Economy, labor

Our Power vs. Their Power: USW’s Leo Gerard Interviews Acuff on Taxes and Jobs

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Leo W. Gerard

International President, United Steelworkers, July 6, 2010

Q&A with Veteran Labor Organizer Stewart J. Acuff

Leo W. Gerard: Stewart, you talk about power in a book you’ve written with economist Dr. Richard A. Levins. You called the manual, “Getting America Back to Work.” What’s the relationship between power and getting people back to work?

Stewart J. Acuff: A big part of the problem we have with this economy or the biggest problem is that most of the money has gone to the Financial Elite — and the power as well. To get America back to work we have to reinvest in our country and our workers. That necessarily means that the Financial Elite get less of the wealth generated by the economy and workers will get more. If you intend to take wealth from the richest people in the history of the world, you have to have enough power to do so.

Gerard: You say in the introduction that there are two kinds of power: “The first is lots of organized money. That is the kind of power the Financial Elite have used to bring the rest of us to our knees. The other source and form of power is lots of people: organized, mobilized, united, and taking action.” Do you really think that organized people can succeed in a wrangle with the financial elites?

Acuff: Absolutely! The economic history of the twentieth century is crystal clear. When unions were strong, working people had the lion’s share of income and the economy worked well. When unions were weakened, we have seen the Financial Elite take over and run the economy into the ground.

Continue reading Our Power vs. Their Power: USW’s Leo Gerard Interviews Acuff on Taxes and Jobs →

antiwar

Kucinich: We Are Losing Our Nation to Lies About the Necessity of War

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WASHINGTON – Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today made the following statement on the floor of the House concerning an expected vote on a $33 billion supplemental war funding bill:

“In a little more than a year the United States flew $12 billion in cash to Iraq, much of it in $100 bills, shrink wrapped and loaded onto pallets. Vanity Fair reported in 2004 that `at least $9 billion’ of the cash had `gone missing, unaccounted for.’ $9 billion.

“Today, we learned that suitcases of $3 billion in cash have openly moved through the Kabul airport. One U.S. official quoted by the Wall Street Journal said, `A lot of this looks like our tax dollars being stolen.’ $3 billion.  Consider this as the American people sweat out an extension of unemployment benefits.

“Last week, the BBC reported that “the US military has been giving tens of millions of dollars to Afghan security firms who are funneling the money to warlords.” Add to that a corrupt Afghan government underwritten by the lives of our troops.

“And now reports indicate that Congress is preparing to attach $10 billion in state education funding to a $33 billion spending bill to keep the war going.

“Back home millions of Americans are out of work, losing their homes, losing their savings, their pensions, and their retirement security.  We are losing our nation to lies about the necessity of war.

“Bring our troops home. End the war. Secure our economy.”

See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/djkucinich

Economy, labor

Green Jobs Now! Dept: Steelworkers, Wind Energy Group Join Forces

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Steelworkers, wind energy group join forces to create jobs

by: Mark Gruenberg

People’s World

June 29 2010

Photo: Workers finish a turbine blade at the Gamesa plant in Pennsylvania. PW/Teresa Albano

WindJobsGamesa

WASHINGTON (PAI) – The Steelworkers union and the American Wind Energy Association have signed an agreement on working together to develop the wind power industry, emphasizing the need for alternative energy devices – windmills and wind turbines generating electricity – produced by U.S. workers in U.S. factories.

Key parts of the pact include lobbying for a national standard ordering U.S. utilities to purchase a set percentage of their power from renewable sources – wind, solar, hydro, etc. – and for tax incentives to ensure the parts for the wind turbines and associated power plants and transmission lines are manufactured here, not overseas.

“We expect this framework will help advance the promise of green jobs being key to our future. The nation cannot continue to fall behind other countries on clean energy manufacturing,” said Steelworkers President Leo Gerard.

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elections

War Hawk General Must Go

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Robert Greenwald

Robert Greenwald

Filmmaker, Brave New Films

Posted: June 22, 2010 11:30 AM

McChrystal Must Resign

For insubordination, for disrespecting the Office of the President of the United States and for allowing derision of the White House among his staff, General Stanley McChrystal must resign.

