In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt won the presidency during the Great Depression. People were looking for bold leadership and that’s what’s happening now. Roosevelt’s New Deal was a package of reforms to rescue capitalism from collapse and thwart rising labor militancy from growing into independent working class political action.
The Have Nots now have a long needed leader in Bernie Sanders, who has devoted his entire life for the betterment of the working class so it perplexes me as to why union members would support Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. Though we can’t blame Clinton for her husband’s policies, such as NAFTA, mainly because she has enough baggage of her own.
Unlike her opponent Sanders, Clinton supported the Iraq invasion, Wall Street bailout, authorizing the Patriot Act twice in 2001 and 2006, supports TPP, which is considered worse than NAFTA, offshore drilling that is killing our oceans, and Foreign U.S. Military intervention that is bankrupting our economy. Her top donors include Walmart, Big Banks, Monsanto, Goldman Sachs and lobbying firms. Together, the Clinton, instituted mass incarceration of our black male population, which assisted in the rise of killer cops. Clinton had to return money donated to her campaign by the private prison industry.
Now, I know each should have their own voice, but at least have an informed voice and sometimes they must realize their leaders are dumb as a post. Remember when Bill Clinton signed NAFTA, the unions were mad as hell until Clinton invited the leaders of the unions to dinner at the White House. Once he was done blowing smoke up their collective asses, the union leaders thanked him.
The unions are falling for the old smoke again, only this time it is Hillary Clinton and Trump blowing the smoke. Sanders is our only hope for workers and the 99 percent here and the world over.
Look at what is going on right now: tiered wage system, steel workers fighting Technologies Inc, 2,200 workers represented by Unite Steel Workers Local 7139-5. The company wants to cut wages for new hires, which splits the union. California workers at the Olivet International Co. replaces full-time workers with temp workers. The Greek oligarchies are still sticking it to the Greek workers. The government is forcing farmers to live on $2,250 a year.
These things are happening now when capitalism’s profits are soaring. It looks like 2016 will be a make or break year for the U.S. and the world.
So, it’s up to you, the voter, to decide the fate of this country. Do you want more of the same or are you ready for change and a share of the pie? Vote for Sanders and let us hope Elizabeth Warren comes out to help with the other Sanders' supporters.
There are three phases of a general strike and unions must plan for one. Those three phases are: 1. general strike in an industry 2. general strike in a community 3. general national strike We need to move away from being on the defensive and move toward a good offensive. The American Federal of Labor (AFL) could not have held a general strike if it wanted to because they had thousands of different contracts that expired at different times of the year. This was done deliberately so that there is no consolidation of power for a general strike. Also, nowadays, there is no law agency that will support labor, except the National Labor Relations Board (NLBR), which has been under attack and in decline for years. This leaves the burden of change up to unions, and unless unions work together, little will change. We essentially have a combination of job trusts, which are not as strong as contracts, and the courts can break easily because the NLBR will be further weakened and essentially elim...
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