Friday I was blown away by a front page story in the NY Times. "General Electric," good old GE made $14 and a half billions of dollars profit in 2010 $5.1 billion in the USA AND WILL NOT PAY A CENT IN TAXES.!!! Can you believe this stuff? Through lobbying and off shore financing they have shown what this coming struggle is about. Yes you guessed it. THE RICH GETTING RICHER AND THE WORKING PEOPLE ARE GONNA PAY FOR IT. (Pssst, A first. Non union workforce constructing major high rise buildings in New York City. I am dreaming. I’m sure.)
Back in November 2010 I wrote a letter to Richard Trumka alerting him to the anti union crusade that the GOP election victory would produce. Yupp, it sure has produced even far beyond what I figured the Tea Party extremists would try. Now we are looking at three Governors who are figuring how to solve their economic woes by eliminating the right of Public Workers to bargain collectively. At the same time making sure that the GE’s and the Koch Brothers of the world pay no taxes at all.
Scott Walker of Wisconsin was the lead off hit man. With a lot of maneuvering around how the State Legislature is supposed to enact laws he managed to get a bill passed that eliminates the right of unions to bargain for their members. (I am sure you saw the hell being raised in Madison as union members fought back. It will go down as a great wake up call for the American labor Movement.)
Okay, so here comes two Walker copycats. Maybe they think that this is a game called “who can be the meanest union buster in the land.” Sort of like an old Western movie. The bad guys are the unions. Michigan’s Rick Snyder and Ohio John Kasich getting into the act to bust the unions. I am certain there will be more to come. How do I know? I know because the Citizens United money is telling the Governors, “you want our money you better deliver.” They want the unions out of the way so they can get back to the good old days of exploiting the workforce, “in any way we dam please.’ How does this apply to teachers or policemen? After all “they’re public servants.”
In order to get us through this recession the GOP needs an enemy. Instead of going after the multi million dollar bonus guys who created the mess, Heah, “lets blame it on the teachers.” That’s right. Can you believe this. GE pays not a cent in taxes and so it’s the teachers to blame for the economic meltdown. Where am I living? Must be in a crazy house.
Okay, so here’s the point again. Richard Trumka, Andy Stein, any other Union leader listening? You have got to start organizing NOW to fight these clearly announced objectives to destroy what is left of the once powerful Labor Movement. The country needs the unions. Our Democracy is dependent upon it.
First step is to put together a National Committee to Save the Unions. They-re assignment to come up with a plan for 2012. It needs to be in great detail what will be done and how in State by State as well as City by City to stop this crusade against labor. Obviously raising money will be a key part of any plan. That needs to start now.
Lets get any Hollywood friends to put on major shows, Madison Square Garden halls in every major city in the land. The union leadership needs to not just show up at rallies but needs to think with bold new ideas to win this fight. Whoever takes the leadership of the movement started in Madison Wisconsin will forever have the grateful thanks of Americas working people.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
This Cancer Thing
I am supposed to be over it.
Yet, I am not. And why?
The Tsunami nightmare in Japan?
Could be the the bombing in Libya?
No, there is no pain in my ear or the back.
Ahaa! where are the Red Wing Blackbirds?
Long long long overdue.
It is no spring with nary
That demanding call,
“Maitre Deee! Maitre Deee” where are you?
Did the tsunami scare them off?
It sure would me. How about you?
Are they up north? It’s warm there now.
Could be better nesting.
Global warming, earthquakes, arctic melting.
Nuclear meltdown! Chernobyl. Again?
Floods another war, foreclosures, no jobs,
Gas, four dollars. five dollars?
No Red Wings no Grackles?
Are 40 days of darkness before us?
What exactly is ailing me?
Maybe the planet has the cancer?
And not me.
For sure man made.
Yet, I am not. And why?
The Tsunami nightmare in Japan?
Could be the the bombing in Libya?
No, there is no pain in my ear or the back.
Ahaa! where are the Red Wing Blackbirds?
