Five Steps to Get Ready for 2012

www.peoplesworld.org April 9929, 2011

Five steps to get ready for 2012

By Sam Webb

he 2012 elections are casting a long Democratic parties so insignificant that it doesn’t shadow over the nation’s politics, eco- matter who wins? nomics and public discourse. The answer to each of these questions is an For the Republican right, electoral emphatic “No.” Tsuccess next year is crucial in order to radically While millions understandably feel dissatis- transform the country to the advantage of the fied with the Democratic Party, it hasn’t risen to most reactionary sections of monopoly capital and the point where they are ready to bolt anytime their mixed bag of dangerous allies. soon. Nor are they ready to dismiss the differenc- No one on their side, including tea baggers, es, say, between House Republican Paul Ryan’s is going to stay home on Election Day 2012. They budget plan and the plan that President Obama will all be expected to march to the polls and bring outlined. others with them. For our side of the struggle, the 2012 elections are of paramount importance too. No other this week: struggle has the same possibility to rearrange the • Five steps to get ready for 2012 political balance of forces in a progressive direc- • Editorial: GOP budget would shift country to right tion, to put the working class and people’s counteroffensive onto a new forward trajectory. • Overturning child labor laws: top priority of the GOP Some on the left disagree, and advocate either • We are one on May Day staying home or making a “strategic break” with • Crecen quejas por tácticas de la Migra en Detroit the two-party system. But there are three questions that must be asked: read more news and opinion daily at www.peoplesworld.org * Would staying home or making a “strategic break” enhance the chances of beating the right? * Are millions of people and their organiza- The aggressive role of right-wing extremism tions ready to drop the Democratic Party and form in recent months has only reinforced these senti- a big, broad, labor/people-based political party in ments. the near term? Politics is a complex and impure process. And * Are the differences between Republican and as the Rolling Stones sang, “You can’t always get

Page 1 what you want.” In which case, you try to get what cal agenda is an elevated and sustained struggle you need with what is available. That’s not prag- for racial and gender equality. Both are of strate- matism, but political realism. Thus, for now, the gic importance. only vehicle that can beat the right in elections is * There is a burning need for us to engage our the Democratic Party. adversaries on an ideological level. Our side fights So what is to be done? with one hand behind its back when it doesn’t Here are five things that strike me as critical. bring persuasive arguments and compelling sto- But here’s the rub. * The further building of the spirited, hope- ries into the marketplace of public opinion. Both the left and ful, visionary, labor-led people’s coalition and When the broader movement takes part in the the Communist counteroffensive in every neighborhood, city and battle of ideas, people respond positively. Some Party are too small state, and nationwide, is at the top of the agenda. ideas already resonate with millions. This movement is the power base of any pro- The image of socialism as economically just, given the scope of gressive turn in our nation’s politics. Take it out of ecologically sustainable, democratic, peaceful, today’s challenges. the equation and only minor reforms are possible and part of the American experience can and does at best. resonate as well. But neither our nation nor the world can af- * Finally, a bigger left and Communist Party ford another era of right-wing-dominated politics. is necessary for any sustained and far-reaching The price is too steep. The future of humankind political advances. It is a fact that progressive and and the planet is too fragile. democratic breakthroughs in our nation’s history * The next task is to deepen the unity of this have been bound up with popular uprisings in movement. Only a broad movement that unites which a growing left played a critical role. There all labor and all its possible allies has the political is no reason to think it will be any different going capacity to push the country down a progressive forward. path and safeguard the future. * A requirement of any progressive and radi- Sam Webb is the Communist Party National Chair.

