The Revolution Continues blog is news, views, opinion and other expressions of hope from a leftist point-of-view. (We are not affiliated with any candidate, political party or organization. All are welcome.)
Showing posts with label #universalhealthcare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #universalhealthcare. Show all posts
“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross.” —Sinclair Lewis
You Know You’re Living In a Fascist Dictatorship When…
an annotated poem by C. A. Matthews
You Know You’re Living In a Fascist Dictatorship When…
...You work full-time and yet still you are forced to make a choice between “heating or eating” and/or “eating or medicine” and/or “medicine or rent” and/or “rent or sleeping in your car” and/or “sleeping in your car or being arrested for homelessness” and/or “imprisoned for homelessness or heating and eating”… but no worries! The economy is going gangbusters—billionaires/oligarchs have made a killing in the stock market from rising oil prices.
You Know You’re Living In a Fascist Dictatorship When…
...You’re told you have to choose between two political parties to fill public offices but neither party represents you or even cares what actually happens to you as long as they’re allowed to rake in millions in campaign donations from billionaires and corporate lobbyists.
...Your leaders cry “election fraud!” every time things don’t quite go the way they expected. But never fear! It really won’t make much difference whoever is in power in most Western “democracies.” Genocide and endless war are always well-funded and heavily supported no matter who is in office. Investing in the military-industrial complex is very profitable for politicians and capitalists alike.
You Know You’re Living In a Fascist Dictatorship When…
...Your country takes in fleeing fascist wannabe dictators from other countries and offers them protection from extradition. (Welcome to the US, Mr. Bolsonaro!)
There
you'll be able to read the rest of this article, find related links,
see more graphics, and leave comments. You can become a free
or paid subscriber and
receive weekly email posts, along with occasional special
articles just for paid subscribers, too.
This
article is the 596th blog posting of The Revolution Continues. We began
in June 2015, and we're still going strong. Please keep reading,
sharing, and subscribing to help TRC continue for another twelve years. Thanks!
Feel free to make a donation at Paypal or via Buy Me a Coffee or Ko-fi. Every little bit helps. Thank you.
Conscientious Objectors: Call the G.I. Rights Hotline at 1-877-447-4487 or the Center
for Conscience & War at 1-800-379-2679.You don't have to die for Israel! Call today!
This isn’t something most of us thought we’d ever see in our lifetimes. It was bound to happen sooner or later, but why now?
The
United States of America is being destroyed from within—on purpose by
its oligarchy, apparently. There’s no need to blame any other country or
“terrorists” (foreign or domestic) for its destruction. Americans are
perfectly able to tear themselves apart without outside help, thank you
very much. They almost succeeded in doing so about 166 years ago, and
there are many who wish it had been accomplished way back then.
The
funny thing is that many Americans don’t see the destruction of their
country happening currently. Do you call that “woeful ignorance” or
“willful ignorance” on their parts?
I’m
sure once the DOA tag has been tied to their collective toes Americans
will understand that the USA is dead and gone for good. Until then,
they’ll happily remain blissfully bamboozled (i.e., brainwashed or
propagandized). They’ll keep convincing themselves that tomorrow will be
their lucky day. They’ll keep praying that they’ll never need to see a
doctor before they’ve landed a job with decent private health insurance
as a perk. The self-destructive elements inherent in the American
capitalist system get lost in the details, in other words.
Nobody
acknowledges the downside of one American having a trillion dollars to
his name at the expense of 340 million other people with far less who
actually have to pay taxes. Nobody thinks of how denying universal
health care to all Americans creates an unhealthy underclass that has
nothing left to live for except revolution. Nobody gives a flying f***
about the homeless, the mentally ill, or the disabled living on the
streets—directly beside tents occupied by well-employed Millennials who
still can’t afford an average rent in Silicon Valley or most large
cities in the US.
Don’t
agree with me that US is disintegrating? Below (on Substack) are some
recent headlines illustrating how the bomb fuse of chaos has already
been lit and lobbed by the ruling elites upon the Land of the Sort-of
Free and the Home of the Wannabe Brave. It’s just a matter of time now
until it blows up in one big Ka-BOOM! Even now you can hear the clock ticking: Tick tick tick…
To read some recent headlines that demonstrate what's happening to the country (and what Americans should do about it), please copy or click on the following link:
There
you'll be able to read the rest of this article, find related links,
see more graphics, and leave comments. You can become a free
or paid subscriber and
receive weekly email posts, along with occasional special
articles just for paid subscribers, too.
