Socialist Party of CT Denounces Obama Tax Plan as "Class Warfare from Above"

For Immediate Release: 12/14/2010

Socialist Party of CT Denounces Obama Tax Plan as "Class Warfare from Above"

Amidst the worst recession since the Great Depression, with persistent "official" unemployment rates of 10% and real unemployment rates closer to 20%, the Democratic President has again shown the true colors of our "democracy;" cash rules. Plain and simple, the two-party corporately owned political system will do nothing to help the working class majority of America; the dying middle class which is daily joining the ranks of the impoverished. Record breaking inequality, unheardof rates of home foreclosures, record profits and bonuses, massive federal debt, widespread unemployment, 50 million without healthcare and the best they can come up with is a tax break for the top 1% of our population? This in addition to astronomical military budgets and endless wars abroad. We find this sickening and will continue to stand tall offering a real alternative; democratic socialism. Only when real democracy is in place will the real interests of the vast majority of Americans , those who must work for a living, be realized.

The Socialist Party stands for a fundamental transformation of the economy, focusing on production for need not profit. So-called fair trade is meaningless as long as the world economy is dominated by a few massive corporations.

1. We demand the immediate withdrawal of the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and oppose the creation of a widened Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

2. We call for worker and community ownership and control of corporations within the framework of a decentralized and democratically determined economic plan.

3. We call for a minimum wage of $15 per hour, indexed to the cost of living.

4. We call for a full employment policy. We support the provision of a livable guaranteed annual income.

5. We call for all financial and insurance institutions to be socially owned and operated by a democratically-controlled national banking authority, which should include credit unions, mutual insurance cooperatives, and cooperative state banks. In the meantime, we call for re-regulation of the banking and insurance industries.

6. We call for a steeply graduated income tax and a steeply graduated estate tax, and a maximum income of no more than ten times the minimum. We oppose regressive taxes such as payroll tax, sales tax, and property taxes.

7. We call for the restoration of the capital gains tax and luxury tax on a progressive, graduated scale.

8. We call for compensation to communities-- and compensation, re-training, and other support service for workers-- affected by plant and military base closings as stop-gap measures until we reach our goal of creating a socialist society totally separate from the global capitalist economy.

9. We oppose the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization as instruments of capitalist oppression throughout the world.

10. We demand cancellation of Third World debt.

11. We call for a National Pension Authority to hold the assets of private pension funds, and a levy against corporate assets for any pension fund deficits.

12. We call for increased and expanded welfare assistance and increased and expanded unemployment compensation at 100% of a worker's previous income or the minimum wage, whichever is higher, for the full period of unemployment or re-training, whichever is longer.

13. We support a program of massive federal investment in both urban and rural areas for infrastructure reconstruction and economic development.

14. We support tax benefits for renters equal to those for homeowners.

15. We call for the elimination of subsidies and tax breaks that benefit corporations and all other forms of corporate welfare.


Direct all correspondence to Todd Vachon, Chairperson, Socialist Party of CT- todd@votevachon.com

Hartford Courant: Vachon's Votes Now Being Counted (finally...)

From The Hartford Courant:

http://blogs.courant.com/susan_campbell/2010/11/a-little-more-reading-with-tue.html

Connecticut's election? What a prize.
By Susan Campbell
November 9, 2010

In a brief phone conversation Monday morning, Av Harris at Connecticut’s Secretary of State office must have said “We have a small staff in the elections department” three times.

The state’s midterm election last Tuesday was a pig pile. Bridgeport election officials didn’t order enough ballots, and a judge ruled that city’s polls stay open an extra two hours. And then a bag of uncounted ballots was discovered in -- yes -- Bridgeport. Election officials counted through the night, and the official tally - which gave the advantage to Democratic candidate Dannel Malloy - was posted online by the Secretary of State’s office Friday afternoon.

On Monday the Connecticut GOP announced it would seek an investigation into the Bridgeport Bungle. On Monday afternoon, Republican candidate Tom Foley said he would not pursue a recount, or a legal challenge to the close election. He ended a press conference to phone Malloy to congratulate him.

That was classy, if you ask me. It only takes one snafu to make people question the system and this go-round, we’ve had several. Midweek last week, some people who voted for Todd Vachon, a University of Connecticut graduate student who was the write-in candidate for U.S. Senator on the Socialist Party ticket, logged on to the secretary’s website and did not see their votes. Voters in Salem, East Lyme, and beyond emailed Vachon, who urged people to be patient. Every one should be counted, he said, though there wouldn’t be many.

Vachon did not run an active campaign - as he did in ’08, when he campaigned to show the difference between Sen. Barack Obama -- whom Vachon calls a “hedge-fund Democrat” -- and a real Socialist who supports, said Vachon, “single-payer, public health care, ending the wars, and bringing tax dollars and troops home.”

Later Monday -- working, as Harris promised, as fast as they could hand-entering the write-ins -- Vachon votes began showing online, though one voter who’d contacted Vachon said he was told by someone in the Secretary of State’s office that Hartford officials didn’t start counting write-in votes until Monday - six days after the election. Vachon acknowledged that he hadn’t a shot at winning, but it’s the principle of the thing.

Sometimes, “the principle of the thing” is the last-ditch argument in a lost cause, but in this case, it means something. By way of explanation, Harris said, “It’s very important to get all the results up there quickly for the citizens of Connecticut to see, but we had an extraordinary situation, and we made a decision to shift priorites in order to get result for governor’s race.”

Was Your Write-In Vote Counted?

Three days after polls have closed, there are still several towns that have not reported write-in votes. The Vachon Campaign began recieving complaints from voters Thursday morning, after the Secretary of State posted the official vote-tally spreadsheet(available at: http://www.statementofvote-sots.ct.gov/StatementOfVote/WebModules/ReportsLink/USSenSumStat.aspx). Voters from Hartford, New Haven, Mansfield, Salem, East Lyme, West Haven, West Hartford and Middletown all expressed concern about whether their vote had been counted. "Being a write-in campaign it becomes very easy for voters to determine if their vote had been counted," said Vachon, "if their town shows 'zero' and they know that they voted, then they know something is not right."

The campaign has urged all supporters to check the SOTS website to ensure that their votes had been counted. If they discovered that they had been disenfranchised they were urged to take two steps: 1) contact their town's clerk, and if that did not resolve the problem, 2) contact the secretary of state's office to complain.

Complaints have thus far led to the appearance of votes from Salem and New Haven. When a Vachon supporter called in Middletown to inquire about her vote, a representative "discovered" a whole pile of write-in votes that they "forgot to submit," however the votes are yet to be counted on the official tally. While representatives of the Vachon Campaign and the Socialist Party of CT deny that this is any kind of organized conspiracy to quiet their voice, they do add that "the two-party system itself is a conspiracy in that two groups have conspired to write and enact laws which block any challengers." The shear lack of regard for the votes of dissent, the write-in votes which most challenge the status quo, says a lot about the state of democracy in America--money may not be able to buy elections, as we've seen with Linda McMahon, but it certainly can guarantee ballot access and media coverage.

If you voted for Vachon, or any other write-in candidate, you should take a moment to ensure that your town has counted your vote. Many people, including countless socialists, fought hard for equal rights to vote in this country; they certainly did not do it so that votes for certain groups would count while others would be ignored. Every single person has a right to vote for an official candidate, and every single vote must be counted, period.

-The Vachon Campaign

CT Blogger Kerri Provost, of RealHartford.org, elaborates on the vote count problem in her recent piece, "Something Rotten in a Blue State."(http://www.realhartford.org/2010/11/04/something-rotten-in-a-blue-state/)

A Final appeal: Bring a Pen and Vote For Jobs, Peace and Freedom Tomorrow!

Good Morning Everyone,


Today is the final day before the election and I wanted to reach out one last time to make an appeal for your vote.

Albert Einstein once defined "insanity" as engaging in a similar action repeatedly and expecting a different outcome. Expecting the Democratic Party to ever create real change is a quintessential example of practicing insanity. Not only will they fail to deliver the kind of progressive change that voters call for again and again, but they will not even fight to hold on to what little we have left. The election of Barack Obama with a Democratic Majority in both the Congress and the Seante has seen not only a continuation, but an expansion of much of the Bush era policies. The war in Afghanistan has been escalated, the military is cemented into Iraq with a permanent occupation force of 50,000 troops, private health insurance is now compulsory, the privatization of education which began under No Child Left Behind has been accelerated under Race to the Top (or should I say bottom?), the annual military budget has exceeded $800 billion per year for the first time in history (not including the cost of wars or VA health). These are all destructive and wasteful policies, and they were all ushered in not by some neoconservatives, but by the current Democratic Administration. Insanity? Yes, and it is time to stop acting so crazy and start creating real paths for change.

The destruction of the middle class has been happening since the middle of the 1970s and it has continued at a steady pace with both Democrats and Republicans at the helm. The problem is not the Republicans, it is unfettered "free market" capitalism and both major parties are firm believers in it. The average real wage of American workers is the same today as it was in 1979 despite the nearly three-fold expansion of worker productivity and similar growth in wealth of the capitalist class. The average CEO earns 300-500 times more than their average employee in America. The official unemployment rate is 10% and the real unemployment rate is approximately 20% when discouraged, part-time and contingent workers are considered. Tax rates for the wealthiest individuals and corporations have been steadily reduced since the 1950s. The social safety net has had so many holes cut into it that it's now about as useful as a DVD rewinder. The Democratic Party will never make any sweeping changes to fix these problems for fear that they become labelled "Socialists,"at which point they begin their pro-capital knee-jerk reactions to demonstrate that they are more pro-busienss than the Republicans. If fighting for real universal healthcare is Socialist, if ending the wars a broad is socialist, if guaranteeing retirement is socialist, and if fixing unemployment is socialist, then shit, it's high time we all started voting socialist!!!

