Continuing a revolutionary working class tradition.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

George Edwards... Communist and rank-and-file working class activist



The working class and people lost a great leader, activist, and fighter for justice and equality this past week when 94 year-old George Edwards died. While his accomplishments were many and will have positive influence on our lives for generations, what those who knew George will remember most was his all abiding humanity. While a lifelong champion of worker's rights, civil rights, and peace, George was as at home with a beer watching the game, gardening, hiking, camping, or visiting friends as he was at a meeting of his beloved steelworker unionists.

Born in 1918 in South Dakota, his family moved to Tennessee and homesteaded land in what is now the Great Smoky National Park. His father worked in the Indian Service until becoming frustrated with mistreatment of native peoples.

George obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee, then received his graduate degree from Oberlin Seminary, studying to enter the ministry. After completing his studies, George went to work as a machinist at the huge U. S. Steel Works in nearby Lorain, Ohio, making less than $1 an hour. His goal was to set up a "labor church."

However, he quickly joined the Steelworker's Organizing Committee, which was campaigning to organize that mill, and joined the Communist Party USA, along with many of the other organizers. He was active as a member/leader for the rest of his life.

Denise Winebrenner-Edwards, George's wife of 31 years, said, "He was absolutely convinced that the only way working people could achieve justice was for the people, not the wealthy, to control our economy. He saw that inherent in capitalism was inequality and injustice and that the system needed to be changed fundamentally to meet the people's needs."

After winning unionization in 1942, George founded the local union newspaper, the Lorain Labor Leader, founded a veteran's committee, and was part of the local's Political Action Committee. He was elected the local's vice president.

When America entered World War II, George immediately joined up, fighting to defeat the fascist menace in Europe.

After victory, he came back, but to a much different political climate. McCarthyism was rearing its ugly head. Still, George was elected to the 1948 United Steelworkers of America (USWA) convention, where he raised the first resolution calling for an African American vice president of the union. Although this wasn't won at that convention, George was a leading part of the movement that achieved that goal at the USWA convention nearly 40 years later.

For George, the 1950s were difficult times. Hounded by the FBI, spied on, and ostracized at the union he helped found, his name was even chiseled off of the founders' plaque at the union hall. He suffered isolation and tough times, even going through a divorce.

However, George used this time to become a photographer, setting up a studio in Lorain, became involved in hiking, camping, and became a serious artist, painting and producing metal sculptures. His metal chess sets are highly valued and are on display as gifts in presidential offices in Vietnam and other nations.

Even in these hard times, George still found ways to fight for justice. Seeing Puerto Rican workers brought in to work at the mill housed in railroad cars on company property, without running water, heat or sanitary facilities, he invited leaders of the Puerto Rican independence movement to Lorain to help the workers understand what rights they had and to push for decent housing. When African American steelworkers were unable to buy homes in still-segregated areas, George purchased homes which he resold to those workers. As the civil rights and peace movements developed, George jumped on board.

In the '70's, George really began to put his stamp on policy changes that would shift political ground for all of us. Seeing a lack of democracy, a slackening of the fight against the big corporations, in the USWA, George formed the National Steelworkers Rank & File Committee. It pushed for democracy, membership involvement and solidarity. He literally ran the budding rank and file movement from an old mimeograph machine in his front room, almost permanently having blue-stained fingers. Local committees were formed in Steelworker locals across the nation, mainly made up of younger workers.

The Lorain committee did not come about because George made great speeches, but grew out of what will forever be known as the "Pink Hard Hat" incident. By now, George was a machinist instructor, teaching young apprentices the trade. But the shop foreman was making life hell for the young workers, harassing them in numerous ways, including forcing them to shave beards and cut their hair short (a big deal for those guys in those days). George painted his hard hat pink, stating that it looked like "the boss's bald head."

He was suspended for his protest, but the union, especially the young workers, rallied to his side and he won his grievance and back pay.

