broadband initiative, too.

Which leads me to ask, why are the union voices as silent on this broadband initiative as they have been when it comes to ending racism in the electoral process and for enforcement of affirmative action programs in hiring? Where are the union voices on e-democracy?

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

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/

Response to John McCarthy, Executive Director, Minnesota Indian Gaming Association

Mr. John McCarthy, Executive Director, Minnesota Indian Gaming Association,

Thank you for responding on behalf of Mr. Stanley Crooks of Mystic Lake Casino/Resort and the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association to my e-mails and blog postings. As you have noted, my e-mails are being addressed to the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association, not to you personally.

I would have preferred hearing from Mr. Stanley Crooks, but I appreciate hearing from you.

Apparently this particular posting caught your eye and your fancy since you forwarded this with your lengthy letter to me:

RE: Worker's rights, Native rights, sovereignty, Indian Gaming, Labor Unions, Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, MIGA, racism & political corruption.

I welcome your most enlightened response, take note of your concerns; and look forward to a continuing fruitful dialog with you and your associates with the intent to resolve a number of long-standing problems concerning casino workers, not least of which is the matter of the right of casino workers to be employed in a smoke-free environment while receiving real living wages… after all, one of our members may want to purchase a home in your neighborhood, maybe even become your neighbor.

As the Executive Director of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association you have made some rather outlandish claims about the Indian Gaming Industry here in Minnesota and around the country.

You promised Minnesotans would be getting $40,000.00 a year plus benefit jobs working in casinos; all we want is what you promised.

Mr. McCarthy, I am asking you to assemble representatives from all your members to sit down and negotiate a union contract covering all casino workers in Minnesota. I think one contract would be preferable to having a bunch of separate contracts. Perhaps we could all sit down around your dining room table.

Again, thank you for communicating your thoughts with me and the others you have contacted regarding my e-mails, etc. I trust that your attorney has advised you that it is in the best interest of fairness and justice to all concerned that we reach a collectively bargained agreement and sign a contract as quickly as possible.

Please let me know when you and your associates will be free to meet with us.

I think we are finally beginning to make some progress.

I am sorry I can’t accept your dinner invitation at this time; it just wouldn’t look appropriate. Perhaps, in the future, we can “pop the cork” in celebration of a contract.

I have deleted the better part of your letter since I didn’t know if you wanted it shared with others.

Again, thank you for contacting me and I look forward to further fruitful communications. Hopefully in the future you might be briefer although I do appreciate your writing skills.

Sincerely,

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

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/


Cc: Maggie Bird
President,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council

-----Original Message-----
From: john mccarthy [mailto:gamingassoc@midco.net]
Sent: Wednesday, July 08, 2009 1:03 PM
To: Alan Maki
Subject: Re: Worker's rights, Native rights, sovereignty, Indian Gaming, Labor Unions, Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, MIGA, racism & political corruption.

On 6/14/09 2:37 PM, John McCarthy amaki000@centurytel.net wrote:
This is my Sunday blog posting:

http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/workers-rights-native-rights.html




--
Sincerely,
John McCarthy
218-751-0214

Questioning The Ethical Legitimacy of Drone Attacks in Pakistan And Afghanistan

This is a guest blog. I invite readers to submit guest blogs on any topics.

Alan L. Maki



Brian McAfee
2838 Mason Blvd.
Muskegon Heights, MI 49444 USA
(231)737-8726
brimac6@hotmail.com

Questioning The Ethical Legitimacy of Drone Attacks in Pakistan And Afghanistan.


by Brian McAfee


Ongoing Civilian casualties have become an important consideration when looking at and considering the use and legitimacy of drones in South Asia. In a belated admission last month the U.S. had admitted to 26 civilian deaths in a series of drone attacks that took place in May but was not released to the media until over a month later. In the May attacks Afghan officials put the death toll at 140, significantly higher than U.S. claims. In the same strikes the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission put the Civilian deaths at 86.

The count of civilian losses in both Afghanistan and Pakistan has been routinely lower in U.S. estimates compared to the counts by the civilian populations within the two countries. The delays in reporting and denials in the numbers of civilian deaths is a continuation of the same pattern of behavior from last year. Last August a U.S. bombing in western Afghanistan caused the deaths of 90 people, most of them in that instance were children, the U.S. in that case too initially admitted only to killing a small number of civilians adjusting their count later. As what occurred last year this time around in May's drone attack large numbers of women and children were killed.

The military based nature of the U.S. and Coalition Forces engagement in the region perhaps should be shifted towards a more humanitarian based operation with primary focuses being on infrastructure, education and health care development. Primary development of roads, water supply, agricultural assistance, hospitals and schools, with primary military operations being focused on protecting the security of these humanitarian and infrastructure projects should be our primary objective.

The primary road out of poverty, underdevelopment and social injustice is the education of women and girls. The origins of the present day problems with the Taliban and Al Qaeda had their origin in the U.S. sponsored and supported Mujahadeen of the 1980's in which many of the Islamic extremists commited the same kind of attacks on girls schools and civilians as the Taliban and Al Qaeda do today. It was as wrong then as it is now.

Drone or any other attacks that routinely result in civilian casualties must be curtailed or the reasons for the U.S. presence and the purpose for the ongoing war must be, and should be, questioned.

The value and consideration of the civilian population in Afghanistan and Pakistan must never be forgotten or disregarded, humanitarian ventures in schools, particularly the education of girls and the participation of U.S. Military personnel should be lauded and appreciated. A refocus towards and deeper appreciation of the people in and of South Asia is in order and a recognition of our shared humanity with mutual respect and appreciation.

My response to Jeremiah T. Liend, friend to Minnesota's most worthless politicians

I received this response from one Jeremiah T Liend as a result of a posting I made on one of the E-democracy forums--- the Bemidji Forum. I print my response following and below my response is my original posting:


-----Original Message-----
From: quaddle@gmail.com [mailto:quaddle@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 11:03 PM
To: bemidji@forums.e-democracy.org
Subject: [Bemidji] Fourth of July Parade in Debs, Minnesota

Alan,

Yeah, Eugene Debs was a great dude. Got to spend some time in the joint for fighting for peoples rights. I like him. I don't like you though. I take issue with the statement;

"bunch of worthless politicians like Brita Sailer, Purcell, Dave Olin, Mary Olson and Rod Skoe"

See, the difference between you and me Alan, is that I know at least two of those people personally. They are good, hard working people who have struggled through life and through the process of free election to represent us and if I were to call either of them and ask to talk to them about the unfair treatment of workers they would gladly make the time for me. They would invite me to their home and offer me coffee maybe. Maybe we would just meet somewhere and talk. I would explain my concerns and fears, reasoning out things. After we talked they could no doubt direct me to state offices. Provide me with resources. They would assist me with solving the problem that I presented to them because we would be allies in fighting against injustice or for the people.

