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One Simple Question
It started with one simple question posed by Senator Bernie Sanders to his constituents in an invitation to a town meeting: What does the decline of the middle class mean to you personally?
Over 700 people replied.
A second question was asked in his e-newsletter, The Bernie Buzz: Do you have a story to tell about how gas prices are affecting you?
Over 1200 responses.
"The volume of responses was stunning," Sanders told me. "Most people in my state -- especially in rural areas -- do not feel comfortable telling people about their struggles. 'He has it worse than I do, I'll be fine. Thanks for asking.' It's just not a natural thing [to share these struggles].... The other point that has to be underlined -- this is not an interview at the homeless shelter. These are letters from working families, from middle class families... [and] people who've worked their whole lives who expected to have a minimal degree of economic security but are now finding themselves with nothing."
Here are some excerpts from the letters:
A mother and father in rural Vermont: "Due to increasing fuel prices we have at times had to choose between baby food/diapers and heating fuel. We've run out of heating fuel three times.... The baby has ended up in the hospital with pneumonia two of the times."
A man in north central Vermont: "As bad as our situation is, I know many in worse shape. We try to donate food when we do our weekly shopping but now we are not able to even afford to help our neighbors eat. What has this country come to?"
A mother: "By February we ran out of wood [for the wood stove we use for heat] and I burned my mother's dining furniture. I have no oil for hot water.... We are certainly a country in distress."
A 55 year old man: "I have worked since age 16. I don't live paycheck to paycheck, I live day to day.... I can see myself working until the day I die.... I work 12 to 14 hours daily and it just doesn't help.... I am just tired, the harder that I work, the harder it gets."
A man in a small town: "I have what I used to consider a decent job, I work hard, pinch my pennies, but the pennies have all but dried up.... I began selling off my woodworking tools, snowblower (pennies on the dollar), and furniture that had been handed down in my family from the early 1800s, just to keep the heat on. Today I am sad, broken, and very discouraged."
A woman from Northeast Kingdom: "I have always been a big pusher of 'if you can do something to change your situation, do it'.... [But] it seems like every time [my husband and I] do the right thing and try to move ahead for our family, something out of our control happens in order to slap us back down.... We now find ourselves unsure if we will be able to pay for both the mortgage and our oil next winter."
A working mother of two: "I spend around $150 per week at the grocery store and trust me when I say I don't buy prime rib.... Some nights we eat cereal and toast for dinner because that's all I have. My family has had to cancel our annual trip to the zoo, and we make less trips to see our families in another town due to the increase of gas."
A 71 year old man: "I have been retired since 2000. With the price of fuel oil I have been forced to go back to work just to heat my home and pay my property taxes."
A teacher: "The middle class is no longer the middle class.... I've slipped into the lower class after a winter of double heating costs and now these new economic hits."
Wife and mother of two: "People that I know that have never struggled with money are now frequenting our local food shelf so they can feed their families staple foods! Please listen to our pleas and put ethics first!"
Sanders has read some of the letters on the Senate floor. He says, "This is simply an effort to bring a dose of reality to the floor of the Senate. It's not just Vermont. There are other areas of this country that are worse off. It's important for us to respond to that with appropriate public policies to address this crisis."
Sanders notes that corporate media has completely dropped the ball in informing the citizenry of the staggering economic inequality of our times. "When you talk about the collapse of the corporate media in terms of responsibility," he says, "it's not just the War in Iraq. The other huge story that they have missed is the collapse of the middle class -- the fact that we have tens of millions of people working longer hours for lower wages; that we have the highest rate of childhood poverty in the industrialized world. For the first seven years of the Bush administration, [the media was] simply the stenographers for what the President was saying: 'The economy is robust. We have strong economic growth. Unemployment is reasonably low.' The metaphor is -- it's like the operation was a success but the patient died. The economy is doing great, except for 90% of the people in the economy. The reality is that we have the hollowing out of the American economy. Median family income declined by $2500 in the last seven years. 8 million people lost their health insurance. 3 million people lost their pensions. This is a strong economy? You've gotta be insane to believe that. And yet that is what the Bush Administration was talking about and that's what the corporate media kept on talking about."