This was during a time that the mainstream media all trumpeted the "generation gap," the idea that only young folks were progressive and that if you were older, you couldn't possibly relate to young people. Throughout his life, and especially during this period, George showed this concept up for the lie it was. He was beloved by the younger workers and he fought for them, as well as all workers.

An important principle of the rank and file movement that George often spoke of during this period was: "We have no enemies that are workers. We are fighting for all workers. We need a rank and file movement always, to involve regular workers in the union. It needs to support union leaders when they're right and push them when they aren't!"

The rank and file movement that George began expanded and won many gains during this period. The right of workers to ratify their own contracts was won, as well as the election of an African American USW vice president. The movement fought against an experimental negotiating agreement that would have ended the union's ability to strike. The well-known Consent Decree, which ended practices of keeping minority workers in the worst, most dangerous and low paid jobs, opened up all jobs to bidding and brought women and minorities into the trades, was a major victory of the movement. All these had George Edwards' fingerprints on them.

The Steelworkers union began to shift, becoming the progressive union it is today, mobilizing its members, building coalitions, standing up for solidarity with other workers and unions across the globe.

After retiring, George married Denise Winebrenner and moved to Pittsburgh. Winebrenner, a USW activist in her own right, was elected to the Wilkinsburg City Council.

Hardly ready to relax and enjoy "golden years," George spoke of these as "the best years of my life." He was a founding member of the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR) and was a member of SOAR's ruling executive board. With his wife Denise, they formed a local coalition, Wilkinsburg for Change, which stopped privatization of the local elementary school and pushed for better services and more access for the community to local government.

George was especially proud of the fact that he was "the first one arrested" for sitting in, blocking trucks carrying copies of the Pittsburgh Press, when workers there were on strike. The strike was successful, especially due to the massive solidarity movement.

Even into his 90s George Edwards was active, mobilizing steel retirees to rallies for health care and retiree security. When Occupy Pittsburgh held demonstrations and news conferences this past year, George was out front, attending and bringing friends.

Finally, in his late years, George got something he'd never asked for: credit for his work! He used to say, "It's amazing what you can get accomplished if you don't care who gets credit!"

Certainly, at least for the rest of us, it was wonderful to see some credit finally go his way.

At the 70th anniversary of the United Steelworkers union in Cleveland last year, George Edwards was honored with a long, very loud, standing ovation. He was recognized for his work and as the only one present who was at the founding USW convention as well as the present one.

George had just returned from a USW Civil Rights Conference in Cincinnati when he fell into a coma. At that conference, USW President Leo Gerard had honored George, saying, "He was an activist every single day of his life." The comments were occasion for another long, standing ovation, which brought tears to many eyes, including George's.

George died peacefully. He didn't live that way!

He is survived by his wife Denise, a son, daughter, and three sisters.

Denise has asked that those wishing to send flowers instead send donations to SOAR, or Next Generation (USW organization for young workers). Both of these can go to:

USW-Attn. Sec'r./Treasurer

60 Blvd. of the Allies

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Donations may also be made, in George's name, to People's World:

235 W. 23rd St.

New York, NY 10011

Jim Centner, national president of SOAR, probably said it best when he said the best way to honor George is to "live life like George, be an activist every day!"

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Part-time faculty pay reaching poverty level

 
by: Michelle Kern 
September 21 2012 

The American Federation of Teachers recently highlighted the tenuous employment and poor compensation of part-time college teachers in an article titled: "New report blasts working conditions of adjunct faculty."

The article spotlights findings of two recent reports. In the first, a survey of 500 adjunct faculty found they are frequently hired at the last minute for courses they have little time to prepare for, with little or no support from the institution. They rarely have opportunities for professional development or chances to share in the collegial culture of education.

The second report, "Dismantling the Professoriate," paints a bleak portrait of the poverty-level wages and lack of professional support for adjunct faculty, who often make significantly less per course than their full-time counterparts:

"The median pay per course, standardized to a three-credit course, was $2,700 in fall 2010, and ranged from a low of $2,235 at two-year colleges to a high of $3,400 at four-year doctoral or research universities.