The Socialist Party offers clear alternatives to just appeasing the billionaire class in hopes that they might be so kind as to "give" us some jobs. Every vote for a socialist is a vote for peace, a vote for living wages, and a vote for the environment. Every vote for a Democrat or a Republican is a vote for capitalism, which daily destroys each of these things. I invite you to visit my campaign page (www.votevachon.com ) or the CT Voter Guide (www.remindernews.com/voter-guide/2010 ) to learn about my stance on the major issues, and if you are so compelled, to bring a pen with you to the polls tomorrow and tell the ruling class that we are ready to start governing ourselves despite their millions of dollars of personal and private campaign spending. Take a Stand and draw a line in the sand; write in "Todd Vachon" for U.S. Senate tomorrow! And if you live in congressional district 1 you can vote for socialist Chris Hutchinson for U.S. Congress who will be on the ballot.


Thank You for your time and support!

Sincerely,
Todd Vachon
Socialist for Senate

ps; please pass this on to other friends and family members who are fed up with the two business parties.

DJing Socialist Calls for Write-In Wrevolution

from The Bronx County Examiner

http://www.examiner.com/bronx-county-independent-in-new-york/dj-ing-socialist-calls-for-write-revolution

Want to join a write-in revolution? If you reside in Connecticut, Tuesday will be your big chance. A feisty third party candidate named Todd Vachon is squeezed in between a well-heeled Democrat and a professional wrestling magnate Republican . He’s a DJ, a former union carpenter and a graduate assistant at the University of Connecticut. But, most importantly, he is a socialist running a write in campaign for the Socialist Party USA. He’s calling it a “revolution.” I’d call it an excellent chance to stick it to the fat-cat politicians in Connecticut.

This Senate seat belonged to Christopher Dodd for years. After screwing the American public by helping to push through a pro-business healthcare reform, instead of a single-payer plan, Dodd is preparing to ride off into the private sector.

A feud then broke out among the major parties as Democrat Richard Blumenthal, the state’s long-time Attorney General, attempted to move up the political food chain. The Queen of Professional Wrestling Linda McMahon also saw this as good opportunity to cash in on her steroid enhanced reputation. Simultaneously, the self-described “Lieberman-ite” John Mertens also wiggled onto the ballot.

However, the three mainstreamers could not anticipate the appearance of DJ Mista Mayday. That’s the stage name of Vachon who is presenting a candidacy that offers everything the mainstreamers seek to avoid.

He begins with unemployment. Job creation is not a “trickle-down” problem or an issue for the private sector to sort out. Instead, Vachon presents a plan for a federally funded jobs program that would employ the unemployed and is connected to plans for worked-owned and operated cooperative enterprises.

On healthcare, Vachon similarly pulls no punches by giving outright support to a single-payer system. Heck, he even offered the website to the main single-payer group, Healthcare-NOW on his state questionnaire. This is quite a bit different from Blumenthal who wishes to tinker with Obama’s reform, McMahon, who sees placing limits on patient’s ability to sue as “healthcare reform,” and Mertens who proposed a frankly bizarre “Bismarck” system of healthcare.

And, on the issue of war and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan, his message is unwavering. Get out. Not with a vague roadmap for the future or by removing ten soldiers a month or with the “fight terrorists to ends of the earth” pledges of the mainstream candidates. For Vachon, it is “get out now.” The Socialist candidate also calls for drastic cuts in the military budget and new policy on war – “My war policy is simple: no war.”

According to the latest Rasmussen Poll, Blumenthal will cruise to a double-digit win. This, despite the more than $46 million in personal money McMahon has spent. Mertens is entirely off the map. However, writing in Todd Vachon for Senate could give radicals, independents and progressives a new motivation to head to the election booth.

Join the write-in revolution on Tuesday and shake up the candidates of the political establishment. Let them know that a DJ’ing socialist has done more to capture your attention than the big spenders have. Write-in Todd Vachon.

***
Billy Wharton is the editor of the Socialist WebZine. His articles have been published by the Washington Post, Counterpunch and In These Times. He can be reached at whartonbilly@gmail.com

Top 10 Reasons Obama is NOT a Socialist

(and what an actual socialist would do)

10. Bailouts. As Senator and Presidential candidate, Obama voted for the Bush bailouts of the banking industry. This measure took workers' hard earned tax dollars and gave them to the filthy rich corporate executives who screwed up the economy in the first place. This is the opposite of what a socialist would do.

9. Healthcare. Instead of pushing for a non-profit, single-payer, national health insurance plan, he called up the insurance industry and asked them to write a bill. It of course required that everyone purchase their flawed product; guaranteed customers, exactly what every capitalist wants. This is the opposite of what a socialist would do.

8. Oil Spill. Instead of taking charge in the gulf and creating an international team of experts to address the disaster, he let the corporation who created it handle the mess; they of course lied and saved a lot of face in the end. Furthermore, he has done nothing to address the potential for this to happen again.

7. Foreclosures. After being bailed out by taxpayers, the banks continued to foreclose on taxpayers homes. While the president did everything to protect the financial capitalist's interest, he did nothing to help the working class who has been losing their homes at breakneck speed. Again, the opposite of what a socialist would do.

6.Worker's Right to Organize. Like all Democrats he made big promises to union members, and then, when he was elected he dropped the Employee Free Choice Act quicker than a hot potato.

5. War. Instead of ending the wars which are despised by the majority of Americans, the president escalated conflict in Afghanistan and set up Iraq as a quasi-colonial state to be occupied indefinitely. A socialist would bring all the troops home tomorrow, period.

4. Education. Obama took the awful No Child Left Behind Act and replaced it with the even worse Race to the Top program, which should really be called race to the bottom because its result has been the most rapid privatization of public education in history.

3. Campaign Funding. He raised more private and corporate money in 2008 than had ever been raised and spent on a campaign. Socialists are opposed to private campaign funding, it is not democratic. We want real democracy, not some corporate representative form of government that is bought by the highest bidder every four years.

2. Military Spending. Obama outdid Bush, and any other president for that matter, when he signed the $800 billion annual military budget last year (the highest in the history of mankind). This huge check does not even cover the wars in the Middle East or the VA services for the tens of thousands of wounded soldiers returning from them. Socialists would slash military spending and focus on our real problems at home as opposed to those fear-driven, unproven ones abroad.

1. He is a Millionaire. Plain and simple. The interests of a millionaire are NOT the same as those of the average working class American.

Please consider a real option for real change and real hope this election year.

www.votevachon.com

Vote Socialist on Tuesday!

by Andrea Pason and Billy Wharton – co-chairs Socialist Party USA

http://www.socialistparty-usa.org/votesocialist2010.html

America’s re-introduction to socialist politics continues this Tuesday as voters head to the ballot booths. In many parts of the country, Socialist and other Independent candidates will offer viable alternatives to the budget cutting politics of Democrats and Republicans. Instead of endorsing budget cuts and war or casting a vote for one corporate funded candidate or another, voters can vote for a democratic socialist alternative that places human needs at the top of the political agenda. The center of this struggle is the state of Ohio, where veteran labor activist Dan LaBotz is running an innovative grassroots campaign for US Senate as a Socialist Party USA candidate. At first, LaBotz’s campaign seemed novel in that it was pitched as a united left endeavor. All stripes of radicals were welcome to contribute to the effort to put socialism on the ballot. Indeed, Socialist Party USA, International Socialist Organization and Solidarity members have been joined by remnants of the Labor Party, radical trade unionists and even some disaffected Democrats to push the campaign forward. Opportunities to present a fresh vision of democratic socialism were expanded by this momentum and the fact that the Democratic Party candidate exited the race early on. LaBotz’s “Buckeye Socialism” was soon being spread throughout the state at Youth Progressive Conferences, at LGBT organizing meetings, at worker’s meetings and even at a local mosque during a forum organized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

On Tuesday, thousands of people will vote for Dan LaBotz on the Socialist Party USA line to be their US Senator. Thousands more are still undecided. They should consider LaBotz’s anti-war message, his commitment to worker’s rights and his ironclad pledge to put the unemployed back to work. Consider also that something much larger than an election in Ohio is going on. We believe that socialism is an idea whose time has come. We have a plan for bringing democracy to the economy through worker’s control and ownership of their workplaces. This will put people back to work in mass numbers. We have a different vision of the US in the world, as a peacemaker not a war maker. We will bring the troops home, close military bases in other countries and cut the military budget by 50%. Finally, socialists have a strong commitment to civil rights – we believe that people should both have rights and be able to use them. We will dismantle the growing security state, break up the media monopoly where six corporations own 90% of the media and guarantee rights for all people. Dan LaBotz is not our only candidate.