Sanders believes the mission of progressives at this moment is twofold. "Number one, we have got to let the American people understand that they are not alone," he says. "What ends up happening when the media doesn't talk about the reality facing ordinary people, then people think 'I must be failing, why can't I make it?'... And the second thing... we have to come up with a progressive agenda which begins to address this economy."
Sanders is bringing together "friends in the Congress, elected officials, and our friends within the progressive community -- the environmental groups, the labor groups, the economic groups, social justice, civil liberties, etc." -- to pursue an inside-outside strategy, building the agenda and mobilizing support at the grassroots to challenge the corporate wing of the Democratic party.
"The goal here is to raise these issues during the campaign," Sanders says, "and have something to present to Senator Obama the day that he's elected. We know that there is enormous pressure on Obama to be looking to the corporate wing of the Democratic party rather than the progressive wing of the Democratic party. The only way we can move this country in a progressive way is with an agenda supported by the grassroots.... We need to figure out how you do it, how to involve grassroots in the process, and how you raise those issues in intelligent ways in the campaign. Ultimately what this agenda must offer, and what I believe the American people are prepared to support -- especially with an inspiring leader like Obama -- is a fundamental change in our national priorities."
Sanders has no illusions about the challenges that lie ahead in pushing an agenda that truly represents working and middle class families, and the poor. (It's worth noting hat these class distinctions are increasingly less relevant as the middle class is squeezed.) But he also sees opportunities to meet the greatest challenges that we face.
"I can tell you with personal experience that the power of the financial institutions, the energy companies, the insurance companies, the military-industrial complex -- they are unbelievable, each and everyone one of them, and we're dealing with each and every one of them. But we can take them on and we can defeat them if we are mobilized and we have an agenda that we are fighting for," he says. "And the very good news -- if you had a president willing to make changes in our national priorities, there are enormous sums of money available to meet the unmet needs of tens and tense of millions of Americans. You have Bush having given hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks. You rescind those tax breaks, you move this country into a progressive tax system, in which you begin to address the incredible gap between the very rich and everybody else through progressive taxation. You can free up huge sums of money to address the problems of childhood poverty, and our infrastructure, and our schools, and the fact that middle-class families and working class families can't afford to send their kids to college.... We have the money to do that."
Sanders cites the waste, fraud and abuse in the $515 billion military budget, and the fact that Democrats are "very timid" in challenging its excesses. For example, the Air Force alone has admitted that it disposes of hundreds of millions of dollars of spare parts annually that it doesn't need. The Department of Defense said it runs on archaic computer systems and "they don't even know where they're spending money. They were honest -- they don't know!" As for energy, he sees an analogy to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the 1941 Congress looking at the war situation and saying, "'Man, we gotta get our act together." There is an opportunity to transform our system, with solar thermal plants - equivalent to small nuclear plants -- supplying 15-20% of the electricity needed in the US; use of photovoltaic -- which is making great progress in Germany; wind turbines generate 20% of the electricity in Denmark.
You do these things," Sanders says, "you manufacture these products -- wind, solar -- in the United States of America. You're gonna create millions of jobs. This is a progressive agenda -- what does it do? It reverses global warming, it puts America in a position of leadership internationally, so you go to China and export new technology. It creates jobs, and it also cleans up the environment.... That's huge! We know what to do!"
And, of course, there is healthcare.
"For $2-$3 billion a year -- one week of the War in Iraq -- you could open up hundreds of federally qualified health centers around America, so that at the end of a year, you will be providing primary health care access to every American. [These centers] provide healthcare to anyone on a sliding-scale basis. They provide the lowest cost prescription drugs available. They provide dental care which is a huge problem all over America. They provide mental health counseling. For $3 billion you could build hundreds of these clinics and every American would have access to primary healthcare.... And by giving people access to healthcare on a regular basis rather than running to an emergency room when they're sick, probably ends up saving us money."
Sanders believes a bold agenda focusing on the needs of ordinary Americans is a winning one -- both from a public policy perspective and politically. "I think the people are prepared for bold action across the board. What polls tell us is that not only is there unprecedented economic uncertainty, but that people perceive in so many areas that this country is moving in the wrong direction. I mean, the degree to which we are becoming a second-rate economic power, that our healthcare system is disintegrating, that we have a $9 trillion national debt, that we have the highest rate of childhood poverty -- people understand all of these things, and they are wondering what is going on in the country that they grew up in? Say the right thing, and do the right thing, you're gonna win elections.... So, coming out for an agenda that speaks to the needs of the middle-class and working families is obviously good public policy but it's also good politics."
