Right wing enabled by weak Democrats and a President who barely seems aware there is a working class

[Better Believe It]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vMcm5Rta2-s/Sow09A1S0OI/AAAAAAAAAC8/KmkTwjSw-U8/s200/Portland+Press+Herald+logo.png

Postal workers won't go quietly
Unions react furiously to a proposal to lay off 120,000 employees by breaking labor contracts.
By Meredith Goad
August 14, 2011

National and local unions reacted furiously Friday to a proposal by the Postal Service to lay off the workers by breaking labor contracts and shifting workers out of federal employee health and retirement plans into cheaper alternatives.

John Riley, former president of the American Postal Workers Union in Portland, called the proposal "the fight to end all fights."

"This is part of a right wing push to manufacture 'crises' that are not real to destroy unions and the middle class," Riley wrote in a mass email he sent Friday to postal employees in Maine. "Unfortunately, it is being enabled by weak Democrats and a President who barely seems to be aware there is a labor movement and working class."

Tim Doughty, president of the APWU Portland area Local 458, called the effort to dissolve the latest postal contract signed in May "astonishing" and an action that "reaches well beyond the labor movement."

Read the full article at:

http://www.pressherald.com/news/postal-workers-wont-go-quietly_2011-08-14.html


-------------------------------------------



APWU: Crushing Workers Will Not Solve Postal Service’s Financial Woes
By James Parks
August 12, 2011

Crushing postal workers and slashing service will not solve the U.S. Postal Service’s financial crisis, Postal Workers (APWU) President Cliff Guffey said in response to the announcement today that the Postal Service will seek congressional support to cut 120,000 jobs, break its labor contract signed earlier this year and withdraw from the federal health and retirement plans.

The USPS economic crisis is the result of a provision of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 that requires the Postal Service to pre-fund the health care benefits of future retirees — a burden no other government agency or private company bears.

The legislation requires the USPS to fund a 75-year liability over a 10-year period, and that requirement costs the USPS more than $5.5 billion per year.

Guffey also pointed out that “the federal government is holding billions of dollars in postal overpayments to its pension accounts.”

Read the full article at:

http://blog.aflcio.org/2011/08/12/apwu-crushing-workers-will-not-solve-postal-services-financial-woes/

[William769]

1. K&R. But still at zero.

[WinkyDink]

2. Legal precedent, criminal though it was, will see those contracts abrogated.

[Skittles]

58. don't worry

the sane DUers outnumber the swooning fanbase

[Jackpine Radical]

Most good posts take a little dive like that before soaring

to the top of the Greatest page.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Time for the postal unions to stop talking and start striking.

We did in 1970 and won it in 2 weeks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._postal_strike_of_1970

[Aerows]

4. I think all it is going to take

Is one big union to strike and you will see a bunch of others go on strike, too. Maybe the postal workers will be the ones to do it.

[Better Believe It]

5. I agree and begin the process of of winning and educating the public and other workers

on the issues in such a strike.

We will need some local/regional postal workers union leaders to begin developing a clear and winning strategy now.

They will have to be organized and prepared to take on the combined opposition of Congress, the White House and most of the mass media to win.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. I don't know about that. The 1970 strike was a wildcat without the unions' approval.

When we walked out of our office, nobody "organized" us. We just walked out.

I think if one big office (New York, Chicago, L.A.) were to walk out there's a good chance it would spread. And, it doesn't require that a lot of offices strike. If the big hubs go out, the mail comes to a standstill...and so does the economy.

[Better Believe It]

8. Moe Biller, President of the postal workers union in New York, became a national leader of strikers.

Soon the "wildcat" strike spread and was organized and endorsed by many postal worker union locals and elected officers across the country. But it was Moe Biller who earlier had fought against the McCarthyite witch-hunters in the 1950's that directed his members to not report for work once some "wildcat" (wink and a node)postal workers set-up a picketline in the first strike. Once the New York workers strike with the 100% backing of their local union leadership took hold, the strike quickly spread.



