New Ground 140
January - February, 2012
Contents
Healthcare Atrocity: Boycott Hyatt
Hotels
Talkin' Socialism
Speaking of Socialism
Job Opportunity: Executive Director
New Ground
140.1 -- 01.19.2012
0. DSA News
Talkin' Socialism: Whither the
Economy?
The Return of the Left
Democratic Left
1. Politics
Child Labor by Michael Baker
People Over Profits, Please...
Sit Down and Shut Up
Stand Up to Mortgage Fraudsters
Right-Wing Crazy Corner by Michael
Baker
2. People
Timuel Black
3. Democratic Socialism
Feminism, Women's Movements, and
Women in Movement
Four Futures
4. Upcoming Events of Interest
New Ground
140.2 -- 02.02.2012
0. DSA News
Return of the Left
Socialist International Council Meeting
1. Politics
Ruckus in Chicago
CME: We're Full, Thank You
Cleaning Up Tax Increment Financing
Safe, Decent, and Affordable
You're Fired!
Verizon
Right-Wing Crazy Corner by Michael
Baker
2. Democratic Socialism
Social-Demotopia
Concepts, Real Life & the Working Class
Life Is Possible After Capitalism
3. Upcoming Events of Interest
New Ground
140.3 -- 02.15.2012
0. DSA News
Save the Date
Arrests!
Cornel West
1. Politics
A Living Wage Haunts Oak Park
Why Is There so Little Respect for Hard Work?
It's Still the Economy
Illinois Primary Elections
Another Victory
2. Ars Politica
Happy Birthday Nelson Algren!
3. Upcoming Events of Interest
New Ground
140.4 -- 03.01.2012
0. DSA News
The Return of the Democratic Left
on Video
1. Politics
A Living Wage for Oak Park!
Rx for Busted Budgets
ATMI Precast Workers Vote UNION!
by Bill Barclay
The 99% Spring
International Women's Day
2. Ars Politica
Save Old St. Paul's for the Community
3. Democratic Socialism
Talkin' Socialism
4. Upcoming Events of Interest
Making
the Other America Visible
by Michael Baker
As many readers of New Ground will
be aware, the 50th anniversary of the publication of Michael
Harrington's The Other America is fast approaching.
As we consider how best to celebrate and commemorate this
anniversary, I propose that we do so through activist work addressing
one of the book's central motifs -- that the poor are invisible.
Harrington wrote, "that the poor
are invisible is one of the most important things about them.
They are not simply neglected and forgotten ... what is much
worse, they are not seen." By invisible, Harrington meant
both that the poor are visually not seen and that they
are absent from political discourse.
Harrington cites various reasons why
the poor are visually not seen such as isolation in rural
and urban areas, confinement to the home due to age or illness,
and a romantic view of poverty by many in society that masks
the suffering of the poor. Of course, the world has changed since
The Other America was published in 1962 and, unfortunately,
not necessarily for the better, as the reach of poverty may have
become even more expansive and intractable. This fact was acknowledged
by Harrington himself in an interview in 1988 on the Open
Mind and was probably expressed by him elsewhere. As a result,
in citing the hidden victims of poverty today, we could include
many denizens of the suburbs, which in Harrington's book represent
the antipode of poverty, for many suburban homes, when they do
not have foreclosure signs in the front yards, give the appearance
of middle-class comfort while the refrigerators inside are nearly
barren.
With regard to the political invisibility
of the poor, Harrington writes,
"It is one of the cruelest ironies
of social life in advanced countries that the dispossessed at
the bottom of society are unable to speak for themselves. The
people of the other America do not, by far and large, belong
to unions, to fraternal organizations, or to political parties.
They are without lobbies of their own; they put forward no legislative
program. As a group, they are atomized. They have no face; they
have no voice."
A thoughtful person cannot help but
notice that, particularly given the current calamitous state
of our economy, how absent the poor are from our stultified political
discourse. Politicians of all stripes utter bathetic expressions
of concern about the struggles of the "middle class,"
but rarely does one hear them mention the poor, the most deafening
silence coming from ostensible liberals and progressives. When
the poor are mentioned, the depictions of them are all too often
oblique caricatures drawn by cynical, ersatz racist invectives.
The recrudescent Newt Gingrich offers a typical example when
he labeled President Obama "the most successful food stamp
president in American history." (Though a bit of a digression,
most New Ground readers will be well aware that President
Obama has done little for the poor and has, in fact, expressed
his disdain for them; that the majority of poor people in the
United States, and therefore food stamp recipients, are White;
and that food stamps are a far more effective means of stimulating
the economy than tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations.)
So in what kind of activist work could
we engage to make the poor more visible? I would propose a project
that has two components: (1) a traditional educational campaign
and (2) direct action.
The main objective of the educational
campaign would be to bring the poor into the political discourse
by educating the public about the poor and poverty. Examples
of what such an educational campaign could include are:
Conveying who the poor are. As we know, the poor do not fit the crude stereotypes
pervasive in our culture, particularly such perdurable, base
myths as that of Reagan's Black "welfare queen" driving
a Cadillac. Many Americans likely would be quite surprised to
learn that, contrary to racist stereotypes, there are more White
Americans in poverty than Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics (any
race) combined. The U.S. Census Bureau's The Research Supplemental
Poverty Measure: 2010 documents this quite clearly through
both the official poverty measure and the newer Supplemental
Poverty Measure (SPM). Facts like these could help change the
face of poverty in the minds of many Americans.
Communicating the magnitude of
the problem. Most people
in the United States do not appreciate the extent of poverty,
particularly amongst children. According to the Annie E. Casey
Foundation's 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book, in 2009, 42%
of children were living in low-income families (families with
incomes of twice the official poverty line), and 20% of children
were living in families with incomes at or below the ludicrously
conservative official poverty line. Many people would find these
figures shocking, especially if they are asked to consider all
the disadvantages poverty poses for children and what the consequences
of this aggregation of disadvantage bodes for the future.
Dispelling romantic delusions. Unfortunately, there are still some people
in the United States who hold ignorant, idealistic views about
poverty. There is nothing romantic about poverty, except, perhaps,
for those upper-class White kids who enjoy the affectation of
"slumming" in an urban area for a year or two after
college, living out their bohemian fantasies, before moving back
to the suburbs. People need to understand the devastating consequences
poverty has for those it affects as well as for the rest of society,
and due to the latter, people should be interested in eliminating
poverty out of their own self-interest if for no other reason.
Imparting the grossness of disparity. The vast majority of Americans do not understand
how gross the disparity in income is. This disconnect was illustrated
in a study by Michael I. Norton and Dan Ariely titled "Building
a Better America-One Wealth Quintile at a Time" that was
widely circulated amongst lefty circles on the Internet. Many
New Ground reader probably encountered it. The study demonstrates
that the vast majority of Americans, regardless of income and
political beliefs, vastly underestimate the level of wealth inequality
in the United States and agree that a more equitable distribution,
similar to that of Sweden, is preferable. Clearly, an important
educational opportunity exists here.
Blaming the system. Many people do not understand that poverty
is not exogenous to or an anomaly in the capitalist system. As
a result, people need to be educated about the true nature of
capitalism, that disparity and poverty are inherent, necessary
parts of the system and, accordingly, that there is no way to
completely solve the problem of poverty without fundamentally
changing the system.
Advocating appropriate policies.
DSA has this one covered.
No doubt the creative and informed readers
of New Ground could come up with many other worthwhile
educational topics.
The main of objective of the direct
action campaign, though it would certainly be educational too,
would be to literally make the poor visible. The direct
action approach I would suggest is Food Not Bombs-type food serves
in public spaces accessible by the poor. For those who are not
familiar with Food Not Bombs, the following description is taken
from the Food Not Bombs web site:
"Food Not Bombs is gaining momentum
throughout the world. There are hundreds of autonomous chapters
sharing free vegetarian food with hungry people and protesting
war and poverty. Food Not Bombs is not a charity. This energetic
all volunteer grassroots movement is active throughout the Americas,
Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. For over
30 years the movement has worked to end hunger and has supported
actions to stop the globalization of the economy, restrictions
to the movements of people, end exploitation and the destruction
of the earth and its beings.
"The first group was formed in
Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1980 by anti-nuclear activists. Food
Not Bombs is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to nonviolent
social change. Food Not Bombs has no formal leaders and strives
to include everyone in its decision making process. Each group
recovers food that would otherwise be thrown out and makes fresh
hot vegan and vegetarian meals that are served in outside in
public spaces to anyone without restriction. Many Food Not Bombs
groups also share groceries and organize other efforts to support
their communities. Each independent group also serves free meals
at protests and other events."
