Thursday, January 28, 2010

D 2004 special/Universal Income Report

WASHINGTON (US), 20-22 February 2004: 3rd CONGRESS OF
USBIG
The third congress of the US Basic Income Guarantee
Network took place in Washington, DC at the Hyatt
Regency on Capitol Hill. It attracted a wide variety
of submissions, including from
medical doctors, Post Keynesian economists, and
homeless advocates.
The first speaker was Philip Wogaman, Bill Clinton's
former pastor and the author of Guaranteed Annual
Income: The Moral Issues (1968), written when the
Nixon administration was toying with the idea of
replacing welfare by Milton Friedman's negative income
tax. To the question "Is it moral to give people
things they haven't earned?", Wogaman replies that we
all receive things we haven't earned, from childhood
on. People who believe they earned everything they
have ignore all the unearned advantages they have
received. A basic income is simply an extension of
this recognition that we all stand on each other's
shoulders.
The climax of the congress was an emotional meeting
between Jay Hammond, former governor of Alaska and
father of the world's first genuine basic income
scheme, and Eduardo Suplicy, member of Brazil's
federal senate and father of the world's first
national basic income law. Suplicy presented the new
law to phase in basic income in Brazil, while Hammond
discussed the current effort to increase the size of
the Alaska fund a part of a bill to close the state's
budget gap.
Recurrent questions throughout the meeting included
the question of the relative advantages of an
unconditional basic income, of a right to a job
provided by the government as an employer of last
resort and of a caregiver's credit for care
activities; the question of using natural resources
(as proposed for Iraq and Nigeria on the Alaska
model), land, broadcast spectrum rights, pollution
permits or progressive taxation for funding the
scheme; and the question of where political support
for the scheme would be found.
(Based on accounts by Karl Widerquist for USBIG and
James Hughes for cyberdemocracy.net.)
For further information, http://www.usbig.net/

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Get a Job!

Deep down inside people like to work. OK, some people are lazy and or some people just hate the work place environment. It isn't up to US to judge or impose our values on people.Capitalist Parties and politics offer no alternatives to the work place. But maybe, in a society that is losing it jobs we can create our own. What we need froma government is the creation of an economic democracy. To list the few, here is what we can do to endeavor when The Government works.Democratic Socialism Profit-sharing Cooperative Worker Cooperative Consumers' cooperative Monetary reform Guaranteed minimum income Social Credit Social Economy Industrial democracy Participatory economics Workers' control Workers' self-management Workplace democracy
‘The Small Business administration can be augmented into work creation so can government agencies by introducing Public Work Programs. Also, the Universal Income can provide self employment. One cam grow their own career in there own Career Path with out falling into poverty.
There are also alternatives employment and growth sectors as Public work, municipal and public enterprise. Alternative to entrepreneur economies should be developed. There is a difference between a job and work. People on the job are not always working. In some cases economists had noticed after observation. Jobs are nothing more than people management. It is way to corral society. In a real social society people function best when they have meaningful jobs. Jobs with justice. When was the last time we heard politicians speak of Democratic ESOPs, or Worker own Co-operatives?There are many ideas out there and they are all being ignored. I am supplying a list of books that will also help out in our quest for freedom.
The system doesn’t work for many reason because the essence of human economics and humanness are ignored. It is about corporate welfare, wealth maintenance, power brokering, and the disposability of lower level human beings.In a Capitalist Society people are not human.


Beating The System: The Next American Revolution by Larry RothStraightforward and practical treatise on life without a job, filled with encouraging personal anecdotes and humor. Roth asks us to re-evaluate our lives and gives us tools to live a happy, fulfilling life outside the realm of wage slavery. As a bonus, he includes several essays, for example, by Edith Flowers Kilgo ("Can You Afford Your Job?") and Ed Haugland ("Ditching the Nine to Five Routine")."If you want to quit your job and never have to formally work again, here is a complete lifestyle planner for it." - Workaholics Anonymous"...the story of his own exit from corporate America and a map for others who want to find their way out of the madness of the modern American workplace as well." - www.mind-like-water.com

The End of Work: The Decline of the Global Labor Force by Jeremy Rifkin (critique of the book, by Bob Black) * Also see a summary of Rifkin's ideasWhy Work? Arguments for the Leisure Society Ed. by Vernon Richards (including essay by Bertrand Russell)Reclaiming Work: Beyond The Wage-Based Societyby Andre GorzWe are very encouraged that people are writing books like this. We sorely need them. Don't miss this one! It's written in accessible language, and uncluttered with dry academic jargon or stale ideas. Also see his book Paths To Paradise: On The Liberation From Work.

The Right to Useful Unemploymentby Ivan IllichWe love the title! It's what it is all about. Here's a blurb on the book from the AK Press catalog:"Forget a guaranteed job; how about a guaranteed income? If more mechanization is putting more & more people out of work and generating super profits, why do we need to work longer hours?"

The Jobless Future: Sci-Tech and the Dogma of Work by Stanley Aronowitz & William DiFazioDeconstructs the widespread idea that a high-tech economy will lead to more leisure and high-paying jobs for anyone who wants them. Very heavy on theory, light on practical guidance, and full of academic jargon, but the ideas are still worth checking out. "Contrary to the ideologically conditioned theory ..... recipients of guaranteed annual income who are relieved of most obligations to engage in labor do not fall apart.

"Post-Work: The Wages of CybernationEd. by Stanley Aronowitz and Jonathan Cutler

The Overworked Americanby Juliet Schor

Selling the Work Ethic: From Puritan Pulpit to Corporate PRby Sharon BederFrom the back cover: "Few people today can imagine a society that does not revolve around work. How did paid work come to be so central to our lives? Why is it that so many people wouldn't know what to do with themselves or who they were if they did not have their jobs?" Good questions. Pick up her book and find out her answers!The Processed World AnthologyEd. by Chris Carlsson with Mark Leger"The leading anti-work journal..."--J. Hughes, co-editor, Eco-Socialist just LOVE :
Processed World magazine, and the Processed World anthology is a whole book of highlights from years of great, subversive, humorous stuff. 'Nuff said. Highly recommended! Zerowork: The Anti-Work AnthologyEd. by Bob Black and Tad KepleyIncludes
"The Original Affluent Society" by Marshall Sahlins

Why Work? A Case For Fundamental Change by Peter Merry "Why are we working - for whom and to what ends?" This UK-based brief publication, available online and also from the Center for Human Ecology in Scotland, analyzes present employment structures and patterns across Europe in its call for more balanced, human-needs-centered patterns of livelihood. Merry's thesis on the future of work was published as a book under the same title.

Seven Myths About Work by Molly Scott CatoSays the author, "There is so much to say about work. What inspired me to pull together this short book was my belief that much of the unhappiness in modern society is caused by work, or more precisely by work as it has been arranged in the present industrial system." This book was published by GreenAudit in 1996 and sold out. A newer edition has been issued. Check out the publisher's web site for a brief excerpt from the book.