Long long long overdue.
It is no spring with nary
That demanding call,
“Maitre Deee! Maitre Deee” where are you?
Did the tsunami scare them off?
It sure would me. How about you?
Are they up north? It’s warm there now.
Could be better nesting.
Global warming, earthquakes, arctic melting.
Nuclear meltdown! Chernobyl. Again?
Floods another war, foreclosures, no jobs,
Gas, four dollars. five dollars?
No Red Wings no Grackles?
Are 40 days of darkness before us?
What exactly is ailing me?
Maybe the planet has the cancer?
And not me.
For sure man made.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Carbuncle Test?
My father often eluded to the fact that humans can be far more diverted from what is going on in the world by the advent of a, “Carbuncle on your behind.” (a large usually infected boil.) Papa said, “people with the pain of a carbuncle, would care little about people dyeing in concentration camps in Nazi Germany.”
So it was for me in this past week. I had known for sometime that I had some serious cancerous sights on my neck and back. After a number of fearful postponements, the surgical removal took place. I tried to follow the events, especially in Madison but I found myself worrying more about the spread of cancerous cells. Yes, I had been assured that this was not possible. Yet I remembered vividly Dr. Js. answer to my question, “suppose I do nothing?” “Well the one on your ear could go to the brain. Though not likely but where it could spread, we don’t know.”
I began to try to reconstruct my fear of cancer since it has been with me a good part of my long life. On one fine spring day when I was a child my mother died from a back alley abortion. In my insistence on knowing what happened to her I was told,”she went on a trip.” No, she died of cancer. It was all mysterious and very scary. That underneath sort of fear stayed with me for most of my adult years. Until.
In 1975 on an Outward Bound rafting trip in Oregon down the Rogue River I had a dream. I was hiking in those very mountains around the river. I came to a fast rushing stream. To get where I was going I had to cross it. As I looked into the rushing water there were these huge menacing spider crabs. Panicked unable to cross the stream. I woke up in my tent with a sudden start. Now I thought, “what the hell was that about?” Right away I knew it was not about crabs. First of all what was the stream that I had to cross? Ahaa, that was my journey, my path. If I was unable to cross it my life would be stalled.
As I went down the Rogue with my four other rafters I could not get that picture of me and the giant crabs out of my minds eye. Sure enough there was an astrology nut on board who suggested that “crabs are the symbol of The Tropic of Cancer.” Everybody on board thought I was nuts when I yelled, “By God that’s it. Cancer I can’t get on with my life for the fear of that hated dreadful disease.” All that day I went over and over that discovery.
Trying to concentrate on the historic struggle of the Labor Movement in Wisconsin I was still being nailed down with that underlying fear of cancer. Okay, once again I had to clear that underneath subconscious stuff out of the way. Now I can get back in touch with my son out there in Madison and get an update on what the teachers did at last nights meeting.
About the cancer surgery, my carbuncle. Yes I am doing just fine, having crossed the stream. In a week I should be back at my old stand thanks to Dr. J. His response to my question, “how come you aren’t doing Nips and Tucks on celebrities over on Madison Avenue” “Yes I could do that but this is far more rewarding. Don’t you think?” “Well of course and I love you for it.” Made my day.
Be back soon with more thoughts on Labors fight for survival. So far looks pretty good. We’ll see?
So it was for me in this past week. I had known for sometime that I had some serious cancerous sights on my neck and back. After a number of fearful postponements, the surgical removal took place. I tried to follow the events, especially in Madison but I found myself worrying more about the spread of cancerous cells. Yes, I had been assured that this was not possible. Yet I remembered vividly Dr. Js. answer to my question, “suppose I do nothing?” “Well the one on your ear could go to the brain. Though not likely but where it could spread, we don’t know.”
I began to try to reconstruct my fear of cancer since it has been with me a good part of my long life. On one fine spring day when I was a child my mother died from a back alley abortion. In my insistence on knowing what happened to her I was told,”she went on a trip.” No, she died of cancer. It was all mysterious and very scary. That underneath sort of fear stayed with me for most of my adult years. Until.