In Michigan, socialists are running as Green Party candidates for the Boards of Regents and Supervisors for the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. In Vermont, socialists will appear on both the Socialist Party USA and Liberty Union lines. In Connecticut, socialist DJ, Todd Vachon is calling for voters to join a “write-in revolution” by writing in his name for US Senate. And, in New York State, Socialist Party USA member Howie Hawkins is waging a determined campaign for Governor on the Green Party line against a right wing Democrat who is preparing massive budget cuts. All of these candidates support the basic ideas of democratic socialism – things like democratic workplaces, free access to healthcare, and free education. Each also has the ability to offer socialist solutions for local problems. On this Election Day, we ask you to consider joining the thousands of other people in this country who will be voting Socialist.

Equally important, we ask that voting not be your only political act. The Socialist Party USA’s goal is to create a radically democratic society in which participation and solidarity become bedrock principles. Getting involved in political activities beyond the ballot box is critical to such a transformation. We invite you to contact us to begin the process of freeing our society from the seemingly never-ending cycle of war and economic crisis under capitalism.

Vote Socialist on Tuesday!
Join the struggle for Democratic Socialism!
www.sp-usa.org

Vachon Campaign Endorsed by AFQOTP

copied from A Few Queers on the Prowl:
http://queerartist.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/we-have-a-real-choice-for-senate/

We have a real choice for Senate.
By queerartist

Todd Vachon, who I met years ago as Mista Mayday at a fundraiser for the Food and Allied Workers Union I.U. 460/640, is running for U.S. Senate in Connecticut as a write in candidate. Todd is a member of the Socialist Party of Connecticut. This blog fully supports Todd Vachon for U.S. Senate in Connecticut and urges its readers in the state of Connecticut to do like wise. Bring your pens, write in Todd Vachon like your life depends on it because it does.

Check out more about Todd and what he stands for here>

todd@votevachon.com


So remember to bring your pens, find that write in spot and write in Todd’s name. We here at AFQOTP can’t believe that any of our readers in the state of CT. or friends in our circle would ever vote for either of the mainstream candidates. My goodness, as Emma Furbird says, “who wants more of the same.” Let’s really vote this time for what we believe in not because we are scared that one mad dog will win if we don’t vote for the other.

We like Todd, we have ever since the first time we met him, we know he is honest, something that we will never find within the ruling class, we agree with his platform, and we are scared of the republicans and democrats. They have brought the world mostly sorrow and it doesn’t seem like it is going to end any time soon.

Can you readers stand up? Be counted! For change real change!

---------------------------

I most graciously accept this endorsement from AFQOTP and am so delighted to stand in solidarity with folks who are true to their convictions, honest, and not afraid to stand up for what is right, even if it's not popular.

In solidarity,

Todd Vachon

Socialists of Labor March on DC

Greetings friends,

I am delighted to share some great images with all of you!
Here is a link to a video clip from the Oct. 2nd Organized Labor March that brought hundreds of thousands of workers to D.C. to demand jobs and an end to the wars. At about 2:25 into the video you will see "The Socialist Contingent." I highly recommend that everyone view this and pass it on. The corporate media gives an unbelievable amount of time to the pro-corporate Tea Party every day on the news (even if it is only 10 people making noise somewhere). Here are a heck of a lot of socialists amid hundreds of thousands of union workers telling it like it is.....where the hell is the media?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM_blbiTnYQ&feature=player_embedded#!

Thanks to Stan Heller (CTUP and The Struggle TV) for posting this on youtube.

And here is another one from Dan LaBotz, Socialist for Congress in Ohio:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CophvkIYdU&feature=related

In Solidarity,

Todd Vachon
Socialist Party of CT
www.votevachon.com

Let’s Have a Protest, Not a Dem Pep Rally

This is a piece by Glen Ford, reproduced from The Socialist Webzine (online publication of the Socailist Party, USA)

Let’s Have a Protest, Not a Dem Pep Rally

by Glen Ford -

“The character and importance of the ‘One Nation’ rally will be determined by the demands that are made on Power, most especially on the White House.”

The October 2 rally in Washington to demand jobs and “stop moving money out of education and into wars and prisons," in the words of NAACP president Ben Jealous, promises to be huge. SEIU Local 1199, a co-initiator of the event along with the NAACP, has booked 500 busses from New York City, alone, and thousands more will be rolling into the nation’s capital from around the country. Participating organizations include nearly the entire spectrum of labor, social justice and peace formations in the United States.

But big does not necessarily mean historic, or even useful. The character and importance of the “One Nation” rally will be determined by the demands that are made on Power, most especially on the White House, where one man wields the power of an entire branch of government, is the leader of the majority party in both Houses of Congress, and commands national and global attention by virtue of the presidential “bully pulpit.” A Washington rally for jobs, justice and peace that makes no specific demands on President Obama would amount to a capitulation to the status quo on all counts, no matter if half a million attended. And if the event is allowed to become wholly a pep rally for Obama and Democrats, then that will tell the world that real movements for laboring people, social justice and peace do not currently exist in the United States – just a bunch of Democratic Party groupies with delusions of relevance to the burning issues of the day.

“Tremendous pressures that have been brought to bear by the administration to avoid embarrassing the president and his party on the eve of congressional elections.”

That’s why, mindful of the tremendous pressures that have been brought to bear by the administration to avoid embarrassing the president and his party on the eve of congressional elections, strong majorities of the United National Anti-War Conference [4] (UNAC), held in Albany, New York, in late July, endorsed a series of demands to be put forward at the October 2 rally, and beyond. These demands will be reflected in the placards carried by thousands of demonstrators concentrated in the UNAC contingent at the “One Nation” rally:

* $Trillions for jobs and education, not wars and bank bailouts.

* Bring the troops, mercenaries and war dollars home from Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, now!

* Stop government attacks on unions, Muslims, immigrants and people of color. Civil liberties for all.

* End U.S aid to Israel. Billions for jobs, not occupation. End the siege of Gaza. Free Palestine!

The Black is Back Coalition [5] for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations is in agreement with the four demands, and will rally alongside the UNAC contingent on the Washington Mall. Black is Back will also demand an end to the ongoing wars waged against Black people here at home, through mass Black incarceration, police terror and constant economic aggression against Black communities.

“Any peace movement worthy of the name must demand withdrawal NOW.”

There is no point in going to a demonstration for jobs, social justice and peace if you are not going to make substantive demands. It is the Obama administration that is waging wars of aggression in Asia and Africa; the Congress – including, most of the time, most Democrats –funds these wars. President Obama always claims to be in the process of ending his wars, even as he escalates, just as did George Bush. Any peace movement worthy of the name must demand withdrawal NOW.

The NAACP and labor say they want to see money moved “from war to jobs and education.” That’s what we used to call a “peace dividend.” But there is no hint of peace in Obama’s rhetoric of open-ended warfare to infinity, and no evidence of any military scale-back that could yield a peace dividend. The dividend can only come with the end of imperial warfare.

By far the biggest share of the bank bailouts that ultimately netted Wall Street $12 to $14 trillion of the people’s money were finagled by the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury, both directly or indirectly accountable to Barack Obama. If you have any complaints about the bailouts, lay them at Obama’s doorstep, where they belong. Demand he stop the wealth transfers to Wall Street, NOW!

“If you have any complaints about the bailouts, lay them at Obama’s doorstep, where they belong.”

It is the government under President Obama that entraps and frames Muslims (largely African Americans) on terror charges, harries and deports more undocumented immigrants than did the Bush regime, fails to defend working people’s rights to organize, and maintains what is arguably the most thoroughly racist criminal justice system on the face of the planet. Obama is the executive in charge. Demand in plain language that he use all his powers to end the injustices.

The plank on Israel was the most hotly contested of the Albany conference, and caused a small minority of attendees and participating organizations to leave the United National Anti-War Committee. Too damn bad. It is long past time that the American anti-war movement make a decisive break with Israel, as the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) did way back in 1967. An anti-war movement that seeks to rein in its own government’s aggressions in the world but fails to condemn apartheid Israel’s ceaseless violations of international law and crimes against humanity since the birth of the state, has no credibility.

The Obama administration’s water carriers within the October 2 rally’s sponsoring organizations will doubtless seek to transform the occasion into a campaign event for the Democrats. It is up to the crowd to demonstrate righteous discontent with the powers-that-be, and call the malefactors out by name. If that’s your preference, hang with UNAC and Black is Back. You’ll identify them by their clear and insistent demands – which is how it should be.

BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com

Stand in Solidarity with European Workers

September 29: Day of Action or General Strike?



The financial crisis of 2008-2009 has resulted in the most sweeping austerity measures in recent European memory. These budget cuts, which are crippling everything from Romanian hospitals to English schools, have come amid a trillion-euro public bail-out for crooked financial services companies and banks. The Great Recession – now the longest in post-war history – has destabilized whole nations from Iceland to Greece. In Spain, the austerity measures imposed by the EU and IMF amount to $16 billion, and in Greece it is nearly double that figure at $30 billion. For the United Kingdom, the new Tory-Liberal Democrat government will push through even more draconian measures, to the tune of $91 billion. (EUobserver, 14 Jun 2010)



In response to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) organized a series of “Action Days” throughout Europe from 14 – 16 May 2010. These “Action Days” are not calls for a general strike, but very mild suggestions to demonstrate. This is the show of resistance which is being organized at the very top level of European trade unionism. This spring ETUC Action Days have mustered hundreds of thousands of its members to various rallies in Brussels and around Europe.



What is missing from this equation is news from workers’ organizations from below. Despite the anemic demonstrations organized by the Brussels labor bureaucracy, workers in France, just as one example, have mobilized between one and three million-worker general strikes all over the country, closing public transit, schools and airports in January and March of this year. The streets of Athens, Madrid, Barcelona, Strasbourg and Seville have all been enveloped by millions of working people, unemployed, underemployed, pensioners and students alike.



