Government of the People

Another Perspective Donald L. Foley - Maintenance NBA, retired

“. . . that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

– Implored by Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863, at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

. . . government of the people, by the corporations, for profit . . .

Sometimes images of the first RoboCop movie come to mind as I contemplate our circumstances today and what lies ahead. These images derive from one of the movie’s basic premises – that a corporation owned the city and operated its services. And, indeed, it was that for-profit corporate control that brought about the disastrous circumstances faced by the public in that dystopian future.

As we move further and further from Lincoln’s entreaty for the country, we desecrate the enormous sacrifices he sought to honor. As capitalist corporations exert more and more control of how society operates, the interests of the public diminish toward nothing. Today we continue to suffer the consequences of corporate capitalism gone wild. With the dismantling of the wise regulatory boundaries on the financial sector of private enterprise (under the unwise leadership of Bill Clinton) venture capitalists ran rampant – devising ever riskier tricks to serve their greed. Financial schemes became an industry unto itself. But the wealth with which the schemers gambled was not their own; it was house money, thus making the risk so much easier to take. And when everything fell apart – as a few predicted it would – it was as if no one was prepared for it. And, of course, the huge financial institutions that had not previously existed, but which were now “too big to fail” had to be salvaged. And when they were, because of the lofty position of those who had brought this all about, no one was truly held to account – no one, that is, but the public.

The public had made the grievous mistake of failing to pay sufficient attention. Clearly, then, it was all our fault. We had not demanded that the old regulations not be dismantled. We had felt comfortable investing money in the Wall Street casinos. We had accepted the staid advice that investments need no attention, just stay the course, get in for the long haul, investments always gain in the long haul . . . Really?

Thus, corporations and their dutiful servants gained enormous wealth while the rest of the world suffered, and continues to suffer. The collapse of the economy in late 2008, early 2009 was the greatest transfer of wealth that may have ever occurred. It transferred enormous amounts of public wealth into the hands of the Wall Street casinos and, thus, into the pockets of those who run the casinos. Those who gained so much have never been required to restore to the rest of us what we lost, not the wealth, not the jobs, not the personal independence, not societal equilibrium. While 99% of the American citizenry continue in the downward spiral that started in the 1980's and have fallen precipitously since late 2008, the wealthiest are doing quite well. The large corporations – not your Mom and Pop small businesses, but the real corporations – are now sitting on more than two trillion dollars excess capital. Since corporate capitalists have suffered little and gained tremendously from the economy’s collapse, does it not stand to reason that it should be they who spend that wealth to improve our economy? No, not according to the capitalists, not according to Republican politicians – no, the wealthy have no debt for the havoc they wreaked.

Instead, what passes these days for public policy debate is a narrative created by the so-called “conservative” think tanks with an ideological imperative to dismantle government in service to the public and to replace it with a government in service to corporate capitalism. There is nothing truly conservative about this. It would dismantle our American democracy. It would place greed as the chief motivation for policy, instead of public good. That narrative spews its venom through legislative initiatives written by ALEC and promoted in state legislatures and through political propagandizing protected and encouraged by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. That narrative seeks to turn ordinary Americans against their own government, to convince them that government ought not protect public interests because that inhibits capitalist enterprise, and to convince them that – because government is the enemy – their neighbors who work in public service, government jobs are also the enemy. This is why the Republican Party has chosen to target public sector employees (and, of course, their unions) as being over compensated and leeching taxpayer money for extravagant benefits and pensions. And, apparently, that narrative is succeeding – judging by the result in Wisconsin’s recall election, in which 37% of union labor households voted for Governor Walker! All around the country public employees, their wages, their benefits and their unions are under attack.

Do you really believe that is because the Great Recession of 2008/2009 was caused by the excesses of public employment? Do you really believe it was the teachers, the fire fighters and police officers (nearly 70% of state and local public employees) who brought down the economy? Do you really believe simply continuing to pay for public service as we have for generations is preventing the economy from moving forward? If so, then you have accepted the radical corporate capitalist Republican Party narrative. But the narrative has nothing to do with reality. (See the report Some Basic Facts on State and Local Government Workers, October 28, 2011, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, www.cbpp.org)

Once the public accepts the idea that the government and public employees are to blame for the nation’s woes, it should be an easy sell to convince them that private enterprise should assume control. Wisconsin has already passed laws to sell off public assets to private enterprise. After all, what good is an asset if the wealthiest cannot make a profit off it? Take health care, for example. The United States provides lousy medical service to its population in a system dominated by for-profit insurance companies, who have only recently been required to use 80% of their revenue for actual medical services. That leaves 20% to pay for overhead – including substantial profit. Compare that with the U.S. Government Medicare system. Medicare operates at a 4% overhead, expending 96% of its revenue for actual medical services – sorry, no profit.