Wages & The Working Day by John KeracherThe Joy of Not Working: A Book for the Retired, Unemployed, and Overworkedby Ernie J. ZelinskiAn excellent, best-selling, well-written and savvy book on a subject that's near and dear to our hearts, and very much in the spirit of . The margins are chock full of thought-provoking quotes, Calvin & Hobbes cartoons, and amusing illustrations. We can hardly recommend it highly enough!Un-Jobbing: The Adult Liberation Handbook by Michael FoglerAt 45, Michael Fogler considers himself semi-retired. He's a husband, stay-at-home dad, workshop presenter, peace activist, and freelance musician. At the end of 1990, he and his wife left jobs for home-based lives of greater personal fulfilment. Fogler was so liberated by this change, that he decided to share his experiences and revelations in this book. Reviewed by Sarah Nelson & D.J. Swanson. Highly recommended!When Work Doesn't Work Anymore: Women, Work, and Identityby Elizabeth Perle McKennaThe System Made Me Do It! A Life Changing Approach to Office Politics by Susan M. Osborn, Ph.D.
The Liberation of Workby Folkert Wilken
Work Without End: Abandoning Shorter Hours for the Right to Workby Benjamin HunnicuttHunnicutt is a professor at the University of Iowa. Here's a sample quote from his critical article
The Left and the Future of Work: "Instead of viewing progress as transcending work, necessity and economic concerns, and far from believing that increased freedom from toil is a constituent of human progress, much of the industrial world shares the belief that work is an end in itself, the ultimate measure of progress and the definition of prosperity."
The Future of Work (set of audiocassettes)by Robert Theobald

Reworking Success by Robert Theobald
Sleepers, Wake! Technology & the Future of WorkBy Barry JonesThe Future of WorkEd. by Fred BestThe Protestant Work Ethic: The Psychology of Work Related Beliefs and Behaviorsby Adrian FurnhamFuture Work: Jobs, Self-Employment and Leisure After the Industrial Ageby James RobertsonWorking Harder Isn't Working Put Work In Its Placeboth by Bruce O'HaraThe

Hacker Ethicby Pekka HimanenThe Ideology of Workby Peter D. Anthony
Neither Work Nor LeisureA Culture Where We Don't Stop Playing When We Leave Schoolby Merrick Godhaven

Monday, January 25, 2010

Social Democrats Are Socialists

aScial democracy is a political ideology of the political left and centre-left on the classic political spectrum. Social democracy emerged in the late 19th century from the socialist movement and continues to exert influence worldwide.
The concept of social democracy has changed throughout the decades since its inception. The fundamental difference between social democratic thought and other forms of socialism historically, social democratic parties advocated socialism in the strict sense, which was to be achieved by class struggle. In the early 20th century, however, a number of socialist parties rejected revolution and other traditional ideas of Marxism such as class struggle, and went on to take more moderate positions. These moderate positions included a belief that reformism was a desirable way to achieve socialism.
However, the third way is a sell out to liberalism, dividing Socialist Social Democrats from Liberal Social Democrats.

The Socialist International (SI) is the main international organization of social democratic and moderate socialist parties. It affirms the following principles: first, freedom—not only individual liberties, but also freedom from discrimination and freedom from dependence on either the owners of the means of production or the holders of abusive political power; second, equality and social justice—not only before the law but also economic and socio-cultural equality as well, and equal opportunities for all including those with physical, mental, or social disabilities; and, third, solidarity—unity and a sense of compassion for the victims of injustice and inequality. These ideals are described in further detail in the SI's Declaration of Principles.
In Denmark, a Fine example for Democratic Socialism:
"I'm being paid right now for not going to school. I'm being paid for parenting," "It's 100 percent paid for by the government for half a year."
Denmark also provides free health care, subsidized childcare and elder care; a social safety net spread the length and breadth of the country.
"I mean, we're pretty much free to do whatever we want. We are secure from the day we are born. For a Dane who lives in Denmark," but workaholics they are not: And that is one trade-off most Americans are not willing to make. Americans, according to Harvard Psychology lecturer Tal Ben-Shahar, want it all.

I interviewed an Italian Socialist: Americans, even socialist are politically undereducated. They think they know Europe and Socialism. Even we criticisms that our Socialism has massive failures and embraced liberalism and privatization. Yet at least our Socialisms have achieved something and we are growing. You cannot say that about the USA.”
Another said, “At least our fight and struggle is genuine. Social Democrats and Socialists herald a better quality of life. We are still fighting for it and unlike America, we will eventually win.”
European countries place ahead of the United States in terms of per capita Gross Domestic Product — Luxembourg, Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Netherlands. These are amongst the happiest countries in the world, and they have all hosted Social Democratic and Socialist Parties.
“I heard the nonsense, we are mono-racial, we pay high taxes, and we are controlled by Unions.” One said, “But we have an excellent quality of life.”

What Socialism, Democratic Socialist Social Democracy does is herald a better society, not utopia, but largely a more humane society. A society where people are not abandoned to poverty and social distress, where there is social justice and social consciousness. Where people have happier, more fulfilling, rewarding lives.

American want a bigger house, fancier car, more stuff. And when we get more, there’s always someone with even more stuff, who's just as unhappy. Some suggest that the unhappiest zip codes in the country are the wealthiest, like the Beverly Hills.

The American dream promote a loveless, dog eat dog world of coldness and cruelty. In many ways the American dream is a massive failure. It isn’t bad to want success, The America way is socially and psychologically destructive.

Friday, January 22, 2010

American Voters

The current Republican victories are a tell tale sign that we Americans are politically undereducated. This isn’t knew. I heard this complaint from immigrants since I was a child.
The Democrats are a major culprit in this failure. Since 1972, with the defeat of the Basic Income Grant in the Senate proved that the future isn‘t going t be the same. The ideals would be squashed and the Democrats became like the Republicans.
American liberalism accommodated itself to the free market nostrums of the right wing and the rapid growth of social inequality, and repudiated any serious program for social reform.
There is a despise amongst Socialist about Social Democrats. Social Democrats are still Capitalist. That is Liberal Social Democrats. Socialist Social Democrats fight for change that contain a Democratic Socialist future.
American voters are probably the worse on the planet. The maintain a two party system, vote on the hopes of change that is never happening. Many vote Republican when the Democrats fail. But we know the Republican will not deliver the goods, ever. So why the does this happen? Because American are people who are entrench in Conformity. People only care about themselves and really do not care about the issues.
People, in America today, especially, hate the poor. We are a Nation of haters, not everyone, but we there are embracement of heavy fascist element in America.
Not only political, but personal.
What I mean by this is that people in America (Not everyone) are apathetic, vote for selfish self interest, and really have to sense of civics are care about humanity.
People will riot in the streets after a sporting event. They turn cars over, set things on fire, resort to violence
When it comes to homelessness poverty, and worker issues. Many will say stuff like, “ I hope a Wal-Mart comes to town so we can get the bums off welfare.”
Yet, have not developed a alternative party movement that is relevant or significant.
There was a revival in the 1990’s with Ross Perot’s National Reform Party (Even today the NRP votes Republican), The NRP is dead, along with the Natural Law Party. The NLP had some flakey notions.
The Socialist Party USA finished 10th of 14. A new high, showing people are tired of the two party system, yet New Jersey has a new Republican Governor. The inability for American to move forward, progress, and create a better society is not in the picture of most voters.
When we look at the Alternatives, when people vote independent, they vote for the Libertarians and National Constitution Party. Two flakey Parties with a ultra right wing agenda. both embrace the right to be ignorant.
The Green Party was becoming the national most popular alternative parties, but struggles between liberal, leftist, and socialist left the party fragmented and marginalized.
The Greens agenda reflected the Socialist International. Which mad many Socialist draw towards the Greens.
The Socialist Parties are also at fault for this. When the Greens where in there hey day, many far left socialist parties endorsed the Greens. The Greens, not all, the right wing Greens where hostile to this.
The in effectiveness of Socialist Parties in America come from the fact that socialist parties on one hand never keep people. People get tired of the movement which remain widely ineffectual.
Socialist Parties in America host and are the play ground of intellectuals, philosophers, and metaphysicians. Not many functionaries.
Socialist Parties spend more time alienating their members than building membership and do not live up to their own ideals.
On the other hand, people are to blame for this too, because rather than fight for a party, people will leave and go some where else. People are great fist wavers for causes, but won’t repair the parties that can get us there.
Many people join Socialist clubs like the Labor Party or Democratic Socialist of America.
Many believe the Revolution is on. There must be a Revolution of the Invisible.
Even when a Socialist Party is sincere and something to offer people gravitate to an intellectual socialist groups.
Giving credit, many Socialist groups have good information and are educational toward the workers movement.
Although many socialists are sincere and very good at their cause, many shun others away due to their own discrimination and intolerance.
I was complained about work to a groups of socialists, and one said to me, “ No one cares about your issues or life.” Hold on now, A Socialist without the ability to relate to a workers struggle, how hypocritical is that?
Socialism is a true answer to politics, because it perpetuates a civilized society of compassion and democracy and freedom.
Democratic Socialism is the answer because it address a varied wide range of issues. America need a good old fashioned Democratic Socialist Party that will takes us there.
Back to voters though. We just cannot blame the voters or parties. There are ballot access issues, the corporate news media., attacks form The Democratic Party.
The American Voter has what I call, the bad lover complex. We know that lover is bad for us. We know they are wrong. Yet we gravitate to that lover like a dope fiend embraces their addiction. We take the abuse, we take the lies, cheating, and all the villainous things that go with the relationship, yet we are still enamored with the lover.
In many ways that makes the American Voter truly sorrowful. On to political awakening and an age of enlightenment.
 