GOP budget would shift the country sharply to the right

By PW Editorial Board resident Obama got it right when he the Republican Party budget, passed by the U.S. said the Republican Party’s goal “is House of Representatives last week. Itt would end less about reducing the deficit than it Medicare and Medicaid, cut Head Start and Pell is about changing the basic social com- grants and slash food stamps by over 20 percent. Ppact in America.” The GOP majority in the House has declared The battle for the Forged in the great social struggles of the open class war on the American people. soul of America 1930s and 1960s, this social contract upholds the This assault, combined with the union-bust- has begun. right to organize unions, a minimum standard of ing and budget-cutting measures of Republican living for the elderly, as well as voting, housing governors, is a sign of what will be in store if the and health care rights for victims of historic dis- ruling-class extremists win in 2012. crimination. Some Democrats, including the president, Undergirding this 20th century social con- now seem to be taking a more assertive posture. tract is the idea that government has a role to play Politics, however, does not begin at the top and, in regulating excesses in the capitalist economy as recent events have clearly shown, cannot be and assisting the poor, the disabled and the el- left there. A massive fightback from below is re- derly. quired to deal the right-wing extremists a severe This role is now seen as harming the corpo- blow. Only this will allow friendly but wavering rate bottom line. The U.S. ruling class and, in- politicians to do the right thing. deed, the ruling classes of other developed capi- Republican Paul Ryan called the GOP budget talist countries see it as interfering with business “a defining moment.” The congressional GOP’s “competitiveness.” unanimous vote cast the die. Business has come to an ideological and po- The battle for the soul of America has be- litical consensus: “We can no longer afford it.” gun. These concepts have risen to the level of policy in

www.peoplesworld.org Page 2 Overturning child labor laws: top priority for the GOP

By Joe Sims

Republican operatives recently opened up a new front: rolling back child labor laws. In Maine and Missouri, bills have been introduced into state legislatures to overturn legislation first introduced in the 19th century to prevent the exploi- tation of children. In Maine, Republican state senators have introduced LD 1345, which would allow a sub- minimum youth “training” wage and significantly increase the number of hours teenagers are per- mitted to work while in school. Maine was one of the first states to pass child protection laws in 1847. The Maine bill, according to AlterNet, would businesses that employ children would no longer “allow employers to pay anyone under 20 a six- be subject to inspections from the Division of La- month ‘training wage’ that falls more than $2 per bor Standards.” While Maine and hour below the minimum wage, eliminate rules Even some Republicans in Maine are alarmed establishing a maximum number of hours kids 16 Missouri are on about the bill there. “This bill,” writes Maine Re- and over can work during school days, allow those the front line of publican Mark Bulmer in an op-ed for the Port- under 16 to work up to four hours per school day, the drive to exploit land Press Herald, “will allow employers to hire allow home-schooled kids to work during school children, a broader fewer people currently in the unemployment line, hours and eliminate any limit on how many hours effort is at work while maximizing young people’s working hours kids of any age can work in agriculture (with a sig- and pocketing more profit.” nature from their parents or legal guardians).” While Maine and Missouri are on the front A companion bill, LD 516, would permit teen- line of the drive to exploit children, a broader ef- agers to work up to 11 p.m. fort is at work, as many in the extreme right Re- The National Law Employment Project, along publican Party believe that federal protections on with the Maine Peoples Alliance, has taken out a child labor are unconstitutional. Among them are statewide ad in Maine, calling on far-right Gov. Sen. Mike Lee,R-Utah, GOP presidential hopeful Paul LePage not to support the move. Gary Johnson and Clarence Thomas. In Missouri, the proposals are even more For Maine’s Republican politicians, however, drastic. The bill, SB 222, was introduced by state the issue seems to be strictly business: “Nobody Sen. Jane Cunningham, and, under its provisions, objects when a kid gets on the bus at 2 p.m. and “children under the age of 14 would no longer be doesn’t get home until 11 o’clock at night, nine barred from employment. They’d also be able to hours later, because he or she is off playing a sport work all hours of the day, no longer need a work -some of those kids are working way more hours permit from their school and be able to work at than 20,” says Sen. Debra Plowman, a Hampden motels and resorts so long as they’re given a place Republican. to lay their weary heads each night. Moreover, Plowman is a sponsor of the bill. www.peoplesworld.org Page 3 local news Crecen quejas por tácticas de la Local contact Migra en Detroit