In 1975 on an Outward Bound rafting trip in Oregon down the Rogue River I had a dream. I was hiking in those very mountains around the river. I came to a fast rushing stream. To get where I was going I had to cross it. As I looked into the rushing water there were these huge menacing spider crabs. Panicked unable to cross the stream. I woke up in my tent with a sudden start. Now I thought, “what the hell was that about?” Right away I knew it was not about crabs. First of all what was the stream that I had to cross? Ahaa, that was my journey, my path. If I was unable to cross it my life would be stalled.
As I went down the Rogue with my four other rafters I could not get that picture of me and the giant crabs out of my minds eye. Sure enough there was an astrology nut on board who suggested that “crabs are the symbol of The Tropic of Cancer.” Everybody on board thought I was nuts when I yelled, “By God that’s it. Cancer I can’t get on with my life for the fear of that hated dreadful disease.” All that day I went over and over that discovery.
Trying to concentrate on the historic struggle of the Labor Movement in Wisconsin I was still being nailed down with that underlying fear of cancer. Okay, once again I had to clear that underneath subconscious stuff out of the way. Now I can get back in touch with my son out there in Madison and get an update on what the teachers did at last nights meeting.
About the cancer surgery, my carbuncle. Yes I am doing just fine, having crossed the stream. In a week I should be back at my old stand thanks to Dr. J. His response to my question, “how come you aren’t doing Nips and Tucks on celebrities over on Madison Avenue” “Yes I could do that but this is far more rewarding. Don’t you think?” “Well of course and I love you for it.” Made my day.
Be back soon with more thoughts on Labors fight for survival. So far looks pretty good. We’ll see?
Saturday, March 5, 2011
This Ain't The Air Traffic Controllers Strike!
As I wrote in my Feb. 18th blog President Reagan in 1981 fired the Air Traffic Controllers and the Unions just slept through the whole episode. I was so ashamed of the total loss of working class solidarity, like the Robin in a Hank Williams song, “I hid my head and cried.”
Now together with my son in Madison Wisconsin I am once again proud of the great tradition of solidarity amongst working people. God, they need that more than ever. Why? Because in the last 25 years working class, now called middle class, families have been taking a royal beating when it comes to their income. At the same time the top two percent of the wealthy have increased their wealth by over 25 percent. Yupp the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. (I am not going to go over what is happening in Madison. Plenty of that in Cyberspace. Rather deal with what’s behind it.)
Much of what happened during those big party years of the nineties was done in the name of “The Free Market.” That economic theory held, “just let the market do its work and everything will just be honkey dorey.” Looking back it turned out that was very true for the top ten percent of the rich while the rest of us just languished or lost out. Like all those folks who were suckered into buying homes that clearly they could not afford. Then upon closer scrutiny we find that the Wall Street Derivative boys were making a bundle gambling on those very stock gimmicks that grew out of the Housing Bubble.
At the same time as the Housing Bubble the Federal Government under George Bush squandered the financial surplus that was left from the Clinton administration. That was the “Feed The Beast Period?" That idea held that if we spend the government into bankruptcy there wont be a dime left for anymore social programs like Medicare or Social Security SS ie “The BEAST.” (Remember when Bush wanted to privatize SS.?)
Yupp, all part of the same strategy of ridding the country of all that “socialist” New Deal stuff. SS. was and remains the single most important factor keeping old people out of poverty. It is still sound until sometime in 2030. It is not broke now and it never would even have run out of money for many more years past 2030 if the Government had not been “Burrowing” from the SS. Trust Fund.
Yes, I have always been a little skeptical of conspiracy theories. Now I believe that one is unfolding before our very eyes. Here is the GOP vision of how to destroy what is left of working citizens power to defend their economic concerns. The fact is that the Republicans now seem to be determined to destroy the last semblance of working people's power to defend their economic interests.