Dedicated to Vitov Valdez Munoz

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Bill Of Democratic Rights

Let it be defined that the Praxis of Democarcy is Freedom and Liberty and the Prinicpels of such subscribed to by All of Humanity. The fore most prinicpals of Democarcy that all people of the World live and be protected, and guarenteed under such principles. This include the Respect for All Life.

ONE: All persons shall have the right to self-determination. Every human being has the right to do with their body what they choose as long as it does not harm others. Each person has the right to choose his or her destiny.
TWO: No Government shall be a permanent one. There shall be equal ballot access and equal public funding for all elections. No political party from Right to Left shall be censored nor exempted from the process. Each shall have equal access to any available media. A Candidate may demand several recounts and all votes must count completely. No court of law, nor any government body can decide otherwise. All votes must count.
THREE: Each individual shall have the right to work. All anti-labor legislation shall be repealed. Each person shall be subject to Labor protection from his or her employers and Labor Unions. Wildcat strikes shall be permissible and not denied. All workers shall have redress for infractions. There shall be democracy in the work place. No Employer can interfere with an employee's life. Each person shall have humane working hours, leisure, confortable retirement, health care, and human rights. All work places shall be democratic with no infringemnet by employers or managers on the individuals personal life. A individual shall have full protection from the government and law.
FOUR: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it is independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
FIVE: All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
SIX: Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social jutice and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
SEVEN: We shall have a government by the people and for the people. Neo-liberalism shall be abolished and we should have a true government by the people and for the people. All public entities that have been privatized shall be returned to the people. No public entity shall be sold to corporations. There shall be no Privatization of any public entities. No corporation shall be recognized as a person.
EIGHT: Everyone has the right to social programs and security. Every Human being shall be provided with a qualitative basic life support that have been left out of the work force. Each person shall have the right to health care and proper lodging in a conducive environment. Each person has a light to a living substance and universal health care from the government. The Government must provide Universal Income and Health Care.
NINE: Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United States and Nations for the maintenance of peace. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
TEN: Each person shall have free access to quality legal defense and assistance. Ever person regardless of expense shall have free and total access to the law. There shall be no political prisoners. Courts will be about getting down to the truth rather than victory and fairness shall be rule of law. Person siting unfairness shall have a appeal with new evidence submissable and complete retrial. All unjust laws shall be repealed, and all malfunctioning courts must be reformed. Protection of the rights of the citizen comes first.
ELEVEN: Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society. Every person shall have a right to attempt to fulfill there aspirations, and not be subject to peresecution by the State. These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary of democratic principal. This shall be protected.
TWELEVE: Each Community and State shall become a direct Democracy. Every Citizen shall have a say in Government Sustainable Communities where Stewardship is to the public shall abide by public access and decision in every community. Every citizen shall be able to mandate public policy and the public shall vote on the issues. The ecology and economy shall legally be that of harmony and the people shall control The municipalities, there places of work, the economy, and have personal liberty on their lives.
THIRTEEN: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. There shall be no to limited censorship.
FOURTEEN: No Government cannot henceforth policy of oppression in this or any other country. The Government is fully accountable to the people. There shall be an abolishment of all secret governments and secret government actions. The government is the instrument to the protection of the public. There shall be no presidential wars or police actions. The government shall provide a strong standing military, and temporarily act in foreign conflicts when necessary. No government can undermine the human rights or laws in this country or any other. Only democratically elected governments can set policy. And the people rule.
FIFTHTEEN: All art work shall belong to the creator. No work by any State, Individual, patron or other wise shall be taken away form the artist. The artists art work always belongs to the artist and unless specified work for hire, the creation belongs legally to the creater. No art shall be sold off with out the artists consent, and the artist has the right to use their creativity regardless of current owner. Laws and rights of the artist and the freedom of expression shall be guaranteed.
SIXTEEN: All declarations of human rights and laws protecting human rights where ever in this world shall be common law through out the land. This will include all social, civil liberties, any laws protecting the citizen in the most humane manner shall be implemented and allowed in jurisprudence. All just laws where every implemented on earth shall be rule of law. Everyone is equal under the law, and all laws shall be imposed equally.

http://oracles.0catch.com/bdr.htm

Buddhist View of Conservativism

RESTORED FROM NEWSVINE We are almost done restoring articles from Newsvine. Buddha believed there where three poisons in the world. Greed, Hate, and ignorance. It seems to me that viewing the conservative mind, the conservatives embrace all three. Let us look at greed. In the 80’s in particular, with Yuppies and Professionalism, greed is good was the values. These values where especially put forward by the Reagan administration. TV went from enlightened entertainment to (Star Trek, MASH) to Dynasty, Dallas, and Falcon Crest. People with money where great, lying, cheating, and stealing where the norm. Humanistic values took the back seat. At least there where redeeming shows such as Murphy Brown. Capitalist values of Elitism became the norm and still effect us today. The catch phrase, “We should go back top Vietnam and win that one.” That is ignorance. Hate: America, even now had developed a racist and fascist hatred of the poor. The poor are lazy, shiftless people who will not work. They leach off the rich and are a drain on society. Yet the wealthy get handouts everyday. $83,000,000,000 goes rewarded for failure and they still give themselves bonuses. Is it society’s responsibility to maintain homes with indoor swimming pools, movie theaters, and bowling alleys, while the person on street lives in a cardboard box? Charity and handouts for the rich? In addition, how many time have youngsters murdered homeless people for sport? There has been a multitude of news stories featuring such activities. Many people are forced in public housing, inferior living conditions, and a underclass that has no chance to get out of its squalled conditions. Ignorance: Is not it the conservative catch phrase today that we have a right to be ignorant. I do not think so. The right to hate discriminate and abuse people do not seem to embrace the path of anything humane. Reagan once said; facts are silly little things. Facts are the path to enlightenment. It is facts that help us deal with reality and find solutions to problems. Ignorance means to also do stupid things. Do we have the right to kill each other, steal, lie, rape, injure? Conservatives are unfeeling hypocrites who look for compassion when they are down, but have no remorse or compassion for others when they are down. The conservative minds darken society. Take a look at conservative history. The Dark Ages, The crusades and other times. Conservatives are a destructive force . This is why we need a Socialist Movement to bring forward a better society. Socialism is about humanity and civilization. On Oprah Winfrey, during an interview with a Danish Citizen , she asked if it was the Socialism that made society better. The girl responded; no, it is about civilization. THAT IS SOCIALISM! It is about fostering a positive, better society and fostering a better world to live in.
For further reading
http://bta.0catch.com/page4.htm