All of this work from below caused the secretary-general of the ETUC to gain unusual confidence when he called for the EU to be “ambitious” and adopt “a new social deal” at the 7 May social affairs summit held in Prague.



Nothing happened. In fact, the austerity measures have already been passed into law, and in some countries have begun the evisceration of workers’ pensioners’ and students’ lives.



Now, nearly four months after the ETUC promised a “new social deal”, the situation has deteriorated for the swelling ranks of unemployed, underemployed and underpaid workers throughout Europe. This ineptitude and timidity reflects exactly the same program of defeatism that we suffer here in the United States and across the globe when it comes to big labor and political organizations. In response to calls by the Spanish unions for a general strike on the day of the next EU Finance Ministers’ meeting on 29 September, ETUC’s secretary-general said: “We can’t call Europe's unions out on strike - this has to be done at the national level and different people will react in different ways. Some countries have traditions of general strikes and some don't. They don’t like the idea, especially the Nordics, Germany, UK, the Netherlands and Eastern Europe. Half of the EU countries would not go for it.” Clearly, with this kind of leadership from the only pan-European union confederation, most workers in Europe won’t be involved in taking back their destinies if that task is left up to ETUC.



In spite of the reformist attitude of the ETUC, 29 September is becoming a rally cry for building an independent movement of working people in Europe. The anarcho-syndicalist CGT and CNT general strike in Spain is meant to explicitly oppose capitalism, the national-political economy, and the EU. On 14 August the CGT already began a 1700 km march from Zaragoza, Spain to Brussels. This action is not supported by ETUC, but the marchers are of course going to the Brussels Day of Action to bring their message. The aims of the march are to expose the “the exploitation of the working class, and the destruction and privatization of the public commons of all Europe.” (Confederación Nacional de Trabajo, 14 Aug 2010)



This march has arrived in France - The Red and Black marchers were greeted at the French border on Sunday, 22 August by more militants of the French CNT. The New Anti-capitalist Party (NPA) of France announced that it will be sending a contingent to join the marchers. Many socialists, anarchists and communists of various stripes are working together in a collective show of force and determination. For the first time in a very long time, the various ideological and political rays of the socialist spectrum are uniting and bringing meaning to the slogans that will be chanted in Brussels.



This movement was not begun by ETUC - it runs parallel to it. We can all support the manifesto of the Day of Action, but as socialists, we can and should show the world that the Socialist Party USA supports these workers in their march, and in their struggle against the state, capitalism and the corrupt trade union confederations which might stand in the way.





Of particular interest, daily reports come in indicating that the march and the general strike are snowballing in critical ways. The CGT of Spain has called for extending the general strike beyond the one day called for by the mainstream unions. Although a one-day general strike would be a huge step forward here in the US, in parts of Europe it has become an accepted tactic ignored by the government. In far-away South Africa, workers have called an indefinite general strike of public sector workers. In this spirit of continuing development, it should be stressed that the Spanish unions consider move forward with a weeklong general strike that will really challenged the system.



Together with the Red and Black marchers now on their way to Brussels, American working people must reject the latest onslaught of neoliberal attacks on students’ and workers’ rights, working conditions, social services for our youth, the elderly, and people living with disabilities. We in the US must call on labor unions, community organizations and working people, to stop hindering international solidarity and show common cause with European workers by striking and demonstrating on 29 September. Although there is not much time to organize, we can make a difference. Inasmuch as we call on the US and European governments to immediately halt austerity plans that are killing our people, we also remind our sisters and brothers in the movement that we cannot settle for reforms – we must reject capitalism as a whole. Just as globalization has opened borders to exploitation, we must stand united for the transformation of our interdependent societies from the rule of the wealthy few to the radically democratic governance of the many.

Free Troy Davis! Stop the Prison Industrial Complex!

by Billy Wharton, co-chair Socialist Party USA & Erik Toren, convener, People of Color Commission Socialist Party USA

Saving the life of Troy Davis has become a rallying point for anti-death penalty activists. Rallies, teach-ins and petitions have been organized throughout the US to stop the state of Georgia from carrying out the death penalty. Despite this grassroots campaign, a Federal judge recently rejected Davis’ petition for a new trial dealing a severe blow to efforts to secure his freedom.

Davis has been on Georgia’s death row since being convicted of murder in 1991. There was no physical evidence in his case. His conviction rested entirely on the testimony of nine witnesses. In the time since the trial, seven of the nine have reversed or contradicted their court testimony, claiming that the police coerced them or used poor investigative techniques. The petition rejection will prevent these witnesses from speaking the truth in court and will put Davis back on road to execution.

A broad movement has developed around Davis’ case. It has brought together big-name politicians, religious figures and human rights organizations. More importantly, thousands of young African-Americans have organized and participated in demonstrations. Many have put on t-shirts with the poignant message, “I am Troy Davis.”

Davis’ case is about more than the death penalty. It’s about a criminal justice system designed to criminalize and warehouse poor and working class people. African-Americans face heavy discrimination in all parts of this system – from street level policing to the prison cells of death row. While African Americans comprise 13% of the US population and 14% of monthly drug users, they are 37% of the people arrested for drug offenses. On average, African-Americans face sentences that are 10% longer than whites. And, most gruesome of all, the chance of a black male born in 2001 of going to jail is 32% or 1 in three.

Capitalism needs this racial oppression to maintain a system based on the exploitation of the labor of millions and to protect the wealth and privileges of the elite. As a result, every day, people in our communities are denied the right to necessary things such as a good job that would allow them to be productive members of society. Some are forced into the low-wage service sector while others face a prison cell where they will likely work a sub-minimum-wage prison job.

As socialists, we support abolishing the death penalty. We also believe that the unjust persecution of Troy Davis calls for more than this. We join with other groups in the prison abolition movement such as Critical Resistance, in calling for an immediate end to the expansion of the prison industrial complex. Criminalizing and caging human beings will not make our communities safer or improve our quality of life. We believe that a democratic socialist society that guarantees people the right to work, to housing, to healthcare and to full civil rights is a viable alternative to the incarceration methods of late capitalism.

Troy Davis has languished for nearly two decades in Georgia jails. Now is the time to join with others to demand his freedom. And, in doing so, we call for the freedom of all the unjustly imprisoned and for a society that recognizes the humanity of all in order to improve the lives of all. We call this idea socialism.

Free Troy Davis!
Abolish the Prison Industrial Complex!
End the Racist Death Penalty!

Check out the People of Color Commission:
http://pocc-socialistparty.blogspot.com/

Read more about the Socialist Party USA’s position on the criminal justice system:
http://socialistparty-usa.org/platform/civilrights.html

Millionaire Lawmakers Get Richer as Economy Tanks

Would this be a democracy, a republic, or just plain old aristocracy of the corporate type?

Please stop voting for Democrats and Republicans. I mean, seriously. Please.


www.votevachon.com for U.S. Senate in CT

Chris Hutchinson is on the Ballot for U.S. Congress in District 1, CT

We're not billionaires. We're not millionaires. We're not even thousandaires!
But we are working class Americans who stand up for working-class issues. Big Business already has 500+ representatives.

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Richest lawmakers grew wealthier as economy faltered


http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100901/pl_yblog_upshot/richest-lawmakers-grew-wealthier-last-year-as-economy-faltered

The rest of the country is still struggling with high unemployment amid a sluggish-at-best economic recovery -- but the wealthiest members of Congress are in high cotton. Indeed, the top 50 wealthiest lawmakers saw their combined net worths increase last year, according to the Hill's annual analysis of financial disclosure documents.

Combined, the 50 lawmakers were worth $1.4 billion in 2009 -- an $85.1 million increase over their 2008 total -- the Hill reports. The members' total combined assets depreciated by nearly $36 million last year -- but Congress' well-to-do set also reduced their debts by a combined $120 million.

The list of 50 lawmakers spans both parties (27 Democrats and 23 Republicans) and both chambers of Congress (30 House members, 20 senators), the Hill reports.
Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts topped the list for the second year in a row; Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas made his debut in the top 10.
Here are profiles for the 10 most flush Hill power-and-money brokers:

1. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.): $188.6 million. Kerry's worth, which grew by $20 million in 2009, stems from his wife's assets. Teresa Heinz Kerry, of the Heinz ketchup family, inherited hundreds of millions upon the death of her previous husband, Sen. John Heinz.
2. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.): $160.1 million. Issa actually saw his minimum net worth drop by $4 million, partly due to the poor performance of a single investment fund. Issa's fortune stems from investments he and his wife made in the electronics market. Their company eventually became the largest producer of car anti-theft devices in the country. They sold the business in 2000.
3. Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.): $152.3 million. Harman is married to audio-equipment mogul Sidney Harman; stock holdings from his company, Harman International Industries, helped Harman's net worth grow by $40 million last year. Sidney Harman is in the process of purchasing Newsweek; the magazine's massive debts will presumably drag down Harman's 2010 disclosure numbers a bit.
4. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WVa.): $83.7 million. No surprise here: The Rockefeller family name has for generations been a byword for fabulous riches. (Rockefeller's great-grandfather John Rockefeller was an oil magnate; inflation-adjusted figures still peg the founder of the Rockefeller fortune as the wealthiest man in history.) But the senator's uptick in personal wealth last year came mainly from his wife's investments.
5. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas): $73.8 million. McCaul saw his net worth double last year, mostly owing to stocks held by his wife. McCaul's father-in-law founded the radio empire Clear Channel Communications.
6. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.): $70.2 million. Warner made millions through investments in the cell phone industry, including the Nextel company.
7. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.): $56.5 million. Before his 2008 election to Congress, Polis made a fortune in online enterprises, transforming his family's greeting card company into BlueMountain.com and founding ProFlowers.com.
8. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.): $53.5 million. Buchanan grew wealthy as the owner of multiple auto dealerships in Florida.
9. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.): $49.7 million. Lautenberg co-founded a payroll services company in the 1950s that became one of the industry's global leaders.
10. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.): $46.1 million. Most of the California lawmaker's wealth comes from real-estate holdings and investments made by her husband.