This
article is the 575th blog posting of The Revolution Continues. We began
in June 2015, and we're still going strong. Please keep reading,
sharing, and subscribing to help TRC continue for another eleven years. Thanks!
Why
is it that the US empire doesn’t care whether ordinary Americans live
or die? Why is it they don’t care that we can't afford to have
children or own a home? When you think about it, it’s a million
times more evil than simply being an empire that starves its citizens.
It’s an empire that cares only about making huge profits from endless
wars and genocides for its oligarchy, its billionaire rulers, rather
than the health and welfare of its people.
War
will always rank above healthcare, childcare, and environmental issues
for the US empire—especially if these issues have anything to do with
the poor and working classes. No real surprises there.
But
the thing that surprises and disgusts me the most is how so many
Americans have been brainwashed into thinking that this type of callous
behavior originated with Donald Trump. To them nothing bad like this
ever happened before Trump entered the White House in 2017 and then
again in 2025.
To
jog your memory, watch this short video. Be sure to read the text on
the screen while listening to the discussion in the background: The Façade of Democracy...
To learn one way you can help stop the US empire and its war machine, please copy or click on the following link:
There
you'll be able to read the rest of this article, find related links,
see more graphics, and leave comments. You can become a free
or paid subscriber and
receive weekly email posts, along with occasional special
articles just for paid subscribers, too.
This
article is the 570th blog posting of The Revolution Continues. We began
in June 2015, and we're still going strong. Please keep reading,
sharing, and subscribing to help TRC continue for another eleven years. Thanks!
A system that makes you pay to exist, compete to eat, and obey to survive is not a civlization; it's a prison with shopping privileges. —Anonymous
Round Peg Revolution
by C.A. Matthews
There’s
an old saying that goes, “You can’t fit a square peg into a round
hole.” When I saw the above meme, I was momentarily taken aback. In this
instance it’s the “round pegs” telling the “square peg” that they’re
not going to change to fit the “square hole” or system. The round pegs
insist that it’s better if the system is changed to fit all pegs. No peg is left behind that way.
Wow. That’s pretty deep, isn’t it?
What
is the “system” these pegs are talking about? Could it be the system of
government or a political system the pegs live under? Could it be the
economic system the pegs have to work in? Could it be the social system
that dictates what is considered moral and what isn’t in peg society?
Could it be all three?
For ease of argument, let’s say the pegs’ “system” includes all three dimensions—social, political, and economic.
Now
notice the square peg’s countenance and gesturing in the meme. It's
frowning and pointing. Its demeanor is disapproving and demanding. The
square peg is shown carrying a briefcase—sure evidence of a closed mind
if there ever was one!
I’ll
admit I’m jumping to conclusions with the scanty facts presented, but
you’ve got to admit that any peg which has sharp corners, carries a
badge of honor for business-types (the briefcase), and displays a stern,
condescending attitude toward others who are different from it is
probably not a very nice peg person.
I believe the technical term for this type of peg would be an “asshole.”
The
round pegs, on the hand, seem friendly and outgoing. They’re willing to
work with the square peg to build a better system—a better world, you
could say. Their willingness to think outside the box—or rather the
“square hole”—and include a wide variety of pegs in their system
demonstrates flexibility and their ability to handle a greater range of
experiences. They’re not stuck with four sides and four corners. They’re
“fluid” not “rigid,”open to change and desiring that all pegs thrive in
their system.
Square
peg with its briefcase and finger pointing tells us that it’s “The
square pegs’ way or the highway!” The square peg system is unyielding.
All pegs must re-shape how they think, how they act, who they are, and
what they do to survive in order to fit into the square peg system.
There are no options, no consideration for individual differences,
talents, or tastes apparently in a square peg world.
To find out more about the differences in the "peg systems," continue reading the rest of this
article on Substack. You can do so by copying or clicking on this link:
There you'll see related article and video links, all the graphics, and
be able to leave comments. You can become a free or paid subscriber and
receive weekly posts in your email box, along with occasional special
articles just for paid subscribers, too.