Thursday, January 14, 2010

My Socialist Youth

RESTORED FROM NEWSVINE
Tino Rozzo
As a youngster, I guess one being aware of there class would have Socialist inclinations.
I was raised in the industrial town of Paterson NJ.
My family worked in factories and where low wage earners. My father constantly touted Socialism. I wondered what it was. I went to the now defunct Library on Madison and 6Th Ave and pulled out a book on the three isms.
Capitalism, Socialism, and Fascism. I was sold. I new where I stood. I was a Socialist.
That is where I found my favorite Marxist book, “Das Kapital”
It must have caught on earlier because my father factory was a Union shop. We went on Union picnics and most of my hero’s where Union people. Back in the late 1960’s Unions where very relevant.
I used to go to my mothers factory. There where other factories around. I used to watch the workers come out and they all looked dismal and tired. I remember one man who seemed exhausted and dirty. He wore grey cover alls. No one in the factories seemed happy to be there.
We also had outside class warfare. Paterson was considered low and the kids from the wealthier towns used to come and do something racist called “Whack a n****r day”
Our gang put a stop to that.
Many times the wealthier kids would find kids from Paterson and beat them up. Of course we would retaliate.
One thing that was constantly stressed when you where with wealthy kids. The future was for them, your just going to work. They where the future we where not.
People who worked for a living where paid low, but in the early 70’s the pay check went much further. Capitalism attacked in the early 70 with the fake gas crisis. Forcing oil to go up.
Gerry Ford was President. Suddenly there where shortages everywhere. Sugar, Milk, Wheat, peanuts, you name, Inflation was the economic condition. Ford had distributed WIN buttons, (Whip Inflation Now). As President he was a big joke. That is when it really sunk in. Capitalism was evil and had to go. Bu there was no revolution.
I watched Doctors rip apart patients in the name of profits. People went into poverty.
We needed National Healthcare. Still do.
The Vietnam War took many innocent lives, People came home in rather horrible health.
The Vietnam War was a miserable, illegal, and immoral war that destroyed a lot of lives.
Some friends and I played a little joke one day. It was winter and we whore those Russian style hats with ear muffs. My friend,, Communist, brought Red Stars to school one day and we stuck them on our hats. The teacher yelled at us. “Take those stars off, don’t you know that is the symbol of our enemy. Once in a while we would salute the flag with the Nazi salute.”
The Socialist Workers and Socialist Labor Party was active. I used to Read “The People.”
We frequently saw Socialist posters on the walls of the factories.
Ah our rebellious youth! Me and my Communist friend would go to the rail road bridges. We found paint and would graffiti Socialist slogans. My favorite one was ‘ The only Solution is Socialist Revolution.”
Socialist propaganda was painted all along side of those bridges .
(For those who live in Passaic County, they are the three bridges on Wabash Ave not far from Lafayette.)
I didn’t find the Socialist Party USA till my early twenties. It was the 1980’s and Reagan was about to destroy America.
I was actively involved with the Socialist people there. (That is when I discovered a lot of insincerity, ersatz intellectuals, and dilettantes) Michael Harrington was king of that circuit.
Getting a job at a electronics plant fueled my Socialism. My boss put up anti socialist propaganda about how we are more productive than the Soviet Union.
I told him maybe the USSR wasn’t as shallow and materialistic as we where.
I seen to many people come and go, and they are all the same.
I used to go to the Revolutionary Bookstore, when it was on 10th street in NYC.
The people there, well, had personalities. there I discovered Debs and Thomas.
Back to my misspent socialist youth.
I spent a good deal of my high school years involved in Leftist Politics. Going to protests.
Preaching the Socialist gospel. I never imagined when I grew up I would actually run for office. At 18 I voted in my first Presidential election . And I voted for David McReynolds and Sister Diane Drufenbrock.
Back to High School. I wrote a paper on Marxism and Socialism in which I received an A. I wish I still had that paper.
Some teacher got upset with me because they where died in the wool Capitalists. The system works! If one of NJ over paid teachers.
The Cold War was on. The message was “America is a free country, one can be anything they want’ In Russia they tell you what you are going top be.” I found when I graduated High School, that was anything but true. I was met with much Anti-Italian racism and discrimination.
Through out High School I was frequently turned down for jobs because I wasn’t the right religion or ethnic. This even went into my adulthood.
There was also fear of nuclear wars. Russia wanted to bomb us everyday. They even made movies out of nuclear fear, like “Zero Hour”. Twilight Zone and “Outer Limits” frequently had shows depicting nuclear annihilation.
I regret not finding the Sp earlier. It would be nice to have been a YPSL member. My loss.
Here I am now, still Socialist after all these years.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

The End Of Jobs

Tino Rozzo

My original article was nuked by Newsvine, this is a replacement. Lets consider this a missing episode.
____