But, again, reality has little sway these days. Unless the American public quickly realizes neither government nor we, the ordinary citizens of this country, are the enemy, corporate capitalism will continue its relentless drive to control America. And we will truly become a government of the people, by the corporations, for profit.

Romney Working To Eliminate The US Postal Service

Mitt Romney and his economic advisors like Kevin Hassett have a clear message in how a Romney administration would address the US Postal Service. It’s fairly simple they would eliminate it.

See Full Story  (New Hampshire Labor News)

House panel approves bill to shrink federal workforce

By Kellie Lunney  / klunney@govexec.com  / November 3, 2011

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday approved a bill that would reduce the federal workforce through attrition by 10 percent over the next three years.

In a 23-14 vote, the panel approved the measure, which calls for hiring one federal employee to replace every three workers who retire or leave their job, shrinking the workforce across-the-board by 10 percent by 2015. The bill was amended to include the contractor workforce as well as government employees. There are about 2 million federal employees and the contractor workforce is roughly 10.5 million.

H.R. 3029 would make exceptions for certain national security concerns or any event that threatens public health or safety. The attrition policy would stay in effect through Sept. 30, 2014. The proposal also includes a provision that limits procurement on service contracts to supplement the reduced workforce "except in cases in which a cost comparison demonstrates that such contracts would be to the financial advantage of the government." Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., the bill's sponsor, estimates the legislation will save $139 billion over the next decade.

In recent days, federal employee groups have publicly opposed the legislation through letters to the committee and press releases. "The bill undermines critical government services for the American people, ranging from defending our borders to safeguarding our food and drugs to assisting taxpayers and processing tax refunds," National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley said. "The list goes on and on. Yet, this legislation fails to consider the negative impact on those services."

The Government Managers Coalition, composed of the five major federal sector executive and management professional associations, wrote a Nov. 2 letter to committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and ranking member Elijah Cummings, D-Md., expressing concern over the impact downsizing the government will have on agencies' ability to serve the public. "A reduction in the size of the federal workforce could well amount to a reduction in vital services Americans expect on a daily basis," the letter stated. "Past efforts to reduce the civil service carried out during the Clinton administration resulted in an immediate deterioration of service to the public, leading to the hiring of contractors to make up for lost work."

During the committee's markup Thursday, Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., suggested changing the bill to allow the government to hire two employees, rather than one, to replace every three workers who retire or leave. Issa said he didn't have any "inherent objection" to that number and pledged to work with Cooper on a figure as the bill winds its way through the House. "We have a little headroom in the 10-year window," Issa said, referring to the savings the bill's supporters claim attrition will produce over the next decade.

Opponents of the legislation complained that a 10 percent across-the-board reduction in the government workforce was arbitrary and did not take into account such critical services as law enforcement or those provided to veterans. "I don't think it's a good management principle," said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., who voted against the measure.

Reducing the federal workforce through attrition was also a recommendation of the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles fiscal commission, created by President Obama and led by former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson from Wyoming and former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles.

During an Oct. 26 hearing of the joint congressional super committee on deficit reduction, Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf mentioned the effect a smaller federal workforce could have on government operations. "Having fewer federal workers would probably lower the levels of service that federal agencies provide to the public, unless cuts in the agencies' workforces were accompanied by actions to enhance productivity," he said.

Source: Government Executive

Contact Your Member of the House Today!

When Congress comes back into session right after Labor Day both Houses of Congress are going to be looking at revamping the Postal Service and/or fixing billions in FERS and CSRS overpayments which have been made by the Postal Service. Many bills have already been introduced in both Houses of Congress taking aim at overhauling the Postal Service while others look to allow access to billions in overpayments made by the Postal Service into both FERS and CSRS retirement funds. Multiple legislators have polarizing views as to how to fix the Postal Service and the USPS’s financial problems.