Sanders picks up the booklet comprised of the letters from his constituents. "I want people not to get depressed, and not to become cynical," he says. "This is not Utopian dreaming, we can do these things. We have the resources. It's simply investing where we're not investing. The problems we're facing in this country are, in fact, solvable.
We're currently playing with pennies to address healthcare, the elderly, tuition costs, Head Start. And down the hallway you've got the guys from the Defense Appropriations bill, who are spending money hand-over-fist in the most unaccountable ways. We have the potential to transform America. We have to change our priorities."
With reporting from Capitol Hill by Greg Kaufmann, a freelance writer residing in his disenfranchised hometown of Washington, DC.
Katrina vanden Heuvel is Editor and Publisher of The Nation.
Copyright © 2008 The Nation
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81 Comments so far
Show AllToo many people are milking the cow and not enough are feeding it. People somehow believe this is sustainable behavior.
I would spell the problem a little different, rather than Milton Freedman, try John Maynard Keynes. There must be balance between public and private Enterprise. when the system as it currently is out of balance favoring the private sector, a large infusion of public money for jobs is the answer. The rich will fight that with every bit of their power. It would mean breaking apart all the current contracts organized by the conservatives.
Meanwhile, the Republicans are telling us how brilliantly they have managed the country and how another four years of the same is just what we need. Only people who think the Earth is 6000 years old and that a pair of every animal species on the planet once sailed in a homemade wooden boat believe it.
Another good reason to vote for the Democrats. Sure Obama isn't saying or doing much about it now. First we need to put him in office. Then we worry about getting him re-elected. After he has assured his legacy of change and hope he will probably address these tough issues. It may be in the waning last months of his second term but better late than never.
Even if Obama does nothing about it it's still better to put him in office because at least he's better than McCain. It is always a good idea to vote for the lesser of two evils. It's just smart.
If we all voted for a progressive third party candidate like Nader or McKinney they would begin to address these issues immediately but that may not be a good idea. They are not mainstream candidates and therefore we should not vote for them. That way we can ensure the two party system and make sure third parties never see the light of day. Vote for Obama.
"my wife and I live on $6 per day to eat"
That's pretty good actually. I wouldn't spend more than $3/day for food whether the empire were flying to the moon or crashing into the sea. Rule of thumb: Everything dry/fresh (except herbs/spices) should be under $1/lb. Try ethnic markets.
Doom n Gloom--I'd say that the problem is too few people getting the vast amount of milk from the cow with not enough left for others.
peasant--Your attempt to paint Dave, the relocalizer, as another type of immigrant taking your livlihood away won't work.
I couldn't resist an illegal immigration crack, but this article is a bit to grim to leave it on a wiseass note, to be honest.
This is the worst thing I've ever read on here, and a blatent indictment of the economic treason committed by our countries leaders.
rtdury, this article is about folks in rural areas. People in urban areas do have a lot of low cost options, but those in rural areas often have long drives and only a few choices for their basic supplies. These people rely on a stable price for their living expenses, and a corresponding rise in income with the rise in costs. They arn't getting this, and those close to the bottom are simply going completely under. I run a business in a town that caters to the University crowd. I employ almost entirely college students, and yet lately a lot of older folks from rural areas have been coming in looking for jobs I don't have and they clearly wouldn't have even considered before. Our country is in a horrible state and I can see the results creeping into my everyday life.
Fake, you are an anti-white racist.
LeeAnnG: The super rich are certainly the real issue, and guess what, one of their best weapons is illegal, mass immigration.
Dave, we absolutely need to decentralize food production and bring it back to rural areas. There are other kinds of basic production work that can be done in these areas as well, that would make them sustainable and would contribute to the economic sovereignty of our nation. Instead we have rural sprawl, with destroys greenspace and provides either no jobs at all or very low paying jobs. To change this we will have to chance the very face of this country, and completely redefine development.
Lou Dobbs has been talking about the collapse of the middle class, bernie, why don't you support him?