Skilled labor within an industry is eliminated by the introduction of technologies operated by semiskilled or unskilled workers. Work is fragmented, and individuals lose the integrated skills and comprehensive knowledge of the skilled craftsman.
I once worked as a computer operator, The Company installed a new computer. 12 operators lost their jobs and the Computer did the work 10 times faster. I never was hired again as a computer operator.
Related to the topic of deskilling is evolution of the work place.
A economist once said, in the factories of the future there will be two employees. A Dog and a man. The man will feed the dog and the dog will keep people away from the machines.
The unemployment rate rose from 9.8 to 10.2 percent in October. The largest job losses over the month were in construction, manufacturing, and retail trade.
In October, the number of unemployed persons increased by 558,000 to 15.7 million. The unemployment rate rose by 0.4 percentage point to 10.2 percent, the highest rate since April 1983. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons has risen by 8.2 million, and the unemployment rate has grown by 5.3 percentage points.
Federal benefits are up to 20 additional weeks to those in about 26 states with unemployment rates exceeding 8.5 percent. In the past two months, more than 600,000 out-of-work people have exhausted their benefits, according to the National Employment Law Project.
The extension brings maximum state and federal unemployment insurance to 99 weeks, the longest ever, reflecting the severity of a recession that has thrown more people out of work for longer periods than at any other time since collection of such data began six decades ago, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. This is a good argument to install the Universal Income.
A Capitalists last year laid off the highest number of employees since 2003, while the media industry pink-slipped people at the highest rate since 2001.Employers announced more than 1.22 million job cuts in 2008, up 59% from the previous year. In 2003, more than 1.23 million had been fired. The 2008 hike was driven by the financial sector, which shed 260,110 jobs, the third-highest total for a single industry since Challenger started tracking data in 1993. Layoffs in the media industry, which includes film and TV companies, amounted to 28,083 last year, the highest since 43,420 staffers were let go in 2001 following the bursting of the. December layoffs amounted to 166,348, a record for the final month of the year since 1993. Layoffs in U.S. up 59% from 2007 Media industry made most cuts since 2001
Corporate America last year laid off the highest number of employees since 2003, while the media industry pink-slipped people at the highest rate since 2001.Employers announced more than 1.22 million job cuts in 2008, up 59% from the previous year, thanks to an accelerating of cost cutting in the back half, In 2003, more than 1.23 million had been fired. The 2008 up swing was initiated by the financial sector, which ridded 260,110 jobs, the third-highest total for a single industry since 1993. Layoffs in the media industry, which includes movie and TV companies, amounted to 28,083 last year, the highest since 43,420 workers were made redundant in 2001. In that year total layoffs amounted to nearly 2 million, followed by nearly 1.5 million in 2002. December layoffs racked up 166,348, a record for the since 1993.
Microsoft – 5,000
Intel – 5,000
Time-Warner – 800
Disney – 600
Harley-Davidson -1,100
Deere & Co. – 662
Boeing – 5,300
General Electric -1,000
Motorola -4,000
Merrill LynchBank of America – 35,000
Las Vegas Sands – 11,000
Johnson ControlsAlcoa – 13,500
United States Steel – 4, 225
Eaton – 5, 609
Hertz Global Holdings – 4,000
Best Buy – 500Pfizer – 800
Google – 100
Oracle NA
Below is a list of every major lay off I have uncovered since January 1st, 2009.
There have been over 180,000 layoffs since January 1st.
Date
Company
Lay Offs*
Article
Jan 5
US Steel -4200
Jan 5
Cigna -1100
Jan 6
Alcoa -13500
Jan 7
EMC -2400
Jan 7
Walgreen-1000
Jan 8
Union Pacific-200
Jan 9
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold -2700
Jan 9
Oracle -500
Jan 12
Textron-2600
Jan 12
Mosaic -1000
Jan 12
Best Buy-500
Jan 13
Cummins-1300
Jan 13
KeyCorp -200
Jan 14
Motorola -4000
Jan 14
Delta Air Lines -2000
Jan 14
Ecolab -1000
Jan 14
Google -100
Jan 15
MeadWestvaco -2000
Jan 15
General Electric -1000
Jan 15
Marshall & Ilsley -800
Jan 15
Autodesk -700
Jan 15
Xerox -200
Jan 16
Hertz Global Holdings -4000
Jan 16
Advanced Micro Devices-1700
Jan 16
ConocoPhillips -1300
Jan 16
WellPoint -600
Jan 20
Clear Channel-1800
Jan 21
Eaton -5600
Jan 21
Intel -5000
Jan 21
Burlington Santa Fe -2500
Jan 21
UAL -1000
Jan 21-State of Maryland
700 -Maryland Layoffs
Jan 21
Walt Disney
600
Jan 21
SPX
400
Jan 22
Microsoft
5000
Jan 22
Huntsman
1600
Jan 23 -
Harley-Davidson -1100
Jan 23
Deere & Company-600
Jan 23
Abercrombie & Fitch-50
Jan 26
Caterpillar -20800
Jan 26
Pfizer -19800
Jan 26
General Motors -9700
Jan 26
Sprint Nextel -8000
Jan 26
Home Depot -7000
Jan 26
Texas Instruments -3400
Jan 26
IBM -2800
Jan 26
Lincoln National -500
Jan 27
Target -1000
Jan 27
Masco -600
Jan 28
Boeing -10000
Boeing Layoffs
Jan 28 -
Starbucks -6700 -Starbucks Layoffs
Jan 28
Time Warner -1250
Jan 29
Eastman Kodak -4500
Jan 29
Textron -2000
Jan 29
Ford -1200
Jan 29
Black and Decker -1200
Jan 29
Walt Disney -600
Jan 30
Caterpillar -2100
Caterpillar Layoffs Continue
Feb 2
Macy’s -7000
Macy’s Layoffs
Feb 2
PNC Financial -5800
PNC Financial Layoffs
Feb 2
Liz Claiborne -700
Liz Claiborne Layoffs
Feb 3
Electronic Arts -1100
EA Layoffs
Feb 3
University of Arizona -600
University of Arizona Layoffs
Feb 4
Time Warner -2700
AOL Time Warner Layoffs
Feb 4
Cisco Systems -2000
Feb 5
Estee Lauder -2000
Estee Lauder Layoffs
Feb 5
Allergan -400
 

Cheddi Jagan

Tino Rozzo

The Dissident 2000

This is a biography of Cheddi Jagan. We recently celebrated Allendes aniversary and I think on equal par we should look into someone we should never forget.Here is the bio of a hero who tried to find a accord with labor and capital. I've been working on this one quite a while. Cheddi Jagan was born on March 22, 1918 on a sugar plantation in Port Mourant, Berbice, the son of indentured sugar workers. His parents Bachoni (mother) and Jagan (father) had arrived in the then British Guiana as young infants with their mothers from the district of Basti in Uttar Pradesh, India. Both his grandmothers came as indentured immigrants in 1901 andwere "bound" by five year contracts to different sugar plantations in the county of Berbice. Life was very hard and both his parents had to start working in the canefields at a young age to supplement the family income.
His mother never went to school, but his father was a bit more fortunate, attending school for threeyears! Because his father worked very hard, he earned the reputation of being the best canecutter andwas promoted to "driver." But still his pay was very small and because he was non-white there was nofurther avenue of promotion. He thus saw the need for formal education, and made sure that his son,Cheddi Jagan attended school.
Cheddi Jagan attended primary school and two years of secondary school in his area. At the age of fifteen his father decided to send him to Queen’s College, a government secondary school in the capital city of Georgetown, about one hundred miles away. There he boarded with three families.
In Georgetown, Cheddi found life very different from life at home where poverty had been intense andhe often had to stay home from school to work in the rice fields and to cut and fetch canes. He alsohelped his mother keep a kitchen garden and to sell produce from it. His mother allowed him to keep apart of the proceeds for his share of the work. Cheddi Jagan wrote that he learned the elements offinance from his mother and acquired any of his leadership qualities from his father, who was bold andflamboyant.
Trying to find a job after graduating high school, became almost impossible. The civil service wasclosed, to be a school teacher you had to become a Christian, something that his Hindu parents wouldhave none of, and his father could not bear the thought of him working on the plantation. Finally hisfather decided to send him to the United States to study dentistry at Howard University in Washington,D.C.
Cheddi left for the United States in September 1935 with two friends and returned to British Guiana in October 1943. He lived in Washington, D.C for two years and attended Howard University, taking a pre-dental course, worked two summers in New York and spent the last five years in Chicago, Illinois at Northwestern University.
Cheddi Jagan was a dedicated student and his hard work earned him a free tuition scholarship for hissecond year at Howard and in 1938 entry into Northwestern University for a four year dental program.
But he was not satisfied to become only a dentist, he wanted to find to find out more about things goingon in the world and enrolled in classes in social sciences. When he graduated from NorthwesternUniversity in 1942 with his degree in Dental Surgery (DDS), he also received his Bachelor of Sciences (B.Sc.) degree.
Because his parents could not afford to support him financially, Cheddi Jagan had to work whileattending school. He had many jobs – tailor (he had "picked" up at home from a friend) in a hock shop;salesperson selling patent medicines; dishwasher; delivering evening newspapers; presser in a laundryand an elevator operator.
On August 5,1943 he married Janet Rosenberg, whom he had met only six months before, at a simpleceremony at the Chicago City Hall without the consent of parents on both sides. In October 1943, hereturned home. His wife Janet, arrived in British Guiana just before Christmas of 1943.
Getting into Stride
Cheddi Jagan's first task was to establish a practice in Georgetown, the Capital. His feeswere low as he did not want to exploit his patients but this led him into a public battle withthe Dental Association for a principle he believed in. He brought four of his brothers and onesister to live with them, so that they could further their education.
Although he liked his profession, at the same time he longed to identify himself with something moremeaningful. In those days, there were no political parties. The planter class dominated the LegislativeCouncil and though some union leaders such as Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, who formed the BGLU in1922, spoke in the legislative Council on behalf of workers, they had no mass political organization. Inexistence then were the League of Colored People and the British Guiana East Indian Association.The LCP did not interest him much since they opposed adult suffrage. The BGIEA supportedconstitutional changes and universal adult suffrage but was unsympathetic to the plight of the workingman.
The dental surgery became a hive of activities and through it he made many important contact, manypatients being ordinary rural and urban workers. Cheddi’s name began to spread in the sugar belt–coming from a sugar estate and as well a doctor who listened to ordinary people. On many occasions hewould be invited by workers to speak and advise them on industrial matters in various parts of thesugar belt. Due to his increased contacts with workers, he became involved in the two trade unions inthe sugar industry, one of them being the ManPower Citizen’s Association.
In 1945 he became treasurer of that union, but was removed after a year when he objected to theglaring reluctance of the union to defend the interests of the sugar workers. It was, he discovered, acompany union. Those were the days when many things were happening. The Royal Commission onThe West Indies headed by Lord Moyne had published its report, which horrified many as it related inconcrete terms the miserable conditions of the workers and farmers. The war had created its owndifficulties in Guyana and the region. These difficulties had stirred widespread debate in which Cheddi and his wife Janet, took an active part. They used to take part in discussions over a wide range ofsubjects at the Carnegie (now National) Library. An important event in that year was the convening inGeorgetown of West Indian Conference attended by such leaders as Grantley Adams of Barbados, Norman Manley and Richard Hart of Jamaica, Albert Gomes of Trinidad and H.N. Critchlow of Guyana.The Labour Party had just won the elections in England and many were openly talking of socialism.
In 1946, H.J.M Hubbard, an avowed Marxist who was at that time the General Secretary of the BritishGuiana Trades Union Council, Ashton Chase assistant secretary in the British Guiana Labour Union, Janet Jagan who was at that time in the Clerical Worker Union, along with Cheddi Jagan formed thePolitical Affairs Committee and established a PAC Bulletin, with Janet as the editor. The PAC waslabour oriented. All four were working in trade unions. In the same year, the Women's Political andEconomic Organisation headed by Janet Jagan, Winifred Gaskin and Frances Van Stafford, was formed.
In 1947 the first elections since World War II were held. There were 14 elected seats to be contested.Apart from the middle class organizations, the LCP and the BGEIA, a Labour Party was formed but thisorganization was a group of individuals put together quickly and without any mass base.
Janet and Cheddi Jagan ran as independent labour candidates -Janet contested in Georgetown andCheddi on the East Coast of Demerara. Janet lost to John Fernandes, a businessman and catholic,