"Part-time faculty respondents saw little, if any, wage premium based on their credentials.

"Professional support was minimal for part-time faculty members' work outside the classroom and for their inclusion in academic decision-making."

Grassroots efforts are also drawing attention to the low pay, lack of benefits and lack of support in a field that has come to depend on the presence of a surplus of "freeway flyers," as adjuncts are often called.

A "crowd-sourced" spreadsheet at adjunctproject.com lists data from part-time faculty all over the U.S., on wages, health benefits (or more commonly, lack thereof), access to institutional support, union membership and retirement.

Budget cuts are often blamed for the over-reliance on part-time adjuncts to handle the bulk of teaching. Budgets have indeed been slashed in education, but data shows at the same time, the non-teaching administrative sector has grown.

While college administrations often tout the fiscal advantages of using part-time faculty, they don't apply the same logic to their own ranks. Between 1976 and 2005, part-time faculty rose from 31 percent to 48 percent, while part-time administrators declined from 4 percent to 3 percent.

College administrators' salaries are several levels higher than the wages of adjunct teachers. Although full professors' salaries may seem commensurate with those of administrators, salaries and wages for all teaching staff have not kept pace, even with rising tuition, as reported by the American Association of University Professors.

The AAUP says tuition rose much faster than full-time faculty salaries, with the greatest gap at public institutions, where tuition and fees grew by 72 percent, accounting for inflation, while professors' salaries rose by less than 1 percent at doctoral and baccalaureate institutions and fell by over 5 percent at master's universities.

Meanwhile, the AAUP says, between 2006-7 and 2010-11, median presidential salaries jumped by 9.8 percent, adjusted for inflation, while median full-time faculty salaries rose by less than 2 percent."

In fact most adjuncts have been hired when universities were not facing budget cuts, the AAUP reported .

At the same time, colleges are increasingly turning toward corporate models and business culture. And corporations and businesses are taking more of a role in diverting public education funds intended for colleges, and instead directing them to private profit. Cheap and surplus labor is the model for an expanding bottom line in Wall Street-driven institutions and the same process has taken hold of our institutions of higher learning, especially in privatization at public universities.

Without tenure, adjuncts are among the first to be fired when cuts are on the table, just like temps and contract workers across many other fields. This can translate to depressed wages across the board for teaching staff, higher class loads for the remaining faculty (in some cases throwing teaching duties on "stipend" paid graduate students who make even less than adjuncts), and a decrease in dues in the teaching union locals, attacking their ability to fight educational austerity measures.

Slashing the teaching workforce in education does not cause the economy to grow or save the budgets of universities in the long run. Expanding wages and benefits and teaching opportunities for adjuncts would bring more regional prosperity, increasing the tax base and helping to grow available funds for education.

The political will must also be found to raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations, who benefit from the presence of public universities and a well-educated labor force. Full time and part time teaching staff must forge organized and unified fight-backs, to press universities to benefit the teaching staff who attract students to the school. Resisting the privatization of our public resources will also help reverse the trend of making education jobs poverty-level.

Adjuncts should not view themselves as "the expendables," but as a workforce that now makes up the majority of higher education staff. If there is a union at your college, join it. If the adjuncts are not organized or not part of the existing union, press to become a part of the union or form an adjunct union.

Organization is the best weapon against capitalism, which has definitely entered the arena of higher education. The future of our working people, teachers and students alike, is at stake.


Monday, August 20, 2012

How capitalism works

How capitalism works explained from a worker's perspective...

Abba Ramos, a veteran organizer in the International Longshore and Warehouse Union:

"If they can get a trained monkey to unload that boxcar tomorrow morning, rest assured, they'll have them over there and they'll have some bananas for lunch, and you'll be out on the street looking for work. Simple as that. You've got to remember, they follow only one rule of economic law, and that's that maximum production-minimum cost yields the greatest amount of profit. They don't deviate from that."