I haven't read any of the comments, but I wonder how we square this piece with the one by Naomi Klein alleging that Obama is essentially a Friedmanesque free-marketeer, having on his economic team various "Chicago Boys" who are billionaires and "free trade" maniacs. How are we going to get the progressive agenda Sanders advocates from a decidedly non-progressive Obama administration? Can we run purely on the convenient illusion that Obama will suddenly actually become progressive once he takes office, after reassuring all his pro-business backers, Wall St. bankers and investors, not to even mention the MIC, that he's on board with THEIR agenda? Or is it the other way around--that he'll do a 180 on his vague promises to progressives and immediately turn into Bill Clinton's economic clone a month after taking the oath? I'd bet on the latter scenario. But McCain is unthinkable and Nader hasn't any more chance than Kucinich does of impeaching the war criminals, so once again as always we're forced to submit to the lesser evil dogma. We'll be doing for this a very long time, until our time has run out and there's no longer a country or world left to live in.
I think I can kind of relate to what the people of Vermont are facing as I live in northern Minnesota. I started out here on land paid for 31 years ago where I pitched the tent. The recession of the mid 70's was the major contributing factor. The price of propane has gotten so expensive I am now thinking of putting a wood burning kitchen stove in my place. For me that will mean keeping 2 fires going.
Vermont, why don't you secede? I hardly think the US would declare war on you. Hell, the little town of Kinney seceded in 1977. The council figured that they could get foreign aide easier than remaining part of the US. It worked out fine for them.
The Austin Lounge Lizards said it best: All our problems are caused by "Teenage, immigrant, welfare-mothers on drugs!"
Thanks Bernie Sanders for asking your question. It would be good for every Congressman to ask for letters with the answer to this question.
Your ideas on how to fix this country are good, solid ones. I just hope everyone can hold on until Obama takes his oath and begins his tenure. In the meantime, let us help one another out in any way we can and let self interest and greed behind us. It has been a horrific 8 years. Don't be shy in writing your senator and congressman to say so and tell them Impeachment should be on the table as a deterent to crime in government.
All current working class financial problems have as their main source corporate top managment pay. The normal ratio of worker pay to top execs pay is 1 - 40. That is what it is in most countries and what it was in the US until recently. Today in the US it is more on the lines of 1 - 400. What this means is that a small handful of people are recieving the lions share of the wealth created by the workers rather then fairly compensating the workers or reinvesting in the business. What you end up with in such a situation is the crumbling of the business infrastructure and the wage slavery of the workers. And you can see exactly that situation, the crumbling infrastructure and worker slavery, in every town in America. A society based on greed will eventually devour itself. And that is what we are seeing today here in America and it is no surprise.
PLUS!
You cant have a revolution if no one can afford the gas to get there
J D Smith comments:
" Our federal constitution was designed to end forever the emission of bills of credit as legal tender in payment of debts, alike by the individual states and the United States; and it will have that effect, if it is rightly interpreted and firmly enforced."
Why do we think the framers of the Constitution were reliable experts on the issue of money and a monetary system? In reality, there is no convincing evidence that they were.
"In the interpretation of words a cardinal rule is, to conform to usage. In 1787 every English dictionary defined "money" as metallic coin; and therefore as metallic coin, it must be interpreted in the clause which authorizes the legislature of the United States to borrow money."
So now we are asked to believe that the publishers of dictionaries are the ones to rely on for monetary expertise.
"A second cardinal rule of interpretation is, where a word is used in the same document more than once, it is to be interpreted in every instance as bearing the same meaning, unless there is an obvious and incontrovertible reason to the contrary."
And that would lead us to lawyers as the source of true monetary knowledge.
"The constitution of the United States authorizes their legislature to coin money; and of the meaning of the word in that clause, no doubt can exist."
And it also authorizes Congress to "determine the value thereof" (look it up) of the money (gold) that they coin. In other words Congress was actually authorized to create new money from the same amount of gold just by increasing the dollar value of the gold. Who's kidding who?
The key to a good monetary system is to be able to balance the money supply with the amount of goods produced so as to achieve stability in prices. Any system that achieves that is a good system. The use of gold as a monetary base is not essential by any means, and it has many drawbacks, not least of which is its tendency to create deflation (like in the Great Depression).
And BTW, it is not that the current monetary system (the FRS) is at fault - it is that the FRS is owned by the private sector bankers in collusion with private industry. It allows corporations to rule the nation (and the world).