The APWU are asking our members to reach out and urge their member of Congress to cosponsor and support Congressman Lynch’s H.R. 1351, which will let the USPS use billions of dollars in CSRS and FERS overpayments to meet its financial obligations. Unlike, other bills that address the pension overpayments, H.R. 1351 will not attack the rights of workers to collectively bargain.
Also, tell your member of Congress to oppose Congressman Issa’s H.R. 2309. Rep. Darrell Issa’s H.R. 2309 does not correct the massive USPS overpayments to its CSRS and FERS pension accounts. Congressman Issa’s bill will wage an attack on current negotiated wages, benefits, and protection against layoffs of postal workers.
What can you do to help? Contact your member of Congress today! You can reach your member of Congress by calling the Capitol Hill switchboard today at (202) 224-3121 or to find your member of congress click here.

If you have not already sent a quick message to your member of congress asking them to cosponsor H.R. 1351 and oppose H.R. 2309 take action today by clicking both of the links below.
To send your member of congress a quick message asking them to cosponsor and support H.R. 1351 please click here.

To send a quick message to your member of congress asking them to oppose Congressman Issa’s H.R. 2309 please click here.

Below you will find a list of those members of Congress who have not yet signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 1351. If you see your member of Congress listed below please reach out to them and ask that the cosponsor and support H.R. 1351.

 

Adams, Sandy    FL    24    R Aderholt, Robert    AL    04    R Akin, Todd    MO    02    R Alexander, Rodney    LA    05    R Amash, Justin    MI    03    R Austria, Steve    OH    07    R Bachmann, Michele    MN    06    R Bachus, Spencer    AL    06    R Baldwin, Tammy    WI    02    D Barletta, Lou    PA    11    R Barrow, John    GA    12    D Bartlett, Roscoe    MD    06    R Barton, Joe    TX    06    R Becerra, Xavier    CA    31    D Benishek, Dan    MI    01    R Berg, Rick    ND    AL    R Biggert, Judy    IL    13    R Bilbray, Brian    CA    50    R Bilirakis, Gus    FL    09    R Bishop, Sanford    GA    02    D Black, Diane    TN    06    R Blackburn, Marsha    TN    07    R Boehner, John    OH    08    R Bonner, Josiah    AL    01    R Bono Mack, Mary    CA    45    R Boustany, Charles    LA    07    R Brady, Kevin    TX    08    R Brooks, Mo    AL    05    R Broun, Paul    GA    10    R Brown, Corrine    FL    03    D Buchanan, Vern    FL    13    R Bucshon, Larry    IN    08    R Buerkle, Ann Marie    NY    25    R Burgess, Michael    TX    26    R Burton, Dan    IN    05    R Calvert, Ken    CA    44    R Camp, David    MI    04    R Campbell, John    CA    48    R Canseco, Francisco    TX    23    R Cantor, Eric    VA    07    R Capito, Shelley    WV    02    R Carney, John    DE    AL    D Cassidy, William    LA    06    R Chabot, Steve    OH    01    R Chaffetz, Jason    UT    03    R Christensen, Donna    VI    DL    D Clyburn, James    SC    06    D Coble, Howard    NC    06    R Coffman, Mike    CO    06    R Cole, Thomas    OK    04    R Conaway, Michael    TX    11    R Cooper, Jim    TN    05    D Cravaack, Chip    MN    08    R Crawford, Eric    AR    01    R Crenshaw, Ander    FL    04    R Cuellar, Henry    TX    28    D Culberson, John    TX    07    R Davis, Geoffrey    KY    04    R DeFazio, Peter    OR    04    D Denham, Jeff    CA    19    R DesJarlais, Scott    TN    04    R Diaz-Balart, Lincoln    FL    21    R Dicks, Norman    WA    06    D Dold, Robert    IL    10    R Donnelly, Joseph    IN    02    D Dreier, David    CA    26    R Duffy, Sean    WI    07    R Duncan, Jeff    SC    03    R Duncan, John    TN    02    R Ellmers, Renee    NC    02    R Farenthold, Blake    TX    27    R Fincher, Stephen    TN    08    R Flake, Jeffrey    AZ    06    R Fleischmann, Charles    TN    03    R Fleming, John    LA    04    R Flores, Bill    TX    17    R Forbes, J.    VA    04    R Fortenberry, Jeffrey    NE    01    R Foxx, Virginia    NC    05    R Franks, Trent    AZ    02    R Frelinghuysen, Rodney    NJ    11    R Gallegly, Elton    CA    24    R Gardner, Cory    CO    04    R Garrett, Scott    NJ    05    R Gibbs, Bob    OH    18    R Gibson, Chris    NY    20    R Giffords, Gabrielle    AZ    08    D Gingrey, Phil    GA    11    R Gohmert, Louie    TX    01    R Goodlatte, Robert    VA    06    R Gosar, Paul    AZ    01    R Gowdy, Trey    SC    04    R Granger, Kay    TX    12    R Graves, Samuel    MO    06    R Graves, Tom    GA    09    R Griffin, Tim    AR    02    R Griffith, Morgan    VA    09    R Guinta, Franklin    NH    01    R Guthrie, Brett    KY    02    R Hall, Ralph    TX    04    R Harper, Gregg    MS    03    R Harris, Andy    MD    01    R Hartzler, Vicky    MO    04    R Hastings, Richard    WA    04    R Hayworth, Nan    NY    19    R Heck, Joseph    NV    03    R Hensarling, Jeb    TX    05    R Herger, Wally    CA    02    R Herrera Beutler, Jaime    WA    03    R Hoyer, Steny    MD    05    D Huelskamp, Tim    KS    01    R Huizenga, Bill    MI    02    R Hultgren, Randy    IL    14    R Hunter, Duncan    CA    52    R Hurt, Robert    VA    05    R Issa, Darrell    CA    49    R Johnson, Bill    OH    06    R Johnson, Samuel    TX    03    R Johnson, Timothy    IL    15    R Jordan, Jim    OH    04    R Kelly, Mike    PA    03    R Kind, Ron    WI    03    D King, Steve    IA    05    R Kingston, Jack    GA    01    R Kinzinger, Adam    IL    11    R Kline, John    MN    02    R Labrador, Raul    ID    01    R