The Great Postal Strike Of 1970
From ‘Collective Begging’ Collective Bargaining

(This article was first published in the March/April 2010 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

Five days later, irate letter carriers of New York City’s Branch 36 voted to strike the next morning, March 18. Clerks and other members of the Manhattan-Bronx Postal Union (MBPU), led by their president, Moe Biller, refused to cross the picket line. The strike was on!

The wildcat job action quickly gained support from postal workers across the country — much to the consternation of postal executives, the Nixon administration officials and national union leaders.

But that didn’t matter to postal workers who were tired of being taken for granted. “We’re used to hard times,” a striker told Time.

The MBPU voted to officially join the strike on Saturday, March 21. Many other locals endorsed the strike that day and the next, essentially shutting down mail service in 30 major cities and many small towns. By the following Tuesday, 200,000 postal workers had walked off the job, with many calling in sick. The strike had spread to 499 offices in 13 states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, Nevada, and California.

Read the full article at:

http://www.apwu.org/laborhistory/10-2_1970postalstrike/10-2_1970postalstrike.htm

Also:

http://www.apwu.org/about/moebiller.pdf

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. Yep. That's how it happened in my office. The local didn't endorse it, but we walked anyway.

Can't say that I blame them all that much they were the ones who would face jail time.

At that time, working for the P.O. wasn't all that hot of a job. As I recall, the starting salary was about $2.75 an hour and the place was jampacked with college students (including me), most of whom were radicals. The old timers kinda hung their heads and wished us well but didn't go out.

The really laughable part was Nixon bringing in the army to sort/deliver the mail.

[Better Believe It]

15. That was very unusual. Strike votes were taken in all the big union locals in the east and midwest

If you check out the news reports from that time most postal workers in city after city held democratic mass membership meetings.

At these democratic union meetings the workers spoke their mind and explained why they thought it was vital to vote for immediate strike action.

That's the best way to proceed. Mass union meetings of the workers to discuss and decide on a course of action.

Are you certain your union local didn't even bother to call membership meetings?

Like I said, that was really unusual.

In my opinion, when workers call mass membership meetings and vote to take strike action, a strike isn't really a "wildcat", disorganized and unled action.

Members voting to strike at an official locals union meeting makes that an officially union sanctioned strike no matter what the media propaganda says or some national union official imagines.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

19. They didn't. It was just decided on by "passing the word" among the crew.

As I recall, we walked out at 8pm. Not all the workers, mostly the younger ones. But, it was enough to show support for the bigger offices. At the time I was a Part Time Regular only working 20 hours a week and I was getting the GI Bill for college, and on food stamps. So, for me, it wasn't a big deal. After the strike, the wages and benefits went up and being a postal worker became a good job.

[JVS]

10. The best time to strike for them would be April 10th

[russspeakeasy]

20. YOU NAILED IT.....

:nuke:

[dana_b]

29. well, if they don't want to wait that long

Christmas isn't that far away.

[JVS]

32. Christmas only bugs the public and most things sent are packages, which UPS and FEDEX compete with.

Tax day is all about letters, which Fedex and UPS charge as much as a package for. Also, it fucks with the government's record keeping instead of just pissing off the public.

[scarletwoman]

38. Two words: Christmas cards. (nt)

[MissDeeds]

63. +1

Striking just before Christmas could really be counter productive. Imagine the outrage if cards and gifts didn't arrive in time for the big day. Postal workers need to win support of the people, not anger them.

[whathehell]

44. That is a wicked good idea!

:evilgrin:

[whathehell]

42. I'll second that....Labor is taking way too much shit and getting too LITTLE support. nt/

[BiggJawn]

70. I'll gladly go without mail in support of the Union.

Nothing but bullshit come-ons from Comcast and Century-Link anyway...

[mzmolly]

7. Right wing enabled by faux Democrats who feign an interest in the working class

eom

[amborin]

11. um, yes, exactly... faux Democrats, who've abandoned democratic principles & cave to rethug pressure

[mzmolly]

47. Faux Democrats who feel that they get to define what Democratic principles are,

in spite of being in the minority and threatening to vote third party, repeatedly.