We need a national government owned and operated banking system, that can, in conjunction with government taxing power, achieve a full employment economy and stable prices.
Terrible says:
"All current working class financial problems have as their main source corporate top managment pay. The normal ratio of worker pay to top execs pay is 1 - 40. That is what it is in most countries and what it was in the US until recently. Today in the US it is more on the lines of 1 - 400. What this means is that a small handful of people are recieving the lions share of the wealth created by the workers rather then fairly compensating the workers or reinvesting in the business"
This is certainly not to condone obscene executive pay, but just how much of a worker pay increase would you expect if all executive pay were cut 90%? Not much, I'm afraid.
fpie June 16th, 2008 1:10 pm
My dad used to say that a recession is when your neighbor is out of work and a depression is when you are out of work. In the new third world USA it doesn't seem to matter if you do have a job since so many of them don't pay enough to live on.
Now there is a man of wisdom!
fakedemocracy June 16th, 2008 3:30 pm
You seem to be confused. Both these guys spoke about illegal immigration, not legal immigration. And calling people names is really getting old. Racist because they understand illegal immigration is a problem? And lets see how California pays for all the illegals in the end. Its an economic issue my friend more than anything else. And if you think those illegals (and most are) on those construction sites are paid the same as citizens I don't know what to say.
LeeAnnG June 16th, 2008 2:33 pm
I just assumed you don't know the difference between legal immigration and illegal immigration. I'll just refer you to "MiMiCcS June 16th, 2008 8:05 pm' earlier post, its fairly good.
I'm surprised you fall for the big business trap of "you must be a bigot to oppose cheap labor" I'm surprised you favor exploiting these poor people and consigning them to a life of poverty.
I just can't see (based on prior posts) your favoring the terrible things that are happening on the border, the deaths of hundreds and the sexual; slavery thousands of these poor young women are forced into.
"(Do some research and you will find that immigrants actually contribute more than they get. They pay taxes and social security and get no benefit from it, for example.) Such bigotry!"
What research did you get this from? Check with the State Comptroller in Texas and you will find that illegal aliens cost a billion + more than they pay in taxes of any kind or any other benefits they generate. They are a plus for business but a net deficit to the economy of the citizens of Texas. That "they pay taxes " mantra is false. Most work off the books and many of the services they use don't count as being used by them. Let me guess, you don't live in a border state? You live in a state with few illegal aliens so far. Not meant to be offensive, I just wonder if thats the case?
fanman June 16th, 2008 3:51 pm
There were no native inhabitants in this country.
"And the majority come over all grown up and ready to work, so we get the full benefit of their adult labor without having invested a penny for their education."
I don't know where you live, but thats not the deal in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
Accusations of bigotry, xenophobia, racism if you oppose illegal immigration (which I obviously do) are just offensive and odious. Imputing base motives to people that disagree with you without knowing for sure their reasoning or their motives is not an attractive trait. I couldn't care less if somebody has brown skin or is poor. My folks were darn poor when they arrived. But they came in the front door and they didn't ask for special treatment or financial support. As those that break our law and come here illegally and their supporters do.
There were a lot of rude remarks made and rude comments on character made...consider them answered.
As to Bernie, he is a Socialist and I don't agree with him often. I'm not a socialist. But it has nothing to do with how I would view Bernie or his suggestions. Who would care where good suggestions come from. Abnd he is asking to hear from the people he represents. Has your Senator? Mine hasn't.
scottk June 16th, 2008 5:02 pm
Thanks for some real information and sensible posts.
Anyone that thinks illegal immigration is a "wedge" issue or invented by Carl Rove needs to do some more research on the subject.
And I'm with poopdeck. There's just no need for foul language or sophomoric insults here. If you can't make a point without resorting to thiose, perhaps you should rethink your point.
To those who had a care to become more informed about what was going on in our nation and our government, even if it wasn't until the Sept 11 wake-up call, the severe hardships this administration has brought have been coming for a while now. Let's not kid ourselves to that reality. Trouble hasn't been hard to predict, just like it wasn't hard to predict how corrupt BushCo would be, and the story these personal accounts are telling was being predicted at least two years ago.