Who are your allies Alan? Where are the workers following you into this glorious revolt? What is your solution and what tactics are you using? I like your causes, that's the damnable thing. I think it's terrible that anyone has to work for a slave wage. It doesn't just happen on the reservations though Alan. Life on the reservations is not good Alan, I will give you that. And I would love it if you told me how to help. I would love it if you were to, instead of ranting for pages and pages, to give me a single, coherent statement outlining your solution. Just something I can do Alan. Someone I can call. Something I can sign. Somewhere I can volunteer. You've got passion all over the place, but you have the rallying ability of a loud cricket in a large room. You're a fanatic Alan, and I don't truck with fanatics whatever their cause. As far as I'm concerned the difference between the communists on streets of Debs and the capitalists on the Bemidji court lawn is little, and in the gap between them rests the remainder of us being slaughtered and starved by your inability to compromise.

Regards,

Jeremiah T Liend
Jeremiah Liend
Inner City., Bemidji

My response:


Mr. Jeremiah Liend;

In fact, you know the problems casino workers face; I have stated these problems over and over again... and you have done nothing. I assume you are a mouthpiece for the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association.

You also know there is a political solution to the problems and injustices casino workers are experiencing and so do each and everyone of the politicians I mentioned along with the 200 plus politicians sitting in the Minnesota State Legislature.

Here are the problems; I am numbering them for you:

1. 40,000 casino workers in Minnesota are employed in smoke-filled casinos.

The solution: Ban the smoking just as smoking has been banned in all other places of employment in Minnesota.

2. 40,000 casino workers in Minnesota have no rights under state, federal or tribal labor laws.

The solution: Re-open the "Compacts" and insert a clause that casino workers have the same rights as all other workers under state and federal labor laws.

3. 40,000 casino workers in Minnesota receive poverty wages.

The solution: Pay casino workers $40,000.00 a year like the politicians, the Indian Gaming Associations and tribal governments claim casino workers will be paid when they are seeking approval for their "Compacts."

4. 40,000 casino workers in Minnesota have no voice at work.

The solution: Support casino workers in their struggle for union contracts.

Now, as far as what you can do:

1. You print off this e-mail.

2. Go have coffee with these two fine politicians that you know.

3. Ask them what they intend to do to make things right and just.

Please let us all know what they say they will do.

Let me know after they have done these things so I can pack up and leave Minnesota and stop bothering you.

I am sorry I only said these politicians were "worthless;" I should have stated, "bunch of worthless, racist, anti-labor and bigoted politicians like Brita Sailer, Purcell, Dave Olin, Mary Olson and Rod Skoe."

As for you; you are nothing but one big blow-hard who has never lifted one little finger in the struggle for justice for working people and you never will.

As for your "free elections;" give me a break. If we had anything approximating "free elections" where issues were really the focal point and ALL people had full representation, none of these people I have mentioned would be sitting in the Minnesota State Legislature... they are sitting in this legislature only because they had their way purchased into it.

If there were genuinely democratic and "free elections," Minnesota would have over 20 Native Americans sitting in the State Legislature... in case you haven't noticed; even though Native Americans comprise the largest minority population in Minnesota, and a people who had their land (Minnesota) stolen from them in bloody, murderous campaigns... there is not one single Native American sitting in the Minnesota House or Senate. What do you intend to do to right this wrong? Or do you need to explain step by step what you should do?

If you cared one iota about ending racism, you would have put together some kind of interracial citizen's committee and seen to it that Native Americans are elected to public offices, including the state legislature--- the Red Lake Nation and Leech Lake would have their people in positions in the Minnesota House and Senate...

You sit right between these two huge Indian Reservations experiencing some of the worst poverty of any place on this planet and you haven't lifted a finger, or your voice, to bring forward any solutions aimed at putting an end to this poverty because paying casino workers real living wages instead of poverty wages would be a very big part of the solution to ending poverty on these Indian Reservations--- as any school child can tell you, poverty cannot be ended as long as employers are paying their employees poverty wages.

Then you have the unmitigated gall to suggest that you are doing nothing because no one is telling you what the problems are and what you need to do to solve those problems.

If you are really this dumb I would suggest you consider not posting to list serves because someone is apt to give you a piece of their mind in return for your stupidity.

Let me assure you that casino workers do not hold their breath waiting for uncaring people like you and these worthless state legislators to solve their problems for them.

Nor do we hold our breath waiting for racist union "leaders" like Ray Waldron and Steve Hunter who set up their little fronts using another "worthless creep" like you friend Audrey Thayer to hide their role as purveyors of racism and bigotry behind as Audrey Thayer talks about how Native Americans "perceive" racism in and around Bemidji... you Mr. Liend are are not a "perception," nor is John McCarthy of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association who lives in a two-million dollar home in a well hidden exclusive upscale community... a parasite who lives off the problems of Native Americans he has had a major hand in creating.

The difference between you and me is that these worthless politicians know that I mean business and I would never lower myself to sit down to have coffee with them. I know that the only way casino workers are going to get justice is when we sweep this state legislature clean of all these politicians who pander to the casino managements, the health care industry, the mining, auto, banking and power generating industries along with big agribusiness.

Like Eugene Debs said, we need a party that represents the working class and the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party represents big-business just like the Republicans.

As for State Representative David Olin... he and I sat with former United States Congressman and Jimmy Carter's Secretary of Agriculture, Bob Bergland, at Mr. Bergland's dining room table in his Roseau home, sipping, I believe it was coffee... and Bob Bergland turned to David Olin and asked: "Is anything Maki telling me about what goes on in these casinos true?" Mr. Olin turned bright red, looked at Bergland, eyes towards the table and said in a very soft, shameful voice: "It is all true; every single word of what he has told you is true." Bergland then asked: "Why did you allow this to go on?" Olin responded: "Because my hands were tied." Bergland asked inquisitively, "Tied by whom?" Olin replied, "By the Feds."

I had just got done explaining that the Red Lake Casino in Thief River Falls was the site of dope dealing, prostitution, illegal gambling, loan-sharking and illegal booze sales... providing the names of the culprits in management involved including the head of casino security.

David Olin had been the Pennington County Prosecutor who sat on his hands allowing all of this to go on before being elected as a state representative.

Like you, Olin has chosen to do nothing.

By the way, I provided, then Attorney General Mike Hatch, all of this information, complete with photographs taken using the casino's own surveillance equipment... neither Hatch, the head of Minnesota Public Safety, nor the United States Department of Justice did anything... Mike Hatch withheld the information for many months from the Commissioner of Public Safety and by then the FBI proclaimed the "trail to be too cold to investigate."

Today, the people of the Red Lake Nation are paying a terrible price as Floyd "Buck" Jourdain builds a feudal-like dynasty with Stanley Crooks (a genuine sleazeball if ever there was one) and his dope-dealing friends, pimps and mobsters as the New York Times has pointed out... of course you choose to read selectively just as former Pennington County Prosecutor David Olin--- now State Representative Olin--- selectively chose his prosecutions... he chose to go after some high school and college students smoking a little weed as Jourdain's friends peddle the hard stuff, everything from heroin, cocaine and meth that is being pumped into kid's veins and numbing their brains.

It is no coincidence that much of Representative Olin's campaign contributions come from the gaming industry and Floyd "Buck" Jourdain is one of his biggest boosters. Representative David Olin "worthless?"

I should have said Olin is a "worthless little creep" just like you.