This
article is the 520th blog posting of The Revolution Continues. We began
in June 2015, and we're still going strong. Please keep reading,
sharing, and subscribing to help TRC continue for another ten years.
I’ve had a rough week. I’m feeling very irritated about life, the universe and everything.
After
I watched a video of a State Department spokeswoman blaming just about
everything the US has done to further Israel’s cause of genocide against
the Palestinian people on “Hamas,” I was livid. But then I read a great
comment by Mark (@babasonicos) on Caitlin Johnstone’s article that summed up this spokeswoman’s programmed propaganda response beautifully: “Hamas ate my hamster!!!”
It’s
the ultimate liar’s “The dog ate my homework!” type of excuse. This
coming week I’m sure we’ll hear a version of “You sunk my battleship!”
to explain why the US is committing war crimes by bombing Yemeni tribesmen during their celebration of Eid.
Nothing new there. But after that belly laugh at the absurdity of the
US State Department trying to cover for our total lack of morals and
compassion, I knew what was really bothering me.
I’m tired of the bullshit.
I’m tired of being gaslighted.
I’m sick to death of the lame lies we the poor and oppressed are supposed to believe without questioning.
Here
we have billionaires like the Elongated Muskrat showing their true
colors to the world with their greedy, self-centered, and non-empathetic
behaviors, but we can’t even get the simple truth out of a State
Department spokesperson about why the US taxpayer is being forced to pay
for a livestreamed genocide.
Come on! Give us a break! We all know the real reason behind this inhuman insanity...
To learn how to discern the lies from the insanity,please
continue reading the rest of this article by copying or clicking on this
Substack link:
There you'll see related article and video links, all the graphics, and
be able to leave comments. You can become a free or paid subscriber and
receive weekly posts in your email box, along with occasional special
articles just for paid subscribers, too.
This
article is the 514th blog posting of The Revolution Continues. We began
in June 2015, and we're still going strong. Please keep reading,
sharing, and subscribing to help TRC continue for another ten years.
These
questions keep popping up recently: When will the Revolution begin?
What will start the Revolution? What will happen if Revolution comes (or
not)?
The
“why” we need to have a Revolution is simple enough: Trump is
inaugurated again, and it’s no-hold-barred fascism in seconds flat.
Peaceful
people are being kidnapped off the street without a trial or due
process and flown to a privately-run prison in El Salvador, to be
tortured under the auspices of a fellow fascist leader. Permanent
residents who speak out against the US supporting Israel’s genocide of
the Palestinian people are being whisked off the street and disappeared
somewhere across the country in privately-run ICE prisons. Folks with
decent-paying jobs in cities like Seattle are living in their cars
because they can’t afford rents.
Bernie
Sanders is herding Dems back into their useless duopoly faction in
order to maintain the illusion that there is actually an “opposition
party” in Congress. Worse yet, Bernie, who once boasted how much he was
against the Iraq War, has voted to continue sending arms to Israel. He
won’t even call it a “genocide” in Gaza. Really, Bernie has sunk so low
to please the oligarchy that he’s forgotten all about the ordinary
working class people.
It really does sound like the end times, doesn’t it?
To learn what will start the Revolution,please
continue reading the rest of this article by copying or clicking on this
Substack link:
There you'll see related article and video links, all the graphics, and
be able to leave comments. You can become a free or paid subscriber and
receive weekly posts in your email box, along with occasional special
articles just for paid subscribers, too.
This
article is the 512th blog posting of The Revolution Continues. We began
in June 2015, and we're still going strong. Please keep reading,
sharing, and subscribing to help TRC continue for another ten years.
No doubt, it will be called the surveillance video of the century. Well, no one who is working class—or even upper middle class or whatever is the term for those who aren’t quite in the top one-percent of earners in the US—is going to forget it. If you have ever paid private health insurance premiums, co-pays, and deductibles, or filed for bankruptcy because of medical debt, or if you or your loved ones have ever been denied necessary health care by a private insurance company, then you will understand why so many are cheering over the gunning down of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk.