Sunday, August 5, 2012

What we need to do


Just start leafleting where you work and where you live. I guarantee you will find some like minds very quickly if you are producing materials people can relate to. In your community, start with repetitive leafleting in a two or three square block area. A double-sided 8 1/2 by 11 leaflet is pretty cheap to photocopy. People in your area must read some newspaper?

I often get invited into peoples homes to meet and discuss things with their families, friends, neighbors and fellow workers after having a discussion about the "robbery at the gas pumps" while pumping gas or "how much longer are we going to be able to afford to eat" while standing in front of the meat counter in the super-market.

People are going to have to begin putting their thoughts in writing if we want people to take us seriously as we seek real change. Only the written word means anything as far as getting people's attention.

All of my business cards now ask the question:

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

This question gets to the heart of anti-imperialist education.

Just two or three people thinking along the same lines can get a neighborhood to act. Same at work or in school at a community center in your union or at church. One little raindrop doesn't amount to much but let it pour.

We need working class "think tanks and action clubs." Get a few people together who share common problems and this is where social change begins.

If you distribute things along these lines modified as required, you should be able to find people with open minds:

This is a very good article: http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/08/03/say-goodbye-to-social-security/

However one important point is missing and there are several glaring weaknesses.

Social Security would be secure and could be vastly expanded with real living benefits paid IF we had a full-employment economy.

Never mind economics--- common sense tells us that we can't have millions of unemployed, under-employed and poverty-wage paid workers not paying into the Social Security Trust Fund or paying so little because of partial employment and poverty wages and still expect the Social Security Trust Fund to remain solvent forever with anything other than very limited programs and meager, miserly payouts.

I would also note that while this writer acknowledges the good work done by economist John Kenneth Galbraith, he fails to observe what Galbraith believed to be primary: ending militarism and wars so society could reap the benefits of "peace dividends" in order to create huge government programs like National Public Health Care and National Public Child Care which would create tens of millions of new jobs providing services that are really needed--- unlike militarism and war which we need like we need holes in our heads.

I think this article is good but needs to be strengthened.

John Kenneth Galbraith was an honest liberal and among the present crop of intellectuals honesty--- liberal or otherwise--- is difficult to come by as most seemed to be influenced in their "thinking" more by the size of their pay-checks than the common good as is readily apparent from all these phony liberals, progressives and leftist intellectuals supporting a warmonger like Obama determined to make the working class pay for Wall Street's imperialist wars through austerity measures such as cutting and slashing needed social programs--- everything from public education to Social Security and even Medicaid and Medicare when the state goal of the Affordable Care Act was supposed to be to strengthen Medicaid and Medicare... more lies.

I would also point out that John Kenneth Galbraith's son, James Kenneth Galbraith, is more on the progressive side than his father was.

Here is an excellent article written by James Kenneth Galbraith (written in 2009):

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2009/0903.galbraith.html

And more recently--- 2012--- aptly titled, "We told you so:"

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/we_told_you_so_20120518//

I would also note that John Kenneth Galbraith never hesitated to bring Marxists into discussions with him on economic matters which provided greater insight to problems and served to strengthen democracy while educating the public.

John Kenneth Galbraith even wrote a book together with a noted Soviet Marxist-Leninist economist.

John Kenneth Galbraith constantly pointed out that it was wrong to think modern societies can have both "guns and butter." This from a man who had experience managing a war-time economy at the beginning of World War II.

Obama has rejected even the most liberal/progressive economic advice in favor of the reactionary advice he receives from those most loyal to Wall Street's greedy, parasitical, money-grubbing interests which always lead to conflict and wars.