86% of the workers employed by Red Lake Gaming Enterprises signed union cards stating they wanted Red Lake Casino, Hotel and Restaurant Employees' Union Organizing Committee to represent them in contract negotiations... Floyd "Buck" Jourdain refused to negotiate a contract with me as their elected and designated representative claiming that "your skin isn't the right color."

I wonder what color skin Floyd Jourdain's dope dealing friends have? According to the New York Times reporter their skin is white. Same color as John McCarthy's and the same color as the owners of the slot machines.

Floyd "Buck" Jourdain demonstrated his sympathy for people whose skin is the same color as his when they said they wanted a union contract--- a summarily fired them and then tried to deny these Native American casino workers unemployment compensation... this is why I stress class and the need for interracial unity in fighting these casino managements and these worthless politicians like Brita Sailer, Purcell, Mary Olson and David Olin.

Floyd "Buck" Jourdain wants to deal with people of a certain color... we say, let's send some Native American casino workers to represent northern Minnesota in the state legislature... do you have any friends among Native American casino workers you might want to recommend? Of course, keep in mind that Floyd "Buck" Jourdain is going to fire them if they start talking about the problems I have articulated here... so much for your "free elections." Workers without any rights on the job have no freedom to participate in your "free elections."

I thank you for responding to my post, Mr. Jeremiah Liend of Bemidiji, Minnesota the town which has the distinction of being the most racist town in Minnesota when it comes to Native Americans and employment, housing, health care, education and the police.

I can see your influence on the politicians you have coffee with--- the results are there for the entire world to see--- the racist results.

For a person you say you do not like; you sure rely on me to do your thinking for you.

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

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/


Cc: Maggie Bird

President,

Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council




I received this e-mail I would like to share with the forum and some of my
thoughts:



I just wanted to let you all know that if you have concerns about the

> Iraq and/or Afghani Wars, Union issues, or freedom of speech in

> general, the Eugene V. Debs Peace and Justice Coalition will be

> marching in the Debs parade again this year on the 4^th , and if you'd

> be willing to participate, we'd love to have you join us (please do -

> there aren't that many of us as things now stand, and it's lonely

> getting heckled in a small group). Bring Debs back to Debs! The march

> takes about twenty minutes and isn't too taxing, if that would be a

> concern, and you can always drop out if you need to at the ice cream

> line. The parade starts at 11:00am and the lineup is at 10:00 - if you

> could be there by about 10:30 or so, that would be great. Also, if you

> know of anyone else who might be interested, please ask them to join

> us. I called down to the Debs Museum in Indiana and got a few "Debs

> for President" buttons if anyone would like to have one. I have a

> couple of posters from last year, and feel free to bring your own sign

> expressing whatever your concern may happen to be.

>

> On the 5^th , the Veterans against the Iraq war will be marching in

> the parade in Bemidji. There will be a float to ride for those who

> would need it. Please feel free to join us, and again, please spread

> the word.

>

> Thanks.

>

> Kevin McColley







I can't make it to Debs for the parade but I think it is great people are keeping the spirit of Eugene V. Debs alive in this little community of Debs, Minnesota named after Eugene V. Debs; just north of Bemidji--- a community named to honor this great Marxist leader of our multi-racial, multi-ethnic working class.



We can trace the origins of the socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party and the work of our great socialist governors Floyd B. Olson and Elmer Benson along with the Communist United States Congressman from the Iron Range, John Bernard, directly to the work of Eugene V. Debs and his Socialist Party. at one time, Debs' Socialist Party was elected to lead Thief River Falls and the Red Flag flew over that city hall. today, Thief River Falls has a city park named after Minnesota's great socialist governor, Floyd B. Olson and most people in Thief River Falls know nothing about Floyd B. Olson. nor do they know anything about Eugene V. Debs. This is the way the working class has been robbed of its history by so-called "educators" and the mainstream media.



Please keep in mind that the working class injustices Debs fought against--- including racism--- are still with us today as over 40,000 Minnesotans go to work in smoke-filled casinos at poverty wages without any rights under state, federal or tribal labor laws in the Indian Gaming Industry in Minnesota.



Americans still lack socialized health care.



Workers are subjected to all kinds of exploitation and mistreatment in the
workplace--- from racial and sexual discrimination to terrible health and safety problems.



Also, please keep in mind that tens of millions of dollars are coming into Minnesota at this very moment in the form of Barack Obama's much ballyhooed "stimulus funding" and very few minorities are being hired on these projects... on many of these projects now underway utilizing these federal funds not one single Native American is working.



We have to ask how it is that so much tax money is being spent and so few Native Americans are benefitting from these "stimulus funds" here in Minnesota. by the time professors and other outfits have studied the situation, the work will have been completed.



How is it that the Minnesota AFL-CIO, the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council and outfits like the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union's "Racial Justice Task Force" are not monitoring and demanding full and complete compliance with affirmative action hiring and demanding that Native Americans get hired on these jobs?



This is not "perceived" racism we are talking about. this IS racism.



The main expression of racism in northern Minnesota is in employment hiring practices and not one single organization except for the Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council has raised this issue with Minnesota State Legislators and Congresspersons and our one United States Senator. Shame on Amy "Republican Lite" Klobuchar for ignoring this racism as she touts her role in obtaining these "stimulus funds" for Minnesota. Klobuchar does not even extend the courtesy of a response to our charges of racist hiring practices. which, can only be described as intentional acts of racism.



I have requested a complete list of all projects in Minnesota receiving these "stimulus funds" so that we can check job site by job site to find out how many Native Americans are being employed.



Amy "Republican Lite" Klobuchar is withholding this very important information which I assume she has since she is boasting that she was instrumental in getting "stimulus funds" for Minnesota. Senator Klobuchar wants to boast about the money but she wants to hide the racist hiring practices of the corporations and contractors receiving this money and outfits like the "Green-Blue Alliance" are also content to ignore these racist hiring practices.



We ask: Where are the voices of Steve Hunter, Ray Waldron, Audrey Thayer and Dick Anfang as tens of millions of dollars in "stimulus funding" is being spent in Minnesota on work being done right now?



Putting facts on pieces of paper detailing the racism after the work is done and the "stimulus funds" are spent is not good enough.



We need to know who is responsible and how compliance with affirmative action policies is being monitored and enforced right now on projects receiving these "stimulus funds."



Outfits like the Progressive Democrats of America and the Progressives for Obama have refused to move into action demanding affirmative action in hiring where these "stimulus funds" are being spent even as they hail the spending of these funds which further goes to prove that the Democratic Party is the same old racist and corrupt party that it was at the time it supported slavery and the mass hanging in Mankato.



The Green Party has been shamefully silent on this issue, too.



Where is the voice of that protector of the dope dealers, Floyd "Buck" Jourdain? Floyd "Buck" Jourdain works hand-in-hand with racist contractors and racist union "leaders" to deny the people of the Red Lake Nation jobs.



We need an explanation of how all of this is taking place. How is it that the great "free" media has refused to examine the racist "labor contracts" between tribal councils, unions and contractors and the role of this farce known as T.E.R.O.?



Why was there no oversight of these "stimulus funds" from the very beginning to see to it that Native Americans were hired and placed in positions from which they could enter apprenticeship programs so that they would have a future once the "stimulus funds" run out?