Over 80 percent of Democrats approve of the job the President is doing.

[amborin]

53. it's the "new Dems" and their apologists who don't know what Democratic principles are

[mzmolly]

56. I tend to think of Democrats as people who vote for Democrats.

For example, I voted for Presidential candidates, Mondale/Dukakis/Clinton/Gore and Obama. I also intend to vote for Obama in 2012. I remember people suggesting that Gore was too "DLC" and didn't deserve progressive votes. Some people never learn.

[Fuddnik]

74. Sadly, Nader was the REAL Democrat in that race.

I voted for Gore, but his DLC, Clinton taint turned off a lot of people.

Gore has changed since then. The New Gore could win hands down now.

As for "some people never learn", tell that to Obama. You can't keep screwing your core supporters and expect them to take time out of their lives to vote for you. At this point people are getting tired of listening to his bullshit, and completely tuning him out.

As for his remarks at a town hall yesterday, when given a chance to give labor some support, and instead said public sector employees had to make sacrifices, he sealed his fate. Bye-bye.

[mzmolly]

111. Then he should have run against Gore in a primary race and let the "base" decide.

I have mixed feelings about Mr. Nader, so I'll refrain from further comment.

[amborin]

87. blind allegiance to party? real Democrats vote principles & policy, over party or personality

[mzmolly]

110. It's not blind, to understand that the differences make a difference.

Quite the contrary.

[amborin]

113. the differences do matter: policies & principles matter more than party or personality

[mzmolly]

115. True. Democratic party principles and policies differ from the republican party

principles and policies.

[amborin]

122. probably most of the time; but "Democratic party principles" as advanced by New Dems are

are often not the princples of traditional democrats; traditional FDR democrats protect workers' rights and fight for
strong unions, to name just 2 concerns;

[mzmolly]

123. I think our principles are the same on these issues.

Though, I agree that we, (especially the President) needs to do more to support unions, going forward.

Peace

[bvar22]

88. Blaming The Voters, or Blaming Nader is a cop put,

and solves NOTHING.
Nader wasn't a SUPERMAN who knocked the wheels off the Democratic Party and ruined the whole election.

Nader was a geeky little Consumer Activist who stepped into a BIG Vacuum created by the Centrist DLC Anti-LABOR Clinton Administration.
If not Nader, it would have been someone else.
If the Clinton Administration had taken care of their Left Flank = No Nader,
and Gore becomes president in 2000.

The point is, you can NOT change the voters,
so blaming them does NOT fix the problem.
However, you CAN change the Democratic Party's approach to leadership,
and have them at least acknowledge the needs of the Lower 98%
so that there is NOT such a BIG Vacuum on the Left.
Taking the Pro-LABOR, Liberal Left For Granted is precisely WHAT created the Vacuum that Nader stepped into.

The bad news is that the Centrist Obama Administration has created an even BIGGER Vacuum on The Left.
Vacuums are filled.
Its Physics.



Who will STAND and FIGHT for THIS American Majority?
The California Progressive Caucus WILL!!

You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.

Solidarity!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[LiberalLovinLug]

108. Right on

And Fuddnik before you was right that Nader was the only true Democrat running, or at least the one that had the most clearly defined anti-corporate / pro-people positions. The one with the most traditional Democratic party ideals. Even though he wasn't a member.

I have never understood the vile hatred for Nader by some on these boards. He filled a vacuum as you put it. He was the progressive left's voice in the wilderness. The votes that went his way were not the ONLY reason Gore lost. But even if it were, why not throw some of the blame back to pappa bear Clinton who was once monikered "the greatest Republican President that the Democrats ever had"

Sadly that title is being taken as we speak.

[mzmolly]

109. Blaming voters who don't vote for Democrats, while said voters

claim that ONLY Democrats have an obligation to stand up to Republicans, doesn't make sense? Hmmm.

Clue #1. You are not among the Democratic "base" if you don't vote for Democrats.