Lamborn, Doug    CO    05    R Landry, Jeff    LA    03    R Lankford, James    OK    05    R Larsen, Rick    WA    02    D Latta, Robert    OH    05    R Lewis, Jerry    CA    41    R Lewis, John    GA    05    D Long, Billy    MO    07    R Lucas, Frank    OK    03    R Luetkemeyer, Blaine    MO    09    R Lummis, Cynthia    WY    AL    R Lungren, Daniel    CA    03    R Mack, Connie    FL    14    R Manzullo, Donald    IL    16    R Marchant, Kenneth    TX    24    R Matheson, James    UT    02    D McCarthy, Kevin    CA    22    R McCaul, Michael    TX    10    R McClintock, Tom    CA    04    R McCotter, Thaddeus    MI    11    R McDermott, Jim    WA    07    D McHenry, Patrick    NC    10    R McKeon, Howard    CA    25    R McKinley, David    WV    01    R McMorris Rodgers, Cathy    WA    05    R Mica, John    FL    07    R Miller, Brad    NC    13    D Miller, Candice    MI    10    R Miller, Gary    CA    42    R Miller, Jeff    FL    01    R Moore, Gwendolynne    WI    04    D Mulvaney, Mick    SC    05    R Murphy, Tim    PA    18    R Myrick, Sue    NC    09    R Neugebauer, Randy    TX    19    R Noem, Kristi    SD    AL    R Nugent, Richard    FL    05    R Nunes, Devin    CA    21    R Nunnelee, Alan    MS    01    R Olson, Pete    TX    22    R Palazzo, Steven    MS    04    R Paul, Ronald    TX    14    R Paulsen, Erik    MN    03    R Pearce, Stevan    NM    02    R Pelosi, Nancy    CA    08    D Pence, Michael    IN    06    R Petri, Thomas    WI    06    R Pitts, Joseph    PA    16    R Poe, Ted    TX    02    R Pompeo, Mike    KS    04    R Posey, Bill    FL    15    R Price, David    NC    04    D Price, Thomas    GA    06    R Quayle, Ben    AZ    03    R Rahall, Nick    WV    03    D Reed, Tom    NY    29    R Rehberg, Dennis    MT    AL    R Reichert, David    WA    08    R Renacci, Jim    OH    16    R Ribble, Reid    WI    08    R Rigell, Scott    VA    02    R Rivera, David    FL    25    R Roby, Martha    AL    02    R Roe, David    TN    01    R Rogers, Harold    KY    05    R Rogers, Michael    AL    03    R Rogers, Michael    MI    08    R Rohrabacher, Dana    CA    46    R Rokita, Todd    IN    04    R Rooney, Thomas    FL    16    R Roskam, Peter    IL    06    R Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana    FL    18    R Ross, Dennis    FL    12    R Royce, Edward    CA    40    R Ruppersberger, C.A.    MD    02    D Ryan, Paul    WI    01    R Scalise, Steve    LA    01    R Schilling, Robert    IL    17    R Schmidt, Jeannette    OH    02    R Schock, Aaron    IL    18    R Schweikert, David    AZ    05    R Scott, Austin    GA    08    R Scott, David    GA    13    D Scott, Tim    SC    01    R Sensenbrenner, Jim    WI    05    R Sessions, Pete    TX    32    R Shimkus, John    IL    19    R Shuster, William    PA    09    R Simpson, Michael    ID    02    R Smith, Adrian    NE    03    R Smith, D. Adam    WA    09    D Smith, Lamar    TX    21    R Southerland, Steve    FL    02    R Stearns, Clifford    FL    06    R Stivers, Steve    OH    15    R Stutzman, Marlin    IN    03    R Sullivan, John    OK    01    R Terry, Lee    NE    02    R Thompson, Bennie    MS    02    D Thompson, Glenn    PA    05    R Thornberry, Mac    TX    13    R Tiberi, Patrick    OH    12    R Tipton, Scott    CO    03    R Turner, Michael    OH    03    R Upton, Frederick    MI    06    R Vacant    NV    02    R Vacant    NY    09    D Vacant    OR    01    D Van Hollen, Chris    MD    08    D Walberg, Tim    MI    07    R Walden, Gregory    OR    02    R Walsh, Joe    IL    08    R Watt, Melvin    NC    12    D Waxman, Henry    CA    30    D Webster, Daniel    FL    08    R West, Allen    FL    22    R Westmoreland, Lynn    GA    03    R Whitfield, Edward    KY    01    R Wilson, Joe    SC    02    R Wittman, Robert    VA    01    R Wolf, Frank    VA    10    R Womack, Steve    AR    03    R Woodall, Rob    GA    07    R Yoder, Kevin    KS    03    R Young, C.W.    FL    10    R Young, Todd    IN    09    R