Thompson was a man already under suspicion of insider trading by the Department of Justice, a man who made well over $10 million yearly, a man whose estimated net worth was estimated at approximately $42.9 million as of February 16, 2024, according to Wallmine.com, and a man whose corporation, UnitedHealthcare, has become notorious for its 32% denial of claims, with a market cap of $561.15 billion, the world’s 16th most valuable company by market cap according to CompaniesMarketcap.com.
So, yeah, it couldn’t have happened to a “nicer” guy.
The internet is full of some of the best memes and quotes ever this week. The shooter is being called the “Adjuster” by some, since he acted as a “claims adjuster” of sorts. The upside of all this hullabaloo is that after a lull we’re once again seeing a familiar hashtag: #MedicareForAll
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that I was actively volunteering for a presidential candidate who touted Medicare For All...
To learn who this candidate was and more about the sickness of capitalism, please read the rest of this article by clicking on this Substack link: https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com. There
you'll see related article and video links, all the graphics,
and be able to leave comments. You can also subscribe and receive the
weekly blog post in your email box.
Subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack today! Power to the people!
The images out of Gaza have been unrelentingly traumatic, but the slaughter in Rafah was just unbearably upsetting. Reports of decapitated babies. Charred children. People burned alive. All just days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah. All while the US government makes excuse after excuse for Israel’s flagrant breaches of international law, which Israel said was just a “tragic mistake”.
After those images, I couldn’t function anymore. I certainly couldn’t sit down and try and write. The hopelessness and the horror and my rage felt too overwhelming. My complicity felt too overwhelming – the knowledge that this mass slaughter is being facilitated and funded by the US taxpayer, the knowledge that a little portion of my writing income goes towards this suffering. All while the public school around the corner from me in Philadelphia is failing because there’s never enough money for education and the library near me shuts on Sundays because there’s never enough money for public services and there are people going bankrupt in the US from medical bills because there’s never enough money to invest in public health. But there’s always money for bombs. --from Where is Joe Biden’s fury about decapitated Palestinian babies? by Arwa Mahdawi
When I read Arwa’s impassioned plea for sanity, I identified with it completely. I knew I had to write about it.
There is always—and I mean always—enough money for bombs in the annual budget that the US Congress passes. Sure, some of the money goes for tanks, nuclear subs, the dockyard queen known as the “Littoral Combat Ship,” and for the crash-worthy F-35, too, but that’s the gist of where the majority of our tax dollars go toward. Armaments. War. Death. Destruction.
Genocide.
Why is that? Arwa makes some pertinent points here. There’s never any money for universal health care or to help struggling public schools in America, but there’s plenty of money to give to genocidal maniacs like Israel, always billions of dollars worth of bombs to hand over to these ethnic cleansing mass murderers. Bombs that have killed and maimed over 100,000 human beings in Gaza alone. Bombs that don’t create goodwill among the nations. Bombs that only create more animosity and fear.
Bombs that are bringing us each and every day closer to a nuclear war and the end of the world as we know it.
I’m sure there are plenty who feel that I’m exaggerating the point and that poor Arwa needs to take a chill pill and lie down until her brain fog clears. I call those types of people “idiots.” Okay, perhaps “morons” might be the better term in an intellectual sense, but either term works for me. Nowadays we can’t afford to keep listening to morons and idiots because these moron and idiots are trying to start World War III.
Don’t believe me? Believe another intelligent person who has looked into this issue:
The Biden administration has given Ukraine permission to use US-provided weapons to hit targets inside Russian territory (...) a step that marks a significant escalation of the proxy war.
“Ukraine needs support from the US for targeting when it fires US-provided missiles, which means the US will now be directly supporting strikes inside Russia. The escalation risks provoking a major response from Russia, as Moscow recently warned the UK that it would target British military sites in Ukraine and “beyond” if British missiles were used in strikes on Russian territory. (…)
There it is in black and white. The US is threatening Russia. One nuclear power is threatening another by giving bombs to another country, Ukraine, even after what President Putin said about the first country will be held accountable for whatever damage their bombs do. And the idiots and morons in the US allow Ukraine to shoot American bombs/missiles into Russia, targeting nuclear radar sites, knowing full well that these actions could escalate the current conventional bloodbath into full-fledged nuclear warfare. For added fun, US NATO ally France is sending some of its troops into Ukraine to get slaughtered as quickly as Ukrainian troops have. There can never be enough cannon fodder—I mean “soldiers”.
