The best way to commemorate the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom is to use this occasion to launch a struggle for jobs, and freedom from Wall Street's agenda.

From "The Root:"

"...To be sure, we are in a period of great challenge to the very essence of democracy in this country, to which there must be a powerful civil rights response. The march 50 years ago, and the period known as the civil rights movement, has ended. But there is a difference between the historically bound "civil rights movement" and the movement for civil rights. The former was an extraordinary period in our nation's history. The latter is an ongoing effort born of the recognition that no win is permanent, that democracy must be consistently refreshed, maintained and prodded. As we prepare to commemorate the historic March on Washington, we must also reflect on new challenges we face in the post-civil rights era..."

In my opinion the greatest challenge of all is being ignored:

The fact that Obama's Wall Street agenda of wars abroad paid for with austerity measures here at home being shoved down our throats is being ignored to the point where this makes a mockery of commemorating the historic "1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom" with Affirmative Action not being enforced and no way to create tens of millions of jobs without a gigantic peace dividend while the very democracy required in public dialog, discussion and debate focused on a people's agenda versus Wall Street's agenda is being snuffed out--- including being snuffed out by the "leaders" organizing this present March on Washington as they attempt to stymie and thwart the role of peace in the struggle for jobs and freedom.

This attempt to use the commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom to drum up support for the Democrats who never had a political or legislative agenda for jobs and freedom further mocks the occasion as no attempt is being made to use this march as a catalyst to organizing for the kind of change required in order to win jobs and freedom.

Activists should insert these missing links in this March on Washington on August 24 and the events on August 28 with leaflets, signs, statements declaring what we seek and conversations about the need for a working class based progressive people's party as an alternative to Wall Street's two-party trap which is a dead-end alley for working people.

Anyone who thinks that without leadership a march of this nature will automatically lead to the kind of mass action required to turn this country around is living in la-la land divorced from the reality that the Democrats seek hegemony over our movements in order to manipulate and maneuver us using their partners at the helm of organized labor and the foundation-funded outfits all working in cahoots with our Wall Street enemies.

Working class fightback conference.

This is a letter I sent to the initiators of the "Labor Fight-Back Conference:"

Attention:

Ken Riley

President

South Carolina AFL-CIO


Donna Dewitt

Retired President

South Carolina AFL-CIO


Charity Schmidt

Co-President

University of Wisconsin-Madison Teaching Assistants’ Association (TAA)

Executive Board, South Central Federation of Labor, Wisconsin


Kevin Gundlach

President

Wisconsin South Central Federation of Labor


Re: Labor Fight-Back Conference http://www.laborfightback.org/

We need a working class based progressive people's party in this country similar to the socialist New Democratic Party in Canada. We can build on the successes of the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party which elected two socialist governors, Floyd B. Olson and Elmer Benson along with Communist Congressman John Bernard. The Progressive Party of Henry Wallace also provides a place to pick up from.

We need to examine what workers get out of Democratic super majorities like here in Minnesota where this Democratic super majority will not even consider:

* Rescinding "At-will Employment" legislation which is the main obstacle to union organizing.

* Anti-scab legislation.

* Anti-lockout legislation.

* A living wage which is a real living wage based on all cost of living factors as monitored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics indexed for inflation and re-calculated quarterly.

We need a plank in any program for full employment which requires the president and Congress to be responsible for attaining and maintaining full employment along the lines of the defeated "Full Employment Act of 1945;" the entire act along with the complete 1,000 plus page transcript of Congressional testimony can be found here:

http://fullemploymentnow.blogspot.com/


A working class based program for real change should include:

* Peace--- end the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and shutdown the 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil.

* A National Public Health Care System - ten million new jobs.

* A National Public Child Care System - three to five million new jobs.

* Works Progress Administration - three million new jobs.

* Civilian Conservation Corps - two million new jobs.

* Tax the hell out of the rich and cut the military budget by ending the wars to pay for it all which will create full employment.

* Enforce Affirmative Action; end discrimination.

* Raise the minimum wage to a real living wage

* What tax-payers subsidize in the way of businesses, tax-payers should own and reap the profits from.

* Moratorium on home foreclosures and evictions.

* Defend democracy by defending workers' rights including the right to collective bargaining for improving the lives and livelihoods of working people.

* Roll-back and freeze the price of food, electricity, gas and heating fuels; not wages, benefits or pensions.

* Defend and expand Social Security.

* Wall Street is our enemy

How is Barack Obama's Wall Street war economy working for you?

Climate change is like war, poverty and unemployment... without peace we aren't going to solve this problem either.

Let's talk about the politics and economics of livelihood for a real change.

Hundreds of thousands of casino workers are employed in the loud, noisy, smoke-filled casinos of the hideous Indian Gaming Industry at poverty wages without any rights under state or federal labor laws in an industry where a bunch of wealthy white mobsters own all the slot machines and table games and have divided among the "families" the various associated businesses including hotels/motels, restaurants/bars, gas station/convenience stores, clothing boutiques/gift shops, golf courses/theme parks. These rich white mobsters run off with all the profits leaving Native Americans in greater poverty as they exploit all casino workers. This is an industry intentionally spun by politicians under terms of "Compacts" operating in violation of all standards established by the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights in return for lucrative campaign contributions.

An alternative to lockouts needs to be considered; one such alternative would be plant/workplace occupations.

Some form of general strikes needs to be considered as a response to reactionary anti-labor government measures.

I would like to share with you a "Letter to the Editor" I wrote that has been published in a number of Minnesota newspapers:

Once again with President Barack Obama's State of the Union Speech we got another politician hypocritically talking about "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs."