Clue #2. It doesn't make much sense to claim it's abhorrent not to fight Republicans on every front, while enabling them yourself.

[amborin]

112. voters want candidates who fight for democratic principles & policies, not just those with a D after

their names

[mzmolly]

114. Trouble is, voters have differing opinions about what constitutes a

fight.

I fight by voting for more Democrats, not less. I strengthen Democrats by helping them win large majorities, so they don't have to compromise with the proverbial devil.

[bvar22]

118. What do you hope to gain by blaming the voters, or blaming Nader?

What is your final fictionalism? :shrug:

Do you know any Nader voters?
Have you listened to them explain why?

The ONLY part of this equation that CAN be changed is HOW the Democratic Party Leadership
addresses this internal problem:
Why are WE losing support from The Left?
and are WE (as a party) willing to address their grievances?

By NOT looking at THAT problem,
you are GUARANTEEING the same results as last time.

I KNOW it is difficult to look at the Party's shortcomings.
It takes courage to admit errors,
but unless this is done, and done with courage and depth,
NOTHING will change.
.
.
.



but it really feels good to just blame somebody else doesn't it?





Solidarity!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[mzmolly]

121. I know several people who almost voted for Nader.

I was able to turn most of them around. They thank me today.

Lastly, any political party with an ounce of power will have political shortcomings.

[swilton]

106. The 2008 Platform of the Democrats was Popular

Somehow the President and the Party (excluding the Progressive Caucus) have undermined those principles.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/5580817/2008-Democratic-Party-Platform-Renewing-Americas-Promise

Part I Renewing the American Dream
Jumpstart the Economy and Provide American Families Immediate Relief
• Affordable quality healthcare coverage for all Americans
• Good Jobs with Good Pay
• New American Energy
• A World Class Education for Every Child

[mzmolly]

116. When you find the magic wand of political perfection vs. progress

please let me know.

I think we need to change the term "progressive" to "perfectionist".

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

89. Ummm, not caving...they are doing it deliberately.

[whathehell]

43. Correct...The interest was once real, but not anymore. n/t

[mzmolly]

48. Whatcha interesed in lately?

:hi:

As you probably know, Howard Dean feels the President is doing well, under the circumstances.

[whathehell]

51. I'm still interested in collective bargaining and basic democratic principles, how about you?

Howard looked very uncomfortable tonite.:hi:

[mzmolly]

54. I love Howard.

And, I share your political interests.

Peace

[whathehell]

65. I'd love to see him run for president again. n/t

[mzmolly]

117. Me too, in 2016.

:D

[whathehell]

119. Yes...How 'bout this: Feingold and Dean in 2016 !...The reverse is good, too

it just doesn't rhyme as well.:D

[mzmolly]

120. I'm in!

:toast: Yes, it does have a nice ring.

[kelly1mm]

12. Does anybody besides me find it ironic that the message was sent via email

to the postal workers in Maine?


I am following this closely as I am a former letter carrier and am vested for retirement (7 years of service). As of now, and when I turn 57 (16 years), I should start getting a check for $221 per month. I call it my cable pension as by then it may be enough to pay for cable TV.

[nc4bo]

13. Not sure about the postal offices and distribution centers in other parts of the country but

the big center down here hires many, many retired military personnel not just civilians.

What will happen to these people?

And plenty of people would love to know more information about these pension fund pre-payments.

This is crazy talk. There has to be a better way.

[Waiting For Everyman]

14. All that money sitting there, and the Thugs want it, it's just like taking over Social Security.

I think the RWers screwed up this time though, pissing off the postal workers. There are a LOT of them connected together in one big group, and they're in every state, and they walk every precinct. They are ideal activists.

Additionally, all Federal workers will be realizing from this that they could be next, and could add to their support. That's a whole lot of people.

[senseandsensibility]

16. Bingo.

I agree.

[russspeakeasy]

23. I hope you are right, but I have a brother in law that has a rural

route in the upper midwest...and he's so damn stupid, he thinks it's Obamas fault that he might lose his job...so, my point is; there are a lot of stupid fucking people delivering your mail.

