College Students Barricade the Campus 
- Workers March against Austerity in Marseilles
by Randy Shannon
Workers and students in France are putting up a heroic battle to protect their civilization from the depredations of the financial elites who want to return to the days of unbridled exploitation of labor.
Meanwhile, will US unions and political leaders meekly await for the Deficit Commission to deliver its proposed slashing of social security and Medicare benefits for US workers? The lame duck Congress will vote in December.
PA 4th CD Congressman Jason Altmire refuses to oppose cuts in social security. Altmire supports working us to death. Will American unions fight to protect our retirees from impoverishment by the banks and their Blue Dog Democrat and Republican servants?
When will we wake up to realize that for the bankers there is no bottom line on concessions. They will take our country back to the days our forefathers fought and died to overcome, a time of poverty, deprivation, indignity, lawlessness, and thievery on a mass scale.
Cong. Altmire needs to face large militant demonstrations against cutting social security. Let’s don’t have another occasion of sitting on our hands and then crying about the outcome. Social security has nothing to do with the deficit. It is our money that Cong. Altmire plans to steal for the banks. It is better to fight and lose than to meekly accept this theft. At least we will still have our dignity.
Beaver County Blue: Voice of the 17th CD of Progressive Democrats of America 
The Unions Must use their Pension Funds as a tool to fight for all Workers. Billions of Dollars are the Weapon that Business/Government Understand. Pull Pension Funds from Companies that are at the Fore Front of the “Citizens United”, Unlimited Funding to the “Chamber of Commerce” or the Chamber of Horrors that will be awaiting the Workers if this Election re-powers the Repugs!
The first thing I did upon leaving the dentist’s office today after 1 and 1/2 hours of drilling was to stop at Altmire’s office for my third Wednesday of the month letter. (Actually the session was pretty routine.) We need to bring Altmire along or get him replaced without doing ourselves in.
Why are we in this hang dog or peasants beseeching-the-Tsar pose while the French seemingly are not? (Come on spell checker ‘Tsar’ it is. And ‘Altmire’ spells it this way HIMSELF. Could our allowing THAT be part of our problem?)
Famously the French including Parisians have been tearing up the bricks or cobble of Paris streets periodically for generations. Paris at the barricades it has been since 1788 and the revolution against monarchy until at least 1968 with the student uprising. Eight times between 1827 and 1849 alone. In that time there have been at least five French Republics, two French Empires, Vichy France, and De Gaulle’s Provisional Government of the French Government [1944-1947]. Well maybe it’s overdoing things to blame barricades but there have been a lot of governmental transitions during those times of torn up paving materials. And some defeats.
Interesting. The French have their solutions but they also have their problems. They’ve seemingly striven if only by accident or happenstance to keep their governments off balance. We need their spirit and some of us might have gained that on October 2 on the bus, or at least an increased enjoyment of life. But we should keep our eyes open.
The real lessons of France may yield to deeper and more patient examination. We have a lot to learn to learn fully. We should view them in context with other related developments, but the French sure are refreshing.
Are the French indeed on the path to a better way? With shrewdness and wisdom born of patience and an understanding of true change perhaps we are also. But we’re going to need purpose in abundance. Patience or perhaps more to the point a willingness to examine past habits and to alter them appropriately is what we need here. Maybe we should use our curiosity to reach out. And there are several ways to do that …