And, after all of these years, not one single Native American sits in the Minnesota House or Senate while northern Minnesota sends a bunch of worthless politicians like Brita Sailer, Purcell, Dave Olin, Mary Olson and Rod Skoe who go begging for votes on the Indian Reservations but then after being elected will not lift one little finger to make sure affirmative action in hiring is taking place... I am sure that Eugene Debs would have had something to say about this racism and how it hurts all working people.



Then there is the issue of the peat mining in the Big Bog in addition to the wars and the need for socialized health care and of course the need to get rid of this thoroughly rotten capitalist system that is destroying us all as the economy collapses.



Have you considered, or maybe you already have, a blog or a website detailing your Debs activities on the 4th of July and beyond.



I hope everyone will consider what we can do to help elect some Native American workers from northern Minnesota who will stand up and fight for these issues in the Minnesota state legislature... let's get rid of Brita Sailer, Mary Olson and Rod Skoe... we in northern Minnesota have a chance to stand up for justice and strike an important blow against racism and racist discrimination in jobs and hiring, housing, education and health care in the 2010 Election.



There is something terribly, terribly wrong when DFL party hacks will run around Indian Reservations drumming up support for DFL candidates but these party hacks make no effort to run Native American candidates



I hope everyone will go to their public library and check out the excellent book about Debs--- "The Bending Cross: A Biography of Eugene Victor Debs" by Ray Ginger and tell your friends about this book.



Here is a great speech by Eugene Victor Debs about the need for independent working class political action--- perhaps more relevant today than when this speech was delivered--- notice what Debs has to say about the use of the term "progressive:"




Speech at 1925 Conference for Progressive Political Action

_____


Lexington Hotel, Chicago, IL


Fellow Delegates and Friends:

I appreciate fully the very cordial reception you tendered with such marked enthusiasm, but I don't forget that this high compliment is paid to the cause that I have been endeavoring to serve and to me personally not at all.


I wish that you were all Socialists. But I realize that a great many of you are not. I hope I have never been and never shall be narrow enough and bigoted enough to deny any human being the same right to his or her honest conviction and the same right to express these convictions and stand up and fight for them that I shall claim for myself.

There are, as I see it, two paramount questions before this body. The first is, shall a new party be organized, and secondly, if a new party is organized, what kind of party shall it be?

It is quite natural that there should be a very wide divergence of opinion as to these questions. It would be a miracle almost if the delegates composing this great body, representing so many different elements and constituents, were of one mind, of one purpose, as to the questions that confront them for consideration and action.

Speaking for myself and my colleagues, I favor the organization, here and now, of a new party. I also stand, in addition to the demand for a new party, that this shall be a party of the working class.

A party in this later day of our industrial and social development is either a capitalist party or it is a labor party. It is the one or the other. It cannot be both. We all know that in the evolution of industry and of society there has been a division of society, and that today it consists mainly of two economic classes,

The capitalist class upon the one hand and upon the other the working class; and these two classes, whether you admit it or not, are pitted against each other, not only in this country, but throughout the world, in an irrepressible struggle. These two classes can never be permanently harmonized or reconciled. It is this that is called the class struggle, that is shaking the foundations of the whole civilized world.

This is an age of organization. Working men realize this in having organized pretty thoroughly upon the industrial field in pitting themselves against the organized power of their masters and their exploiters. They have yet to learn that the labor question is essentially a political question. If they find it necessary to unite upon the industrial field, to unite and strike together, how can they consistently fight each other at the ballot box?

Politics is simply the expression in political terms of the economic interests of certain groups or classes. The masters and exploiters realize this fact and they are in politics, not in non-partisan politics, but in politics.

I have heard some allusions to non-partisan political organization. That is to say, a political party that is not a political party. I know of no organization, no political organization, that is or can be non-partisan. It is a question, as we believe, mainly of the education of the working class, and here let me say that my interpretation of the working class includes all useful workers of brain and brawn, all who usefully serve society in any trade, occupation, or profession. All of these properly belong to the working class. I draw the line at the exploiters and the parasites and there I draw it sharply.

Now it has been said that the time has not yet come to organize a new party, and when, I venture to ask, will that time come?

It was my good fortune to personally know the founder and Grand Chief, the first Grand Chief of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, to personally know the first Grand Master of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Fireman. How often I have heard both of them tell of their early experiences in the efforts they made to lay the foundation of the organization of their class. There were but a handful of men who organized these two great brotherhoods. They were told that the time had not come for such work and everything possible was done to discourage them, but they were of such fiber, such moral fiber, that they had the courage to stand erect, to assert themselves, and to make the beginning that resulted in these great organizations.

Every great human movement has a small beginning in every age, in every nation. There have been a few heroic souls, women and men, who have ideas in advance of their time, who have had the courage to give expression to these ideas, to stand staunchly in their advocacy and to pave their way by their heroism, by their self-sacrifice to better conditions for mankind.

It was my pleasure, as well as my honor, to be with that magnificent woman, Susan B. Anthony, almost a half century ago, when she came to the town in which I lived, in response to an invitation that I had extended to her to advocate the cause of women's rights. I remember in escorting her from the station to the hotel how she was sneered at by passersby, who felt insulted that this brazen creature had been permitted to enter that community. I recall it all so vividly as I stand here in your presence this afternoon; all of the influences surrounding her were brought to bear to prevent her from advocating the right of women to take part in the affairs of society. They declared that the time had not come for it. They declared that it was impossible. They made all sorts of arguments to discourage Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, these magnificent women whose names are in history, the glory of their sex. It was a small beginning they made, but they had the courage to make it, and they have written their names in indelible letters in the annals of mankind. We may not be able to make a very great beginning here, but the important thing is that we shall make a beginning.

I have said that a party is either a capitalist party or it is a labor party. I deny that any party can by any possible means serve both these classes with the same fidelity. It is absolutely impossible. If a party serves the capitalist exploiter it is at the expense of his exploited victim, and if a party serves the exploited worker it is at the expense of his economic master.

Much has been said about wresting the power of monopoly from the hands of the few who hold sway in our affairs. Let it be understood that the economic power is always and everywhere the political ruler. How are you going to wrest this power from the hands of the autocracy, who are in the minority, unless you organize the workers and their sympathizers, who are in the majority, unless you educate and organize the masses? And build up the political power that will wrest from them the power they have to oppress and exploit the people by taking from them the private ownership of the instruments of production that make them the economic masters and the political rulers of the nation?

The question for us to consider is simply this: are or are we not in favor of this nation owning and controlling its own industries? That is the fundamental question. That is what confronts this body. As long as you permit a relative few to privately own the sources and means of wealth, the tools of production, they will be in power. You will be in servitude. You will produce the wealth and they will have it under whatever administration you may have. They will do nothing and you will have that, and that is what you have been getting under the administration of both the Republican and Democratic parties all of these years.

Now if what has been charged against these two parties by this body, by this conference, if the half of what has been charged, is true, then these parties are hopelessly corrupt and reactionary, and how can the great body of people who are oppressed and exploited and degraded, how can they hope for any relief by timidly approaching the doors of these corrupt parties and begging for some slight consideration, and be treated with contempt?