[Better Believe It]

17. So will President Obama support the postal workers or USPS corporate management?

[INdemo]

107. If he comes up with this BS that we all must sacrifice then its time

we organize and draft a challenger and stop believing he is on the side of the middle class..When I see that Robert Gibbs si one of campaign advisers then we should know right away he is working for the corporate side.
This is 2012 not 1980..we could successfully draft a challenger.
The Tea baggers are taking all this shit in and they know that Obama may be losing more of his base everyday. If he shuns the union on this then he cannot win because all unions will abandon him and push for a primary challenger..There has never been a Democrat elected President without union support..

[senseandsensibility]

18. I love the postal service commercial that runs on MSNBC

Has anyone seen it? It explains that tax dollars do not go to mail delivery; it is all funded by postage fees, which are still fairly reasonable. I've never understood the bashing of the US Postal Service. I think they do a great job. I admire them for fighting back.

[bulloney]

27. Let's say USPS is eliminated. Not everyone can receive things like bills via e-mail.

Are these businesses prepared to pay 6-7 dollars a pop to send out bills via UPS,FedEx or some other courier service?

I hear the USPS bashing all the time from my RW neighbors and relatives. They'd love to see it eliminated for no reason other than they think it would eliminate a government program. If they would reduce or eliminate the service, you know damned well the money will just go to our war-mongering. I guess they're OK with that because war mongering is manly. Sometimes I think they're a bunch of Pavlov's dogs. They hear something from Rush or other RW outlets and they just knee-jerk agree without thinking.

[treestar]

21. So go and find a "strong" party

Find people who are tough enough to make you follow them. Then just do whatever they say.

[Better Believe It]

24. Sorry. I just don't understand your point. Care to elaborate?

Thanks.

[scarletwoman]

30. Or, how about working people unite and insist on being represented?

Not sure where you're coming from. Would you prefer that the working class just shut up and submit to being shafted by the political class?

[treestar]

104. No, I'm suggesting that if what people want is a strong party and

they consider Democrats to be weak, they need to go and find a strong party with a strong leader to follow and follow that person and do what they say (since strong people are good at getting others to do as they say). Of course when you disagree with that leader, well - I guess it doesn't happen when a leader is "strong."

[JoePhilly]

22. We should let Rick Perry fix this problem.

[iamthebandfanman]

52. *giggle*

i swear, some of you on DU sure are good for a laugh.

[McCamy Taylor]

25. If the unions dump Obama, he is toast.

[Demoiselle]

26. I'm glad to see the use of the term "working" class....

I haven't seen the w word in a long time. "Middle" class seems to be the phrase to use these days...and that has bothered me for a while. Am I just being silly, or does an apparent aversion to the term "working class" indicate an aversion to the working class?

[scarletwoman]

28. "does an apparent aversion to the term "working class" indicate an aversion to the working class?"

Yes! Great point!

Avoiding the term "working class" is one of the weapons being used to marginalize and make invisible the role of Labor.

And it helps to keep the working class divided -- if working people were to identify with the idea of being a coherent and distinct group, they might form a sense of solidarity and begin to unite in the struggle for survival against predatory capitalism.

sw

[EFerrari]

31. Pelosi, in her longest speech re the deficit atrocity, only said "middle class".

She excluded most of her district and didn't even seem to know it.

[scarletwoman]

35. Of course. Labor means nothing to the political class, they are incapable of conceptualizing it. nt

[JoeyT]

60. Working class = lower middle class mostly.

Well, LMC and working poor. Lower middle class being defined as $32,500-$60,000 a year, working poor being everything under that.

I like working class too. It's much more inclusive.

[Doctor_J]

69. Yes. People think that "working class" is the oppostie of "upper class"

it's not. working class is the opposite of OWNING CLASS.