I know it’s difficult to get your head around this horrific state of affairs, but allow me to help. I believe the word you’re looking for to describe this situation is “suicide.”
To reiterate: There’s always money for bombs. AND the US will always make certain there are bombs enough worldwide to commit a nuclear genocide against every last living thing on earth. Why? Because the US is hell-bent to get its way and remain the top dog economically and militarily while standing on the apex of a pile of smoldering rubble called the Late Great Planet Earth.
See, that’s not too difficult to understand, is it? It isn’t a good thing. In fact, it’s something that the rest of the people of the planet desperately want to stop. It’s what keeping both Arwa and me awake at nights.
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know what I mean by the terms “zio-bully” and “zionarcissism” and how to apply them to the behaviors of the United States of Israel. The US suffers greatly from the mental illness of zionarcissism. It believes the best thing in the world is to zio-bully everyone into doing what they say by threatening them with bombs raining down on them from the sky, along with the parts from more than a few Boeing jets for good measure. [Editor’s note: The US bombs that were rained down upon the sleeping refugee camp in Rafah were actually made by Boeing, the Boeing GBU-39. (Cost reports range from $30,000-$40,000 per bomb.)Yes, Boeing can make something that actually works as intended. Too bad this something was intended to maim and kill.]
I know what you’re thinking, if you’re a sane and moral person, that is. You’re thinking: “It doesn’t make any sense for the US, or anyone for that matter, to provoke a nuclear confrontation. Nobody wins in a nuclear war.” You’re absolutely right. But if you’ve been following recent events, you’ll have come to the conclusion that the US is not run by anyone the least sane and/or moral.
For crying out loud, Butcher Biden has been giving away billions of dollars worth of bombs and armaments to Israel who is clearly committing war crimes against an indigenous civilian population! Children are being burnt alive and suffering amputations without the benefit of anesthetic because Biden allows the Israelis to block food and medicines from coming into Gaza. I ask you how is Biden’s behavior either “sane” or “moral”?
“But what do we Americans get out of all this death and destruction?” you wonder. “Surely we must get something out of it, or why else do it and ruin our reputation on the world stage?”
Good questions. Perhaps there are no satisfactory answers. One thing the NATO countries are getting from watching the Israeli Occupation Forces bomb and sniper-shoot their way across Gaza is lots of great data on how well their instruments of death work in the field. Military scientists now know exactly how many bombs it takes to turn a city the size of Gaza City into rubble. This could make fighting conventional wars in the future (if there is a future) much more organized and cost effective. If you know you’ll only need like 25,000 bunker buster bombs for your first month’s barrage, then you won’t need to buy or stock any more bombs than that. See how that could save a few trillion bucks in the Pentagon’s budget? (More money for those legendary golden toilet seats for F-35s!)
Even more sinister than that is now all these wonderful military-industrial complex corporations have great feedback on just how deadly their weapons of war really are. I mean, it’s difficult to know just how many children can be burned alive in a refugee tent camp without actually testing out your bombs by dropping them on some human guinea pigs. Isn’t it nice how the people of Gaza have volunteered their services essentially to serve as “crash test dummies” for the past eight months?
You don’t believe me that scientists actually collect this sort of data from the deaths of civilians and use it to make more lethal weapons? Well, if I told you that Nazi scientists tested weapons on the bodies of living (soon dead) concentration camp prisoners during World War II, and that information was snatched up by the US and others at the end of the war and studied closely, would you still not believe me? It’s okay if you don’t. But watch out that you and yours don’t become the next guinea pig they decide to test out their instruments of death on.
In the end, that’s all the military-industrial complex CEOs want—lots of profits (which the US government is providing) and lots of success with their “products” so they get repeat business. And these products won’t necessarily be sold to be used abroad in a distant land against a distant people you don’t like next time. Americans could be the next guinea pigs. Take a look at our militarized policing systems in American cities.
Why the hell does a small town with less than 25,000 people in the heartland of America need a dozen Humvee armored cars, courtesy of a Pentagon rummage sale? Answer: It doesn’t. But I used to drive past the police depot that contained these weapons of war when I lived in that little town, and I wondered if the cops bought them just in case they ever needed to mow down a few protesters who started acting out of line and demanding an end to the genocides, an end to the endless wars.