Top 5 Social Security Myths

Myth #1: Social Security is going broke.

Reality: There is no Social Security crisis. By 2023, Social Security will have a $4.6 trillion surplus (yes, trillion with a 'T'). It can pay out all scheduled benefits for the next quarter-century with no changes whatsoever.1 After 2037, it'll still be able to pay out 75% of scheduled benefits—and again, that's without any changes. The program started preparing for the Baby Boomers' retirement decades ago.2 Anyone who insists Social Security is broke probably wants to break it themselves.

Myth #2: We have to raise the retirement age because people are living longer.

Reality: This is a red-herring to trick you into agreeing to benefit cuts. Retirees are living about the same amount of time as they were in the 1930s. The reason average life expectancy is higher is mostly because many fewer people die as children than they did 70 years ago.3 What's more, what gains there have been are distributed very unevenly—since 1972, life expectancy increased by 6.5 years for workers in the top half of the income brackets, but by less than 2 years for those in the bottom half.4 But those intent on cutting Social Security love this argument because raising the retirement age is the same as an across-the-board benefit cut.

Myth #3: Benefit cuts are the only way to fix Social Security.

Reality: Social Security doesn't need to be fixed. But if we want to strengthen it, here's a better way: Make the rich pay their fair share. If the very rich paid taxes on all of their income, Social Security would be sustainable for decades to come.5 Right now, high earners only pay Social Security taxes on the first $106,000 of their income.6 But conservatives insist benefit cuts are the only way because they want to protect the super-rich from paying their fair share.

Myth #4: The Social Security Trust Fund has been raided and is full of IOUs

Reality: Not even close to true. The Social Security Trust Fund isn't full of IOUs, it's full of U.S. Treasury Bonds. And those bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.7 The reason Social Security holds only treasury bonds is the same reason many Americans do: The federal government has never missed a single interest payment on its debts. President Bush wanted to put Social Security funds in the stock market—which would have been disastrous—but luckily, he failed. So the trillions of dollars in the Social Security Trust Fund, which are separate from the regular budget, are as safe as can be.

Myth #5: Social Security adds to the deficit

Reality: It's not just wrong—it's impossible! By law, Social Security's funds are separate from the budget, and it must pay its own way. That means that Social Security can't add one penny to the deficit.8

Defeating these myths is the first step to stopping Social Security cuts. Can you share this list now?



Sources:

1."To Deficit Hawks: We the People Know Best on Social Security," New Deal 2.0, June 14, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89703&id=22140-15415651-RKDL.ax&t=4

2. "The Straight Facts on Social Security," Economic Opportunity Institute, September 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89704&id=22140-15415651-RKDL.ax&t=5

3. "Social Security and the Age of Retirement," Center for Economic and Policy Research, June 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89705&id=22140-15415651-RKDL.ax&t=6

4. "More on raising the retirement age," Washington Post, July 8, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89706&id=22140-15415651-RKDL.ax&t=7

5. "Social Security is sustainable," Economic and Policy Institute, May 27, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89707&id=22140-15415651-RKDL.ax&t=8

6. "Maximum wage contribution and the amount for a credit in 2010," Social Security Administration, April 23, 2010
http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/240

7. "Trust Fund FAQs," Social Security Administration, February 18, 2010
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/ProgData/fundFAQ.html

8."To Deficit Hawks: We the People Know Best on Social Security," New Deal 2.0, June 14, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89703&id=22140-15415651-RKDL.ax&t=9

Socialist Party of Connecticut News: August 2010

News and Views:



Stop The Wars and Defend Our Civil Liberties: By Andrea Pason and Billy Wharton The recent disclosure of thousands of top-secret documents by Wikileaks and the Washington Post media project “Top Secret America,” makes one point perfectly clear – the American people need to act now to stop the US military and the growing security state.

Read More: http://www.socialistwebzine.org/2010/07/act-now-to-stop-wars-and-defend-our.html



Regarding Peter Schiff’s View of History: By Todd Vachon Here is a bit of what Mr. Schiff had to say: "I think the workers benefited dramatically from the transition from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy. We eliminated women labor in the country, child labor, because of capitalism. You know the reason – you know, my grandmother didn't have to work because my grandfather didn't have to pay any taxes. She was free to take care of eight kids, because that's what she wanted to do…” Read More: http://vachonforcongress.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html



Pennies Per Hour? How can we really expect any corporation to make things in America?
Seriously. Even if we worked for $2 per/hr it would still be more profitable for a corporation to outsource and exploit labor abroad….

Read More: http://vachonforcongress.blogspot.com/2010/08/less-than.htm



Socialists Take on NOM On Tuesday July 27th, the National Organization for Marriage “Summer of Marriage Tour" came to Mad-Town (Madison, WI) for a rally at the Capitol to spew their hatred for the LGBT Community and to say that Gays have no rights and can never have any rights… Read More: http://www.socialistwebzine.org/2010/07/socialists-take-on-nom.html




Calendar of Events:


Saturday August 14-15th:

*SPUSA National Organizing Conference- Madison, WI. Featuring Cindy Sheehan, Paul Buhle, United Sons of Toil and More!

Details Here: http://socialistparty-usa.org/2010conference/index.html




Our Media Recommendations for the Month:



Film: The Fever: By Vanessa Redgrave http://www.democracynow.org/2007/6/13/vanessa_redgrave_combines_lifelong_devotion_to



YouTube Video: Crises of Capitalism -Animated Talk By David Harvey, Animation by RSA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOP2V_np2c0&feature=player_embedded#!


Print: Top Secret America By William Arkin of WaPo http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/19/top_secret_america__washington_post



Audio: Solidarity Forever: Being Sung By Pete Seeger (with a great slide show to accompany it too!) http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=kYiKdJoSsb8&feature=related




Online Labor Action:



Support Bangledeshi Garment Workers: Is 35 cents/per/hr too much to ask from Walmart? Please sign this petition to support the struggle: www.wakeupwalmart.com



Turkey: Free Jailed Trade-Unionists Now! http://www.labourstart.org/




Our Radical Quote of the Month:



“I have never had a vote, and I have raised hell all over this country. You don't need a vote to raise hell! You need convictions and a voice!” - Mother Jones



Happy Birthday

Alex and Mimi! Did I forget anyone?





In Solidarity,



Todd Vachon

Statewide Chair

Socialist Party of CT

spcentralct@gmail.com

www.votevachon.com



State Secretary: Dr. James Marra





Ps;

Please feel free to send suggestions and submissions for the September Newsletter!



Don’t Forget to join us on Facebook: CT Socialists

And on Myspace at www.socialistpartyct.org

Pennies Per Hour?

I just have one quick question and then an appeal.

Question: How can we really expect any corporation to make things in America?

Seriously. Even if we worked for $2 per/hr it would still be more profitable for a corporation to outsource and exploit labor abroad.

Now, it is common on the right in America to blame "greedy" unions for outsourcing, but that simply isn't true. Heck, even without unions you can't find Americans that will work for pennies per hour.

The other typical response is to blame the victim; you know, "those people will work for nothing, they're stealing our jobs."

But again, when these same overseas workers reveal that they only work for nothing because they haven't a choice, and then decide to form unions, the story changes to "those greedy workers want too much and now my $8 Walmart shirt costs $10. WTF!?"

The plain and simple problem is that there are little or no labor/environmental protections in "developing countries."

Remember, capitalists don't just decide whether or not they want their brand to be "made in America". They are forced by the laws of competition to seek out the cheapest possible labor sources in order to maximize profits.
If they don't and their competitors do, they won't be capitalist much longer.

So, it would seem that the best solution for workers on both sides of the ocean is to win labor struggles overseas that bring the living standards and labor/environmental practices over there about 125 years into their future (aka our present).

It begins with struggles like the one detailed below.

Remember though, labor struggles are very dangerous in countries that don't have labor laws (just as it was for American workers in the 1880s who fought and died for the 12hr day, then the 10hr day and finally the 8hr day and some kind of minimum wages and safety standards). It's dangerous because there are no existing labor laws, and the capitalist-owned government sends in the troops to gun you down when you start organizing to get your fair share of the product....

That's why our open and visible support for workers abroad is so important. As citizens of "the empire", our support gives them a bit more security than they would otherwise have.

Please consider signing this petition to support one such case in Bangledesh and then pass it on to some friends, maybe even keep an ear to the street for others in the future.

Higher wages and protections abroad makes their lives better as well as pressures corporations to return jobs "home", thus making our lives better too.

The details are below.

Thank You,

Todd

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Subject: Is 35¢ Too Much To Ask From Walmart?

Please join Wake Up Walmart and the National Labor Committee in calling on Walmart to support a 35 cent per hour minimum wage for garment workers in Bangladesh.