What's hard for me (and I'm sure many others) is to feel sorry for and to forgive the majority of this nation that went along with the wars and lawbreaking, those that laughed at our Constitution. Those that sided with the side of might makes right are so many of these SAME people in dire straights now. Those crying now didn't care about our cries then, and now it's hurt them. Many of us knew they would have to wake up, eventually, and we knew it would hurt them, while watching it leaves us almost numb.
It's not that I think "they deserve it", because I don't, and I refuse to be so petty. Plus, I'm too smart not to realize that what hurts my neighbors/s can easily hurt me too. I only hope the people of the USA, those proud, red state folks, realize that there is a direct connection in how much they supported our corrupt admin, and how much the corrupt admin has hurt them. When they laughed at the torture. When they laughed at the idea of $100/barrel oil. They laughed, and now oil is closer to $150/barrel than $50. When they laughed at being spied upon, actually saying "If you haven't done anything wrong you, don't have anything to worry about", without for a second applying that same simple logic to the workings of their own government. Even though there were rumors, terrible rumors about terrible things going on. In our name.
It's just like many of us on here knew it would be. They didn't "get it" until it got them. Housing, fuel prices, banking, available and safe food supplies, employment, health care and insurance rip offs. Reliable electricity and help during disasters. A war without end and a world that almost hates us, and the list doesn't even end there, but would fill up pages of comment. Toxic environments and climate changes. Water worries. On and on. Problems either ignored or created by BushCo allowed to ferment for years, during which time we could have headed many of them off, done something, or at the very least, been INFORMED to be more ready. We could have been saving our money, decreasing credit, creating green solutions and revamping industries, but instead the good advice was Gone shopping.
They elected a clown at the worst possible time, it's easy to see. I think it's got them now. Do you think they get it?
Bernie is Bernie and one of the few that can be counted on to at least try to understand the reasoning behind the mess this country is in and attempt to do something about it. The key word here is attempt. It is a little late, these underlying issues needed to be addressed for a long time and have been ignored by the power elite who only have time to discover new ways to keep their fingers in the pockets of every taxpayer while having their own taxes lowered and lowered. On a brighter note: AlexLawyer..your post made me laugh out loud, thanks for that as the rest of this article and post were way too depressing.
re whatever4 11:06am
to your excellent and compassionate points i would add only this quote:
"people who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them."
---eric hoffer
Yeah, Bernie is a real hero. He voted on behalf of the Israeli war machine when it invaded Lebanon and created a humanitarian nightmare for non combatants. The terrorist state of Israel wiped out the infrastructure of the country not to mention the thousands of innocent people murdered. All the while Sander's continues to extract Israeli money out of his shorts. What is the cost of innocent human life, after all? Ask Katrina, she can draw on her vast experience of war to tell you while sitting in front of her tv set.
I mean what does a wealthy elitist know about the middle class or what they are going through? I am an environmental activist who lives off less than 10k per year. I don't need Katrina or Sander's telling me about poverty. These people represent galactic stupidity. Try an urban plunge sometime without your credit cards, SUV. or cash, and then come back and tell me about my experience.
Thomas More--What a total misuse of the name of a man who stood up to power on principle and lost his life for it.
Immigration IS a wedge issue, and has throughout US history. I HAVE "researched" the issue and it wasn't "Carl Rove" [sic] who dreamed it up. Your unwillingness to stand with your fellows against the power wielded by capital and govenment makes you their accomplice.
But solidarity is tough to come by as hazmat and whatever4 show in their posts. An observant person made this comment quite some time back, and it certainly applies now: "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
peasant: I moved to rural western Kentucky, into a house that was vacant. There are plenty of vacant houses for sale here, some for under $10,000. So I'm really not helping to drive up the prices.
What I'm proposing is that people move back to decaying rural areas, places that need more people. The population of my town has been declining for decades; there are empty foundations all over town where buildings once stood. Even now there is a building "downtown" that's literally crumbling as a result of a wind storm in the spring that blew the roof off. There is no money or manpower to fix it or tear it down, so it just sits there slowly decaying. Ultimately, it too will be reduced to an empty foundation. If people would return to these kinds of places, they would be revitalized.
If you need a place to live, I'll help you find a house here :-)
Dave
karlof1 June 17th, 2008 2:11 pm
In don't know what to say my friend. Illegal immigration is the tool of corporations. It allows them to exploit poor people for cheap labor. It allows them to bypass American workers and get cheap labor. Even if they paid the worker exactly the same wage (which they don't) it would still be far, far cheaper because they have no responsibility for these people. American citizens pay for their schooling, medical care and support when they can no longer work.