[email protected] Por John Rummel igue creciendo la ira popular ley tomen la ley en sus propias manos, aquí por un incidente pasado están en peligro todas nuestras liber- We are one on el 31 de marzo cuando la pri- tades civiles,” dijo. May Day maria Academia Hope [es- “Cada acción de la ICE, cada peranza]S de Detroit fue rodeada por deportación, y cada nuevo abuso By Joelle Fishman agentes de Aduanas e Inmigración trae consigo toda una vida de con- nternational Worker’s Day has come (ICE, por sus siglas en ingles) en seis secuencias para las familias,” declaró home. Out of the depths of the rag- vehículos tipo SUV con vidrios oscu- Gutiérrez. “El impacto sobre las co- ing class war against public workers, ros, aterrorizando a alumnos, padres munidades inmigrantes por todo el their unions and all working people, de familia y empleados. país ha sido inmenso, y las historias hasI arisen a call by the labor movement from La noche de este lunes, el con- que estoy escuchando resultan angus- Wisconsin to Connecticut to rally on May gresista por Illinois, Luis Gutiérrez, tiosos y horrendos.” Day. encabezó una reunión de más de mil Ángela Reyes, directora de la Cor- The resurgence in our country of May personas aquí en la sala del Local poración por el Desarrollo Hispano de Day, International Workers Day, sparked by 600 de los United Auto Workers [el Detroit, dijo que el comportamiento the mega marches for immigrant rights five sindicato unido de trabajadores del de los oficiales de la ICE en Detroit years ago, reflects a growing understanding auto, UAW por sus siglas en inglés] revela un patrono de abusos. “Hemos of the power and necessity of worker solidar- para protestar la redada en la escuela documentado numerosos ejemplos de ity. y otros abusos recientes por parte de las violaciones más descarados,” dijo. In Connecticut, a full day of marches, la oficina local de ICE. Entre los inci- “La oficina local de ICE en Detroit rallies and activities will be capped off with dentes más recientes que han causado viola rutinariamente tanto sus pro- the annual People’s World Newsmaker protestas son la negación a una mu- pias políticas que los derechos civiles Awards in New Haven, honoring state work- jer embarazada de su medicamento de los inmigrantes y los ciudadanos ers, their unions and the services they pro- de receta cuando estaba detenida y norteamericanos. Esto no es obra de vide. numerosos cateos extrajudiciales ile- unos pocos agentes que hacen lo suyo, At 1 p.m. on May 1 in Hartford’s Bush- gales que han aterrorizados a la gran pero más bien un patrono de compor- nell Park, thousands of workers are expect- población latina del suroeste de De- tamiento. El liderazgo de la ICE tiene ed to gather for a massive labor rally. State troit, cerca de Dearborne y a las ofici- que tomar control de sus propios ofi- elected officials and members of Congress nas del Local 600. ciales”. are scheduled to be on hand. La reunión fue patrocinada por La parada de Gutierrez en Detroit May Day has been sidelined by red- la Alianza pro Derechos Inmigrantes, fue parte de su recorrida por 20 ciu- baiting and anti-Communism in our coun- y Reforma de Michigan. Asistían al dades, “El cambio exige valentía”. Su try since the anti-labor political repression evento los congresistas demócratas recorrida llega en un momento críti- of the 1950s. But in the 1930s, May Day Hansen Clark y John Conyers, los rep- co. Fue deportado un número récord marches brought working women and men resentantes estatales George Darany de 393.000 inmigrantes durante el together across trade, profession, race, na- y Harvey Santana, la vicepresidente año pasado, atrayendo críticas entre tionality and age lines. The songs, banners internacional de la UAW, Cindy Es- comunidades inmigrantes y latinas. and unity raised sights and gave strength for trada, y un representante de la oficina Gutierrez y otros activistas migrato- the battles ahead. de la representante estatal Rashida rios esperan motivarle al presidente The significance of labor’s embrace of Tlaib. Gutiérrez, que recurre actual- Obama a dirigirse a la cuestión antes May Day as an occasion to rally for workers’ mente a 20 ciudades para buscar una de las elecciones cruciales de 2012. rights and immigrant rights is accentuated reforma migratoria, llamaba enfáti- Gutiérrez dijo, “Solo le pedimos by the union-led We Are One rallies held camente por fijar la responsabilidad que use la discreción que posee por on April 4, the date Martin Luther King was de los oficiales de la ICE por sus ac- implemente la ley para que puedan assassinated while in Memphis to support ciones indebidas e ilegales. “Cuando seguir unidas las familias de ciudada- striking sanitation workers. los encargados de la aplicación de la nas norteamericanas”. This joining together of the labor movement with the civil rights, immigrant rights national contact and international worker movements is es- Editorial: (773) 446-9920 Business: (212) 924-2523 sential to stop the destruction of every gain ever won in the past century. Email: [email protected]