If just one job was created every time some politician opened their mouth and started talking about "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs" we wouldn't have any unemployment in this country and everyone who wanted to work would have a decent, living wage job.

So, what is the main obstacle to full employment? Accountability from the very politicians who mouth the words "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs" whenever they want to get elected, re-elected or want thunderous applause then go about their business forgetting about jobs as they go looking for their next bribe from a Wall Street lobbyist who views unemployment as the way to keep all wages down which pushes profits up.

What we need in this country is a real "Full Employment Act" which mandates--- by legislation and law--- that the President and the United States Congress must maintain full employment as part of their responsibility to the American people.

What good is a government that gets us into war after war but can't even assure full employment for the very people it taxes to pay for these dirty imperialist wars?

Wars cause government debt and deficits; peace and full employment eliminate debts and deficits.

Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council

I would note that the New York Times refused to publish a "Letter to the Editor" I wrote along similar lines in response to this editorial:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/opinion/more-jobs-higher-pay-in-obamas-second-term.html?ref=opinion&amp%3B_r=0


Any talk about jobs with living wages is meaningless unless the government is forced to become legislatively responsible for full employment; this is the only way to assure accountability.

Also, see my "Letter" in "Labor World" (September 1, 2010; page 7); in this same issue on page 1 is reference to anti-scab legislation.

http://www.laborworld.org/documents/Sept-1-2010Av5.pdf


I would also like to call to your attention the work of the New Progressive Alliance which is in league with much of what you are advocating:

http://newprogs.org/


I also call to your attention the excellent article, "Losing Our Way" by then New York Times columnist Bob Herbert:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/26/opinion/26herbert.html


On a final note, but most important of all, I would like to suggest that this important Conference should concern itself with the struggle to enforce Affirmative Action since people of color, women and the handicapped are being denied jobs to which they are entitled.

Here in Minnesota, where affirmative action has never been enforced since President Lyndon Johnson signed into law Federal Executive Order #11246, the Democratic Governor, Mark Dayton, who made an election promise to enforce Affirmative Action and then made a mockery of his campaign promise by appointing the vile racist, Mark Philipps, whose job it is at Krause-Anderson to assist clients in evading Affirmative Action, only to be forced into removing Philipps, has now brought forward another racist mockery of his campaign promise to enforce Affirmative Action by bringing forward unenforceable "voluntary goals."

The Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party with its super majority--- Democratic Governor, Democratic House and Democratic Senate--- cannot even be relied on to enforce Affirmative Action when it comes to spending billions of dollars in public funds.

Democrat Mark Dayton as a candidate campaigning for governor on affirmative action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBuBDqQx0xI

Even Republican President Richard Nixon declared:

"A good job is as basic and important a civil right as a good education . . . which would require such [affirmative] action by law, was both necessary and right... would require federal contractors to show affirmative action' to meet the goals of increasing minority employment...

"Neither the President nor the Congress nor the conscience of the nation can permit money which comes from all the people to be used in a way which discriminates against some of the people."

It is pathetic and disgusting we can't even expect Obama or Minnesota Democrats with a super majority to take a stand at least as vigorous in defense of Affirmative Action as Republican President Richard Nixon. If this doesn't tell us why we need an alternative working class based progressive people's party I don't know what it would take.

Thanks for considering my concerns.

Yours in the struggle,

Alan L. Maki

Director of Organizing,

Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council



58891 County Road 13

Warroad, Minnesota 56763

Phone: 218-386-2432

Cell: 651-587-5541

Primary E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net

E-mail: alan.maki1951mn@gmail.com

Blog: http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/

What is "sequestration?" What is the alternative?

What is "sequestration?"

More lies from Obama being used to scare people into accepting austerity measures and supporting the military-industrial complex which should be shut down:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/us/politics/obama-takes-budget-warnings-to-shipbuilder.html?ref=us&_r=0

From, "Losing Our Way"

"The U.S. has not just misplaced its priorities. When the most powerful country ever to inhabit the earth finds it so easy to plunge into the horror of warfare but almost impossible to find adequate work for its people or to properly educate its young, it has lost its way entirely."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/26/opinion/26herbert.html?_r=0

Bob Herbert, Columnist
(former) New York Times

Now is the time we should propose a people's alternative to the "sequester" and Wall Street's very profitable military-industrial complex and imperialist wars:

Here is where I would begin:

A progressive program for real change...

* Peace--- end the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and shutdown the 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil.

* A National Public Health Care System - ten million new jobs.

* A National Public Child Care System - three to five million new jobs.

* Works Progress Administration - three million new jobs.

* Civilian Conservation Corps - two million new jobs.

* Tax the hell out of the rich and cut the military budget by ending the wars to pay for it all which will create full employment.

* Enforce Affirmative Action; end discrimination.

* Raise the minimum wage to a real living wage

* What tax-payers subsidize in the way of businesses, tax-payers should own and reap the profits from.

* Moratorium on home foreclosures and evictions.

* Defend democracy by defending workers' rights including the right to collective bargaining for improving the lives and livelihoods of working people.

* Roll-back and freeze the price of food, electricity, gas and heating fuels; not wages, benefits or pensions.

* Defend and expand Social Security.

* Wall Street is our enemy

How is Barack Obama's Wall Street war economy working for you?

Climate change is like war, poverty and unemployment... without peace we aren't going to solve this problem either.

Let's talk about the politics and economics of livelihood for a real change.

What we need is a government that is responsible for full employment:

http://fullemploymentnow.blogspot.com/

Don't let Obama scare you with his lies--- sequestration--- into accepting austerity measures to pay for Wall Street's dirty imperialist wars and militarization.

Peace and full-employment is the alternative to the "sequester."