[Starry Messenger]

80. +1

[scarletwoman]

33. Rec'd! Workers of the World Unite!

Workers are going to HAVE to fight back against the unending depradations of the Owner Class being carried out through their agents in the political class.

sw

[amborin]

34. Sirota: "Don't Buy the "Democrats Are Powerless" Myth":

Don't buy the "Democrats are powerless" myth
Obama and his party cling to the familiar narrative that their hands are tied. They're wrong


Obama's aides say the president has a responsibility to explore policies that have a chance of passage, rather than merely making a political statement." -- Washington Post, 8/10/11

One of the most persistent memes in modern politics, perfectly embodied by the above quote, is what I've long called the Innocent Bystander Fable. It goes something like this: Democrats really want to do X, but they can't because it's "politically impossible" not "where the country is" and/or doesn't "have a chance of passing."
The idea is that even though Democratic politicians occupy the most powerful offices in the world, and even though X usually represents a policy 80 percent of rank-and-file voters support, Democrats are nonetheless powerless bystanders before political events rather than shapers of such happenings. In response, we are expected to nod our heads in agreement (as so many blind partisans do), somehow forgetting that these politicians are paid hefty taxpayer-funded salaries not to be bystanders, but to actually use the authority they have to make -- or at least seriously advocate -- change.

This Innocent Bystander Fable, of course, has long been the excuse the Democrats have used almost every time the party wants to avoid taking a stance on an issue.

In practice, this fable has been used to make excuses about everything from the Iraq war to the public option to the Patriot Act to the debt ceiling to, now, job creation. It has its local iterations as well -- in my state of Colorado, it's our Democratic governor insisting "I am the biggest supporter of education you can imagine," before championing one of the largest cuts to education funding in state history, and then claiming he opposes raising taxes to better fund schools because voters supposedly have "no appetite for new taxes" -- as if a sitting governor simply cannot use the bully pulpit to change that (purported) anti-tax reality.


In every case, it's the same -- powerful Democratic officeholders would have us believe that while they really want to do the right thing, they are just passive bystanders to history.

Crude as it is, this fable has been deliberately created as a defense mechanism and a cudgel -- the media cites it to recast rank corruption as a noble "willingness to accept what is politically possible," while the political establishment uses it to bash critics as one or another form of lunatic -- in the words of Obama administration officials and other government sources, junkies who need to get "drug tested," "Cheeto eating people in the basement," children in "pajamas get dressed" and "Internet left fringe" types. Following the lead of the politicians they worship, partisan sheep then knead this into conventional wisdom among the activist class, ultimately leaving anyone who wants anything different from their government (oh, I don't know, a President Obama who actually tries to fulfill his campaign promises) lambasted as a crazy person who just doesn't "understand" today's "political reality."
The problem, though, is that after a few seconds of cogitation, it becomes clear that the Innocent Bystander Fable actually makes no logical sense. To demonstrate this, let's more closely consider the assumptions embedded in the quote at the top of this article.

snip

Except, of course, there is something he can do. He can stop pretending to be an innocent bystander, and instead acknowledge what he really is -- an active participant, and likely the single most powerful one, in the political process. In Washington-ese, he can reject the notion that having "a chance of passage" is the opposite of "making a political statement" -- and realize that the two are complementary concepts. In short, like other legislatively successful presidents, he can use "political statements" as a means of changing the political reality, thus giving other legislative alternatives "a chance of passage."

snip

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/democratic_party/index.html?story=/news/david_sirota/2011/08/15/powerless_democrats_fable

[scarletwoman]

36. +1,000! I hope this is posted as an OP somewhere on DU. If not, it really needs to be!

What an excellent piece of re-framing! Top notch!

:thumbsup: to Sirota!

sw

[amborin]

37. perhaps you can post it.....

[scarletwoman]

39. Sure. I just thought you should be the one to get credit for finding it.

But I'll certainly post it (and give you credit) if you don't want to.

sw

[amborin]

40. it's a tiny bit similar to one he recently wrote, which he refers to in this new article

but people need to hear this, repeatedly.....

[scarletwoman]

41. I'll do it then. Thanks. (nt)

[libmom74]

57. Excellent article amborin.

I noticed the response from the usual DU blind partisans was the roaring sound of silence.