Small town cops can’t ever be too careful come a full fledged “riot” of five grandmothers and two dogs standing on the corner of Main Street carrying “Free Palestine” banners. Those armored cars will come in handy in running those “killer grannies” down, won’t they? Who’s to say our militarized police won’t use these military-grade weapons against us for other things like being the wrong color, wrong religion, wrong politics, wrong gender identity, wrong… You get the picture.
So remember: There’s always money for bombs. That is, until We the People decide that there isn’t, and we do something to stop these insane genocidal-suicidal morons.
photos by Stefan Fane
One big thing we can do is show solidarity with oppressed people both at home and around the world. We can broadcast their cause to a wider audience, since broadcast mainstream media stations won’t bother to. We can stand together and not let the morons-in-charge divide us and conquer our power.
I did just that this past weekend. I marched in solidarity for Palestine with an interesting mix of people—peace activists, queer activists, LGBTQIA supporters, American Muslim activists and their supporters. I know, these don’t sound like groups that normally would march together in a summer festival parade under the banner of Palestine liberation, but they did. We had a great time and received over all good responses from the community.
Marching with Stefan
We can’t allow the morons to break our spirits. We can’t allow them to divide and conquer us as we fight for our case. We can’t quit protesting until we see our objectives met.
One day soon, we will make it so there is never any money for bombs as long as there are oppressed human beings in need of our help anywhere on the planet. I can’t wait to walk beside you then.
Subscribe
to The Revolution Continues on Substack today. Go to https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com and subscribe at the link at the end of
the article. You'll enjoy having each week's post automatically sent to
your email box or reading it at the Substack site. Many thanks for your
consideration.
Most
of us can remember our “first, real paying job.” For Americans,
we were most likely in high school, and a classmate mentioned to us
between classes how their boss was looking for more summer workers
and that we should apply and make some money. I had been babysitting
for our neighbors since I was about twelve years old, but it was very
hit and miss work, and there was a lot of competition on our street.
This was my chance to enter the “real paying job world” at age
sixteen. I road my bicycle a couple of miles from my home to
interview and got the gig. I worked a long,
hot and stormy summer standing
on my feet for eight hour shifts in
a soft-serve ice cream walk-up stand along Main Street and made the
huge sum of $1.25 per hour for about 32
hours of work per week.
Hard to believe $1.25 an hour was considered "good pay,"but that was the state’s minimum wage for “tipped employees” at
that time. All restaurant workers were paid that amount hourly. It didn’t
matter that we didn’t get tipped making ice cream cones for folks
who walked up to the window. We
were still
considered
“food service workers” and paid that lowly wage. I worked hard
that summer and ended up getting a raise—a
whole
$1.35 per hour.
Wow.
I thought I’d had it made.
The
next summer, a friend told me about a job working at a warehouse
clearance
sale
for a national franchised dress shop located in our local “mall,” a
newfangled place built on the east side of town and not located
downtown where a few of the big
department stores were
still
to be found. I
was
overjoyed
when I heard what this job paid—a whole $2.35 an hour! It was the
federal minimum wage. It was what older people made working similar
jobs, so I really felt like an adult at age seventeen. Even though I
spent a lot on clothes with my employee discount of 10% off that
summer, I saved a bit of money that I later used to get ready for
college.
Almost a
half century and many jobs later, the federal minimum wage hasn’t moved
upward all that much when adjusted for inflation. For the past
fourteen years, the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25.
But
why? Corporate profits are up practically across the board or so we’re told
on the nightly news. CEOs get huge bonus packages. “Bidenomics is working,” neoliberals insist.
What’s wrong with us if we’re struggling to get by in the midst
of all this “booming economy” we’re told exists in the US
today?
Maybe
it’s not us who are wrong about the reality of our situations.
Consider
this:
The
federal minimum wage in the United States would be more than $42 an
hour today if it rose at the same rate as the average Wall Street
bonus over the past four decades, according to an analysis
… by the Institute for Policy Studies.
Citing newly released data
from the New York State Comptroller, IPS noted that the average Wall
Street bonus has increased by 1,165% since 1985, not adjusted for
inflation.
