Calling All Workers And Retirees

[Joanne98]

Workers, retirees, unionists, and activists of all stripes and sizes are responding to calls to protest at state capitals in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, and elsewhere.

In Michigan, where I live, Governor Snyder wants to raise taxes on workers, poor people, and retirees so he can give businesses a tax break of 1.8 billion dollars. This is the Republican version of welfare. Tax the poor and give to the prosperous. Or, from each according to his humility (poor, retired, working), to each according to his greed.

Such a transfer of wealth from one group to another would be labeled class warfare by Republican pundits, but since this shift is from the less affluent to the most affluent, it's deemed justice -- wise and benign governance. In their book, only corporations and wealthy investors deserve government support. As my brother, Steve Shotwell, said, in regard to the conservative minds of our times, "Corporations have all the rights and privileges of individuals, but individuals don't have the right to organize."

When individuals organize to support their rights and bargain collectively, Republicans call it communism, socialism, or fascism because they don't know the difference and clarity is not their selling point.

But when corporations organize to promote their interests, and screw the rest, they call it the American Way. Apparently, in their eyes, the American Way is the Corporate State.

http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/shotwell210211.html

[raccoon]

1. K&R. nt

[Populist_Prole]

2. Bottom 2 sentences say it all

Gladly k & R'd

[4dsc]

3. K&R for sure nt

[roguevalley]

4. this retiree would LOVE to be at all of them., SIGH! Being from Alaska

can suck sometimes.

[roxiejules]

5. Look what else is buried in the Gov's proposals ....

There are a series of Emergency Financial Manager bills coming up in the State House (HB 4214-18) that would give the State Treasurer general powers to take over villages, townships, cities, counties and school districts that are considered "financially distressed." (75 people have already been trained as Emergency Financial Managers and 100 more in the pipeline.)

Under the proposed bills, if an emergency financial manager were appointed, that person would have more power over items including the termination of contracts negotiated with labor unions.

Local elected leaders would lose power when an emergency financial manager is appointed and they would be prohibited from running for office for 10 years.



http://detnews.com/article/20110210/POLITICS02/102100434/Michigan-House-set-to-explore-emergency-finance-manager-law#ixzz1EbzMcDa4