[Joe Bacon]

66. Absolue truth!

I'm so sick and tired of spineless Democratic leadership laying down and dying because they have been bought off. Sick of this Kabuki theater crap!

[Fuddnik]

78. Where would we be if Thomas Jefferson, and company were just innocent bystanders?

The American Revolution never seemed to gain more than 30% support from the citizenry, but they managed to pull it off anyway.

[closeupready]

84. I agree, very powerful post.

Should be an OP of its own.

[Pooka Fey]

45. K&R

[swilton]

46. K&R

[eilen]

49. Anyone else get a survey from the post office?

I did. I gave the postal workers high ratings.

[Better Believe It]

50. I didn't. Did the postal workers union send it out or USPS?

[eilen]

83. USPS nt

[blkmusclmachine]

55. THAT'S "Change" you can believe in:

:thumbsdown:

[defendandprotect]

59. http://www.stophoping.org

[tcaudilllg]

61. "I don't want you to believe in my ability to bring about change..."

[Enthusiast]

62. Imagine how support for Obama

would increase if he went to bat for union workers around the nation. Oh well, no chance of that.

[bvar22]

91. Obama could become a National Hero overnight...

...if he would just STAND UP for THIS:

Who will STAND and FIGHT for THIS American Majority?


You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.

Solidarity!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Overseas]

98. I agree!

[MissDeeds]

64. K&R

[woo me with science]

67. K&R except that they are not weak. They are complicit. nt

[Greybnk48]

75. Right. NOT weak. They're PAID to be meek and helpless

by their Corporate sponsors.

[Fearless]

68. I think that every union family should be on notice now...

Your livelihood is not safe with this Congress. It is not safe with this president. It-is-not-safe.

[closeupready]

85. Correct.

nt

[orbitalman]

71. K & R

[myrna minx]

72. K&R n/t

[Hubert Flottz]

73. K&R&Amen!

[florida08]

76. just hearing about this the last few days.

More of the neo-liberal attack on the 'working class'. The USPS takes little to no government assistance from taxpayers. It's funded by it's own profits. As we see how they are de funding the government thru tax cuts it's the same with the Postal Service. Take their profits thru the shell game of b and h. Feels like the mafia. (No offense to them.)

"As a result of collective bargaining, US Postal Service employees pay less for their health and life insurance than other federal workers. While other employees have 72% of their health premiums paid for by the government, the postal service pays 79% of the premium for its employees." http://www.postalnewsblog.com/2011/03/29/mccain-offers-amendment-to-restrict-usps-contributions-to-employee-health-insurance/

Edited for Demoiselle succinct point..and thank you

[PhoenixAbove]

77. Way back when, I fully expected Raygun to bust Unions...

but Obama? I feel like I'm living in the Twilight Zone. I voted for President Obama because I had hoped he could intelligently bust the RW out the crazy zone. Instead they've gone insane and he keeps caving to it. The RW reaction to him is just sheer insanity. The President needs to change his tactics. We need a LEADER now, not a negotiator.

[Fuddnik]

79. Contracts have sacred status when it comes to banks.

They seem to be "just another piece of paper" when it comes to union agreements.

We need a General Strike.

[ClarkUSA]

81. LOL! Why are you blaming Pres. Obama for a Bush-era policy that he can't change w/a Teabagger House?

Furthermore, the USPS is privately-owned and is not operated by the federal government.

WTF do you want President Obama to do under the political circumstances? He isn't a dictator as many seem to think. Anyone familiar with Civics 101 - there seems to be a paucity of informed individuals considering the level of OUTRAGE!!!!!!!!!!! - would know the Teabagger House controls the purse strings, not the executive branch.

[FedUp_Queer]

90. I see it's 8/16. Your check from O(GOP)bama for America must have arrived yesterday.

It's called the bully pulpit. The same one he did NOT use regarding the unions in Wisconsin.