Destroy the power of the unions. That also means the role of unions in the election of 2012. The GOP's central objective is to deny Obama a second term. How? Gut the Union power. Unleash the money from the corporate world ie. “Citizens United.” Result, unlimited corporate spending in the coming national election campaign.
What is happening in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and more to follow is part and parcel of the, "destroy Obama strategy." How do they expect to achieve that? First thing you do when you want to destroy a group of people is you demonize them. I wrote about that in my blog of January 18th.
Look, if your unemployed or underemployed working in Hamburger Heaven for a minimal wage and you used to work at G.M. for $30,00 an hour you are pissed off and maybe you even joined the angry Tea Party crowd. Who are they angry at? Well, rationally speaking it should be the folks who brought us down? And who was that? Sure as hell it wasn’t the public school teacher. Now was it? Secret, she’s a good target because she’s close to you and a lot better off. She did not cause your lay off and she is not responsible for the debt crisis at the State level. On the other hand if only they can make her the enemy? There is nothing like it to bring people together. (The Tea Party folks.) She is an easier target then those people who created the present mess. And who are they?
First the financial Wall Street guys who manipulated the market. Yes that created real losses for the State Pension Funds. The insurance industry that advised the States on how to invest their money including the actuaries who certified the future of the Pension Funds. Second the economic crisis we are now living through. Who caused that? For God sake it wasn’t your local school Teacher, Firemen or Sanitation worker.
Now we add up this new GOP strategy and ipso facto, of course it’s all the much to powerful unions that are responsible. Oh man the union busters dream has come true. The Republican Governors are now going to lead the charge against the unions. They hope to decertify the ability of the unions representing the State employees to BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY FOR THE EMPLOYEES.
Well, the best news is from Madison Wisconsin. Not only are the unions saying NO to Walker's union busting but they have managed with true grit and iron determination to wake up the American Labor Movement to the dangers ahead. It has become crystal clear that Governor Walker is just another patsy for the Koch Brothers or any other major employer who wants to be rid of the workers voice in the workplace. Then the owners can go and do whatever they want. Just the way they did before unions existed.
Yes, I am even old enough to remember what that was like. It was a life without dignity or respect. It was the dark ages of the factory, office, mine, school where the employees worked at the peril of the owners or their representative. Oh. I do remember that snotty foreman whose behind I had to kiss because we were powerless without union representation.
In this present economic bust there is lots of Punditry about how “we all need to sacrifice in the face of our National Debt crisis.” So, how do we start out with “we all need to sacrifice routine?” You guessed it we start with the richest people and extend their tax break that George Bush gave them. How’s that for sharing the pain? I told you. Rich getting richer poor getting poorer. And yes, the Wisconsin unions have already agreed that they will accept the Governors proposal for sacrifice on their part. Of course that's not enough. The Governor is after the very existence of the unions.
Lets do whatever we can to support those very brave and courageous citizens of Madison Wisconsin leading the fight in our the latest battle for democracy. It has brought the Labor Movement back to a newly invigorated life. Lets hope that’s a new beginning for all working people.
Now together with my son in Madison Wisconsin I am once again proud of the great tradition of solidarity amongst working people. God, they need that more than ever. Why? Because in the last 25 years working class, now called middle class, families have been taking a royal beating when it comes to their income. At the same time the top two percent of the wealthy have increased their wealth by over 25 percent. Yupp the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. (I am not going to go over what is happening in Madison. Plenty of that in Cyberspace. Rather deal with what’s behind it.)
Much of what happened during those big party years of the nineties was done in the name of “The Free Market.” That economic theory held, “just let the market do its work and everything will just be honkey dorey.” Looking back it turned out that was very true for the top ten percent of the rich while the rest of us just languished or lost out. Like all those folks who were suckered into buying homes that clearly they could not afford. Then upon closer scrutiny we find that the Wall Street Derivative boys were making a bundle gambling on those very stock gimmicks that grew out of the Housing Bubble.