Alan L. Maki

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Native Americans left out of economic recovery, as always

Albert Bender, a columnist for News From Indian Country, writing in the Communist Party's publication--- The People's World, wrote about Native American unemployment in Indian Country and Obama. I wonder why so few publications carried this article?

http://peoplesworld.org/native-americans-left-out-of-economic-recovery-as-always-2/



Native Americans left out of economic recovery, as always

June 11 2012

Up until the past few weeks, there had been a lot of hoopla about a blossoming economic recovery. Job creation for the early part of the year had been averaging 200,000 a month. (Keep in mind, though, that responsible economists maintain that 345,000 jobs per month are needed for at least two years to get back to even five percent unemployment - and the latest numbers for May show only 69,000 jobs created.)

Indian America, looking at the historical record, would have found little reason to rejoice at the so-called "good economic news." Why? Because historically, economic recovery, as a national news pundit recently said, "is growth for white America, but there will still be three times the unemployment rate for blacks and Hispanics."

But that statistic can look good, considering that the Native American unemployment rate would be 10x greater than the white jobless rate. Indeed, as is well known in Native circles, on reservations across the nation the unemployment for Native Americans routinely ranges from 80-90 percent - and this has been the economic situation for generations. For urban Native Americans, the jobless rate averages around 48 percent. In general, Indian Country is in a permanent depression even when the national economy is on the upswing.

But once again it seems the economy was just having another false start, as in the last couple of years, and now appears at the edge of falling off the economic cliff. I cannot but take wry satisfaction in a failing recovery, a recovery that bypasses Native American misery.

The above quoted statistics of Native unemployment are years old because reservations in particular and urban Native Americans in general, incredibly, have been purposely excluded from government employment data since 2005. To cite a not atypical example, South Dakota has nine reservations, with unemployment ranging from a "low" of 12 percent on one smaller reservation to 89 percent on the largest reservation. These figures were last compiled in 2005. South Dakota's overall unemployment rate is 4.7 percent, exclusive of reservations.

Native American joblessness is so high, it is off the charts. It is so staggering and is not compiled because to do so would be an additional stunning moral indictment of U.S. government treatment of Native Americans.

The last absurd excuse given by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for not collecting American Indian employment data was that there was no money in the government budget for such compilation.

This government attitude is highlighted by the fact that as far back as 1990, in statistical tables from the U.S. Bureau of Census that contained information on American Indians, African Americans, Asian Americans and others, the category "American Indian unemployed" contained, instead of numbers, the letters MD=Missing Data. No other population had such a classification. Again, this was a shocking, clumsy attempt to hide astronomical unemployment.

The position of the Obama administration to combat joblessness in American Indian communities and others of color is that an economic recovery will uplift all the jobless; a strong, robust economy will translate into jobs for all. This simply will not work due to the institutional racism endemic in American society. The very disturbing question is who always gets the lion's share of the jobs even when the economy is on the upswing? Whites have always received a disproportionate share of jobs.

To cite an example of who does not get the jobs: In early March, the mainstream media was touting apparent job gains, but noted that Latinos were being bypassed. The national jobless rate dropped to about 8.1 percent, but the Latino unemployment rate remained at 10.6 percent. The white jobless rate dropped to 7.9 percent. Incredibly, the media posed the question: Why the disparity? - and remarked that economists and labor experts also weren't sure.

More absurdity: the 'experts' subsequently stated they simply didn't know. Whites have always gotten the lion's share of employment. Without massive employment programs for communities of color, this will continue. After all, white Americans have for over 200 years had their own special "jobs programs" - racism. Communities of color, in particular those of Native Americans, need affirmative action jobs programs; otherwise, "economic recovery" will do little to remedy Native American joblessness.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

U.S. imperialism and Harry S. Truman's dirty little secret

Education and 4.3
Nearly six decades later, many Koreans are still in the dark    

Monday, April 09, 2012, 15:03:57 Lauren Flenniken contributor@jejuweekly.com
http://www.jejuweekly.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=2541

Until about a decade ago, Korean Law prohibited people from talking about the Jeju Massacre or anything related to April 3rd or communism. This has resulted in a historical void in regard to the seven years of armed conflict on the island between 1948 and 1954.

In 1948, shortly after South Korea was established, the South Korean National Assembly passed the National Traitors Act which outlawed the Workers Party of South Korea and vilified any act or persons deemed socialist.