McChrystal has been summoned from Afghanistan to explain derisive comments and insubordination detailed in a new Rolling Stone article by Michael Hastings. As detailed in the article, the general and his staff were clearly disrespectful of the office of the president, as well as contemptuous of the civilian leadership of our country. McChrystal’s behavior and his toleration of similar behavior from his staff breeds an attitude of contempt for civilian leadership among his officers, and no Commander-in-Chief should tolerate it. McChrystal should resign, and the president should accept his resignation.

In the article, McChrystal and his aides heap derision on National Security Advisor Jim Jones (a “clown,”), Vice President Joe Biden (“Bite me,”), and the President of the United States, Barack Obama.

When shown the article prior to it’s publication, McChrystal didn’t push back:

Eric Bates, the magazine’s editor, said during an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that McChrystal saw the piece prior to its publication as part of Rolling Stone’s standard fact-checking process – and that the general did not object to or dispute any of the reporting.

My friend, Michael Cohen, cites the United States Code of Military Justice to show how cut-and-dry this decision should be:

Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

General McChrystal, his staff, and his friends over at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) have tried to manhandle this president from the beginning. They’ve played media games to try to force the president’s hand on the most recent troop increase in Afghanistan. Now they’ve been clearly insubordinate, clearly contemptuous of the civilian leadership of this country. He’s corroded respect for the chain of command and for civilian control of the military. He must resign.

If the president wants to preserve a strong White House for the next president, he has to accept the resignation.

Sign our petition calling for McChrystal’s resignation. We’ll send it to the Pentagon and the White House when McChrystal shows up to explain himself.

elections

Deficit Hawk Orszag Must Go

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by Randy Shannon

The rumor mills in DC are spinning the story that White House Budget Director Peter Orszag will be resigning. This is welcome news. Orszag is an apostle of Robert Rubin, the Goldman Sachs executive and a key neo-liberal leader.
 
In the debate on healthcare and general government spending, Orszag has been the point man for the “deficit fetishists.” They say the cost of programs is more important than their beneficial social and economic effects, excluding of course BTW (Bank bailouts, Tax cuts for rich, and War).
 
The deficit fetishists are mobilizing their vast networks of “leaders” and media to orchestrate a campaign to convince the public that the government must renege on its obligations to payout the medicare and social security funds to beneficiaries.

They are already strong enough in the Senate to block extension of unemployment compensation, COBRA health subsidies, emergency funds to help hard hit state budgets, and maintaining Medicare doctor compensation.
 
This victory of the neo-liberals in the Senate, which consist of the Blue Dog Democrats and all the Republicans will have dire consequences for millions of Americans out of work or currently working as firemen, police, teachers, counselors, and in maintenance. It will also push the economy to the verge of another crisis, or double dip.
 
Obama must push these neoliberals out of his administration and bring in the reborn Keynesians, who believe that spending is the way out of the crisis. Americans need to get back to work. Over 15 million are jobless and producing no value to support the economy. Axing Orsag is a step in the right direction.
elections

Voters Protest Medicare Cuts at Cong. Altmire’s Office

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PDA Members Protest Medicare Cuts at Cong. Altmire's Office

by Randy Shannon

June 18, 2010

Some twenty concerned voters gathered at Cong. Jason Altmire’s Aliquppa, PA office at noon on June 16th for a Healthcare not Warfare vigil. The action was sponsored by Progressive Democrats of America and was held at the same time at over 100 Congressional offices across the country.

Local members of the PA 4th CD Chapter of PDA were joined by members of SOAR, the retired steelworkers, and members of the Western PA Coalition for Single Payer Healthcare.

Continue reading Voters Protest Medicare Cuts at Cong. Altmire’s Office →

elections

Tell Cong. Altmire Restore 21% cut to Medicare

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Vigil at Cong. Altmire’s office on Wed. June 16th at noon. Hands off Social Security and Medicare.

The Blue Dogs are using the banker created deficit as their excuse to cut critical programs that will keep workers alive and well. Blue Dog Altmire needs to hear from the voters.