At the same time as the Housing Bubble the Federal Government under George Bush squandered the financial surplus that was left from the Clinton administration. That was the “Feed The Beast Period?" That idea held that if we spend the government into bankruptcy there wont be a dime left for anymore social programs like Medicare or Social Security SS ie “The BEAST.” (Remember when Bush wanted to privatize SS.?)
Yupp, all part of the same strategy of ridding the country of all that “socialist” New Deal stuff. SS. was and remains the single most important factor keeping old people out of poverty. It is still sound until sometime in 2030. It is not broke now and it never would even have run out of money for many more years past 2030 if the Government had not been “Burrowing” from the SS. Trust Fund.
Yes, I have always been a little skeptical of conspiracy theories. Now I believe that one is unfolding before our very eyes. Here is the GOP vision of how to destroy what is left of working citizens power to defend their economic concerns. The fact is that the Republicans now seem to be determined to destroy the last semblance of working people's power to defend their economic interests.
Destroy the power of the unions. That also means the role of unions in the election of 2012. The GOP's central objective is to deny Obama a second term. How? Gut the Union power. Unleash the money from the corporate world ie. “Citizens United.” Result, unlimited corporate spending in the coming national election campaign.
What is happening in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and more to follow is part and parcel of the, "destroy Obama strategy." How do they expect to achieve that? First thing you do when you want to destroy a group of people is you demonize them. I wrote about that in my blog of January 18th.
Look, if your unemployed or underemployed working in Hamburger Heaven for a minimal wage and you used to work at G.M. for $30,00 an hour you are pissed off and maybe you even joined the angry Tea Party crowd. Who are they angry at? Well, rationally speaking it should be the folks who brought us down? And who was that? Sure as hell it wasn’t the public school teacher. Now was it? Secret, she’s a good target because she’s close to you and a lot better off. She did not cause your lay off and she is not responsible for the debt crisis at the State level. On the other hand if only they can make her the enemy? There is nothing like it to bring people together. (The Tea Party folks.) She is an easier target then those people who created the present mess. And who are they?
First the financial Wall Street guys who manipulated the market. Yes that created real losses for the State Pension Funds. The insurance industry that advised the States on how to invest their money including the actuaries who certified the future of the Pension Funds. Second the economic crisis we are now living through. Who caused that? For God sake it wasn’t your local school Teacher, Firemen or Sanitation worker.
Now we add up this new GOP strategy and ipso facto, of course it’s all the much to powerful unions that are responsible. Oh man the union busters dream has come true. The Republican Governors are now going to lead the charge against the unions. They hope to decertify the ability of the unions representing the State employees to BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY FOR THE EMPLOYEES.
Well, the best news is from Madison Wisconsin. Not only are the unions saying NO to Walker's union busting but they have managed with true grit and iron determination to wake up the American Labor Movement to the dangers ahead. It has become crystal clear that Governor Walker is just another patsy for the Koch Brothers or any other major employer who wants to be rid of the workers voice in the workplace. Then the owners can go and do whatever they want. Just the way they did before unions existed.
Yes, I am even old enough to remember what that was like. It was a life without dignity or respect. It was the dark ages of the factory, office, mine, school where the employees worked at the peril of the owners or their representative. Oh. I do remember that snotty foreman whose behind I had to kiss because we were powerless without union representation.
In this present economic bust there is lots of Punditry about how “we all need to sacrifice in the face of our National Debt crisis.” So, how do we start out with “we all need to sacrifice routine?” You guessed it we start with the richest people and extend their tax break that George Bush gave them. How’s that for sharing the pain? I told you. Rich getting richer poor getting poorer. And yes, the Wisconsin unions have already agreed that they will accept the Governors proposal for sacrifice on their part. Of course that's not enough. The Governor is after the very existence of the unions.
Lets do whatever we can to support those very brave and courageous citizens of Madison Wisconsin leading the fight in our the latest battle for democracy. It has brought the Labor Movement back to a newly invigorated life. Lets hope that’s a new beginning for all working people.
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