For nearly 50 years after the Jeju Massacre, Korean citizens could be arrested, beaten, and jailed for merely mentioning it. For nearly four decades, the Jeju Massacre was ignored by the government. And it was only in 1992, with the discovery of the remains of massacre victims in Darangshi cave, that the massacre began to receive national attention. In response, the government ordered the cave sealed as an act to further suppress this horrible scar in Korean history.

It wasn’t until April 2006 that the survivors and the families of massacre victims received any apology, recognition or compensation when then President Roh Moo Hyun, made the first public apology to the citizens of Jeju and the remaining survivors. However, six years after President Roh’s apology, Korean citizens still do not know the events surrounding what is known by Korean as 4.3.

In 1987 democracy was brought to Korea which resulted in social and political movements lead by students, journalists, and activists motivated by their desire to uncover the truth surrounding the events of 4.3. In 2000, the South Korean government created the South Korean Truth Commission which was established to investigate these “lost” historical events. Still, many of the facts surrounding the event’s of the Jeju Massacre are little known, if at all, to South Korean citizens.

In a previous article by The Jeju Weekly dated Jan. 15, 2010 (Issue 17), a history teacher from the mainland stated that the general public does not know about the massacre and choose not to bother themselves with this tragic imagery. However, a younger generation of Koreans seem to disagree.

Seoul resident Nam Hyuna, 32, stated that she had not been taught anything about the Jeju Massacre before she entered college and even then, she was taught very little. When asked what she knew about the event Nam responded that she “can’t say anything [about 4.3] because there is not enough info about that event. Media and people say different things.”

Like many other young Koreans, Nam would love to learn more about this important part of Korean history. “It would be great to know [about this] part of Korean history,” she said, adding that she hopes the Korean government will investigate and reveal the truth about 4.3.

For Jeju residents, knowledge regarding the 4.3 events is more commonplace even though it is not officially taught in school. When asked about 4.3 a local high school student said, “It is very basic knowledge for [a] Jeju person!” but admitted that “it is not regulation curricular” and that when it does come up in school, it is only given a small amount of time in the classroom.

In researching this story, The Jeju Weekly approached the Ministry of Education for comment about the Jeju Massacre and the national school curriculum, but as of publication The Weekly had not received a reply. — Ed.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Global Day of Action on Military Spending

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=388051237880894&set=o.214237379814&type=1&theater
Fwd: Global Day of Action on Military Spending

Bruce Gagnon blog
TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012
IMPORTANT ACTION DATE COMING SOON
http://www.space4peace.blogspot.com/2012/03/important-action-date-coming-soon.html

'Organize a local action on April 17 in conjunction with groups all over the world calling for an end to militarism.

Fund human needs! Protect the environment! Convert the military industrial complex to peaceful and sustainable production!

Join hands around the globe.'

...........................................

Here for Jeju, Boycott, Samsung that builds the naval base in Jeju, produces and exports arms to the poorer countries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Image is thanks to the Gangjeong village website, kangjung.com. It is a sign held in Catholic mass, Seoul (informed thanks to Regina Pyon). The sign reads:'Samsung destroys the Gangjeong village and blasts the Gureombi Rock.' A sign held by people in Catholic mass in Seoul

Saturday, January 14, 2012

When will liberals, progressives and leftists become seriously and fully engaged in the electoral process?

When will liberals, progressives and leftists actually become fully engaged in the electoral process?

http://my.firedoglake.com/alanmaki/2012/01/14/when-will-liberals-progressives-and-leftists-actually-become-fully-engaged-in-the-electoral-process/

By: Alan Maki Saturday January 14, 2012 12:39 pm

Rocky Anderson and Jill Stein have just as much of a chance of being elected as Ron Paul. And so does Darcy Richardson.

You know, losing is losing; it really doesn't matter how much you lose by if you leave behind an organized movement ready to meet the next electoral challenge.