I was involved with Chicago Food Not
Bombs for a number of years and know that this form of direct
action works. The food serves fulfill a real need (providing
food to those who are hungry), expose otherwise hidden deprivation
by publicly meeting real human needs, and offer a scathing critique
of capitalism by linking the resources from which some people
are necessarily deprived by the system with the people from whom
they are deprived. Of course, the latter also exposes the gross
waste in the capitalist system since these desperately needed
resources would have otherwise ended up in the waste stream.
These food serves are just one idea
for direct action. No doubt New Ground readers could think
of others.
Harrington wrote that "the millions
who are poor in the United States tend to become increasingly
invisible. Here is a great mass of people, yet it takes an effort
of the intellect and will even to see them". With creative
action, we can celebrate and commemorate The Other America
by making them more visible.
Sources
Michael Harrington. The Other America:
Poverty in the United States. New York: Touchstone, 1997.
Michael Harrington: The Long Distance
Runner." Open Mind. 6 July 1988. http://www.archive.org/details/openmind_ep637
"Newt Gingrich Remarks."
C-SPAN Video Library. 13 May 2011. http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/NewtGingrich
The Annie E. Cassey Foundation. 2011
KIDS COUNT Data Book. 2011. http://www.aecf.org/~/media/Pubs/Initiatives/KIDS%20COUNT/123/2011KIDSCOUNTDataBook/KCDataBook2011.pdf
U.S. Bureau of the Census. The Research
Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2010. Prepared by Kathleen
S. Short. November 2011. http://www.census.gov/hhes/povmeas/methodology/supplemental/research/Short_ResearchSPM2010.pdf
Michael I. Norton and Dan Ariely. "Building
a Better America-One Wealth Quintile at a Time."Perspectives
on Psychological Science 6 (2011): 9-12. http://www.people.hbs.edu/mnorton/norton%20ariely.pdf
"The Story of Food Not Bombs."
Food Not Bombs website, accessed 14 December 2011. http://www.foodnotbombs.net/story.html
by Michael Baker
Other
News
compiled by Bob Roman
Healthcare Atrocity: Boycott Hyatt Hotels
After more than two years of contract
negotiations, crisis looms as Hyatt threatens to strip health
insurance from 1500 Chicago workers and their families unless
they give up their fight and abandon their boycotts. In so doing,
Hyatt is forcing workers to choose between their families' immediate
medical needs and a fight for their long-term survival.
In negotiations, Hyatt has refused to
budge on crucial demands to curb subcontracting and ease working
conditions for housekeepers -- demands met by Hilton and other
hotel employers citywide. In response, Hyatt workers have stood
up and made tough sacrifices by striking and calling for hotel
boycotts. By some accounts, UNITE HERE's organizing efforts at
other Hyatt facilities has also been an issue in the Chicago
negotiations.
Hyatt's original threat to discontinue
health insurance was to begin January 1. After UNITE
HERE Local 1 and Local 450 called a press conference, Hyatt
moved the deadline back 60 days. To increase the pressure, UNITE
HERE called for an informational picket outside of Hyatt's International
HQ on Franklin just west of the Loop on December 15. Several
hundred turned out for the late afternoon demonstration. At least
6 DSA members took part. There was also a good turn out from
other Chicago unions, including AFSCME and SEIU.
By the time you read this, one hopes
this will be resolved. If not, boycott Hyatt hotels. The outcome
of this fight will have implications for service sector organizing
for years to come, and not just for UNITE HERE. For more information,
go to http://www.hotelworkersrising.org
. For online activists, there's a link to urge the Hyatt company
to do the right thing.
Talkin' Socialism
Episode 11, in which Chicago DSA's Peg
Strobel interviews Gaylon Alcaraz and Veronica Arreola about
the Chicago Abortion Fund, is now on the web. Of particular interest
is the unique way in which the Chicago
Abortion Fund combines reproductive health with community
organizing. You can now subscribe to Talkin' Socialism
using an RSS feed. And beginning with Episode 10, Michael Aubry's
interview with Bill Pelz, the program is now available through
Apple's iTunes store. Go to http://northshoredsa.org/talkin_socialism.html.
Speaking of Socialism
At the end of December, the Pew Research
Center released an update on an ongoing survey of how the American
public reacts to ideological labels. The bad news is that for
all the media coverage generated by Occupy Wall Street, public
attitudes have not shifted much: "perceptions of capitalism
-- and even of socialism -- have changed little since
early 2010 despite the recent tumult." This means, of course,
that for us lefties the glass is less than half full. Some 60%
have a negative reaction to the term "socialism."
The good news is that, as you might
expect, people with less income react more favorably (43% @ >$30k),
as do people that self-identify as "Democrats" (59%).
Likewise, younger people have a more favorable reaction. 72%
of those over 65 have an unfavorable reaction, as did 90% of
those self-identified as "Republican."
So how can a lefty or a liberal get
by? Well, even 55% of people self-identifying as "Republicans"
like the label "progressive." With numbers like that,
though, even some conservatives might start calling themselves
Progressive.
For all the numbers, including reactions
to liberal, conservative, capitalism, libertarian, and more,
go to http://www.people-press.org/2011/12/28/little-change-in-publics-response-to-capitalism-socialism/
.
Job Opportunity: Executive Director
Last April, 2011, Rev. Alexander E.
Sharp , Protestants for the Common Good Executive Director, announced
his decision to step down from his position no later than June
30. He expects to devote his work full-time to drug policy reform
both in Illinois and in other states. The PCG Search Committee,
comprised of PCG Board members, is currently seeking applications
for the position of Executive Director. Procedures for applying
are noted at http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/515/content_item/jobopportunity
|
New
Ground #140.1
01.19.2012
Contents
0. DSA News
Talkin' Socialism: Whither the
Economy?
The Return of the Left
Democratic Left
1. Politics
Child Labor by Michael Baker
People Over Profits, Please...
Sit Down and Shut Up
Stand Up to Mortgage Fraudsters
Right-Wing Crazy Corner by Michael
Baker
2. People
Timuel Black
3. Democratic Socialism
Feminism, Women's Movements, and
Women in Movement
Four Futures
4. Upcoming Events of Interest
DSA News
Talkin' Socialism: Whither the
Economy?
Chicago Political Economy Group
economists Ron Baiman and Bill Barclay read the entrails in Episode
12 of Chicago DSA's mostly monthly podcast HERE. (MP3, 31 MB)
The Return of the Left
The Young Democratic Socialists'
Winter Conference will be held February 17 through 19 at St.
Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, NY. For all the juicy details,
including registration, CLICK
HERE.
Democratic Left
The Winter issue of Democratic
Left is posted to the web HERE. (PDF)
Politics
Child
Labor
by Michael Baker
In the Republican presidential contest
to see who can be the zaniest character in the clown car, Punchinello
extraordinaire Newt Gingrich sent up a trial balloon from which
even some on the right are distancing themselves -- the relaxing
of child labor laws.
On 18 November at the Kennedy School
Government, Gingrich proposed a plan ostensibly to help poor
children earn money and develop a strong work ethic by having
them to clean their schools. He stated,
"It is tragic what we do to the
poorest neighborhoods, entrapping children in child laws, which
are truly stupid. Saying to people you shouldn't go to work before
you're 14, 16. You're totally poor, you're in a school that's
failing with a teacher that's failing. These schools should get
rid of unionized janitors, have one master janitor, pay local
students to take care of the school. The kids would actually
do work; they'd have cash; they'd have pride in the schools.
They'd begin the process of rising." (Liptak)
So according to Gingrich's reasoning,
children are trapped in poverty due to big, bad government's
intrusive, overreaching child-labor laws, and children in poor
neighborhoods are not proud of their schools because they do
not get paid to clean them. And I always thought that childhood
poverty was a complex social-economic problem that would require
billions of dollars and years of hard work to remediate and could
only be completely solved by a fundamental transformation of
our economic system.
To the dismay of that most endangered
of species, moderate Republicans, who hoped that Gingrich's proposal
was a poor imitation of a stunt by The Yes Men or of Swift's
A Modest Proposal, Gingrich repeated his wacky brainstorm
during the 10 December Republican debate in Iowa, stating that
children should replace union janitors in the New York public
schools (Rosenkrantz). Too bad for the moderates.
Perhaps, a slight reworking of William
Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper" would tickle Gingrich's
fancy:
When my mother died I was very young,
And my father sold me while yet my tongue
Could scarcely cry 'weep weep! weep weep!'
So my school I sweep & and in soot I sleep.
One might be inclined not to take Gingrich's
ludicrous proposal seriously, but unfortunately, he is not just
some rogue right-winger off on a tangent. Rather he has become
the de facto leader of a broader right-wing push to rollback
child-labor laws. Holly Rosenkrantz from the Bloomberg News explores
this trend in her 20 December article "Newt Gingrich Leads
Push to Ease Child-Labor Laws" stating, "Republican
governors and state lawmakers, who succeeded this year in curbing
union powers, are pushing to revise their child-labor laws to
help companies such as groceries get workers." Rosenkrantz
notes that Wisconsin and Maine have already changed their laws.