Last week we posted on our blog about how Walmart's $8 pairs of jeans were made by Bengali garment workers, mostly young women, who are paid the equivalent of 11.5 cents an hour. This week these workers took to the streets in protest over wages, where at least 25 workers were injured by authorities.

Please join us in calling on Rajan Kamalanathan, Walmart's Vice President of "Ethical" Sourcing, to support protesting workers in Bangladesh in calling for a garment worker minimum wage of 35 cents an hour. Visit: www.wakeupwalmart.com to sign the petition.

Walmart’s claim that it sources its products in an ethical manner is completely undermined when workers are forced to take to the streets in protest over wages so low they have been called “not only insufficient, but also inhumane” by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

Thank you for your support,

Wake Up Walmart


www.wakeupwalmart.com

Regarding Peter Schiff’s View of History

Peter Schiff, one of the wealthy capitalist candidates vying for the Republican ballot position, was recently interviewed on WNPR’s “Where we Live.” Here is a bit of what he had to say:

"I think the workers benefited dramatically from the transition from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy. We eliminated women labor in the country, child labor, because of capitalism. You know the reason – you know, my grandmother didn't have to work because my grandfather didn't have to pay any taxes. She was free to take care of eight kids, because that's what she wanted to do. But today, very few women have the choice to be stay-at-home moms. They are now back in the workforce. Capitalism lifted them out of the workforce but big government bureaucracy, high taxes and the social welfare state – that's the reason now that so few women, and men for that matter, can choose not to work. They have to work to support the government."

Hearing such a revised version of history from someone of his class is not surprising, but having it aired on public radio is another story. Mr. Schiff is entitled to his ideological beliefs as much as I am to my own, but these beliefs do not allow the complete re-writing of history. In a few short minutes he completely erased the woman's suffrage movement, woman's lib movement, the labor movement and pretty much anything that was not a “natural force of the market” right out of the history books. George Orwell is surely rolling in his grave.

Not only is Mr. Schiff’s account of U.S. history wrong, but it is dangerous. It invites anti-democratic tendencies into the mainstream. As a socialist, I am often mistaken for being one of two things; either some kind of utopian pipe-dreamer or some kind of anti-democratic Soviet-Style Communist. What I’d like to propose is the opposite, that Free-Market worshipers are in fact the utopians and certainly tend to be opposed to democracy. Just think for a minute about this: Government regulation of industry was originally won by democratic measures (but now by corporate lobbyists in the interest of industry). Groups of disgruntled citizens pressured the elected government to enact laws that addressed their grievances. As long as there is democracy and a big enough group of people being screwed there is going to be pressure to regulate. To put it another way, the only way that a truly unregulated free-market economy can exist is to completely eliminate democracy.

When a caller challenged Mr Schiff’s dogmatic blind-faith in deregulated capitalism, Schiff replied: "What you have is a revisionist, socialist version of history." He went on to argue that workers in the 19th century were not exploited by business owners. Thankfully the caller rightfully noted that the profit motive did not prevent business owners from abusing the rights of their workers. The caller further said that the very "reason we have the regulations we have is because of the abuse that was heaped on the middle and lower classes by the very free market system that you are espousing."

To insinuate that the caring and compassionate capitalist class created the 8 hour day, workplace safety standards, women’s equality, etc.. is to spit on the graves of the countless hard-working men and women who fought hard and many died for these simple measures. It was neither the capitalists nor the government that helped the working class or women; it was the women and the working class itself exercising it’s political influence in a democratic manner that won change, and that is exactly what the far right fears.

Now, I’d rather not waste too much time reflecting on this guy and his upper-class view of reality, but I would like to conclude by simply reminding readers that it was in fact capitalism which brought women and children to work in factories. The capitalists did this for one reason and one reason only: because they could pay them so much less than men at that time (and this is still true for women today).

Flawed Logic # 7: Outsourcing, Unions and Cheap Labor‏

During the course of a wonderful family reunion visit with my grandfather in Mid-Coast Maine I encountered a case of.......(Duh,Duh,Duh!) "Flawed Logic!"

This time it came about in a discussion with a family member while paroozing the isles of a local grocery chain. The subject was jobs, and more specifically, the lack of them in America. The discussion, quite logically, led to the topic of outsourcing. It was then that the.....(Duh,Duh,Duh!) "Flawed Logic!" Reared its ugly head.

The reasoning, rather simply, went something like this: "Unions are destroying our country. These greedy workers are hurting businesses and forcing them to outsource work overseas."

I, being a loving family member and on (a very short and low-budget) vacation thought twice before responding. I decided instead to change the subject; "I can't believe they can sell liquor, wine and beer in the grocery store here!"

This very troubling logic and understanding of the world came from a known-to-be conservative family member whom I love very much, but have had unfruitful disagreements with in the past. It was definitely best to enjoy our short stay together and not spend time trying to convince each other of things that neither of us would likely concede.

The problem, however, was that this comment kept repeating itself in my mind all afternoon and was driving me nuts! So, at last, when my wife and I lugged our bags and three sleeping children into the hotel at 9pm, I picked up my phone and began typing this general response. (Yes, I said cell phone, and yes my thumbs are killing me right now!)

Response: Unions are the cause of outsourcing? Do you know how many private sector workers are actually in unions? They only make up 7.2% of the workforce.* Even in the 70s and 80s, when the outsourcing madness began, they only numbered 13%! Now think about all of the countless companies that shipped jobs over seas; the overwhelming majority were non-union businesses. How could unions have caused their non-union competitors (who already had a competitive advantage because of lower bottom lines due to cheaper labor expenditures) to start shipping their production lines overseas? Better yet, suppose we went back in time to 1978 and passed a constitutional amendment that outlawed unions. Would this have stopped outsourcing? Would all of these profit-seeking corporations have ignored the incredible competitive advantage of using cheap labor overseas? Absolutely, positively NOT! They want maximum profit, and are required by law to do whatever it takes to deliver this.

[Side note for my well intentioned "liberal" friends: I've got to say that even if the Democrats had defeated Reagan the problem would still exist in essentially the same way it does today.]

The problem is not unions, as conservatives argue. The problem is not Republicans, as liberals argue. The problem is "the coercive laws of competition."

Capitalists are always seeking a competitive advantage over other companies in order to increase their profits. So, as soon as one corporation sees how much more cheese it can rake in by capitalizing on cheap labor and weak environmental laws abroad, then every other capitalist must do the same in order to stay competitive and remain in business.

The problem is inherent in the system itself.

One possible solution, I might add, could actually be more unions! Unions in places like China. This would force stronger labor protections and higher wages in these countries which would in turn remove the incentive of U.S. Companies to seek outsourced production overseas.....

Well, that's it for this time folks. From "Up North" Maine, this has been another case of......(Duh,Duh,Duh!) "Flawed Logic!"

See you next time!

*union member statistics can be verified here: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm

Freedom of Political Speech on Public Campuses

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Open Letter to the Dean of MCC:
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It has come to my attention that there is some controversy regarding the collection of signatures by a minor party candidate on your campus. I am writing to express my deep concerns regarding the importance of protecting free political speech in public places.

As a taxpayer and a state university student, I would strongly urge you to protect the very important and basic civil liberty of free speech in public spaces.

It would seem on the surface that this political activity is only deemed "controversial" because of it's standing outside of the mainstream. One wonders if the response would have been the same if the candidate were of a different political persuasion; for instance, from the Green or the Libertarian Party. I would remind you that freedom of political speech is at the core of our nation's founding, is prominently built into our constitution, and is a basic tenant of a democratic society; a society which is itself a result of free speech that was "not in the mainstream" during it's day.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Todd Vachon


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The Background:
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Complaints regarding the politics of the Socialist Action campaign to elect Chris Hutchinson to U.S. Congress have led administrators at Manchester Community College to require campaign volunteers on the MCC campus to sit behind a table while collecting signatures to put their candidate on the November ballot. Volunteers - including an MCC student - have been told that if they approach a person on campus to ask for a signature they will face arrest, making signature collection next to impossible.

We believe this represents a threat to free speech on all Connecticut campuses and to the ability of third party candidates to obtain ballot status. We strongly urge supporters of free speech to contact the campus administrators below to express support for these rights on MCC's campus.

The first complaint against Socialist Action was lodged by a member of the Young Republicans who boasted about his ability to help kick socialists off the campus on his blog. His post ends with, "We already have one Socialist in office we don't need more, and with the help of The Greater Manchester Young Republicans we prevented another one today." His blog post can be seen here: http://gmyr.blogspot.com/

After this incident we were told we had to check in with the office of Student Affairs before collecting signatures. We did so on June 16th without any problems.

On Wednesday June 23rd, while two campaign activists (including an MCC student) collected signatures on campus (after having obtained permission to do so) a complaint was made "against disturbing literature being pushed on persons" (quoting from the police report) alongside two anonymous complaints which made no specific allegations other than that the volunteers were members of the "Communist Party."

In response the campus police told the two volunteers that they were required to remain at their seats at the table, and that if they approached people for signatures they would face arrest. Two police officers were then stationed about 30 feet from either side of the table.

We met with the Dean of Student Affairs and the Assistant to the Dean of Student Affairs on the afternoon of Wednesday June 30th to defend our right to political speech. They have said they need to talk more with other Administrators, faculty and staff before making a decision on the right to petition or distribute literature on campus, and will contact us by Tuesday, July 5th.