[bvar22]

92. ...or Health Care,

...or Wall Street & their Bailouts & Bonuses,

or the Budget Ceiling "negotiations",

or the 2010 elections,

or Wisconsin,





A MANDATE unused
is a MANDATE wasted.

An ARMY left Standing in the Streets
is an ARMY wasted.


The Epitaph for the Obama Administration:
"Opportunity Wasted.
What could have been..."
:cry:


You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.

Solidarity!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Fearless]

93. The debt deal... or tax cuts for the wealthy... Guantanamo... Bush Co. prosecutions... Warren...etc.

[Autumn]

82. K/R #171

very good and truthful article.

[fascisthunter]

86. They aren't Weak... they are complicit

[Douglas Carpenter]

94. when people have a choice between voting for a party that really doesn't believe in

anything and a party that has a clear agenda of core beliefs - I personally would choose the one that doesn't believe in anything when the other choice is the right-wing of the Republican Party. But I cannot expect millions of others to vote for the soulless professional politicians of the Democratic Party over the perverse twisted utopians of the Republican Party. I personally think going no where and accomplishing nothing is a lesser evil than going where and accomplishing the agenda of the right-wing of the Republican Party. But I should not be surprised to see millions of others who are not as politically minded choosing a false and misguided vision for the future over no vision for the future.

[Jakes Progress]

95. They're not weak. They're sensible.

Please say I don't need a sarcasm smilie.

Sorry if that is snarky, but I do think one of the prime reasons the republicans have such a free ride is the Democrats who ignore bad behavior and bad policy from Democrats just because they are Democrats. The middle thirty percent, the votes that Obama needs, see that behavior is just more of the same old stuff. Americans don't want bipartisanship. But they do hate partisanship. By that I mean they don't want Democrats behaving like republicans; they want Democrats who stand up for what the Democratic party stand for. And if you rah rah you president when he does dumb or bad stuff, you should call him on it. If you don't you are just a partisan hack, like the republicans.

It is not bipartisanship they want. It is the end of partisanship.

[mother earth]

96. Solidarity for all the unions! They are the only thing standing

in the way of all of US being downgraded to third worlders. This is truly class warfare.

[LWolf]

97. k&r

[provis99]

99. That's unfair! The President is aware of the working class.

He just doesn't give a damn about them.

[earcandle]

100. Cut the drama. Do the work of the people. Don't know how? Get an MBA and Learn! See below!

"Accounting for Government and Nonprofit Entities "
MacGraw Hill Co. 2007
Posted by earcandle in Latest Breaking News
Mon Aug 15th 2011, 08:53 PM
Earl R. Wilson; Susan C. Kattelus; Jacqueline L. Reck C)2007
Library of Congress Cataloging-in Publication Data:

IBSN-13: 978-0-07-310095-1

IBSN-10: 0-07-310095-1

Wilson, Earl R., 1939.

Jacqueline L. Reck 14th Edition (2007)


Chapter 3, pg 75; 6 Para. Heading: TAXES

" Taxes are of particular importance because (1) They
provide a large portion of the revenue of governmental units
on all levels and
(2) they are compulsory contributions to the cost of
government, whether the affected taxpayer approves or
disapproves of the taxes.

Ad valorem (based on value) property taxes area mainstay of
financing for many local governments but are not used as a
source of revenue
by many state governments or by the federal government. Ad
valorem taxes may be levied against real property and personal
property. SOme property taxes are levied on a basis other than
property values, one illustration being the tax on some kinds
of financial institutions in relation to the deposits aat a
specified date. Other kinds of taxes are sales taxes, income
taxes, gross receipts taxes, death and gift taxes, and
interest and penalties on delinquent taxes."

[SusanaMontana41]

101. Proud member of the APWU. Fight on, brothers and sisters! n/t

[DeSwiss]

102. "...we are lead by the least among us." ~Ternece McKenna - K&R n/t

[swilton]

103. Right wing has been enabled by Democrats since the

2000 election. The only difference now is that the man in the oval office is part of the 'party'.

[a2liberal]

105. Kick! (n/t)