In Wisconsin, lawmakers increased the number of hours that can
be worked by 16 and 17-year-olds. In Maine, lawmakers increased
the number of hours teenagers can work and allowed companies
to pay workers under the age of 20 a "training wage,"
thus, undercutting the state's minimum wage. Rosenkrantz explains,
to no surprise, that lobbying groups representing the restaurant
and grocery industries advocated lessening the restrictions on
teenage labor in both states. Rosenkrantz quotes Dick Grotton,
president of the Maine Restaurant Association, as stating, "How
come it's OK, even exemplary, for teenagers to spend 40 hour
a week in sports, glee club, chorus, debate society or any other
select activity sanctioned by the social elite, but if you are
a teenager who wants to work or needs to work, there are limits?"
She quotes lobbyist for the Wisconsin Grocers Association, Michelle
Kussow, as stating, "It wasn't like they [Maine and Wisconsin]
were trying to overwork these kids or create a sweatshop. They
just want to give kids that great first opportunity you get in
a grocery store."
Apparently, it's all just about helping
the kids.
Of all the appalling aspects of the
right-wing push against child-labor laws, perhaps the most disconcerting
is that a policy dilettante like Gingrich believes he has the
social license to make such attacks. If he does, then this license
is probably due to public ignorance or amnesia about labor history
in the United States, one of the more gruesome chapters of which
is the use of child labor.
Our very own Eugene V. Debs labeled
child labor the "barter of babes" - and for good reason
("The Socialist Party" 54). In order to give a flavor
of that history, so that people might show the proper righteous
indignation, the following are just a few descriptions of child
labor from Mother Jones' autobiography:
In the spring of 1903 I went to Kensington,
Pennsylvania, where seventy-five thousand textile workers were
on strike. Of this number at least ten thousand were children.
The workers were striking for more pay and shorter hours. Every
day little children came into Union Headquarters, some with their
hands off, some with the thumb missing, some with their fingers
off at the knuckle. They were stooped little things, round shouldered
and skinny (71).
Form the textile mills in Cottondale,
Alabama:
Little girls and boys, barefooted, walked
up and down between the endless rows of spindles, reaching their
thin little hands into the machinery to repair snapped threads.
They crawled under machinery to oil it. They replaced spindles
all day long, all day long; night through, night through. Tiny
babies of six years old with faces of sixty did an eight-hour
shift for ten cents a day. If they fell asleep, cold water was
dashed in their faces, and the voice of the manager yelled above
the ceaseless racket and whir of machines (119).
From the Pennsylvania mines:
I got to know the life of the breaker
boys. The coal was hoisted to a cupola where it was ground. It
then came rattling down in chutes beside which, ladder-wise,
sat little breaker boys whose job it was to pick out the slate
from the coal as the black rivers flowed by. Ladders and ladders
of little boys sat in the gloom of the breakers, the dust from
the coal swirling continuously up in their faces. To see the
slate they must bend over their task. Their shoulders were round.
Their chests were narrow. A breaker boss watched the boys. He
had a long stick to strike the knuckles of any lad seen neglecting
his work. The fingers of the little boys bled, bled on to the
coal. Their nails were out to the quick (129).
No doubt, Gingrich, the lobbyists, and
other right-wingers are not envisioning this type of child labor,
at least not yet. However, this gruesome history illustrates
why the public should be horrified and indignant about Gingrich
and others' glib dismissal of child-labor laws.
Perhaps, the next most disconcerting
aspect of the right-wing push against child-labor laws is the
magnitude of ignorance it suggests about the nature and causes
of poverty. The underlying premise of Gingrich's proposal, of
course, is the erroneous, tired accusation that the poor are
poor because they lack a strong work ethic. Such a denunciation
is particularly insulting coming from an establishment louche
like Gingrich, who had such a strong work ethic about his Presidential
campaign that his initial campaign staff quit en masse because
of his sloth. Obviously, the working poor, parents working two
more more jobs to make ends meet, and people unable to find work
after months and years of searching don't need to be taught what
a good work ethic is by such a boor. What struggling individuals
and families lack is not a work ethic but access to jobs that
pay a living wage, education and training opportunities, healthcare,
and day care, and the fact that 16-years-olds have modest limits
on how many hours they can flip burgers has little relationship
to their families' social-economic predicament and certainly
will not address the underlying issues around their families'
poverty.
Of course,
there is educational value in young people learning about work
and responsibility. The question is, given the limited time available
to young people, does working more hours at a low-wage job, compared
with other educational activities, best serve the interests of
the majority of them. Michael Harrington touches on one of the
reasons families transitioned from prioritizing work to education
in his book Socialism: Past and Future:
"Adolescence" was an innovation
of the capitalist middle class. Prior to its creation, young
people, except for the aristocrats among them, had gone to work
as soon as they were physically able. Now the growing productivity
of the economy allowed the better-off to exempt their children
from that rule, and the growing sophistication of the economy
made it rational to extend their education and defer their entry
into the labor market. After World War II, both semiaffluence
and the growing prestige of learning as an important "input"
in the generation of wealth saw more and more young people participate
in that trend. A youth culture came into being, and social-class
divisions were intersected by new kinds of generational differences
(256).
For better or worse, our economy has
only become more complex and sophisticated since Harrington wrote
the above. As a result, most young people, particularly those
who are economically disadvantaged, likely would be better served
by receiving resources that enable them to participate in more
educational activities than by more hours flipping burgers.
Of course, Gingrich and the right-wing
are not truly interested in helping the poor, so one should not
be surprised that their ostensible proposal to do so is nonsense.
The real objective of the expansion of teenage labor, as is evidenced
by the grocery and restaurant lobbies' support of it, is to drive
down the cost of labor by expanding the labor pool and undercutting
the already paltry minimum wage.
How cynical and repulsive it is for
the right-wing to attempt to drive down wages and conditions
for working people even further with absurd ideas like expanding
child-labor under the guise of helping the poor. We need to confront
these attacks on children and working people and treat them with
the utter contempt that they deserve and advocate for policies
that actually would help working people and the poor.
The following are a few suggestions for the activities in which
we might engage:
- Oppose efforts to weaken child-labor
laws. We should oppose,
of course, any attempts to weaken child-labor laws. We also should
educate people about the consequences of weakening such laws.
- Promote labor education. We should educate people about labor history
and support labor history organizations like the Illinois
Labor History Society and the Institute
of Working Class History.
- Support union struggles. We should support workers on the picket line
and workers attempting to organize as much as possible. Chicago
DSA does a great deal of work in this area. If you would like
to help, e-mail chiildsa@chicagodsa.org.
We also should educate people about the importance and value
of unions, as there is a great deal of misinformation on this
issue. The Democratic Party of Evanston has a wonderful
piece on this topic.
- Advocate for increasing the minimum
wage and for a living wage. In
Illinois, we should agitate for passage of Senate Bill
1565, which would gradually increase the minimum wage over four
years. People can sign the SB 1565 petition, HERE. We also should agitate for living wages in
our communities and educate people about the economics of a living
wage. Chicago DSA's Bill Barclay has a very
helpful piece on the latter.
- Promote passage of the Humphrey-Hawkins
21st Century Full Employment and Training Act (HR 870). From OpenCongress.org, "This bill is designed
to ensure full employment (i.e. 4% unemployment) after 10 years.
It sets a series of unemployment targets that, if not met, would
trigger the disbursement of funds from a 'National Full Employment
Trust Fund,' which would be made up of revenue from a new financial
transactions tax on financial corporations. The funds would be
used for a direct jobs program that would immediately place unemployed
people in public, non-profit and small business jobs in areas
hardest hit by unemployment." Chicago DSA's Bill
Barlcay did an article summarizing a previous introduction of
the bill HERE.
- Trade agreements. We should educate people about the consequences
of so-called "free trade" agreements. DSA's "Renegotiate NAFTA"
campaign is no longer active. However, the information about
why NAFTA and free trade agreements are problematic is still
very relevant. In addition to educating people about why current
trade agreements are bad policy, we, of course, should oppose
future such agreements, like CAFTA, and advocate for fair
trade policies, instead of "free trade" policies.
- Fight wasteful spending, particularly
defense spending. So-called
"defense" spending is a major obstacle to reducing
unemployment and poverty. We should educate people about the
astronomical size of our defense spending and ask people to think
about how many jobs could be created if the defense budget were
spend on socially good, labor intensive areas like day care,
education, and housing.