This is a critical moment for defenders of free speech to express their opinion to the MCC administration.

Today the space for open political debate, discussion and organizing is extremely narrow. The arduous but elementary task of collecting signatures to put new candidates and parties on the ballot requires the ability to approach people for signatures - especially in spaces where many people congregate. Most of these spaces are now privately owned. But Manchester Community is a public college funded by tax dollars and student tuition. It is an institution of education where open debate, discussion, and organizing should not simply be defended, but encouraged. Political speech and activity will always be controversial. Simple differences of opinion cannot justify curtailing the right to express political opinions or to seek out like-minded individuals.

Please call and/or e-mail the Dean of Student Affairs and the Assistant to the Dean of Student Affairs to express your support for the right to collect signatures and distribute political literature on Manchester Community College's campus. Please be polite and courteous, but firm. The administrators can be reached here:

Duncan Harris, Dean of Student Affairs
(860) 512-3202
GHarris@mcc.commnet.edu

Umesh Vig, Assistant to the Dean of Student Affairs
(860) 512-3204
UVig@mcc.commnet.edu

Feel free to contact us for more information at 860-986-9750 or votesocialistaction@gmail.com

Text from the "disturbing literature" can be read here:
http://votesocialistaction.org/about-the-campaign/
http://votesocialistaction.org/demands/

SPCT News-June 2010

Socialist Party of Connecticut News: June 2010

News:

Socialists March Against SB1070: On May 25, members of the Socialist Party USA joined the mass demonstration protesting the racist law SB 1070 in Phoenix, Arizona….
Read More: http://www.socialistwebzine.org/2010/06/socialists-march-against-sb1070.html

SPUSA Co-Chairs Condemn Israeli Attack on Humanitarian Aid Boat: As co-chairs of the Socialist Party USA we condemn the attack by the Israeli Defense Forces on the unarmed humanitarian aid boat The Spirit of Humanity…
Read More: http://www.socialistwebzine.org/2010/06/socialist-chairs-respond-to-israeli.html

Solidarity with Greece: The Socialist Party USA resolutely supports the workers and students protesting against the IMF/European Union imposed austerity package…
Read More: http://socialistparty-usa.org/statements/greeksolidarity510.html


Calendar of Events:

Friday June 4th
*7pm: How Can We Save Public Education? Panel Discussion
La Paloma Sabanera Coffee Shop 405 Capitol Ave, Hartford

Saturday June 5th:
*June Membership Meeting- CHANGED to teleconference
For Info Contact: spcentralct@gmail.com

Monday June 14th:
*6pm: “Why Are We In Afghanistan” Free Film and Discussion at New Haven Free Public
Library, community room. Temple & Elm Sts, New Haven, CT. Refreshments will be served
More Info: http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2009/zweig121209.html
Contact: grnhpeacecouncil@gmail.com

June 22-26th:
*U.S. Social Forum. Detroit, MI Info: www.ussf2010.org

Saturday July 17th:
*SPCT Statewide Convention- nominations and elections for state and local executive committee. Details to follow, Info: spcentralct@gmail.com

Saturday August 14-15th:
*SPUSA National Organizing Conference- Neighborhood House Community Center
29 S. Mills St. Madison, WI Info: www.socialistparty-usa.org


Our Media Recommendations for the Month:

Video: Why Are We in Afghanistan: http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2009/zweig121209.html

Print:The Working Class Majority: By Michael Zweig http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=3369&_userreference=12759215795A1D5E3010F07C3C41751D6B

Audio: There is Power in a Union: By Joe Glazer http://us.dada.net/music/joeglazer/there-is-power-in-a-union_1609134m.html


Our Radical Quote of the Month:

“Capital is dead labor, which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labor, and lives the more, the more labor it sucks”. – Karl Marx


Happy Birthday
Stephen and Tristan! Did I forget anyone?


In Solidarity,

Todd Vachon
Statewide Chair
Socialist Party of CT
spcentralct@gmail.com
www.votevachon.com

State Secretary: Dr. James Marra


Ps;
Don’t Forget to join us on Facebook: CT Socialists
And on Myspace at www.socialistpartyct.org

Response to Attack on Humanitarian Aid Flotilla

May 31, 2010

As co-chair’s of the Socialist Party USA we condemn the attack by the Israeli
Defense Forces on the unarmed humanitarian aid boat The Spirit of Humanity.
The boat was carrying desperately needed aid supplies meant to break the
inhuman Israeli blockade of Gaza. The death of at least 10 people, the
injuring of dozens and the arrest of 20 stands as one of the most egregious
attacks on humanitarian workers ever.

We join the activist group Viva Palestina in calling for the immediate release
of those arrested so that they may continue their mission. We join the
international community, including the United Nations Commission on Human
Rights, in calling for an immediate end the blockade of Gaza. Finally, as
Americans, we demand an immediate end to all military aid provided by the US
government to Israel.

Andrea Pason
Co-chair- Socialist Party USA

Bill Wharton
Co-chair- Socialist Party USA

Israel Attacks Gaza Humanitarian Aid Flotilla
May 31, 2010
In an international act of piracy and murder in international waters, the Israeli navy intercepted, boarded, and opened fire on humanitarian activists on a flotilla of ships attempting to deliver humanitarian supplies to the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian Gaza Strip.

According to news reports, Israeli commandos killed as many as 19 humanitarian activists on board one ship, and have abducted all 700 passengers on board the six boats composing the flotilla who are in the process of being sent against their will to Israel for arrest and/or deportation.

The reaction of the Obama Administration to Israel's attack on the humanitarian aid flotilla, which included U.S. citizens, has been tepid. A White House spokesperson stated that he "deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained."

Of course, this statement completely ignores U.S. complicity in arming Israel and enabling its human rights abuses. In July 2008, the United States signed a contract worth $1.9 billion to transfer the latest-generation of naval combat vessels to Israel at U.S. taxpayer expense. Currently, Congress is in the process of appropriating a record $3.2 billion in military aid to Israel this budget year.

Events are moving quickly. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apparently canceled his meeting tomorrow at the White House to return to Israel. Later today, the UN Security Council is set to address Israel's attack on the humanitarian flotilla. For the latest news from the flotilla, please click here.

TAKE ACTION

1. Organize an emergency protest against Israel's attack on the humanitarian flotilla. Find events near you and post your event details by clicking here.

2. Contact the U.S. Mission to the United Nations at 212-415-4062 right away and demand that U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice vote to support a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel's action and initiating an investigation.

3. Learn more about the deadly impact of U.S. military aid to Israel and take action to end it by clicking here.

BP Oil Spill A Crime

Language matters, especially at times of crisis. The explosion on BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig that released hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico has been called a “disaster” by many. It isn’t a disaster. It is a crime. Early estimates are that the spill will cost more than $14 billion to clean, will devastate local fisheries for generations and will result in untold damage to all parts of the ecology in the Gulf region. Corporations are the criminals here - British Petroleum (BP) and, a company that is no stranger to corporate crime, Halliburton. This massive spill highlights both the need for an immediate transition to clean energy sources and the need to apply democratic controls to inherently criminal multinational corporations.

The clean up of the area must begin immediately, it must be conducted with the consultation and best interest of local fishermen and environmentalists and it must be entirely paid for by BP. In addition, BP should be made to pay into a public fund that would be used for the continued clean up and preservation of the local ecology. Any failure to meet these demands should result in the seizure of the US holdings of BP and its banning from conducting business in this country. Anything less than this should be considered as a betrayal to the best interests of residents of region and the broader international community.

This massive oil spill demonstrates the urgent need to transition to clean renewable energy forms. Such a transition will not likely take place inside of a capitalist system where short-term profiteering dominates the allocation of capital funds. BP has fought the federal government on safety procedures that might have minimized the impact of the most recent spill for more than a decade. CEOs do not get bonuses based upon ensuring future generation’s access to resources, clean air, or a hospitable climate. The purpose of corporations is not to oversee the welfare of the people of the world, but to make money. Environmental damage is not factored into the corporate calculations of costs and profits. Instead, environmental damage is viewed as the collateral damage of the free market in operation.

Not surprisingly, BP had a partner in this crime – Halliburton. Fresh off their stint bilking US taxpayers during the war in Iraq, the company was contracted by BP to cement the drill, oil well and pipe into the ocean floor. The Los Angeles Times reports that this task was completed a mere 20 hours before the well exploded. Not surprisingly, Halliburton has also been accused of being responsible for another oil spill in the Timor Sea last August after completing a similar cementing job. Here was see the logic of capitalism in full display. BP wants to take the cheapest bid for the job and Halliburton wants to pocket the most money with the least costs. All with no mind paid to the environment, local fishermen, or the future of the planet.

Meanwhile, politicians from the Democratic and Republican parties serve as willing accomplices to the corporations. In 2008, the McCain/Palin ticket was run on the suicidal slogan of “Drill Baby Drill!” The campaign of now President Barack Obama softly dismissed these claims, but once in office, designed a plan to allow oil exploration off the coastline of North America. The current spill exposes the bankruptcy of Obama’s drilling plan and the futility of his cap-and-trade market based proposals to address carbon emissions. Corporations will continue to pollute the environment as long as they have political partners who will allow them to evade the desires of the vast majority of people in this country for clean energy and a safe environment.