Source: APWU E-TEAM

30 Years Ago Today: The Day the Middle Class Died ...a letter from Michael Moore

Friday, August 5th, 2011

Friends,

From time to time, someone under 30 will ask me, "When did this all begin, America's downward slide?" They say they've heard of a time when working people could raise a family and send the kids to college on just one parent's income (and that college in states like California and New York was almost free). That anyone who wanted a decent paying job could get one. That people only worked five days a week, eight hours a day, got the whole weekend off and had a paid vacation every summer. That many jobs were union jobs, from baggers at the grocery store to the guy painting your house, and this meant that no matter how "lowly" your job was you had guarantees of a pension, occasional raises, health insurance and someone to stick up for you if you were unfairly treated.

Young people have heard of this mythical time -- but it was no myth, it was real. And when they ask, "When did this all end?", I say, "It ended on this day: August 5th, 1981."

Beginning on this date, 30 years ago, Big Business and the Right Wing decided to "go for it" -- to see if they could actually destroy the middle class so that they could become richer themselves.

And they've succeeded.

On August 5, 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired every member of the air traffic controllers union (PATCO) who'd defied his order to return to work and declared their union illegal. They had been on strike for just two days.

It was a bold and brash move. No one had ever tried it. What made it even bolder was that PATCO was one of only three unions that had endorsed Reagan for president! It sent a shock wave through workers across the country. If he would do this to the people who were with him, what would he do to us?

Reagan had been backed by Wall Street in his run for the White House and they, along with right-wing Christians, wanted to restructure America and turn back the tide that President Franklin D. Roosevelt started -- a tide that was intended to make life better for the average working person. The rich hated paying better wages and providing benefits. They hated paying taxes even more. And they despised unions. The right-wing Christians hated anything that sounded like socialism or holding out a helping hand to minorities or women.

Reagan promised to end all that. So when the air traffic controllers went on strike, he seized the moment. In getting rid of every single last one of them and outlawing their union, he sent a clear and strong message: The days of everyone having a comfortable middle class life were over. America, from now on, would be run this way:

* The super-rich will make more, much much more, and the rest of you will scramble for the crumbs that are left.