Sources:
Kevin Liptak. "Gingrich: Laws Preventing
Child Labor are 'Truly Stupid.'" CNN
website, accessed 22 December 2011,
Holly Rosenkrantz. "Newt Gingrich
Leads Push to Ease Child-Labor Laws." San
Francisco Chronicle website, accessed 22 December 2011,
Eugene V. Debs. "The Socialist
Party and the Working Class." The Eugene V. Debs Reader:
Socialism and the Class Struggle. William A. Pelz, Editor.
Chicago: Institute of Working Class History, 2000.
Mother Jones. The Autobiography of
Mother Jones. Mary Field Parton, Editor. Chicago: Charles
H. Kerr, 1972.
Michael Harrington. Socialism: Past
and Future. New York: Arcade, 2011.
"H.R.870 - Humphrey-Hawkins 21st
Century Full Employment and Training Act." Open
Congress website, accessed 22 December 2011,
People Over Profits, Please...
You know Trader Joe's -
the grocery chain that bills itself as an ethical alternative
to the big-name stores? Well, it turns out they're not so friendly
to the workers who pick the tomatoes they sell to us.
Trader Joe's CEO is refusing to sign
the Fair Food Agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers
(CIW), a group of farm workers
in Florida who have successfully pressured corporate giants like
Taco Bell and McDonald's to agree to ensure that farm workers
in their supply chains get treated humanely and get paid at least
one penny more per pound of tomatoes they pick. Here are two
things YOU can do.
First, send a message to TJ CEO Dan
Bane: CLICK
HERE.
Second, join us at the Trader Joe's
in LaGrange on Saturday, January 21 from Noon to 1 PM, 25 North
LaGrange Road in LaGrange. We will have handouts and signs. Laurel
will bring manager letters and a small group will go inside to
meet with the manager at the conclusion of the picket. Email
Laurel at llambertschmidt@yahoo.com
with questions or email Tom Broderick at tbroderick@printarts.com.
Dress warm and turnout in support of these low-wage tomato pickers.
Turnout for the Fair Food Movement.
Sit Down and Shut Up
Dispite considerable opposition,
not just from the peace movement but also organized labor, two
ordinances restricting the ability to protest in Chicago were
passed by the City Council on Wednesday, January 18. This legislation
was in response to protests planned for the NATO / G8 meetings
that will be in Chicago in May. The Mayor also received a free
hand in making contracts in connection with the meetings.
Kari Leydersen's very good (including
useful links) account at In These Times is HERE.
Progress Illinois has video HERE.
Check out Don Washington's typically
scathing Mayoral Tutoral is HERE, and Andy Thayer's analysis of the legislation
is HERE. (Note that the Chicago Indy Media site
will be undergoing major revisions around the beginning of February,
so this link may not work after that.)
The Coalition Against NATO / G8 War
and Poverty Agenda has a blog HERE and a resource web site HERE.
Stand Up to Mortgage Fraudsters
It's time for the Big Banks to bear
responsibility for the financial crisis-and for fraud and abuse
against homeowners across the country.
The nation's state attorneys general are considering a settlement
with the bankers, but there's a risk they'll let the people who
tanked our economy off with a slap on the wrist. It's urgent
we tell them we need a settlement that holds banks accountable
for the damage they've done and helps homeowners. Will you
write your state attorney general and the White House to let
them know? CLICK
HERE.
Right-Wing
Crazy Corner
by Michael Baker
In early January, one of our favorite political coquettes, Pat
Robertson informed the world God
told him who the next president will be -- but he's not going
to tell who it is. Alas, since Pat is such a tease, we'll all
have to go through the futile process of pseudo-democracy anyway.
Just when we thought Ron Paul had the
greatest market share on racism in the GOP presidential side-show,
Rick Santorum made the following ostentatious comments to evince
his racist credentials:
Poor Rick. If he only read New Ground
and listened to our podcast, Talkin' Socialism, he
would be much better informed. As we noted in New Ground 140, the number of white people in poverty outnumbers
that of all other race/ethnic groups combined, and an informed
perspective on abortion and minority communities is available
in our current episode of Talkin'
Socialism.
But Newt Gingrich, never one to be outdone
by his peers, stated
that if he were invited to the NAACP's annual convention,
he would talk about "why the African-American community
should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps."
Alas, poor Newt and his food stamp fetish.
Well, clearly Newt also could benefit from reading New Ground.
Birther biggot and ecclectic right-wing
conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi apparently has been so preoccupied
with exposing the truth about Barack Obama and others that he
lost track of the truth about his own work, as his 19 December
WorldNetDaily (WND) "exclusive" article titled "Obama's
legacy of broken promises in Kenya" was apparently
plagiarized.
DSA-obsessed right-wing conspiracy theorist,
Trevor Loudon penned a cri de coeur regarding the dangers
of Obama's extremely modest military reductions, warning of an
impending "all out war against the combined forces of Russia
and its vassal states, China, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Iran,
North Korea, and possibly several other major countries, including
even Brazil, Mexico, India and Pakistan, and conceivably even
Japan, Turkey, Egypt and Indonesia." Is this a real concern
or a manifestation of a repressed orgiastic fantasy? You
decide.
At a rally for Republican presidential
hopeful Mitty Romney on 8 January, Gov. Chris Christie was dutifully
in tow to show his support for the uninspiring establishment
candidate. Unfortunately for Romney and Christie, Occupy Wall
Street protestors were also at the rally, chanting "Mitt
kills jobs!" and "Christie kills jobs!" In response,
Christie sneered and gave the protestors the minatory yet fatuous
reply, "Really?
You know, something may go down tonight, but it ain't gonna be
jobs, sweetheart." Hmm. While we're not sure exactly
what this inarticulate response means, we'll let such a cretinous
remark stand as a statement on its own.
Evangelical minister and pseudo-historian,
David Barton has been busy promoting his soon-to-be-released
book, The Jefferson Lies, in which he sets the record
straight on Thomas Jefferson. As it turns out, Jefferson's beliefs
and work actually conform to the religious right's agenda, and
we've all be misled by "modern lies about Jefferson that
have been concocted, promoted, and perpetuated by the Secular
and Academic Left" (quote taken from the publisher's promotional
blurb). Well, David should be an expert on historical distortions
since he has been a propagator
of so many of them.
So you're thinking about voting for
Ron Paul? There's a reason for that: DSA is in part responsible
for duping Ron Paul into supporting defense cuts. It's
all a conspiracy.
People
Timuel Black
DSA member and Debs Thomas
Harrington honoree Timuel Black donated his papers to the
Chicago Public Library recently. You can read more about it at
Mike Klonsky's Small
Talk education blog.
Democratic Socialism
Feminism, Women's Movements,
and Women in Movement
is the theme of the latest issue
of Interface, posted online last month and available HERE.
Four Futures
With the ongoing, accelerating
pace of technological change, a post-economic society, a society
liberated from scarcity, can seem at least plausible. Would it
be utopia? At Jacobin Magazine, Chicago DSA expat Peter
Frase writes:
"One thing we can be certain of
is that capitalism will end. Maybe not soon, but probably
before too long; humanity has never before managed to craft an
eternal social system, after all, and capitalism is a notably
more precarious and volatile order than most of those that preceded
it. The question, then, is what will come next. Rosa Luxemburg,
reacting to the beginnings of World War I, cited a line from
Engels: "Bourgeois society stands at the crossroads, either
transition to socialism or regression into barbarism." In
that spirit I offer a thought experiment, an attempt to make
sense of our possible futures. These are a few of the socialisms
we may reach if a resurgent Left is successful, and the barbarisms
we may be consigned to if we fail." MORE.
Upcoming Events of Interest
Events listed here are not necessarily
endorsed by Chicago DSA but should be of interest to DSA members,
friends and other lefties. For other events, go to http://www.chicagodsa.org/page9.html.
Saturday, January 21, 10 AM
Funeral for Democracy
Bank of America, Washington & Van Buren, Naperville
Funeral procession for democracy on the two year anniversary
of "Citizens United". MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, January 21, NOON to 1 PM
Picket Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's, 25 N. LaGrange Rd, LaGrange
In support of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the fair
food movement.
Saturday, January 21, 12:30 PM
Global Day to Support Egyptian
Revolution
Gather @ Michigan & Congress, Chicago
March to Egyptian Consulate for rally. MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, January 21, 2 PM
"Daisy Bates: First
Lady of Little Rock"
Chicago Cultural Center Claudia Cassidy
Theater, 78 E. Washington St, 2nd Floor, Chicago
Documentary on a largely forgotten heroine of the Civil Rights
Movement. MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, January 21, 3 PM to 5 PM
A Short and Irreverent History
of the G8 and NATO
Occupy Chicago, 500 W. Cermak Room
700, Chicago
MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, January 21, 6:30 PM to 9:30
PM
Water - Threats and Possibilities,
A Multimedia Presentation
Multi-Kulti Art Space, 1000 N. Milwaukee
Ave, 4th Floor, Chicago
Art, video, performance, discussion and networking on water and
its discontents. $5 donation suggested. MORE
INFORMATION.