Clinics Expose

Tino Rozzo

The Dissident 11 1999

Not long ago I placed a petition on e-the people to support health clinics for the indigent. I have discovered a interesting story about how Dis functional and negligent these clinics are and the doctors who run them who are guilty of malpractice.
First there is a woman, we will call her patient X.
Patient X is a factory worker in a sweatshop. She was feeking seriously ill and the Nurses tried to give her a appointment a week away. When a person is feeling ill, what good does a week away appointment do?
Well, after arguing for a appointment, this person was diagnosed with a virus that needed immediate treatment. She asked the doctors for a week off to recuperate.
They told her she would only get three days off. She wasn't ready to go back to work but went anyway. Her oppressive bosses want a not, and after two notes, she's fired regardless of how legitimate her condition is.
She went back to work and by mid mourning she passes out. She goes to the Doctor after arguing for another appointment and she is forced to go to work the next day also.
By next week, she is on the job and gets sicker the following night, where she is rushed to the emergency room. She spends 5 hours waiting for tests that yield nothing. In fact, she even rarely sees a doctor or nurse near by.
She goes to work the following day and turns completely red. Then she is rushed to the emergency room again.
Where another 5 hours in tests are performed and it is discovered she has a bladder infection.
She asks the doctor for more time off, he denies her more time off and the physician will not see her for a follow up appointment.
Obviously the doctors work for the bosses, and the patients health can go to hell.
Mind you, the place of employment will not allow time off for sickness, personal health for more than 2 days.
people loose holiday pay and other pay for any reason what so ever. One can get punished for any basic human function and need.
In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a person is guaranteed health care and it is a basic human right to have a attending physician make sure that patient gets adequate health care. Doctors have a Hypocratic, not hypocritic oath. The doctors are business men and stick up for business. Many doctors are Republicans and in Republican policy will not give patients disability.
Two ways to handle miserable doctors is to turn them in to the licensing board of the state, the other is to report them to the states bio-ethics committee.
The other is to sue for malpractice. Of course a person gets more respect for spilling a hot cup of coffee in there laps. Suing the boss and doctors means that their special friends the lawyers, maybe on the Docs and bosses side

Alternative Parties

By Tino Rozzo

There has been a debate amongst Socialists about running against Democrats in elections. There are even arguments and good stances on debate. But it boils down to this.
Recent surveys and statistics indicate that only 33% of eligible voters turn up at
The polls and vote. The vote is mostly for a two party system represented by the Democrats and Republicans.
These two parties have nothing new to offer and any inkling of Left ideology is gone from the Democrats.
Even when elected, the Democrats failed to maintain there Left position and completely dissipated it for the sake of big dollar votes. In the day, the Democrats used Socialist policy to gain votes and install the New Deal and Great Society programs. Harry Truman undermined workers democracy bills, while Ford and Reagan dismantled the New Deal and Great society programs. The Democrats are not fighting to get them back.
How ever, statistics show that when an Alternate Party individual runs for office, the voter percentage goes up.
33% vote in the United States, while in Europe, Voter turn out is 99%.
The Alternate Party is tainted in the media as a bunch of whacky people with whacked out ideals. Unfortunately this can be true from time to time, but that not always the case.
The ideals of political mavericks can be quite alarming. Let’s look at Ross Perot.
His Reform Party had quite a few good ideas, but when his organization became popular, the Reform Party became incredulous.
But we have something lacking in the United States. That is freedom of expression and ballot suppression.
First, lets explode the myth that Alternate Political Parties can take votes from the popular party and that the next to left will essentially win. There is no proof of this. How ever statistics show that the more parties on the Ballot, the more people are inclined to vote.
In Italy, 10 parties are on the ballot. Conservatives, Liberals, two Socialist Parties, the Greens, and Communists. There are a smattering of independent parties.
Never, ever is it a question of whether any of these parties will steal votes from the other.
In a Democracy, it is expected that three to ten parties will run for office.
It would be quite OK for a Socialist to run against a Democrat since Democrats are not Socialists and have never adapted a Socialist Program.
In Socialism we are trying to put an end to Capitalism and convert society to a Democratic Socialist Government.
We know what the pitfalls are. And we also realize the transformation to Socialism will be very gradual. It took Rome a long time to fall.


If the Socialist Party USA doesn’t run Candidates, in the long run people will ask who we are, and what have we done. We must have something to show for our efforts.
2. What is needed is equal access to the media-publicly funded campaigns and equal access to all media sources. People have no idea who we are or what makes us Socialists. Especially the young. We have to look at the success pasts socialist have had and recapture the magic. We also must state our approach to Socialism as differing from the Socialist Labor and Socialist Workers Party. And now the Green Party, which isn’t Socialist, but contains a Socialist International ideology.
When I am campaigning some people will ask me, “Why is it that I haven’t heard of this Socialism before?”
Our approach is very important to the decision of the voter.
3. Candidates must get the word out. And the word is Public Funding of Elections, Proportional Representation, and Instant Run Off. The two party system isn’t fighting for this.
Proportional Voting is when the public votes according to ranking a candidate they would like to represent them. As 1 vote may have gone to Gore, 2 to McReynolds putting him in Second place, and maybe a third to Bush.
When the votes are tallied, the first choice wins by the most choices, and the second place determines the Alternative.
In Instant Run Off, this only happens during a tie, a second vote is taken two weeks later, the top three are voted for with a first and second choice.
And there is a distinct winner.
4. The next problem is Ballot Access. In many states it takes thousands of signatures to place candidate. In NJ 100 for Congress, 800 for Governor, 800 for President. In all states, a bonnified party should just fill out a notarized affidavit
and register their candidate.