Illegal immigration is a real issue. Its only purpose is to help Corporation's bottom lines. Give Racist organizations like LaRaza and MALDEF political power and politicians (they hope) cheap votes.
The worst victim of illegal immigration is the illegal immigrant.
And you are correct...."A house divided cannot stand".....so illegal immigration must stop. "free trade" must stop and become fair trade. Income equality must be restored and I simply mean deconcentrating wealth. A base plan for National Health Care must be put in.
But you cannot do any of these things as long as you aid the Corporations and politicians that help them. It plays right into their hands.
I swear, if you could just see what really goes on, especially around the border, I think you'd change your mind in a hurry. I know I did.
Of course I don't stand with anyone that exploits their fellow human beings.
Katrina is advocating that Sheehan end her bid to unseat Pelosi-----
Good point. Just so is all pressure removed from the Democrats, so they can continue to enable the fascists as they just did on FISA.
It is incredible how people can believe that the gatekeepers of The Nation-- who still make daily excuses for the Democrats-- can be on the side of the majority of working class Americans. May Katrina one day be forced to read Diary of A Mad Law Professor. And by the way, why has Nation associate editor Max Holland been published on the CIA's website?
Well said, Nathaniel. Katrina's entire existence is to puppet the blue team company line; ignore their own culpability in the forces allied against our Earth Mother, the poor, and disenfranchised. Carry forward the war in Iraq; start another war in Iran, and march lock step with corporate hegemony. Katrina says jump, and the sheeple ask "how high."
lol Huck are you talking about Katrina Vanden Heuval, the lefty fool who writes for the nation and wrote this article? You lefty idiots are so completely retarded that you even attack your own!
karlof1, your words apply to YOU, not to Thomas Moore. YOU are the one unwilling to stand "with your fellows" against power and greed. YOU stand with the elite on this issue, and to try to turn that around on us is simply nonsense.
Huck, that's right! I forgot that not only is Bernie Sanders one of the few in congress that stand up for the people of the USA, he's ALSO got the stones to support israel! Bernie Sanders for president!!!!!!!
Jesus, it seriously KILLS me what a bunch of jew-hating scumbags you lefties are. You SERIOUSLY have a problem with Bernie Sanders, the most left wing guy in our WHOLE GOVERNMENT???
That proves you are nothing more then knuckledragging jew-haters, end of story...
This whole question of illegal immigration is a joke in many ways. What makes immigration illegal anyway, other than the laws made by Congress. And from time immemorial Congress has done the bidding of American indusry, who are constantly seeking sources of cheap labor. For the 50 years preceding the 20th century, Congress allowed industry to recruit cheap labor from Europe to mine coal, build canals, work in America's mills, and to live in squalor.
At this point in time one part of our industry gets its cheap labor from the illegals crossing our southern border, where their illegal status itself provides the leverage to keep their wages down.
Another part of our industry has found that outsourcing work provides them cheap labor legally, only because Congress makes no effort to stop it. In fact they encourage it. Why not let other countries pay for their education and training.
The people of this country have allowed themselves to be hoodwinked from the day the American Revolution ended.
The immigration dilemma will only be solved when Congress prohibits industry from competing on the basis of wage rates.
Castro figured that out a long time ago. It is my understanding that in Cuba, all workers are paid by the government, and industry must pay the government an amount that provides a living wage (as determined by the government) for their level of skills. Castro does not permit foreign companies to exploit Cuban labor. It is why the American embargo endures.
ariel-sharon -- "So when are you going to stop supporting illegal immigration????"
Around the same time you stop supporting israel dickwad ... i was trying to figure out where that putrid stink was rising from and TADAAA ... its our old zionist scumbag lurking on CD.
The billions of $$$ that we spend funding the israeli war machine can easily be diverted to ease the burden of poverty-stricken Americans
I like the cooperative idea. Suppose everything is nationalized and the central government issues charters to co-ops much the way corporate charters are issued today. Then the co-ops pay a tax on earnings to the central government. If a co-op fails, it is assumed and run by the central government if this is consider feasible, until new management can be found, or just closed down if it's not a necessary industry. Also standing wage and price controls would be nice.