The class now in power cannot rule honestly. They must rule corruptly. They are in the minority. They have not the votes of their own to put them in power, but they have the money with which to corrupt the electorate. They have the money with which to corrupt the courts and to buy the legislators, and to debauch all our institutions. They have the power to do this because they have the money, and they have the money because they own the means of production and distribution. The great mass of the workers depend upon them for employment. In this system no working man - we boast of every man having the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and yet in this system that has been alternately supported by both of the capitalist parties, no man has a right to work. He can only work on conditions that the master who owns the tools he works with grants him permission to work, and the man who works by permission lives by permission, and is in no sense a free man.

Now we make the claim that the time has come for the great body of the workers and those who sympathize with them to organize a new party and to begin the work of extending the operation and activities of this party all over the country. We can make the beginning here.

We can start forth with a message. We can make the appeal that will ring all over this country, and I am satisfied that hundreds of thousands of the workers will respond to that appeal. But the great mass of the people are not articulate. They have no means of making themselves heard. If the question of organizing a new party, and that party being a labor party, if that question were submitted to the great body of the American workers, I am satisfied that a very large proportion of them would vote in favor of launching a new party.

There are those present-I concede their honesty-I impugn no man's motive-there are those present who believe that a kind of middle party can be organized that will embrace so many more of the people. They indulge the illusion that it is possible to permanently unite men whose interests are in conflict. It cannot be done. It is an impossible undertaking. I venture to say that if this body in the course of its deliberations decides upon organizing a middle class party that shall be neither one thing or the other, but that shall have progress for its shibboleth, that shall be known as a progressive party-and by the way-do you know of a party that is not a progressive party? I don't.

Do you know of any man or woman in this country who will confess himself or herself a reactionary? I don't. Rockefeller is a progressive. So is Morgan. So are all the rest of them progressive, and there is not a term in our vocabulary that has been more prostituted in the last few years than the term progressive. Now, what does it mean? Absolutely nothing.

Make your appeal broad enough to embrace small capitalists and workers and all sorts of elements, launch that party tomorrow, and I admit that it may make some little progress. I admit that it may have some small accession to its ranks, but it cannot live. Its death is a foregone conclusion. Organize a so-called progressive party combining all of these elements, more or less in conflict with each other, and they soon begin to disintegrate and they will go the way that all third parties have gone during the last fifty years.

A labor party is the only party that can be organized with any hope of making it a permanent party and achieving its historic mission.

It is a fortunate fact that the workers everywhere are beginning to open their eyes at last, beginning to realize that they have brains as well as hands, that they can think as well as work, that they are fit for something better than slavery and for cannon fodder. They are beginning to stand erect here and there and everywhere all along the line, beginning to realize that what is done for them must be done by themselves. And so they are gradually developing their self-reliance and they are making the appeal to their own solidarity.

They are still in the minority, and here let it be observed that every great movement in its inception was not only in the minority, unpopular, consisting of those who had ideas and courage, who did their work and rendered their service to humanity, these awakened and awakening and intelligent and awakening workers are still in the minority, but they are in alliance with the force of evolution, and as certain as I stand in your presence this afternoon, this minority will be converted in course of time into the triumphant majority and sweep into power and seize the reins of government in the name of the people and transfer the title deeds from the Rockefellers, Goulds, Vanderbilts, and Morgans to the people in their collective capacity, and then for the first time we will have democracy and self-government in the history of this Republic.

Ah, but this is far-fetched, some of you seem to think, and possibly it is. But it is the only issue before this body that is worthy of serious consideration. This is a movement that is making progress.

Now the workers have organized to a very large extent industrially. They are beginning to realize their interests, their power, their duty, their responsibility as a class now. I know that it is not very popular in the presence of some people to talk about classes. We are supposed to be a classless country. There are no classes in the United States. We are all in the same class with Rockefeller and the rest of them, and we prove it by voting that ticket on election day.

Now, Rockefeller and Morgan and Gary and the rest of them, believe me, are class conscious. I only wish the workers were as class conscious as are these great exploiting Capitalists.

The power that they have over people never can be abolished while they are in possession of the instruments that give them that power. That is the private ownership of the means of our common life. They own the railroads; they own the telegraph, the telephone; they own all these great agencies of production and distribution, the mines and the mills and the factories that have been socially produced, that are socially operated, that are socially necessary and still are held in private hands. The owners of the railroads have nothing to do with their operation. If every owner of an American railroad took a ship, an airship tonight, and left this planet, the people would never know it, for every train would come and go on time, and so with all of the great industries. Their private owners have no more to do with their management or their operation dm if they lived upon Mars. Now, if the people, in their collective capacity can develop these great industries, if they can operate them socially, and if their very lives depend upon them, can't they also develop intelligence enough to make themselves the owners and the masters of these industries and operate them, not to produce multimillionaires and billionaires, but to produce wealth in abundance for all of the people?

Poverty amid plenty is it not strange that in this land of fabulous abundance there is such widespread poverty and misery that defies the power of all language to properly describe? Here in America we live in perhaps the most favored land beneath the bending skies, vast areas of the richest and most fertile soil, all of the raw materials in inexhaustible abundance, the most marvelous productive machinery on the face of the globe, and the million of workers, men and women and children, aye children, two million of them still having their puny bodies coined into the capitalist profit, is infinitely more important than the working man's life.

Is it not strange that in this land of fabulous plenty there is still so much poverty, so many million of our people whose life consists of a long, hard, fierce struggle all the way from youth to age and at last death comes to the rescue and stills the aching heart and lulls that victim to dreamless sleep.

This all seems very strange to me, in one aspect of it, but not in another, for I have learned enough to know m my experience and observation that that very limited class that owns and controls the means of our common life not only controls the government in every department and has the injunctions issued under both Republican and Democratic administration on that paralyzes labor unions; they not only control the government in every department, but they control all of our educational institutions, they have the power to penalize, to proscribe, to exile the workers by discharging and black-listing the men, the best among them, for the reason they have intelligence enough and courage enough to stand up for the interests of their classes. They have the power to control the education, a large part of which consists of mis-education, the purpose of which is to keep the people in ignorance and, through their ignorance, in servitude.

Shakespeare was right when he said, "There is no darkness but ignorance and there is no slavery but ignorance," and that is the trouble with the American people, and the average politician tells them that he is so proud to stand in their presence, to look in their intelligent faces, he flatters their ignorance to keep them ignorant, while upon the other hand, the Socialist agitator has made himself an undesirable citizen, despised and persecuted, because he has the courage to tell the workers that they are ignorant and that they will remain where they are so long as they are ignorant, indifferent, and unorganized. He tells them about the class struggle, not because he is in favor of classes, quite the contrary, because he is opposed to classes and wants to put an end to the class struggle.

The capitalist, upon the other hand, tries to obscure it in every way possible. He'd not have the workers realize it and that is why the great majority of them remain in the parties of their masters. Who is it that votes the Republican party and the Democratic party into power? It is the working class. The capitalist doesn't vote a working class ticket, but the working class do vote the capitalist ticket, and that is why the capitalists are in power and the workers in servitude, and we want to reverse this situation and put the workers in power, and that is what will come to pass with a triumph of this great movement that I hope to see inaugurated here in the form of a new political party that stands foursquare to all the storms that blow for the working class, and those who sympathize with them in their heroic struggle for industrial emancipation, and it is coming.