The Socialists Party USA, is a standard bearer of the American Left
But we cannot count our Victories on election turn outs either. When We marched in NYC in the Anti-War Parade, was amazed about how our fellow protesters clamored to march with us, Even though they were not party members. They were joyful and affectionate toward the SPUSA.
I heard about how some folks saw Maggie Phair on LA TV. and some folks Voted for Thomas, and how some youngsters marched with us because they loved our Party and what we represent. The size of membership and vote totals may not be as significant as how many people like us and how many people sympathize, and how many people we can potentially bring into the party. I remember those feelings when I was young.
There is a particular psychology here. If we do not run a candidate, the image is perceived the SPUSA is politically dead. We have to avoid that at all costs. This is a serious matter!
It is even an ego gratifying experience to have people walk up to you on the street and acknowledge your campaign. It almost seems important to people that, even though we will loose by big numbers, that we appear on the ballot. It represents their ideals and hopes.
In reality it is going to take more then elections for a Political Party to be successful. We must also gain strong numbers and start building a living model of our movement. Job Harrison tried that near Los Angeles with his Co-operative Community. One day we should try it on a larger scale perhaps similar to Co-op Atlantic in Canada. People need to be freed and untied from the Machine and Poverty.
As Socialist in any campaign-Symbolically we represent the hopes and dreams of a nation. And we are America's premiere Democratic Socialist Party. We need to strike that Iron, we need to keep the spark of the movement no matter what.
BREAD AND ROSES!

Neoliberalism Explained

by Elizabeth Martinez and Arnoldo Garcia“Neo-liberalism” is a set of economic policies that have become widespread during the last 25 years or so. Although the word is rarely heard in the United States, you can clearly see the effects of neo-liberalism here as the rich grow richer and the poor grow poorer.
“Liberalism” can refer to political, economic, or even religious ideas. In the U.S. political liberalism has been a strategy to prevent social conflict. It is presented to poor and working people as progressive compared to conservative or Rightwing. Economic liberalism is different. Conservative politicians who say they hate “liberals” — meaning the political type — have no real problem with economic liberalism, including neoliberalism.
“Neo” means we are talking about a new kind of liberalism. So what was the old kind? The liberal school of economics became famous in Europe when Adam Smith, an English economist, published a book in 1776 called THE WEALTH OF NATIONS. He and others advocated the abolition of government intervention in economic matters. No restrictions on manufacturing, no barriers to commerce, no tariffs, he said; free trade was the best way for a nation’s economy to develop. Such ideas were “liberal” in the sense of no controls. This application of individualism encouraged “free” enterprise,” “free” competition — which came to mean, free for the capitalists to make huge profits as they wished.
Economic liberalism prevailed in the United States through the 1800s and early 1900s. Then the Great Depression of the 1930s led an economist named John Maynard Keynes to a theory that challenged liberalism as the best policy for capitalists. He said, in essence, that full employment is necessary for capitalism to grow and it can be achieved only if governments and central banks intervene to increase employment. These ideas had much influence on President Roosevelt’s New Deal — which did improve life for many people. The belief that government should advance the common good became widely accepted.
But the capitalist crisis over the last 25 years, with its shrinking profit rates, inspired the corporate elite to revive economic liberalism. That’s what makes it “neo” or new. Now, with the rapid globalization of the capitalist economy, we are seeing neo-liberalism on a global scale.
A memorable definition of this process came from Subcomandante Marcos at the Zapatista-sponsored Encuentro Intercontinental por la Humanidad y contra el Neo-liberalismo (Inter-continental Encounter for Humanity and Against Neo-liberalism) of August 1996 in Chiapas when he said: “what the Right offers is to turn the world into one big mall where they can buy Indians here, women there ….” and he might have added, children, immigrants, workers or even a whole country like Mexico.”
The main points of neo-liberalism include:1) THE RULE OF THE MARKET. Liberating “free” enterprise or private enterprise from any bonds imposed by the government (the state) no matter how much social damage this causes. Greater openness to international trade and investment, as in NAFTA. Reduce wages by de-unionizing workers and eliminating workers’ rights that had been won over many years of struggle. No more price controls. All in all, total freedom of movement for capital, goods and services. To convince us this is good for us, they say “an unregulated market is the best way to increase economic growth, which will ultimately benefit everyone.” It’s like Reagan’s “supply-side” and “trickle-down” economics — but somehow the wealth didn’t trickle down very much.
2) CUTTING PUBLIC EXPENDITURE FOR SOCIAL SERVICES like education and health care. REDUCING THE SAFETY-NET FOR THE POOR, and even maintenance of roads, bridges, water supply — again in the name of reducing government’s role. Of course, they don’t oppose government subsidies and tax benefits for business.
3) DEREGULATION. Reduce government regulation of everything that could diminsh profits, including protecting the environmentand safety on the job.
4) PRIVATIZATION. Sell state-owned enterprises, goods and services to private investors. This includes banks, key industries, railroads, toll highways, electricity, schools, hospitals and even fresh water. Although usually done in the name of greater efficiency, which is often needed, privatization has mainly had the effect of concentrating wealth even more in a few hands and making the public pay even more for its needs.
5) ELIMINATING THE CONCEPT OF “THE PUBLIC GOOD” or “COMMUNITY” and replacing it with “individual responsibility.” Pressuring the poorest people in a society to find solutions to their lack of health care, education and social security all by themselves — then blaming them, if they fail, as “lazy.”
Around the world, neo-liberalism has been imposed by powerful financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. It is raging all over Latin America. The first clear example of neo-liberalism at work came in Chile (with thanks to University of Chicago economist Milton Friedman), after the CIA-supported coup against the popularly elected Allende regime in 1973. Other countries followed, with some of the worst effects in Mexico where wages declined 40 to 50% in the first year of NAFTA while the cost of living rose by 80%. Over 20,000 small and medium businesses have failed and more than 1,000 state-owned enterprises have been privatized in Mexico. As one scholar said, “Neoliberalism means the neo-colonization of Latin America.”
In the United States neo-liberalism is destroying welfare programs; attacking the rights of labor (including all immigrant workers); and cutbacking social programs. The Republican “Contract” on America is pure neo-liberalism. Its supporters are working hard to deny protection to children, youth, women, the planet itself — and trying to trick us into acceptance by saying this will “get government off my back.” The beneficiaries of neo-liberalism are a minority of the world’s people. For the vast majority it brings even more suffering than before: suffering without the small, hard-won gains of the last 60 years, suffering without end.