Sunday, January 22, 3 PM to 5 PM
Precarity Movements in Europe
Occupy Chicago, 500 W. Cermak Room
700, Chicago
Examines the notions of "precarity" and "precarious
labor" by analyzing three approaches to the political mobilization
of precarious workers--the unemployed, the undcocumented, the
underpaid, those whose labor is fragmented, informal, and/or
invisible--in Europe. MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, January 28, 10 AM
Workers' Power: Labor Solidarity
Workshop
Teamsters Hall, 300 S. Ashland, Chicago
Occupy Chicago conference aims to bring together those who are
fighting back, to not only network and learn from one another,
but chart a way forward with common goals in mind. MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, January 28, 2:30 PM
Dan LaBotz Occupy the
Democratic Party?
Lincoln Park Public Library, 1150 W.
Fullerton, Chicago
An Open University of the Left event. MORE
INFORMATION.
Sunday, January 29, 2 PM
"The Return of Navaho
Boy"
Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St
Veterans Room, Oak Park
Screening of documentary by Jeff Spitz followed by discussion.
MORE INFORMATION.
Tuesday, January 31, 7 PM to 8:30 PM
Women in the Military: the
End of Don't Ask Don't Tell
Women & Children First, 5233 N.
Clark, Chicago
Panel discussion on the end of the "Don't Ask; Don't Tell"
policy in the military. MORE
INFORMATION.
Wednesday, February 1, 5:30 PM to 8:30
PM
"Miss Representation"
Columbia College Film Row Cinema, 1104
S. Wabash, Chicago
Reception, documentary film, and talk-back. Tickets required.
MORE INFORMATION.
Thursday, February 2, 6:30 PM to 8:30
PM
Illinois' Budget Crisis
First United Church of Oak Park, 848
Lake St, Oak Park
Laura Dean Friedrich discusses Illinois' ongoing budget crisis.
MORE
INFORMATION.
Friday, February 3, Noon
First Friday Action for Jobs
State of Illinois Building, Randolph
& Clark, Chicago
Demonstration and press conference in response to the Labor Department's
release of employment numbers. MORE
INFORMATION.
|
New
Ground #140.2
02.02.2012
Contents
0. DSA News
Return of the Left
Socialist International Council Meeting
1. Politics
Ruckus in Chicago
CME: We're Full, Thank You
Cleaning Up Tax Increment Financing
Safe, Decent, and Affordable
You're Fired!
Verizon
Right-Wing Crazy Corner by Michael
Baker
2. Democratic Socialism
Social-Demotopia
Concepts, Real Life & the Working Class
Life Is Possible After Capitalism
3. Upcoming Events of Interest
DSA News
The Return of the Left
The Young Democratic Socialists'
Winter Conference will be held February 17 through 19 at St.
Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, NY. For all the juicy details,
including registration, CLICK
HERE.
Socialist International Council
Meeting
The Socialist International
Council met in met in San José, Costa Rica, on January
23-24. As is typical of such meetings, it was mostly an exercise
in resolutionary social democracy. A report on the meeting is
posted at the Socialist International's web site HERE.
For U.S. politics, the most relevant
resolution is a statement
on Puerto Rico. It calls for Puerto Rican representation
in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, for
the United Nations to "examine the colonial case of Puerto
Rico" and for the "liberation of Puerto Rican patriots
in jail in the United States". The organizational report
of the secretary general, Luis Ayala, is also of interest.
The most substantive item is a report
on reforming (PDF) the Socialist International. The language
is highly elliptical, particularly at the start: The language
orbits far from the center of meaning mostly then for brief moments
it swoops to the heart of the matter. Some of the recommendations
include being more aggressive in organizing meetings around other
international meetings, more of a role for non-party organizations,
subsidies for delegates from less well-off parties, better use
of social media, and offering individual memberships (The Liberal International
has this option but not the conservative International
Democrat Union, nor does Global
Greens.) in the Socialist International. The report also
recommends strengthening the Ethics Committee, giving it the
authority to expell member parties (at least until the next Congress).
Politics
Ruckus in Chicago
Well, we did it once, they must
have figured; let's see if we can do it again. By now, you may
have heard that Adbusters, the Canadian magazine that
tossed a match into tinder, starting the Occupy movement, has
decided, in
decidedly sentimental and confrontational language, that
the 99% should occupy the NATO/G8 summits. To be fair, Rahm Emanuel
and a city council whose first instinct is to check to see if
its ass is covered started it with the "sit
down and shut up" ordinance aimed directly at protesting
the summits. Todd Gitlin agrees.
But Adbusters also didn't say a word in advance to the
people on the ground, Occupy Chicago, about this call. Joe Macaré
at Gapers Block has a good
article covering this, but don't read too much into it; the
press loves drama. In the meantime, Occupy Chicago has been making
its own plans. Check
it out.
CME: We're Full, Thank You
CME Group, CNA Group, and Bank
of America are turning down or returning TIF monies that they
had applied for. CME Group had recently been given a "golden
toilet" by Stand
Up Chicago as a comment on just how much good those monies
would be doing most of us. CME Group says the "tax law changes
approved last year are much more important," but it's likely
that stricter enforcement of job
creation and preservation requirements may have been a greater
consideration.
Cleaning Up Tax Increment Financing
The Illinois Public Interest
Research Group has just released a new report on TIF Districts,
particularly as they exist in Chicago. Get the highlights and
download the report from HERE.
Safe, Decent, and Affordable
An analysis
by CNT of the Chicago region's affordable housing developments
has found that some are not very affordable when transportation
costs are considered. Typical transportation costs, the second
largest expense in a household budget, ranged from $750 per month
in many Chicago neighborhoods with affordable housing units to
more than $1,000 in more distant suburbs. The report
also found that suburban Cook County, which has comparatively
low transportation costs, has fewer affordable housing units
compared with the city of Chicago and the region's collar counties.
You're Fired!
Inside Chicago Airports reports: "Last year, the Chicago Department
of Aviation pushed through the 20-year, $1.6 billion lease of
O'Hare International Terminal (T5) concessions to Australia-based
Westfield Group. As part of the process, the Department
of Aviation promised that current concessions workers at the
terminal would not be thrown out of work by the change. 'All
but two of the current employees are being hired by the new company,'
Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino reported to Chicago
Aldermen at the Department of Aviation's October 26, 2011 budget
hearing, arguing that Aldermen did not need to take action to
ensure stable operations and jobs during major contract changes."
Guess what? MORE.
Verizon
The Verizon strike was a hot
topic in Chicago until CWA
and IBEW workers agreed to go back to work while contract negotiations
went on. The negotiations are still going on. The folks
at CWA are suggesting you check out Occupy
the Board Room to send the Verizon executives a message.
If you have other favorite bosses, you can use the site to send
them a message, too.
Right-Wing
Crazy Corner
by Michael Baker
Right-wing conspiracy theorist Trevor Loudon, whose raison
d'être seems to be self stultification, published an
article titled, "DSA
Marxists Take Over the Occupy Movement: Plan 'Spring Offensive,'
with Widespread Occupations of State Capitols, Schools and Workplaces."
Trevor's histrionic piffle cites articles in DSA's national magazine
Democratic Left by Joe Schwartz, Maria Svart, and Chris
Maisano about the Occupy Movement, as well as a resolution passed
at DSA's national convention, as evidence of this coup d'etat.
While comrades Schwartz, Svart, and Maisano are certainly
dedicated DSA members, talented activists, and compelling polemicists,
we are somewhat dubious that their articles adumbrate a
"DSA takeover of the Occupy Movement." Interestingly,
some of our friends on the left have also accused DSA of trying
to co-opt the Occupy Movement, and we can only wonder if they
have been reading Trevor's twaddle but missing the irony.
Others on the right have different analysis
of the Occupy Movement. For example, Matt
Barber claimed on his Faith and Freedom radio program
that the movement is nothing more than astroturf funded by George
Soros and made up of people who "hate America." We
prefer Trevor's analysis to Barber's because it would be a real
shame if DSA had been wasting its limited resources co-opting
a confected cause.
Right wingers also cannot seem to agree
as to why the captain of the Costa Concordia appears to have
behaved with such poltroonery. In an article titled "'Captain
Coward': Behold our brave new sexually emancipated world,"
Hilary White of the anti-choice and anti-gay
website lifesitenews.com blames the captain's cowardice on
feminism, stating, "What kind of man sneaks away under cover
of darkness from his own sinking ship, leaving nearly 4200 passengers
and crew to fend for themselves? What kind of men knock aside
old ladies, little girls and young mothers to get to lifeboats
first? Why, modern men, sexually emancipated men who have been
raised on the tenets of feminism and our 'contemporary' mores."