* Everyone must work! Mom, Dad, the teenagers in the house! Dad, you work a second job! Kids, here's your latch-key! Your parents might be home in time to put you to bed.

* 50 million of you must go without health insurance! And health insurance companies: you go ahead and decide who you want to help -- or not.

* Unions are evil! You will not belong to a union! You do not need an advocate! Shut up and get back to work! No, you can't leave now, we're not done. Your kids can make their own dinner.

* You want to go to college? No problem -- just sign here and be in hock to a bank for the next 20 years!

* What's "a raise"? Get back to work and shut up!

And so it went. But Reagan could not have pulled this off by himself in 1981. He had some big help:

The AFL-CIO.

The biggest organization of unions in America told its members to cross the picket lines of the air traffic controllers and go to work. And that's just what these union members did. Union pilots, flight attendants, delivery truck drivers, baggage handlers -- they all crossed the line and helped to break the strike. And union members of all stripes crossed the picket lines and continued to fly.

Reagan and Wall Street could not believe their eyes! Hundreds of thousands of working people and union members endorsing the firing of fellow union members. It was Christmas in August for Corporate America.

And that was the beginning of the end. Reagan and the Republicans knew they could get away with anything -- and they did. They slashed taxes on the rich. They made it harder for you to start a union at your workplace. They eliminated safety regulations on the job. They ignored the monopoly laws and allowed thousands of companies to merge or be bought out and closed down. Corporations froze wages and threatened to move overseas if the workers didn't accept lower pay and less benefits. And when the workers agreed to work for less, they moved the jobs overseas anyway.

And at every step along the way, the majority of Americans went along with this. There was little opposition or fight-back. The "masses" did not rise up and protect their jobs, their homes, their schools (which used to be the best in the world). They just accepted their fate and took the beating.

I have often wondered what would have happened had we all just stopped flying, period, back in 1981. What if all the unions had said to Reagan, "Give those controllers their jobs back or we're shutting the country down!"? You know what would have happened. The corporate elite and their boy Reagan would have buckled.

But we didn't do it. And so, bit by bit, piece by piece, in the ensuing 30 years, those in power have destroyed the middle class of our country and, in turn, have wrecked the future for our young people. Wages have remained stagnant for 30 years. Take a look at the statistics and you can see that every decline we're now suffering with had its beginning in 1981 (here's a little scene to illustrate that from my last movie).

It all began on this day, 30 years ago. One of the darkest days in American history. And we let it happen to us. Yes, they had the money, and the media and the cops. But we had 200 million of us. Ever wonder what it would look like if 200 million got truly upset and wanted their country, their life, their job, their weekend, their time with their kids back?

Have we all just given up? What are we waiting for? Forget about the 20% who support the Tea Party -- we are the other 80%! This decline will only end when we demand it. And not through an online petition or a tweet. We are going to have to turn the TV and the computer and the video games off and get out in the streets (like they've done in Wisconsin). Some of you need to run for local office next year. We need to demand that the Democrats either get a spine and stop taking corporate money -- or step aside.

When is enough, enough? The middle class dream will not just magically reappear. Wall Street's plan is clear: America is to be a nation of Haves and Have Nothings. Is that OK for you?

Why not use today to pause and think about the little steps you can take to turn this around in your neighborhood, at your workplace, in your school? Is there any better day to start than today?

Yours,

Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

P.S. Here are a few places you can connect with to get the ball rolling:

Showdown in America
Democracy Convention
Occupy Wall Street
October 2011
How to Join a Union, from the AFL-CIO (They've learned their lesson and have a good president now) or UE
Change to Win
MoveOn
High School Newspaper (Just because you're under 18 doesn't mean you can't do anything!)

Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on

“Gang of Six” Plan
July 20, 2011

Both parties keep telling us that deficit reduction requires “tough choices” and “shared sacrifice” and “taking on sacred cows.”  But then we keep seeing bipartisan support for plans like the so-called “Gang of Six” that cut Social Security benefits, kill jobs, give tax incentives for corporations to export good jobs overseas, tax health benefits, and lower tax rates for billionaires and corporations.  There’s no shared sacrifice here.  The only sacred cows being gored are working people, the middle class, seniors and the poor.  Though the plan is very specific when it comes to spelling out tax cuts for rich people, there are still a lot of blanks to be filled in.  Even so, we’ve seen enough to know that there is nothing here for working people.  We need to keep asking our leaders: “Who got us into this mess?”  It wasn’t working people.  The people who got us into this mess are getting off scot-free, and this Gang of Six proposal shows they have accomplices in both parties.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Ruling Affront to Democracy, Sets Dangerous Precedent - Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Earlier today the Wisconsin State Supreme Court overturned a permanent injunction issued by Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi earlier this month, effectively stripping workers of their collective bargaining rights. In the wake of the ruling, Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO issued the following statement:

The inability of the Wisconsin Supreme Court to separate partisan politics from the well-being of Wisconsinites is the latest indication that citizens do not have a voice in this state. And the only way for Wisconsinites to repair that voice is to take back the Senate this summer, stop Walker’s unbridled assault on working people and take back the statehouse in 2012.
Let’s be clear: This ruling will not silence the voices of millions of Wisconsinites who are appalled by Walker’s extreme choices, his addiction to corporate interests and his insistence on putting the wealthy ahead of the working. In their attempt to steamroll education, healthcare, and funding for seniors programs, Republicans have alienated countless Wisconsin families. Now, more than ever, Wisconsinites across the state are committed to holding Republicans accountable for their bad choices.
This ruling is an affront to our democracy. Green-lighting the sort of shady, backroom tactics that Governor Walker used to ram his extreme budget through the legislature sets a dangerous precedent for the future of our state. Democracy is the system by which all people, not just corporation and the wealthy, have a seat at the table – but this ruling is just one more indication that Wisconsin Republicans do not believe in a functioning, sound democracy inclusive of checks and balances.

Who is the Real Enemy?

The Lion’s Den Written by Leo Persails

ARE THEY PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES?

America has a lot of enemies now, maybe even more than any other time in history. It’s never hard to determine our enemies from the outside; almost every American could list them. The enemies from within and all around us are the hard ones to identify. Most of us are too busy making a living or just getting by in the present economy to find the time to really pinpoint them. We rely on the news media and those of importance to let us know those things.

Recently we have been bombarded from the media with stories about Public Service Employees. We are being shown figures of their salaries compared to private sector jobs. Were being told they are making a lot more than the private sector. It’s not just their salaries, it’s their retirements and their healthcare costs that are breaking state and national budgets, so the news media reports. Is that the truth? Did you consider that you or someone like you doesn’t own or operate the news corporations? News corporations are owned and operated by multimillionaires, and actually most of them, when sold, sell for billions. Do they report the news, or do they slant it for corporate America? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I have been around long enough to know that news reporters’ treatment of the news has changed over the years. It’s been a long time since we have heard, Good night Chet, Goodnight David, and the type of news they presented.

While the news media has spent a lot of time lately trying to convince you and me that Public Service Employees are to blame for the budget shortfalls and our high taxes, I m not convinced. Are Public Service Employees our real enemy, and why are we being told that? A better question is who is telling us that? We see it in the news, but who is saying it? Who started this new argument about the American enemy that causes taxes and budget shortfalls?

The news media may be reporting it and they may even be slanting it, but NON service public employees are the ones that invented it and are pursuing it. Yes, NON service public employees, the ones with the BIGGEST retirements, the BEST healthcare, and the LARGEST salaries, are the ones pointing the finger. They legislated their own personal retirements, healthcare, and salaries for themselves. They are also the ones trying to convince you that the real Public Service Employees are the enemy.

REAL Public Service Employees are the ones that serve us on a daily basis. They protect our streets and our homes from crimes. They protect our neighborhoods from fires. They teach our children and grandchildren. They repair and keep our roads, storm sewers, and street lights on. They keep our planes and airways safe. They protect our food and our medicines. They sort, transport and deliver mail, and secure our communications better than the Internet ever could. ARE THEY THE REAL ENEMY?

Let’s consider the NON service public employees, those ones pointing fingers and claiming Public Service Employees are the enemy. They are the ones that AFTER TWO YEARS in Congress qualify under THEIR laws, for LIFETIME retirement and healthcare. They are the governors and state legislators who have the best retirements and healthcare in the state, far better than any school teacher, police officer, or firefighter. They are the ones that spend their full time making laws after 200+ years of laws have already been made. Most of those laws are new ways to reach into our pockets, like cameras at traffic lights, or seat belts when all new cars have air bags. They are the ones that start the wars over weapons of mass destruction that didn’t exist. Wars that we can’t get out of that now cost us 12 billion dollars a month. WHO IS THE REAL ENEMY HERE?