Ron Paul is a fascist but he and his John Birch Society are not exactly a bunch of dummies--- after all, they have hoodwinked what looks to be thousands of progressives across this country into building a fascist base for them. People who were first hoodwinked into supporting Obama and now, disappointed with Obama, hoodwinked again to support this rotten racist Bircher Ron Paul.

The important difference between supporting Ron Paul and supporting Rocky Anderson, and most notably Jill Stein and Darcy Richardson, is that you are participating in building a progressive movement that will bode us well beyond 2012.

If you really want Ron Paul to have a chance at winning why don't all of you Ron Paul supporters just order publications from the racist and anti-Semitic John Birch Society to pass out since Ron Paul's victory would require a mass fascist base?

Obviously the likes of PDA, Progressives for Obama, Campaign for America's Future are really NOT for building a progressive base in the Democratic Party as they claim or else they would get behind the campaign of a real progressive Democrat like Darcy Richardson who is challenging Obama in the primaries; plus Darcy is not only a true progressive, he is a proven vote-getter.

While those of you who are spending your time (actually wasting your time organizing a fascist movement that stands in opposition to everything you say you are for by supporting Ron Paul), Darcy Richardson needs 8,000 signatures by January 31 to get on the ballot in Wisconsin.

We are talking Wisconsin here. I'm sure everyone knows what has been happening in Wisconsin.

This would require only 80 people collecting signatures for one weekend.

In terms of dollars this would only cost about $7,000.00 to $9,000.00. This would cover gas, leaflets, food and lodging for 80 people for one weekend of petitioning.

For less than $10,000.00 we can put someone like Darcy Richardson on the ballot in Wisconsin.

For less than another $50,000.00 we can then develop real progressive opposition to Obama in the Democratic Primary in Wisconsin.

Think about this: 600 people contributing $100.00 each could punish Obama in Wisconsin and simultaneously be building the progressive movement; not only in Wisconsin but serve as an example of what progressives can accomplish across the country.

If the Wisconsin Democratic Party really believed in just the concept of democracy they could have placed Darcy Richardson's name on the Wisconsin primary ballot at no cost to them or anyone. But, the Democratic Party doesn't believe in democracy. What a dangerous thought; that voters casting their ballots at a primary election should actually have more than one person to vote for. Wouldn't that be just the pits to have more than one candidate in a Primary Election?

When the Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, Mike Tate, was asked to place another name on the ballot his response was, "Only Obama's name will be on the Primary ballot... if you don't like it, sue me." I suppose someone is going to ask me to prove this by providing a link?

Does anyone except Obama supporters who believe Obama has delivered us into a "Wonderful New World" have any reason to believe Darcy Richardson's name should not be placed on the Wisconsin Primary ballot? If anyone has a reason I would like to hear it.

If there are no reasons not to put Darcy's Name on the ballot then what are we waiting for?

All it would take is 900 people contributing $10.00 each to put Darcy Richardson's name on the ballot by January 31.

Are any of you Ron Paul supporters willing to put up the money?

How about it? Are you willing to pull $10.00 out of your pocket?

I am guessing that if FireDogLake made a special appeal as was done for OWS and the New Progressive Alliance were to join in and we all made pitches on our blogs, facebook pages and put our e-mail lists into action along with make some quick visits to a few friends we could do this.

No one would be paid; all we would be doing is covering the expenses for 80 people for one weekend.

Wisconsin law stipulates that a minimum of 1,000 signatures (and no more than 1,500) MUST come from each one of the 8 Congressional Districts in Wisconsin.

If someone will volunteer to take on the responsibility of raising the money, I will volunteer to recruit 80 people to go to Wisconsin to place Darcy Richardson's name on the Primary ballot.

Of course, we could just forget about the fundraising and 80 to 120 people could come together in Wisconsin to help put Darcy Richardson's name on the Wisconsin Democratic Party Primary Election Ballot.

Come on; are we willing to give real progressive politics a chance?

Interested? Give me a call---

--
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/