On the other hand, David Asman on Fox Business' Power and
Money blamed
unions, explaining, "When professionals become unionized
and see themselves as nothing more than units of labor they diminish
their own self worth, and the quality of their work does decline.
The individual pride they used to take in their work gets overtaken
by the collective solidarity to union demands."
In other Fox-related news,
on the Fox News program The Five, Andrea Tantaros observed
that the economic crisis has been good for children, stating
"I think the recession was good for kids" because they've
been "humbled a little." If Andrea would spend more
time reading New Ground and listening to our podcast Talkin' Socialism
and less time ingesting media devoted to obscurantism, she
would know that the recession should not be discussed in the
past tense and that children have been
more than "humbled a little" by the disastrous
state of the economy.
Finally, to end on a religious note,
aspiring
gnomist Pastor Ken Hutcherson, whose other aspirations include
opposing same-sex marriage in his state of Washington, announced
on his website that "The only way to make your enemy a friend
is to defeat them or kill them." While we do not quite follow
Pastor Hutcherson's reasoning, we certainly will do our best
to avoid befriending him, and we only hope that he and his sympathizers
do not take his fatuous aphorism seriously and attempt to apply
it to same-sex couples in his state.
Democratic Socialism
Social-Demotopia
Perhaps because social democrats
and democratic socialists had to have something to point
to instead of the unhappy "real existing socialism"
of the Soviet bloc, the Scandinavian countries long ago acquired
the image of being something approximating real existing democratic
socialism -- at least here in the States. So it's no surprise
that, in a cover story, "Why Not Democratic Socialism?"
for The Dayton City Paper (Ohio), Rana Odeh begins:
Can you imagine getting paid 100% of
your salary for 18 months of maternity leave? What about never
stressing over health care costs when you, your child, or your
family members get sick? What about free college education, free
childcare, and subsidized (healthy) food and housing? Does it
sound too good to be true? This is not a utopian dream; this
is the life that Scandinavians enjoy and Americans have come
to fear. What if you could have that life with the added benefits
of democracy and freedom? Well, this is what the Scandinavian
economic systems looks like. Socialist policies such as universal
health care, free college education, paid maternity leave and
free childcare, do not take away democracy and freedom, but rather
enhance the quality of life. MORE.
But Scandinavian social democracy didn't
just happen. For a succinct summary of the 1930s struggle of
Sweden's and Norway's 99%, see this article by George Lakey at
Waging
Nonviolence.
Concepts, Real Life & the
Working Class
At Working Class Perspectives,
Jack Metzgar writes:
Man, it's hard thinking and talking
about social class in these United States. Most of the time since
President Obama was elected, there's nobody out there but "the
rich" and "the middle class," as if both the working
class and poverty have been eliminated. Then along comes a political
election, and all of a sudden the mainstream media starts talking
about a "working class" that turns out to be all white,
all male, and uniformly good at bowling! MORE.
Life Is Possible After Capitalism
The Heartland Cafe's Katie Hogan
and Michael James interview David Schweickart on his book After
Capitalism. CLICK
HERE.
Upcoming Events of Interest
Events listed here are not necessarily
endorsed by Chicago DSA but should be of interest to DSA members,
friends and other lefties. For other events, go to http://www.chicagodsa.org/page9.html.
Saturday, February 4, 9 AM to 1 PM
2nd Annual Illinois Immigrant
Integration Summit
Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Van Buren, Chicago
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Registration
required. MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, February 4, Noon to 2 PM
No War on Iran: National
Day of Action
Federal Plaza, Adams & Dearborn, Chicago
Putting the breaks on Yet Another War. MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, February 4, 1 PM to 5 PM
Ben Reitman's Hobohemia Bus
Tour
Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark, Chicago
More than the walking tour. Ticket: $45. A Pocket Guide to Hell
production. MORE
INFORMATION.
Monday, February 6, 6 PM
Fair Trade Certified Apparel:
Challenges and Possibilities
Hull House Museum, 800 S. Halsted, Chicago
Jackie DeCarlo of Catholic Relief Services discusses her experiences.
$10. MORE
INFORMATION.
Monday, February 6, 7 PM
The Social Construction of
Sexual Violence
The Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn, Chicago
Panel discussion on the perception of sexual violence. Reservations
required. MORE
INFORMATION.
Wednesday, February 8, 6 PM to 8 PM
My Desire for History
Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted, Chicago
Panel discussion on John D'Emilio's anthology of essays by Allan
Bérubé. MORE
INFORMATION.
Thursday, February 9, 4 PM to 6 PM
Getting Paid to Cause Trouble
Roosevelt University Spertus Lounge (Room 244), 430 S. Michigan,
Chicago
Meet organizers from local community organizations and unions
and learn about careers in grassroots organizing!
Thursday, February 9, 5:30 PM
Bayard Rustin at 100: Rediscovering
a Forgotten Hero
Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark, Chicago
Panel discussion and social. Tickets $12. MORE
INFORMATION.
Friday, February 10, 2 PM to 5 PM
This Is Not My Beautiful
House
Jane Addams Hull House Museum, 800 S. Halsted, Chicago
Panel discussion on historic preservation and the people's history.
MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, February 11, 3:30 PM to 6
PM
The ANC and African Liberation
Struggles
IIT Tower, 10 W. 35th St, 6th Floor Bronzeville Room, Chicago
Panel discussion and multi-media presentation. RSVP. MORE
INFORMATION.
Sunday, February 12, 2 PM
Trader Joe's Protest
Trader Joe's, 483 N. Harlem, Oak Park
Part of a nation-wide protest of Trader Joe's first store in
Florida and in support of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
MORE INFORMATION.
Monday, February 13, 6 PM to 8 PM
News Literacy Project
Jane Addams Hull House Museum, 800 S. Halsted, Chicago
News, what it is, how to consume it, the role of citizen journalists.
RSVP required. MORE INFORMATION.
Wednesday, February 15, 5 PM
Citizen Journalism and Guerilla
Theater
Occupy Chicago, 500 W. Cermak Room 701, Chicago
This training will bring out the natural activist, journalist,
and performer in you. MORE
INFORMATION.
Sunday, February 19, 4 PM to 6:30 PM
Songs & Struggle
Northside Action for Justice, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago
Featuring Tom Neilson with Lynn Marie, fundraiser for NA4. MORE
INFORMATION.
|
|
New
Ground #140.3
02.15.2012
Contents
0. DSA News
Save the Date
Arrests!
Cornel West
1. Politics
A Living Wage Haunts Oak Park
Why Is There so Little Respect for Hard Work?
It's Still the Economy
Illinois Primary Elections
Another Victory
2. Ars Politica
Happy Birthday Nelson Algren!
3. Upcoming Events of Interest
DSA News
Save the Date
for the 54th Annual Debs --
Thomas -- Harrington Dinner: Friday evening, April 27. We're
at the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza this year. We'll have materials
in the mail and up on the web within the next week or so. Hope
to see you there!
Arrests!
Four members of the Atlanta
DSA local were among 12 people from Occupy Atlanta, Atlanta
Jobs with Justice, and Communications Workers of Atlanta retirees
sitting in at AT&T's Atlanta headquarters to protest
the company's recent announcement of 740 planned layoffs
after boasting of record profits and paying their CEO $27 million
in 2011. MORE.
Cornel West
spoke at St. Sabina's Church
on February 12, inspiring this
cartoon by Eric Garcia.
Politics
A Living Wage Haunts Oak Park
On Monday, March 5th, supporters
of a Living Wage in Oak Park will go to the Village Board meeting
and ask that our Trustees enact a living wage ordinance. Something
they have never formally considered. Two of the current Trustees
have agreed to put this on the Board's agenda if we can show
support..
Please join us. There are new Trustees.
Another show of public support would be great. Please consider
making a public comment during the meeting. The meeting starts
at 7:30 p.m., Monday, March 5th at Village Hall ~ 123 Madison,
Oak Park. Enter from the south side of the building. If you still
have the "Living Wage = Family Value" button from the
earlier campaign, wear it with pride at Village Hall, March 5th.
For information, email tbroderick@chicagodsa.org.
Why Is There so Little Respect
for Hard Work?
At Talking Union, GOPDSA's
Bob Simpson writes:
If you drive down I-55 or I-80 out of
Chicago toward Joliet, they are hard to miss. Sprawling boxy-looking
buildings, often windowless, but with constant activity as semi's
pull up to disgorge their contents. These are the warehouses
of Will County, where goods meant mostly for North America's
big box stores are routed to their ultimate destinations. They
employ thousands of people, mostly people of color, many of them
immigrants. It is one of the largest and fasting growing USA
centers for product distribution by truck and rail.