Radical-Co-operatives

We go To construct a Movement of Cooperatives You would revolutionize It thinks about I worse number it of people who brutally are explored in the work, or still, that it does not have job. In we have them a design to fight against this reality. For the path of the cooperativismo, we are creating companies who will be burst democraticamente for the workers, which will be free of scanning. In any company, in them we produce value with our work, but in the capitalist companies, a great part of the value who we produce, goes for the capitalist who lives upper-class with the fruits of our work, while in them we only receive the sufficient one to live today, and to come back to work amanha. In the cooperative, in them we receive the value entire that we produce. In we have created them you vary cooperatives. In GoiĆ¢nia, in them we create a cooperative of trash recycling, and a cooperative of perueiros. In the Mining triangle, we are working with a sector of the movement without land, the MLST of Fight, where hundreds of families in you vary farms are producing of collective and democratic form. In we want them to construct, to develop, and to spread this movement to include million of workers brasileiros.Esse movement is part of a work ampler than it includes the attempt to construct revolutionary socialist unions and, and a revolutionary party of the workers. The design intends to place all the Brazilian economy under democratic control, to create parents where nobody and explored, and to produce what in we need them to live well, without fear, misery. Here in the DF, we are developing a design where, in the first stage, we go to assemble a restaurant with a micron brewery in the flat pilot. We also intend to arrange you vary chacaras where we will produce vegetables, temperos, mushrooms, and others itens for consumption in the restaurant. From this start, we want to expand for other cooperative activities, and also to spread the socialist ideals that go to liberate the classroom of the workers. It has innumerable possibilities. We can in involving them with the ecoturismo, we can create schools, hospitals, you manufacture, farms, supermarkets, the possibilities are almost without limit. We know that our competition does not finish with the capitalism, but believe that through the revolutionary cooperativismo we can help to create the material and social base for the construction of a socialist movement, which finishes with the capitalism and all males that it creates. We are calling you stops participating. Perhaps you have some knowledge or experience that can be useful to this movement. Perhaps you have money to invest. Perhaps socialist you already and, and want to enter to help to spread socialist ideas through this movement. Perhaps you only have enthusiasm and a desire for trabalhar.De any form, it is joined in and will create a movement that fits all in, and that we can expand to fit our friends, relatives, and neighbors also. It enters in contact 427-1192

The Seiketsu Club

Keywords: economy-inflation, consumption, production, women- equity, management-planning, community, agriculture, internal trade, harvesting Initiative: The Seikatsu Club Community: Founded in 1968 by 200 women in Tokyo, the initiative has now spread throughout Japan and has 400,000 members.Problems/Opportunities Prompting the Initiative: inflation, consumerism, disassociation between consumption and production, environmentally harmful production and consumption patterns.Objectives/Strategies: The club attempts to bring consumers and producers closer together in order to promote the distribution of high quality environmentally friendly products at a better price than the market can offer, and to make explicit the individual’s role in the cycle of production, consumption and disposal. The movement is a reaction to the industrial society and attempts to reform structures of consumption. A sustainable communal society is proposed in the place of the industrial consumer society. The goal is to allow people to act as independently as possible to create a new civil society based on the slogan “autonomy in life”. The organization believes that the best avenue to changing society is outside of institutions, by focussing on individuals.Background: The organization began as a way to save money and has transformed into an organization emphasizing the need to address social concerns (empowerment of women, improvement of workers conditions, and improvement of the environment.)Products Distributed by the Club: The Seikatsu purchase primary products ( rice, milk, chicken, eggs, fish and vegetables) which make up 60% of the products distributed through the co-op. Seasonings, processed food and other merchandise are also available. Products are delivered directly to members.Harmful products are not handled by the organization (ie. synthetic detergents, artificial seasonings.The coop cooperates with local farmers and only purchases products grown with organic fertilizers and as few chemicals as possible. Members agree to purchase a set amount of produce and to overlook imperfections resulting from organic production.Products that have not been available at standards acceptable to the coop have been produced by the Seikatsu. (This has led to the operation of two dairy farms to produce organic milk.) Products are restricted to a single brand for each product (ie one brand of soy sauce). As a result, there are only 400 products available through the co-op yet they meet a diverse number of food needs.Produce is purchased directly from producers. This eliminates the elevation in price brought when dealing with food distributors. In addition, the direct connection has served to make the relation between consumers and producers explicit.Funding: Members make an initial investment of 1000 yen in the coop. Monthly contributions of 1000 yen are also made. The average investment each person has in the coop is 47,000 yen, which is returned when a person leaves the organization. It is the 9th largest coop in Japan (153,000 members) but is fourth in terms of investment capital (7.5 billion yen).Organization: The club plans its purchases through the requirement that members order one week in advance of expected delivery date. Purchasing is made through the basic organizational unit in the coop (the basic unit is a “han” which consists of 6-13 families) The han is the unit that helps to form policy decisions within the co-op as a whole. Co-op members distribute products on different schedules (milk twice a week, eggs, pork, processed food and seasonings once a week and other products once a month.)Each Han is headed by a leader elected by group members for a one year term. The leader from the han attends branch meetings and reflects views of individual member of the han, and is responsible for voting to direct policy at the branch level. There are approximately 153,000 members divided into 25,000 hans, who meet in about 100 branches in ten prefectures in Japan. Each branch develops its own policy and is represented by 10-20 committee members. Annually, a General assembly where group members’ views are heard through the group leaders is held. The board of directors, 10-20 members, is elected during this assembly by the General Assembly (80% are women). The Board of Directors is the policy making and management body for the co-op. As a whole. In such an organization it is believed that all members have an opportunity to have their views heard and see them reflected in policy.Staffing: There is a full time staff of 700.Benefits of the initiative:1. The cycle of production, consumption and disposal, and the individual’s relations within this cycle is made explicit. The initiative serves to educate people about the relation they have to production.2. The program brings together like-minded producers and consumers to create a strong network.3. The size of the organization has effectively challenged some production methods and caused certain changes in products.4. The organization is democratic and allows all to participate directly in the management and policy directions of the coop.5. Women are empowered and receive valuable training through the various labour activities done in the coop.New Directions: The organization has begun to launch political campaigns. (It has successfully boycotted certain soaps and has compelled some local governments to ban the use of synthetic detergents). They have begun to campaign for municipal office with the slogan “political reform from the kitchen”. Thirty-three members of the coop have been elected to municipal government The club also sells insurance to members to safeguard them in case of accident or illness.For more information:“Beyond the consumer society – Japan’s Seikatsu Club,” The Unesco Courier, March 1992, pp. 32-33.Shigeki Maruyama, “Seikatsu: Japanese Housewives organize,” Green Business: Hope or Hoax? Gabriola Island, B.C.: New Society Publishers, 1991, pp. 80-87.

Newsvine-Immigrants

Newsvine has nuked our past posts.If they done so to you, because of their Code of Homor policy. They destroyed your creativity and maybe we can launch a class action suit. This is an abuse of power.
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The immigrant situation is one that has tested us as a people and we seem to be failing.I went to Italy recently and found out that they had an immigrant problem also. When Communism fell in Albania many Albanians where left in dire poverty and they went to Italy. They saw Italy as if they where coming to America.The Italian government and the European Communities defused this problem by investing in Albania, help build its economy, and give the Albanians a better lot in life.The Albanians no longer immigrated.
It is a different situation here in America, our country is gripped is a crisis where we are failing on almost every level because of our right wing, unenlightened mentalities.America has become a huge cultural failure. We refuse to acknowledge that the reason immigrants are here is because they are unemployed and under employed in there own home lands. They come here and reap more exploitation.
We have this mentality of who is going to do the dirty jobs. I have done them; the dirty jobs are over rated. If you are concerned about the dirty jobs don’t worry who is going to do them- fill out the application. There was a time back in the 70’s when we where moving forward and many books about the future where published. We where suppose to perpetuate a better society where people where free and poverty was suppose to come to an end. And society would be more enjoyable and enlightened.
I went to a town called Pomigliano D Arco in Naples. My cousin showed me the “New”Accomplishments. It seems that there are no longer any ghetto’s. People aren’t persecuted for being poor. The Socialist Parties brought on a more Environmental and cultural consciousness in a city once having problems.
Italy, as the rest of Europe is now ahead of us Socially and Culturally, they are where we where 40 years ago.
Lets not pick on the immigrants, what we need is a new government. One that will bring in new enlightenment and progress. What we may need is a Confederation of American States, A Single Continental Currency, Universal Human and Civil Rights Laws. A Universal Living wage, Full expectance of the UN Charter for Human Rights. If the Immigrants where treated like human beings in there country they wouldn’t be here. If we treated them like human beings, we wouldn’t look at them as doers of the dirty jobs.