As I stand here this afternoon, looking into your faces, many of whom are so familiar to me, I congratulate myself for being here. I feet all the better for being in a little nearer touch with those with whom I have disagreed and who have disagreed with me. I feel that it is so far better for us to be at least on decent human terms with each other, no matter how widely we may disagree, far better this than to be pitted against each other in hostile camps, wasting our time in abusing each other.

Now I have every respect for every one of this movement who is looking forward or who thinks he is looking forward. He is proceeding according to his light. I would do nothing under any circumstances to discourage the tendency, the progressive tendency of this movement. I would not utter a word to reflect upon any man or woman, any delegate in this body who, however reactionary they may seem to me, believe that they are looking forward and in their heart desire to be progressive.

I would encourage all of these tendencies and that is why the Socialist Party became affiliated with this Conference, not for the purpose of being absorbed or absorbing the Conference, but for the purpose of helping along, for the purpose of helping in the work of education and organization, encouraging those who don't yet see their way clear to come to the Socialist movement, and this Conference, whatever may be the outcome, my friends, is going to leave something that will have a permanent place in the annals of our nation. It is going to result in some good. We may leave here more or less disappointed. No matter. The very fact that this Conference has been possible is sufficient evidence to my mind that it is going to result in some good. It is the beginning. It will have its continuance. It is a more or less logical development. It will lead to something else, and in the right direction, and so I am very glad I am here, and have had the privilege of meeting those [who are here], many of them with whom I have hitherto been in disagreement.

Now I believe that it is impossible to compromise a principle, and the Socialist Party is committed to a certain principle. To compromise principle is to court death and disaster. It is better to be true to a principle and to stand alone and be able to look yourself in the face without a blush, far better to be in a hopeless minority than to be in a great popular and powerful majority of the unthinking.

Do you know that all the progress in this whole world's history has been made by minorities? I have somehow been fortunately all of my life in the minority. I have thought again and again that if I ever find myself in the majority I will know that I have outlived myself. There is something magnificent about having the courage to stand with a few with and for a principle and to fight for it without fear or favor, developing all of your latent power, expanding to the proportional end, rising to your true stature, no matter whose respect you may forfeit, as long as you keep your own.

I am glad to stand with a staunch revolutionary minority, and the capitalists understand what we are and what we stand for, even if the workers don't. They don't object in the least to the organization of a third party. They know very well it will not last very long, but they are decidedly opposed to the organization of a labor party. That is what they are opposed to, and if a labor party is organized, it must expect from the very beginning to be misrepresented and ridiculed and traduced in every possible way, but if it consists of those who are the living representatives of its principles it will make progress in spite of them, and in due course of time it will sweep into triumph.

So I have learned to be patient and to bide the time. I am expecting something from this body before it adjourns. But let me say to you, whether I receive what I expect or not, I shall not leave here disappointed. Long, long ago in my life I learned how to refuse to be disappointed. No one can disappoint me but myself, and I refuse to betray myself. I can't do that. I prefer to be on speaking terms with myself, and so I stand for this principle. Make the appeal to the working class on this principle.

You workers of brain and brawn, it is you and you alone who support the government and conserve all civilization. Were it not for you, the whole social fabric would collapse in an instant. It is you who do the work, the useful work. It is you who produce the wealth, every ounce, every dollar of it, you who support the government and conserve civilization. You have but to realize this to awaken to the necessity of unifying your forces all along the line, taking counsel of yourselves, cultivating self-reliance, closing up the industrial ranks, the political ranks, striking together, standing together in every hour of conflict, every hour of strife, and in due course of time the hour will strike, your day will have come, you will sweep into power and you will issue for the first time in human history the proclamation of the emancipation of the workers and the true civilization of all mankind.





In the great spirit and tradition of Eugene V. Debs...



Yours in solidarity and struggle,



Alan L. Maki

Director of Organizing,

Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council



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/





Cc: Maggie Bird

President,

Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council


Alan Maki
Warroad
Info about Alan Maki: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/alanmaki

Single-payer universal health care or a national public health program (socialized health care)?

Some people get upset when I say that Barack Obama and the Democrats have successfully killed off any opportunity to win single-payer universal health care now or in the future and they are confused with the suggestion that we move towards building a movement for the real "public option," a national public health care program (socialized health care).

I received an e-mail from a member of the Progressive Democrats of America in Wisconsin asking me to explain my thinking about this; she is really upset that so much work has been put into building support for single-payer because she thinks it will all be for naught.

I received another letter from Carl Davidson of Progressives for Obama... Davidson puts it this way: "I don't support any other health care plan other than single-payer universal health care." Well, this sure is a divisive and defeatist attitude.

And, Sara Robinson of the Campaign for America's Future/America's Future Now says that I am not telling the truth when I state that CAF/AFN is undermining the single-payer universal health care movement; claiming, in spite of all evidence to the contrary, that CAF/AFN remains committed to single-payer universal health care.

And, of course, we have the Democrats claiming that single-payer is a nice idea but it is not in the political cards at this time (if anyone believes these Democrats will ever place single-payer on the agenda they are living in the world of make-believe) because when anyone takes money from powerful corporations, the well-heeled and very influential people with money to oppose something like single-payer they had better do it or these powerful interests will simply replace them in the United States House and Senate.

Then we have Barack Obama, the grand-daddy of all the con-artists and flim-flam charlatans who puts Elmer Gantry to shame as an amateur, saying that single-payer is a great idea if only it didn't go against the "American tradition" of "employer-paid health insurance" as the policies of his Administration through hundreds of thousands of workers out into the streets without jobs--- without employers!--- every month, with no end of rising unemployment in sight.

I received another e-mail from a very astute activist in Michigan asking in a Letter to the Editor, "Will we have to change the entire U.S. Congress before we can get single-payer universal health care?"

On top of this we have wonderful organizations like the All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676 who day after day keep us informed of all the new support single-payer universal health care is receiving in the form of the most wonderful resolutions from unions at every level in this country; from union locals to the national federations and their affiliates. This is a typical e-mail we receive on any given day from the small, under-financed, over-worked All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676:

-----Original Message-----

From: singlepayernews-bounces+amaki000=centurytel.net@unionsforsinglepayerhealthcare.org [mailto:singlepayernews-bounces+amaki000=centurytel.net@unionsforsinglepayerhealthcare.org] On Behalf Of Unions for Single Payer HR676

Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 11:32 PM

To: Alan Maki

Cc: News about union support for single-payer health care and HR 676
Subject: Three Maine Labor Councils Call on AFL-CIO Convention to Endorse HR 676

Three Maine Labor Councils Call on AFL-CIO Convention to Endorse HR 676
and Call for March On Washington

Three Labor Councils in Maine, Southern, Western and Central, have
followed the lead of the Maine State AFL-CIO in calling on the national
AFL-CIO September Convention to endorse HR 676 and educate and mobilize
for its passage.