It was among those warehouses that Uylonda
Dickerson, a single mom, found a job. What she did not find was
respect. Not only was the pay rock-bottom, but when she
reported for work, she was often sent home instead, because there
was not enough to do. This is in direct violation of Illinois
law, making it a case of wage theft. If workers are scheduled
to work, but are sent home, the company must pay them at least
4 hours of wages. MORE.
It's Still the Economy
At the Chicago Political Economy
Group, Bill Barclay comments on the recent settlement between
the States and the largest banks -- a glass 1/32nd full -- HERE.
And Joe Persky comments on the Bureau
of Labor Statistics' January jobs numbers HERE.
Illinois Primary Elections
Citizen Action decided upon
its primary endorsements a week or so ago. Chicago DSA is a member
of Citizen Action/Illinois. While some of the endorsements are
good, CDSA didn't vote for all of them. Nonetheless, you can
find them HERE.
Another Victory
"Trader Joe's and the Coalition
of Immokalee Workers (CIW) announced today that they have signed
an agreement that formalizes the ways in which Trader Joe's will
work with the CIW and Florida tomato growers to support the CIW's
Fair Food Program." MORE.
Ars Politica
Happy Birthday Nelson Algren!
The
23nd Annual Nelson Algren Birthday Party: Legendary
pianist and boogie expert Erwin Helfer kicks off this
years birthday party, which will feature, among others, award-winning
novelist/photographer Linh Dinh, writer/dissident psychologist
Bruce Levine, U. Conn. Algren scholar Mike Jones,
renowned folksinger Bucky Halker, poet/raconteur/magazine
maven Bob Katzman, singer/songwriter Kristin Lems
and poets Charlie Newman & Co. Guitarist and "Rio
Bamba" headliner John Garvey will back Algren Committee
co-founder Warren Leming, who will perform a poem from
"Chicago: City on the Make," while photographer and
Algren fan Ron Seymour will show some of his photos of
Algren. A mystery guest and old Algren pal will talk about the
days when Ma's was where you ate, or chose not to; Doc was the
man who dealt the cards, if you lacked judgment; and women with
troubles worse than your own were relatively unknown. This year's
Algren Committee Award winners are Chicago historical researcher
and re-enactor extraordinaire Paul Durica and scholar/activist/Maxwell
Street preservationist Elliot Zashin. The cash bar, "Sto
Lat" singalong and birthday cake remain sacrosanct. Come
join the fun! When? 8 PM, March 24th, 2012. Where?
Wicker Park Art Center (a/k/a/ St. Paul's), 2215 W. North Ave.,
Chicago. How much? $10/$7 students. More Information?
CLICK
HERE.
Upcoming Events of Interest
Events listed here are not necessarily
endorsed by Chicago DSA but should be of interest to DSA members,
friends and other lefties. For other events, go to http://www.chicagodsa.org/page9.html.
Friday, February 17, 2:30 PM to 3:20
PM
Social Media and Human Rights
ACLU of IL Offices, 180 N. Michigan Ave, Ste 2300, Chicago
How is the new technology useful to advocacy efforts. Registration
required. MORE
INFORMATION.
Friday, February 17, 4:30 PM to 6:30
PM
Whose Schools? Our Schools!
Columbia College Hokin Lecture Hall, 623 S. Wabash Room 109,
Chicago
Round 2 of panel discussion on repairing the state of disunion
in higher education. MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, February 18, 2 PM to 4 PM
Student Human Rights Network
Kickoff
DePaul University Lewis Center, 25 E. Jackson Room 342, Chicago
RSVP required. MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, February 18, 2:30 PM
Half of America in Poverty?
Lincoln Park Public Library, 1150 W. Fullerton, Chicago
DePaul University professor Paul Buchheit discusses what the
new data reveals about how Americans are now living. MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, February 18, 4:30 PM to 6:30
PM
Occupy Music?
Occupy Chicago Office, 500 W. Cermak Room 701, Chicago
Crisis, resistance and the sound of revolt. MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, February 18, 7 PM to 11 PM
Obamacare, Medicare, and
Social Security
Lincoln Restaurant, 4008 N. Lincoln, Chicago
A College of Complexes debate between Will Barnes and Dr. Anne
Scheetz. MORE
INFORMATION.
Sunday, February 19, 4 PM to 6:30 PM
Songs & Struggle
Northside Action for Justice, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago
Featuring Tom Neilson with Lynn Marie, fundraiser for NA4. MORE
INFORMATION.
Monday, February 20, 5 PM to 6:30 PM
National Day of Action for
Prisoners
Chicago Board of Trade to the Metropolitan Correctional Center,
Chicago
Demonstration in solidarity with those behind prison walls. MORE
INFORMATION.
Tuesday, February 21, 7 PM
Narratives from Israel and
Palestine
Lombard Mennonite Church, 528 E. Madison, Lombard
Dr. Paul Parker will give an witness report on what he has seen
and heard in Israel and the West Bank of Palestine from Jews,
Samaritans, Christians, Muslims, Druze, and Bahá'í.
MORE INFORMATION.
Saturday, February 25, 1 PM to 3 PM
Out of the Closets into the
Occupation
Occupy Chicago Office, 500 W. Cermak Room 701, Chicago
Queer struggle against the 1%. MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, February 25, 6 PM to 10 PM
Gentle Warrior Awards
Marmon Grand Banquet Hall, 2230 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago
Fundraiser for the A. Philip Randolph Museum, honoring William
McNary and William Hunter. $100. MORE
INFORMATION.
Sunday, February 26, 2 PM
"Where Soldiers Come
From"
Oak Park Public Library Veterans Room, 834 Lake St, Oak Park
Documentary film followed by presentation and discussion. MORE INFORMATION.
Wednesday, February 29, 4 PM
Against Equality, from Left
and Right
Occupy Chicago Office, 500 W. Cermak Room 701, Chicago
A presentation by sociologist Alberto Toscano. MORE
INFORMATION.
Wednesday, February 29, 7 PM to 8:30
PM
The World Finder
Gallery 400, 400 S. Peoria, Chicago
An epic tragedy in four acts, featuring Pocket Guide to Hell,
Martin Billheimer, Sid Cook, Jon Langford, and Max Wastler. MORE
INFORMATION.
Thursday, March 1, 7 PM
Evening with Patricia Smith,
Michael Warr, & Luis Rodriguez
Jak's Tap, 901 W. Jackson, Chicago
"Three of the founders of the city's original poetry scene."
$5 MORE INFORMATION.
Friday, March 2, Noon
First Friday Action for Jobs
State of Illinois Building, Randolph & Clark, Chicago
Press conference / rally in response to the Labor Department's
monthly release of jobs numbers. MORE
INFORMATION.
Friday, March 2, 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Crossroads Fund 30th Anniversary
Celebration
Chicago Cultural Center GAR Hall, 77 E. Randolph St, Chicago
Fundraiser for the Crossroads Fund. MORE
INFORMATION.
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New
Ground #140.4
03.01.2012
Contents
0. DSA News
The Return of the Democratic Left
on Video
1. Politics
A Living Wage for Oak Park!
Rx for Busted Budgets
ATMI Precast Workers Vote UNION!
by Bill Barclay
The 99% Spring
International Women's Day
2. Ars Politica
Save Old St. Paul's for the Community
3. Democratic Socialism
Talkin' Socialism
4. Upcoming Events of Interest
DSA News
The Return of the Democratic
Left on Video
In some past years, the Winter
Conference of the Young Democratic Socialists has been a very
small, shy event. This year's event, February 17 through 19,
can't claim to have been huge, but the organizers came away almost
giddy. About 170 people attended, a serious upward spike. Activist
Nation has posted 4 videos of the event that justify the euphoria.
The first video features Frances Fox
Piven (an Honorary Co-Chair of DSA), Jim Miller (Professor of
Politics at the New School), and Steve Max (a Vice-Chair of DSA)
on the Occupy Wall Street movement. See it HERE.
The second video features Chris Hicks
(Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) coordinator) and Dan Hanson
(YDS College of Wooster Chapter) discussing student -- union
solidarity. See it HERE.
Video three features Steve Max speaking
on "The 1%, The 99%, and The Economy". See it HERE.
And the fourth video is entitled "Why
Is Student Debt Rising?" and features Chris Hicks (SLAP
coordinator) and Chiara Corso (George Washington University SLAP).
See it HERE.
Politics
A Living Wage for Oak Park!
On Monday, March 5th, supporters
of a Living Wage in Oak Park will go to the Village Board meeting
and ask that our Trustees enact a living wage ordinance. Something
they have never formally considered. Two of the current Trustees
have agreed to put this on the Board's agenda if we can show
support..
Please join us. There are new Trustees.
Another show of public support would be great. Please consider
making a public comment during the meeting. The meeting starts
at 7:30 p.m., Monday, March 5th at Village Hall ~ 123 Madison,
Oak Park. Enter from the south side of the building. If you still
have the "Living Wage = Family Value" button from the
earlier campaign, wear it with pride at Village Hall, March 5th.