The Socialist Party USA offers a clear eco-socialist alternative to the proposals of the two parties. By establishing a system of public ownership and democratic control over our natural resources, we will ensure that corporations are prevented from exploiting and spoiling our environment. By creating strong enforceable laws regarding endangered species that focus on habitat-centered protection, we propose to begin repairing the damage done by capitalist production. Finally, we intend to bring the United States back into line with the world by signing on to international environmental treaties and participating and supporting grassroots environmental justice efforts. In short, our goal is to create a cleaner, more democratic future where environmental preservation, instead of profit motive, becomes a primary part of economic decision-making.

Capitalist profit-motive will be the death of our planet. Democratic socialism, operating on an international basis, can save our fragile ecosystem and our health by defending the rights of future generations to clean water, clean air and a democratically run society.

from Socialist Party USA, National Action Committee
download this statement in pamphlet form click here

SPCT News- May 2010

Socialist Party of Connecticut News: May 2010



News:

+May Day on the New Haven Green was a tremendous success! Thanks to Kristin, Jim, Tiffany, Adam and Chris for joining me and distributing over 100 copies of TS to a mostly friendly crowd on a nice sunny day. Pictures and video footage to come on our FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Socialist-Party-of-Connecticut/194963850971



+SPCT Endorses Hutchinson Campaign*- Thanks to everyone who participated in the vote. While Socialist Action has different organizing strategies and vision from the Socialist Party, the majority of members who voted found the Hutchinson platform to be much in line with our own and wanted to support a working class political campaign that will hopefully bring class issues into the light of day. (*endorsement awaiting approval from SPUSA National Committee)



Our Calendar of Events:



Saturday May 1st:

*11:00am-7:00pm May Day New Haven Green, New Haven, CT- SPCT will have a table and be present all day, stop in to say hello, get a free copy of The Socialist magazine and more! http://www.maydaynewhaven.org

* 5:30 SPCT party chair Todd Vachon (aka Mista Mayday) will be performing with “The Hired Gun” and “West Road” at New Haven May Day on the green www.mistamayday.com

*12:00 May Day Hartford, Hartford, CT http://www.revleft.com/vb/may-day-2010-t128843/index.html



Friday May 7th:

*7:30-10:00 Fundraiser Dinner for Hutchinson for Congress- Church of the Sacred Heart, 49 Winthrop St. Hartford, CT- $20 regular, $12 Student/unemployed. http://www. votesocialistaction.org



Saturday May 8th:

*2-4pm: Marx’s Kapital Discussion Group- XXX---CANCELLED, RESCHED TBA---XXX http://groups.google.com/group/ct-das-kapital-discussion-group?lnk=srg



Saturday May 15th:

*The People Celebrate Howard Zinn
2:00- 4:00 pm @ the Old South Church (645 Boylston St., Copley Square). A People's Celebration of the life and contributions of Howard Zinn, 1922-2010, featuring music, action and readings of Professor Zinn’s work in the labor, anti-war, education and civil rights movements.
Info.: zinncelebration2010@gmail.com



Saturday June 5th:

*June Membership Meeting, Details to follow



June 22-26th:

*U.S. Social Forum. Detroit, MI Info: www.ussf2010.org



Saturday July 17th:

*SPCT Statewide Convention- nominations and elections for state and local executive committee, Details to follow



Saturday August 14-15th:

*SPUSA National Organizing Conference- Neighborhood House Community Center
29 S. Mills St. Madison, WI www.socialistparty-usa.org





Our Media Recommendations for the Month:



Video: The Corporation: www.thecorporation.com/



Print: From Capitalism to Equality: By Charles Andrews www.laborrepublic.org/



Audio: Don’t Ride The Fence: By The Coup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v10nfUUqD48





Our Radical Quote of the Month:



Another Fun Plot Twist:

"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."

-U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864 (letter to Col. William F. Elkins)



Happy Birthday

No May Birthdays?



In Solidarity,



Todd Vachon

Statewide Chair

Socialist Party of CT

spcentralct@gmail.com

www.votevachon.com



State Secretary: Dr. James Marra

Intern: Felipe Valencia



Ps;

Don’t Forget to join us on Facebook: CT Socialists

And on Myspace at www.socialistpartyct.org

Repeal Arizona's Anti-Immigrant Law

Repeal Arizona's Anti-Immigrant Law


The Socialist Party USA calls for the immediate repeal of the “Support Our
Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” (SB 1070) in Arizona. This law
sanctions racial profiling and gives cover to the repressive actions of
officials such as the racist Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Further, we call for an
immediate moratorium on all police raids of immigrant communities; we demand
the closure of the immigrant detention camps and an end to the militarization
of the US-Mexico border.

Arizona has become the epicenter of struggle for the rights of immigrants. The
state offers the clearest example of the abject failure of the current
immigration policies in the United States. These policies rely on the use of
force – ICE raids and the border police – backed up by an equally brutal
labor discipline that traps the undocumented in low-wage dead-end jobs. The
results are well known – the splitting up of families, the death and
criminalization of migrants and a race-to-the-bottom for work conditions and
wages. A 2009 mass march in Phoenix, Arizona led by young people who had been
separated from their undocumented parents and families highlighted the terrible
human costs of these systematic attacks on immigrants. SB 1070 seeks to take
this process a step further by transforming Arizona into the equivalent of a
police state where anyone with brown skin becomes a suspect. In response,
immigrant communities and their allies, all across the country, are mobilizing
to demand an end to the repression.

Such fervor has not, however, made it to Washington, where Democrats are
preparing reform legislation that amounts to more of the same. Much like the
recent healthcare reform, immigration reform has been watered down to suit the
needs of Republicans and employers. This is no surprise since, as a candidate,
now President Barack Obama never fully distanced himself from the Republican's
positions on immigration: the border wall, more military presence on the
border, and building more detention camps. Despite this, he still gained the
support of mainstream immigration reform groups who slowed down a vibrant May
1st Immigrant Rights movement. The now disarmed movement was left without any
commitments from Democratic candidates and with no plans to mobilize after the
elections.

The current legislation under consideration will do little to address the
problem. Bills such as “the Dream Act” of 2009, which would provide
conditional permanent residency to a few immigrants who entered the country as
minors or have “good moral character,” will not break the crisis in
Arizona. Instead, such reforms attempt to paper-over the demands from immigrant
communities in order to continue the cycle of militarization, repression and
wage slavery.
Socialists have something significant to offer to the immigration reform
discussion. We call for an unconditional amnesty program for all undocumented
people. This demand is based on our desire to create a world in which everyone
will be able to move freely across borders, to visit, to work and to live
wherever they choose. Amnesty will also allow workers, documented and
undocumented, to begin to advance serious demands for wages and benefits.
Amnesty will move us out of the current immigration crisis and towards a
society based on freedom.
Defeating SB 1070 is an urgent first step in this direction and the Socialist
Party USA encourages our members and allies to join in this struggle.

¡No somos criminales, somos trabajadores internacionales!
¡Que viva la justicia y la dignidad de los migrantes unidos sin fronteras!"


Passed by the Socialist Party USA People of Color Commission April 29, 2010

May Day 2010

“Ideas,” someone once wrote, “move rapidly when their time comes.” As we gather to celebrate May Day, the continuing capitalist crisis makes socialism an idea ready to move rapidly. While the banks have received trillion dollar bailouts, working people still face mass unemployment, state and local budget cuts and deepening personal debt. Capitalist crisis has made the socialist vision of a world where human needs are put ahead of individual profits even more relevant. Our task on May Day is to convert socialism from a good idea into a movement to transform our society.

Capitalism Exposed
The recent economic crisis was more than a banking crisis or a housing price bubble. It was a demonstration that there is a fundamental problem at the center of capitalism. That problem lies in the nature of corporations themselves. Noam Chomsky once described corporations as “unaccountable private tyrannies.” There is no democracy inside of a corporation and, as a result, there is no democracy on our worksites. Corporations are undemocratic entities created only to make profits from exploiting the labor of workers.

The undemocratic corporate model now also dominates American politics. A corrupting system of campaign donations and lobbying ensures that both Democrats and Republicans serve the interests of corporate America. When corporate profits declined, politicians began handing out trillions of dollars in public money to them. When these same corporations fired millions of workers, neither Democrat nor Republican attempted to stop them.

Socialist Solutions
Socialism offers an alternative to undemocratic profit-mad capitalism. By ensuring that people’s needs for housing, healthcare, education and employment are guaranteed, a socialist society will offer equality of opportunity. By bringing democracy to the economy through worker’s control of production, we will make sure that the place where most people spend their adult lives operates democratically. By organizing participatory budgeting, we will put people at the center of the system – fully empowered to make decisions concerning the future of the society they live in.

The powerful necessity of socialist ideas can be seen most clearly with the issue of immigration. The capitalist state presents restrictions and police actions as the proper way to keep immigrants in line. Conversely, socialists support the rights of all workers regardless of their status. We support the creation of an unconditional amnesty program and seek to build solidarity amongst workers throughout the world. Where capitalism offers ICE raids and the Border police, we support human freedom and social solidarity

May Day - Our Day
May Day is our day. A day when trade unionists, anarchists and socialists gather to state clearly that another world is possible. This other world is a democratic participatory one, where resources are shared for the betterment of humanity. However, democratic socialism will not come about spontaneously – we must get organized. So, today we invoke the names of Eugene Debs, of Caesar Chavez, of Dr. Martin Luther King to call on all working people to join the struggle for socialism. Move rapidly, act boldly, we have a world to win!