The resolution passed by the 3 councils urges that the AFL-CIO Convention:
“…pursue the passage of HR 676, the ‘United States National Health Care
Act’ to meet the needs of our members, our families, and all America, and
not endorse or support any fallback program of mandated insurance which
includes the wasteful, for-profit insurance industry….”

The resolution further calls on the AFL-CIO to “...help organize and
financially support a ‘Healthcare is a Human right’ Solidarity March and
Rally in Washington, DC.”

Chris Teret, President of the Southern Council said: “The Southern Maine
Labor Council realizes that the fundamental principle of labor is
solidarity—an injury to one is an injury to all. For that reason, the
labor movement can’t support any health care system except one that
includes everybody, no exceptions. We know the insurance companies are
the problem and we’re ready to see them gone….”

The Troy Area Labor Council initiated the campaign to get resolutions
urging support of HR 676 sent to the AFL-CIO Convention which meets in
Pittsburgh September 14-17. The sample resolution and information on how
to submit a resolution are at: http://pefencon.info/HR676/Resolution.htm

Convention resolutions can be submitted at
resolutions-amendments@aflcio.org. The deadline for submitting
resolutions is Aug. 14th. #30#

HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system by expanding a
greatly improved Medicare system to everyone residing in the U. S.

HR 676 would cover every person for all necessary medical care including
prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and
preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health,
physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision
care, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable
medical equipment, palliative care, and long term care.

HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save hundreds of
billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the
private health insurance industry and HMOs.

In the current Congress, HR 676 has 83 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced SB 703, a single payer bill
in the Senate.

HR 676 has been endorsed by 540 union organizations in 49 states including
128 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state
AFL-CIO's (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO,
MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI,
MT, NE, NY, NV & MA).

For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample
endorsement resolution, contact:

Kay Tillow
All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676
c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO)
1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218
Louisville, KY 40217
(502) 636 1551
Email: nursenpo@aol.com
http://unionsforsinglepayerHR676.org
06/24/09

One has to wonder why the AFL-CIO hasn't been doing what the All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676 has been doing... but, then, in asking this we begin to find the answer as to what is wrong with the labor movement in the United States today and why the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Wall Street coupon clippers take the two major labor federations--- the AFL-CIO and Change To Win--- as nothing more than minor irritants; anyone can read the joint FBI/CIA report--- Family Jewels--- and find out why this is.

On top of this, we have United States Congressman John Conyers who had Cindy Sheehan arrested because she brought a group of people to his office who thought he was sincere about impeaching Bush and Cheney, only to find that all of his talk was nothing but hot air and political rhetoric designed by intent to drum up support for Democrats like Barack Obama who he knew would sink single-payer universal health care; yet, Conyers continues right on talking about how he is supporting H.R. 676, the single-payer initiative that now has fewer Congressional endorsers than it ever did and in the U.S. Senate Bernie Sanders has brought forward a different version of single-payer and he can't even get any support from his fellow Senators.

Then we come to the Physicians for a National Health Program, the major advocates of single-payer universal health care who shot off both their feet before they could ever hit the ground running by assuring all the doubters, cynics and opponents of single-payer universal health care that the charges of "socialized health care" being made against single-payer universal health care were untrue since single-payer with its "privately delivered health care" would fit right in with free enterprise.

The Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council has been a primary mover in the Midwest behind single-payer universal health care. We have researched the history of health care reform in this country and around the the world going back to the Soviet revolution, Madam Secretary of Labor---Frances Perkins and her New Deal reforms, articulated what the benefits of the Canada Health Act are compared to what we have in this country and explored the Cuban socialized health care model. On top of this, we have been amongst the most active supportive of single-payer universal health care with our activities involving distributing hundreds of thousands of leaflets, organizing support at the precinct level, county, state and national level inside and outside of the Democratic Party for single-payer universal health care as a step towards socialized health care. We have testified at hearings, participated in rallies and marches; we have circulated petitions and open letters. We have shared information and resources with other people and organizations--- including many who stabbed us in the back when it came time for them to speak up about the terrible and atrocious conditions of smoke-filled casinos and over two-million casino workers forced to work without any rights under state or federal labor labor laws at poverty wages in the Indian Gaming Industry by those supporters of single-payer who repeatedly make the claim that a big part of their support for health care reform is teaching people how to stay well. In short, we have participated at every level, in every way in building what support we could for single-payer universal health care.

As a result of our activities on behalf of single-payer universal health care, we have made a number of observations:

First, the single-payer movement has reached maximum strength and this strength simply is not enough to achieve a victory.

Two, the reason that the single-payer movement cannot build beyond its present strength which is very formidable is that the majority of the American people realize the limitations of "private delivery of health care;" and most people want nothing less than what VA and the Indian Health Service offers... free health care for all... or, as we call it, a national public health care system: socialized health care.

The Cubans created such a health care system... largely with help, assistance, advice and often supplies from Americans employed in the field of public health care.

The Cubans took the children of nickel miners and sugar plantation workers who had been treated like slaves before the socialist revolution, and educated them to be doctors and the best health care providers in the entire world--- making health care one of Cuba's most valuable exports, and winning them many friends on all continents while the United States has been exporting poverty, exploitation and war.

The Canadian never got health care reform until the socialist Tommy Douglas was elected the premier of Saskatchewan and challenged the American Medical Association and the for-profit health care providers and the insurance companies... yes, it did take completely changing to a socialist government in Saskatchewan and the Cubans needed a revolution to get their health care reform. The Soviets set the example in the area of health care that is still the model envied by people all over the world who seek to emulate the excellent health care the Soviets provided the people with for over seventy years... "the Bolshevik plot" the American Medical Association still fears.

Anti-communism denied the American people health care reform as part of the New Deal package of reforms; it is this same fear of socialism that now has the movement for single-payer universal health care hamstrung, castrated and unable to influence even the most progressive public officials who, every time they assure us they are not for socialized health care, they deal another death blow to single-payer universal health care.

Of course, like everything under capitalism, there are those who have made quite nice livings from working for single-payer universal health care. There are those organizations like the Progressive Democrats of America and John Conyers who wrap themselves in single-payer universal health care as if it is the American flag knowing full well, they have no intent of opening up the kind of grassroots movement that would really be required to win single-payer universal health care because they know full well, the larger the single-payer movement grows the louder the demand for socialized health care becomes.

The Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council and our affiliated local Organizing Committees will continue to support single-payer universal health care based upon the Canadian model with the understanding this will be a step towards a national public health care system--- socialized health care.

However, our efforts will be to encourage a broad and far ranging discussion about socialized health care... the only really viable option that will enable us to "bundle" the need for health care reform as part of a complete "people's bailout" package.

We are for continued work inside of the Democratic Party as we expand our primary efforts to working towards building some kind of "people's front" capable of replacing the good-for-nothing Democrats in Congress and the state legislatures with real representatives of the people.

Towards these ends, we will increasingly be talking about, and doing what we can, to help build a political movement constructed upon the progressive foundation we inherited from the real Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party, a party of socialism... which is more of an American tradition than the hoax of "employer provided health care;" especially at a time when so many working people are unemployed--- without employers.