NON service public employees don’t repair any roads, protect any streets, put out any fires, or teach any children. They are the greatest drain on our taxes for their healthcare, retirements, expenses, offices, travel, and salaries. Yes I know, it isn’t all of the NON service public employees that are attacking our Public Service Employees, but it’s not hard to figure which ones are, just watch the news, and determine who you think is the real enemy.

In Solidarity....

Source: PPA Reprint: AUTO CITY FLINT FACTS

Message from PPA President Tony Carobine

Wisconsin rebellion reaches new level

Dear PPA Member:

In the aftermath of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signing a bill stripping public workers of their collective bargaining rights, a record number of working class Americans gathered in and outside the capital building in Madison on Saturday, March 12. By some estimates, the crowd numbered over 150,000 and clearly was the largest thus far in day 27 of protests against the attack on working families in Wisconsin.

The demonstrators consisted of not only union workers (public and private sector) but also democrats, republicans, former republicans, independents, small business owners, religious groups, retiree organizations, students, and many others all coming together to express their views in a peaceful manner. There are no words that can accurately describe the feeling of solidarity generated by over 150,000 people assembled for a common cause – to defend their way of life and to keep the “American Dream” alive.

As with past gatherings, this was nonviolent and rather festive affair, a disappointment to some far right commentators and politicians who continue to spread lies referring to the protestors as union thugs under command of their “union bosses,” or slobs, freaks, and long-haired bug infested Michael Moore followers, among other derogatory and hateful descriptions. An honest assessment of the crowd would reveal that all are everyday middle class Americans, many of whom are accompanied by their children.

Wisconsin is known as “America’s Dairyland.” Joining the March 12 protest with a “Tractorcade” to support public workers and bring attention to their cause were Wisconsin farmers. In his budget, Governor Walker has proposed cuts in a state health insurance program known as Badgercare and if the budget cuts are enacted, would affect Wisconsin’s self-employed family farm owners’ health care coverage.

Aside from legal challenges as to the procedure used by the Republican-controlled state Senate to move the union rights bill to the governor for his signature, there are now recall petitions being circulated against eight of the Republican senators who supported this measure. If the required numbers of signatures for recall are obtained (and that is fully expected), recall elections will take place within the next three months.

As in Wisconsin, the battle in other states goes far beyond an attack on public worker unions but also includes a large segment of the citizenry as well, regardless of union status or political affiliation. The fact is a war has been declared on the middle class and our democracy.

In a March 9 interview on FOX News, Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald inadvertently revealed the true reason behind the attack on public worker unions in Wisconsin (as well as several other states) and it has nothing to do with budgetary concerns. He said, “If we win this battle, and the money is not there under the auspices of the unions, certainly what you're going to find is President Obama is going to have a much more difficult time getting elected and winning the state of Wisconsin."

Efforts are also underway through the legislative process in 32 states to make it more difficult for college students, minorities, the poor, and others to cast a vote on Election Day. (Historically, these groups tend to vote for more Democratic Party candidates rather than candidates from other political parties.) Elimination of same-day voter registration, residency definition changes, highly restrictive voter identification requirements are some examples of attempts at putting obstacles in place to affect voter turnout.

Meanwhile, efforts to transfer more of the wealth from the middle class and those least able to afford it continue. Here are two examples. In Michigan, Republican Governor Rick Snyder has proposed placing a tax on retiree pensions and elimination of the low-income tax credit. The $1.7 billion tax increase on the poor and old people would be used to help pay for a $1.8 billion corporate tax cut. In Florida, Republican Governor Rick Scott has proposed a massive $1.7 billion cut in K–12 public schools. The money saved from education cuts would be used for corporate and property tax breaks. 

Currently, the gap between the richest one percent of Americans and the middle and poorest parts of the population is at the highest it's been in over 80 years. This gap will continue to increase if the politicians under control of their billionaire “puppet masters” are able to continue their assault on the middle class and democracy in America.

For this reason the rebellion in Wisconsin and in other parts of the country that has not only generated the participation of union members but other groups and individual citizens is so important. It is more than a battle for union rights. It is a battle for the future of our country and our way of life.

Please visit the PPA website at www.apwupostalpress.org for photographs of the Saturday, March 12 demonstration in Madison. There is a slide show on the main page and “Photo Gallery” in the left column that contains two March 12 photo galleries in addition to previous galleries.