For information, email tbroderick@chicagodsa.org.
Rx for Busted Budgets
On February 28, the Center for
Tax and Budget Accountability released The
Case for Creating a Graduated Income Tax in Illinois, making
the argument for the State of Illinois to adopt a graduated income
tax rate structure.
Among the report's key findings, Illinois'
failure to have a graduated tax rate structure:
- Unfairly taxes people because it fails
to take into account ability to pay.
- Runs counter to textbook tax policy
and the historic, bi-partisan support for graduated income tax
structures in America;
- Contributes significantly to Illinois'
on-going fund deficits; and
- Impedes private sector economic growth
by overtaxing low- and middle-income families, who are the state's
best consumers.
The report highlights that the state's
constitutional requirement that there be only one, flat rate
used for the income tax makes Illinois a tax outlier. In fact,
of the 41 states with an individual income tax, all but seven
have graduated rate structures.
- If Illinois amended its constitution
to allow implementation of a graduated rate structure for the
individual income tax, that structure could be designed to:
- Cut overall state income tax burden
for 94 percent of all taxpayers-that means on average, taxpayers
with under $150,000 in annual base income would receive a tax
cut;
- Despite shifting tax burden to affluent
taxpayers, nonetheless keep the effective state income tax rate
for millionaires at just 4.3 percent;
- Raise at least $2.4 billion annually
in new revenue to help eliminate ongoing structural deficits
in the state's General Fund; and
- Stimulate the growth of at least 36,000
jobs in the state's private sector through enhanced public and
consumer spending. As of August, 2011, Illinois hasn't replaced
342,000 non-farm jobs it lost during the Great Recession.
Click HERE for a PDF version of the full report.
ATMI Precast Workers Vote UNION!
by Bill Barclay
Winning union elections in the private sector has not been easy
during the past couple of decades but sometimes it happens. And
it just did in Aurora where workers at ATMI Precast voted 74
to 9 on February 17th to affiliate with the Laborers Union. The
vote followed a several month campaign that was a labor-community
effort. Northern Illinois Jobs With Justice (NILJwJ), formed
in 2011 as the result of meetings between peace and justice activists
and union members, mobilized to support ATMI Precast's largely
Hispanic work force as they sought a voice in the workplace.
Chicago DSA members, both those on the NILJwJ steering committee
as well as others, joined marches, rallies and contributed to
the effort. The capstone in the campaign was a march through
the west side of Aurora to the home of ATMI Precast CEO James
Armbruster while distributing leaflets to his neighbors. The
marchers demanded that Armbruster allow the workers a voice in
the workplace and that he reinstate the workers fired during
the organizing campaign (the union has filed Unfair Labor Practices)
as well as rescind the 20% wage cut imposed late last year. According
to local media, the mobilization and march were unlike anything
Aurora had seen in "decades." The fight for a contract
and a living wage lies ahead, but the first bridge has been crossed
with strong support in both the workplace and the community.
The 99% Spring
In the tradition of our forefathers
and foremothers and inspired by today's brave heroes in Occupy
Wall Street and Madison, Wisconsin, we will prepare ourselves
for sustained non-violent direct action. From April 9-15 we will
gather across America, 100,000 strong, in homes, places of worship,
campuses and the streets to join together in the work of reclaiming
our country. We will organize trainings to:
- Tell the story of our economy: how
we got here, who's responsible, what a different future could
look like, and what we can do about it
- Learn the history of non-violent direct
action, and
- Get into action on our own campaigns
to win change.
This spring we rise! We will reshape
our country with our own hands and feet, bodies and hearts. We
will take non-violent action in the spirit of Martin Luther King,
Jr. and Gandhi to forge a new destiny one block, one neighborhood,
one city, one state at a time.
CLICK
HERE to learn more.
International Women's Day
The Chicago Women's Liberation
Union Herstory Project is celebrating the 100th anniversary of
the Day, March 8th, with a brand new poster to commemorate the
occasion, available at the Herstory Store. The bookmark and notecard
versions of the design are also available through the Syracuse
Cultural Workers, which they also talk about on their blog. Find
out more HERE.
Ars Politica
Save Old St. Paul's for the
Community
It's not news that the Near
North West Arts Council is facing eviction. It's been a possibility
since the remnants of the old congregation began shopping around
for a buyer. Well, they found one. And one would expect that
a transition could be negotiation, but... MORE.
Democratic Socialism
Talkin' Socialism
Episode 13 -- Economic Democracy
-- Recorded 02.11.2012: Ron Baiman interviews Loyola University
Philosophy Professor David Schweickart on "economic democracy"
and "market socialism". MP3
(30.6 MB) or Ogg
Vorbis (24.1 MB).
Upcoming Events of Interest
Events listed here are not necessarily
endorsed by Chicago DSA but should be of interest to DSA members,
friends and other lefties. For other events, go to http://www.chicagodsa.org/page9.html.
Saturday -- Sunday, March 3 and 4
Whose City? Teach-In
Occupy Chicago, 500 W. Cermak, Chicago
Variety of panels and facilitated discussions. MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, March 3, Noon to 2 PM
Intersections: Roundtable
and Brunch
Access Living, 115 W. Chicago, Chicago
Discussion of about the specific ways in which various forms
of engagement intersect. MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, March 3, 1 PM
Liberating Civil Society
Lombard Mennonite Church, 528 E. Madison St, Lombard
Annual meeting of the West Suburban Faith-based Peace Coalition,
featuring Mark Johnson of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. MORE INFORMATION.
Saturday, March 3, 1 PM
"The Ninth Floor Door"
Grace Place Community Center, 637 S. Dearborn, Chicago
Play about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. $10. MORE
INFORMATION.
Monday, March 5, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Fight the Closing of DHS
Offices
Puerto Rican Center, 1237 N. California Ave, Chicago
Chicago JwJ Workers Rights hearing. What you can do plus MORE INFORMATION
Monday, March 5, 7:30 PM
Oak Park Village Board Meeting
Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison, Oak Park
Come show your support for a Living Wage Ordinance in Oak Park
MORE INFORMATION.
Wednesday, March 7, 7 PM
The Affordable Care Act,
Two Years Later
Two Thirteen Building, 213 S. Wheaton Ave, Wheaton
Discussion of what is popularly known as "ObamaCare"
MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, March 10, Noon to 2 PM
Rally and March to Defend
Civil Liberties
Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St, Chicago
Being the 6th anniversary of the massive march for immigrant
rights. MORE
INFORMATION and MORE.
Saturday, March 10, 12:30 PM
CDSA Executive Committee
Meeting
CDSA Office, 1608 N. Milwaukee, Room 403, Chicago
All DSA members are welcome!
Saturday, March 10, 1 PM
What's Behind the Anti-Immigrant
Dragnet?
Rudy Lozano Library, 1805 S. Loomis, Chicago
Featuring Ali Kabba, Barbara Ransby, and Maria Ines Zamudio.
MORE INFORMATION.
Monday, March 12, 7 PM
Save the NNWAC
NNWAC, 2215 W. North Ave, Chicago
Help keep the Near North West Arts Council in its home at old
St. Paul's. MORE
INFORMATION.
Tuesday, March 13, 10 AM
Clarence Darrow Commemoration:
Altgeld & the Haymarket Riots
@the Darrow Bridge in Jackson Park, Chicago
That's roughly 6400 South on Stony Island Ave. Annual commemoration
of the famous attorney's death. MORE
INFORMATION.
Tuesday, March 13, 5 PM
Capitalism and Resistance
Columbia College Hokin Lecture Hall, 623 S. Wabash Room 109,
Chicago
From an anarchist perspective. MORE
INFORMATION.
Thursday, March 15, 2:30 PM to 4 PM
Religious Coalition for Reproductive
Choice
Chicago Theological Seminary, 1407 E. 60th St, Chicago
Discussion on state and national reproductive rights issues,
and the presentation of awards to Illinois' clinic escorts from
the Unitarian Church of Hinsdale. MORE
INFORMATION.
Saturday, March 17, 4:30 PM to 6:30
PM
Occupy Music?
Occupy Chicago, 500 W. Cermak, Room 700, Chicago
More from Alex Billet. MORE
INFORMATION.
Sunday, March 18, 3 PM
March Against the Wars
Assemble @ Devon & Hoyne in Chicago
Anniversary of the Iraq invasion, protest against ongoing &
future wars.
Saturday, March 24, 9:30 AM
Women's History Month Program
Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton Pl, Chicago
Featuring the authors and editor of "Chicanas of 18th Street"
MORE INFORMATION.
Saturday, March 24, 8 PM
Nelson Algren Birthday Party
Wicker Park Art Center, 2215 W. North Ave, Chicago
Annual party with a cast of... $10. MORE
INFORMATION.
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