Any country that can finance wars being fought in three countries at the same time, maintain a huge nuclear and biological weapons arsenal, fund 800 U.S. military bases dotting the globe and spend trillions of dollars bailing out a bunch of crooked and corrupt Wall Street thieves can establish 800 major public health care centers spread out across the united states with thousands of public satellite health care centers dotting the country like fire halls, police stations, public schools and public libraries providing the health care the American people need, expect and want.

Socialism really does work whenever the needs of people come before corporate profits.

The American people will be satisfied with a public health care system that delivers as well as the system of public education has for well over one-hundred years in this country. The fee for health care should be no more than checking out a $75.00 book at the local public library and getting health care should be just as easy and efficient as mailing a letter using the United States Postal Service... for those getting the health care services of VA or the Indian Health Service, this is the kind of health care Americans already receive... there is no reason this socialized health care should not be extended to all of us now.

I would point out that the National Indian Gaming Association joins with the American Medical Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, the health insurance industry and the HMO's along with most members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate in opposing single-payer universal health care.

We can either watch the single-payer universal health care movement die with our efforts being wasted; or, we can build the kind of real grassroots/rank-and-file movement required to win socialized health care... such an outgrowth of the single-payer movement would be the most appropriate way to proceed as we seek out allies from other sections of the people's movements fighting for reforms such as moratoriums on all home foreclosures and evictions, for an end to malnutrition and hunger, for a minimum wage that is a real living wage, for reforming the laws regulating the right of workers to organize more effectively, for social justice and peace and for an end to all forms of racial discrimination in employment, housing, education and health care and for the right of all workers to be employed in healthy and safe work environments and their right to live in communities with clean air and water. We need to begin to explore the option of nationalization through public ownership of the basic industries from steel and auto to banking and communications as the way to save jobs and protect and defend the living standards of working people. No-fee, public child-care has become just as important as no-fee public health care for the labor movement to work for.

Together, we must strive to win through politics those things we cannot win at the bargaining tables... this is the way forward for a genuine labor movement.

It is all about priorities; this big-business dominated government has the priorities of Wall Street in mind when it comes to making each and every decision... yes, we do need a new government and getting such a new government is no more difficult than what it was for those who built the New Democratic Party in Canada or the real Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party... it will take the initiative of grassroots and rank-and-file working people... those at the top have already determined they will sell us out on single-payer just as they have done on every other issue.

I would also point out that the organized labor movement in this country is very weak and small... we will have to move the entire working class--- organized and unorganized--- into action if we want to get results... unless of course one considers the election of Barack Obama a "victory."

Yes, single-payer universal health care is dead. Obama and the Democrats as beholden to Wall Street's interests as the Republicans have killed it. These Democrats should be properly "thanked" at the polls... but, the movement for real health care reform must move on right along with the people's growing movements for real change, peace, social & economic justice.

Health care is a human right and so are a lot of other things like the right to work in smoke-free casinos receiving real living wages and to have a voice at work which working people only achieve to some degree under capitalism with a union contract.

Again, to us as casino workers, we are very disappointed that so few advocates of single-payer universal health care lack any concern for the plights of some two-million workers employed in smoke-filled casinos in the Indian Gaming Industry--- this causes us to wonder how sincere some of these doctors and labor "leaders" really are.

Just recently, the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA), held their state convention at the smoke-filled Fortune Bay Casino and Resort where workers are forced to sign an affidavit stating they will not engage in union organizing as one of the terms for their employment. This convention was attended by Ray Waldron, the racist President of the Minnesota AFL-CIO... shameful, disgraceful... this is no way to build unity of the working class and the progressive movement. The UA has, historically, been among the most racist unions in the AFL-CIO and here in Minnesota this union has stayed true to its racist and reactionary history. Dick Anfang, the racist president of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council was also present at this convention. Mr. Anfang has encouraged and promoted the racist, anti-labor sweetheart agreements between labor and in Minnesota Indian Gaming Industry for many years. In fact, the agreements made between the Building Trades Unions are so racist that Mr. Anfang doesn't even dare to disclose the labor-management agreements to state legislators or the general public and even those paying union dues are denied the right to see the contracts! Such unions can pass resolution after resolution in support of single-payer universal health care, as these unions have done; but, there is ext to no chance that anyone will take these racist and corrupt union leaders like Dick Anfang or Ray Waldron seriously... certainly not the politicians who take their bribes and then turn away laughing at them.

But, the ultimate "joke" is on working people who suffer without access to health care just as casino workers are forced to work in smoke-filled casinos and just as the "joke" will be on casino patrons when one of these casinos collapses because of the cheap, sub-standard steel girders and beams made from cheap imported steel from which the casinos are being constructed, like the new casino being built by Red Lake Gaming Enterprises.

Tax-payers will ultimately foot the health care bills for tens of thousands of casino workers forced to work in these smoke-filled casinos who are already suffering from cancers, heart and lung problems and complications due to second hand smoke from their existing diabetes and asthma.

To even think that labor federations led by racists like Ray Waldron or Dick Anfang will lead the struggle for single-payer universal health care or any other health care reform when they have not demonstrated one iota of concern for the health and well-being tens of thousands of Minnesotans who are forced to work in these casinos is the epitome of self-delusion... there is a reason why working people have been reluctant to organize in Minnesota and across the country... not because they lack an Employee Free Choice Act, but, because they see a bunch of uncaring racists like Dick Anfang and Ray Waldron living off their union dues who won't lift a finger to support the very single-payer universal health care legislation they claim to have endorsed only because they know their memberships will begin to work at the rank-and-file level for socialized health care if they don't pretend to be concerned... and the single-payer movement, with its middle class base (as opposed to working class), provides them with such a cover of looking like they have the best interests of the workers they are collecting dues from when nothing could be further from the truth.

We have had quite a lot to say over the years about single-payer universal health care and we have always tried to be very gentle with what we perceived to be the the truth that this movement was a movement of the relatively well-heeled middle class professionals and small business people and money-grubbing doctors who most people can't even trust for a truthful diagnosis, always wondering if profit is more the motive of finding problems and expensive "treatments" from which they derive huge profits more a motive than getting them well when sick.

We just felt now is the time for a cold, hard reality check... better to re-adjust our goals towards a public health care system than to let the movement we have helped to build die along with single-payer universal health care now left in the hands of John Conyers who had Cindy Sheehan arrested just like Max Baucus did with single-payer supporters. The present gaggle of Wall street owned and corrupted politicians will not be delivering anything in line with real health care reform... neither will the Democrats who couldn't even deliver this important reform when it had the support of President Franklin D. Roosevelt... there simply is far too much money to be made off of health care in this country to think that these politicians will ever put health care for people before profits.

The cold sad truth.

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

Representing tens of thousands of casino workers employed in the Indian Gaming Industry forced to work under the most severe, repressive and Draconian conditions in smoke-filled casinos at poverty wages without any rights under state, federal or tribal labor laws.

A good union contract is better than any government anti-poverty program and a whole lot less expensive for tax-payers.

The proponents of the Indian Gaming Industry promised $40.00 an hour jobs... we intend to make this a reality for each and every casino worker; along with the right to be employed in smoke-free casinos.