“The wage slaves need more,” said the great labor leader Samuel Gompers. “What does labor want? We want more—school houses and less jails, more books and less crime, more leisure and less greed, more justice and less revenge—in fact, more opportunities to cultivate our better natures, to make manhood more noble, and womanhood more beautiful, and childhood more happy and bright.” He was ahead of his time.
He went on to say, “What do labor, community justice advocates and environmentalists want today? We want less inequality and more dignified work that contribute to the greater good and is safe from toxins and hazards. We want the material basis of economic prosperity and the ecological bounty required to thrive—clean water and air, fertile soil and wholesome food. We want our children to flourish, their bodies to grow strong and healthy, with full voices and laughter. We want our elders to be honored and treasured. We want vibrant communities of art, creativity, song and learning. We want less toil and more rest. We want the weekend and a few more weekdays to delight in one another and care for the young, the old, and those in need. We want time to care for the earth, to be generous stewards and protectors of the commons, passing it on undiminished to future generations.”
This is not unreasonable to want and if this could come to pass worldwide for all people we could stop wars, produce food for everyone, save the planet, and create jobs for all that want a job. This is what more would do and what it means.
It’s time to pick a side. You want to have and keep unions with good wages and pensions, then it’s time to pick a side. You want to keep Social Security for yourself and family, it is time to pick a side. You want to get or keep Medicare and Obama’s Affordable Care Act, then it’s time to pick a side. It is us against the billionaires. The very rich got that way off the backs of workers, and now want to strip everything away from those workers. It’s time to pick a side. The very rich can buy countries, then make the people get on their hands and knees and grovel and beg for scrapes that usually go into the dumpster. It’s time to pick a side. Is this what we want for our family and our future? It’s time to pick a side. Get ready to fight for you and your families’ lives. There is no middle ground with these greedy people for they want it all—all the money—all the power—all the land so where does this leave us when they have all the commons, like water, land and airways? It’s time to pick...
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