Last year, the average cash
bonus paid to Wall Street employees was $176,700—75% higher than in
2008 but slightly lower than the 2021 level of $240,400.
The federal minimum wage,
meanwhile, has been completely stagnant since 2009, when it was
bumped
up to $7.25 from $5.15. While many
states and localities have approved substantial pay increases in
recent years, 20
states have kept their hourly wage floors at the federal minimum.
So,
where’s our $42 per hour? I
guess it’s in
the same place where
our $600 went when we were promised $2,000 COVID relief checks when
Biden took office, but
we
only
received $1,400, right?
What’s
a working stiff in the US to do? We
can’t even afford to rent an apartment anywhere in the fifty states working
full-time hours (if you can get them) at $7.25 an hour. There have
been talks and protests centered around raising
the federal minimum wage to
$15
an hour, but
can anyone even afford to rent a decent place to live on that amount?
It’s doubtful. Not
even a $25 minimum wage can help a family rent a home in many cities.
American
workers
do have one
powerful option, but it’s rarely been discussed since Reagan took
office. We have the
ability to strike—if we’re not forbidden
to do so by federal law, such as the case with railroad
workers or air traffic controllers, that is. But so many Americans have been
brainwashed into thinking that a strike will cost them their job and
their health insurance, so they simply won’t
consider
it.
Are
Americans cowards? Not necessarily. I’d say we’re realists. We
know
we have
no safety nets like workers
in other
countries who
are blessed with
universal health care and universal basic income or "UBI" payments. With
no way to provide for our families without our lousy paying jobs,
we’d
best stay put and put up with the harsh treatment of the bosses.
But
are strikes really all that risky for workers? Where
did we get this idea that we the working class are essentially powerless and only billionaires can get what they want? Consider
this:
The
Teamsters Union and UPS have reached a tentative
agreement
on a new contract to cover the 340,000 Teamsters who work for the
package shipping giant.
According to a statement
released by the union, the new contract is “the most historic
tentative agreement for workers in the history of UPS,” promising
wage increases, an end to the two-tier wage system, new air
conditioning in vehicles, Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a full
company holiday, and more.
In the days and weeks to
come, members will debate the pros and cons of the proposal as
thousands of UPS Teamsters vote on whether to ratify the contract.
But one thing seems undeniable: Any significant gains won by
Teamsters against a reluctant employer will have come about because
rank-and-file workers showed the company that they were prepared to
strike.
I
put
that last sentence in italics for emphasis. It bears repeating: Any
significant gains won by Teamsters against a reluctant employer will
have come about because rank-and-file workers showed the company that
they were prepared to strike.
Rank-and-file
workers actually have power? Yes,
we do!
Even the possibility of a strike can motivate a reluctant employer to
sit down and discuss the workers’ grievances and demands. And
if push comes to shove, the workers walk out and give the employers
even more to worry about as the company's profits take a hit and its reputation as being a fair and honest employer is thrown into the dumpster.
Fourteen
years of a stagnant federal minimum wage (with no maximum
wage for billionaires set) and no universal health coverage for all Americans should be a wake up call even for the sleepiest of workers.
Our government doesn’t work for us, the people, but for those who
already have more than enough wealth and power and obviously don’t
give care one bit about how many workers can’t even afford to rent an
apartment or put food on the table for their families. Our government
doesn’t care if we or our loved ones get sick, and we have no way
to afford medical care other than to beg strangers for donations via
GoFundMe.
Face
it, America. It’s time to lose the blind loyalty to both your
employers
and to
our
government. They
don’t have our best interests at heart. And we have the power to
make them see things our way—strike!
RBN's Labor Organizing Summit Part 2 Livestream -- featuring Kshama Sawant. I sat on a panel with other Green Party members and former presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein. (It starts at approx. 3:02 and the video should start there.) Hear what I and other Greens have to say about the labor situation in the US currently. (The answer to many of our troubles is to "Go West!")
Coming soon, the first book from The Revolution Continues blog: The Little Red Book of Revolution
How can you get your e-copy? The easiest way is to subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack as a paying subscriber. Choose what level you'd like to subscribe at via the buttons on any post online at: https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com