Tenants at Delano st. Fighting for Inspection

Tenants at Delano Street in Van Nuys are struggling with the Landlords Management company, who didn't let the Health Inspectors inspect on July 14, 2009. The Health department, (according to them) said that because the management co. was filming the inspectors as they entered the walkway of the building the inspectors walked away from the apartment. If the health dept. is to be filmed, the managers need to get permission from the dept's. administration. Apparently it is against their policy.

Now that the inspection was cancelled Delano st. tenants were furious, with no inspection and many took a day off work they wanted to do something immediately. So they decided to go to the Health dept. that very instant to demand and bring back someone from the dept. to inspect the building.

We brought bags of bedbugs and roach traps to show the dept. that we mean business! If they were not to come to the apartments then we'll bring the apartment to them. The receptionist was not too fond of the critters. We responded by saying that we have to live this way if the dept. doesnt do anything and we will be back again with them if nothing is done.

We spoke to two ladies who were present at the apartment that morning and they told us about the Filming Policy being violated and the dept. is now sending a letter to the landlord so he'd go to the health dept's. office and explain why management people were filming without permission.

We demanded for us to be there, but to no surprise they denied us. However, the whole reason why the dept. was there in the first place was to inspect and gather information about the living conditions of the tenants and use it to sue the landlord. This is good because all our hard work and numerous complaints to both health and housing dept. plus, the media expose are now forcing health dept. to take these measures due to our persistence at getting the building repaired and fumigated.

The inspectors will give individual inspection dates to tenants. Even if it were one unit that was being inspected, whatever the result is, it applies to the whole building. The court date is not set yet, but we plan on being there to make it harder for the slumlord.

The End of the World (as we know it)

I've been back at work about 2 weeks after 5 months of unemployment. The pace of work in construction is a little insane, and certainly a little crazy for the forty-somethings who try to keep up with the twenty-somethings. My hands are spotted with small cuts and bruises. New callouses are slowly growing over my old callouses.
On the radio on the way in to work I had the misfortune of once again listening to the voice of another actor-cum-politician, California's Governor, explaining how we all need to suck it in. And some idiot politician using the cliche, "no pain, no gain" in reference to California's massive Budget Deficit.
The current projected deficit for our state is $26.3 billion. This is widely portrayed as the End of The World. The past is over. Happy Californians will have to give up their happiness and hand it over to the state, who will be collecting from everyone. The poor will be giving up what little they have, those seeking education will have to give up on that luxury too. The California state budget is 1.5% of total California GDP.
SO HERE'S MY POINT . . . Where is the calamity, the hysteria, the yelling from the corporate media about the current projected FEDERAL budget deficit. How big is it? According to yesterday's Financial Times, it is 13-14% of total US GDP, or about the same at California's total GDP. So why is there no outcry from the New York Times, CNN, the San Francisco Chronicle, the evening news?
Because while California is telling working people, "here's the bill," it is too soon for the Federal Government to do this. They may need to bailout more banks and corporations. Once the economy is back in recovery (in the next few quarters according to Geithner) then the bill will be delivered to the taxpayers (read working class) and the cuts will come down big time.
For now, the Federal Deficit is just what we have to do to keep things afloat. Eventually when working people are organized enough we'll sink big business' boat and maybe I'll be able to slow down a little at work.

Hypocrisy and arrogance of US Imperialism and Obama

So Obama went to Africa and arrogantly lectured the people there on the need to end corruption. And this is the person who represents the US corporations and these outfits systematically bribe the US politicians on a 24 hour basis. This is what lobbying is and what the Political Action Committee system is. It is the corporations bribing the politicians. Obama himself took tens of millions from the corporations for his election campaign. He is of course now in the pockets of these very corporations. This is pure corruption and Obama is part of it. The only difference between the US and Africa is that in the US they have made corruption legal. 

And where did Obama come from in the US? Well no other place than Chicago. There is no other more corrupt political city in the US than Chicago. He came out of the corrupt Chicago machine. Did he fight corruption in Chicago? Not a bit of it. If he had he would never have got the backing to become originally Senator and later President. What a hypocrite. What hypocrisy. And finally if the governments in Africa are taking bribes who are giving them these bribes. He lectures Africans about corruption and uses it himself at home. 

It is no other than the major corporations from the advanced capitalist countries such as the US who corrupt, who bribe the regimes and companies in Africa. It is these same capitalist forces who finance the brutal militias who rape and slaughter to get the raw materials and the diamonds out of the continent. Africa is a catastrophe not because it is corrupt or too poor. But because it is too rich. And it cannot organize its system to drive out the advanced capitalist countries, organize a democratic socialist system throughout the continent, and unify the country on a democratic socialist basis. 

Sean

Sotomayor confirmation reveals the class nature of the proceedings

For socialists, law and justice does not have some divine character or origin. Law and justice in society is nothing but the interests of the class that rules written down and enforced through the state. We live under bourgeois law, laws that are designed to protect and enforce the interests of the capitalist class and the system they govern.

Under feudalism, moneylending and commerce was looked down upon, that law had to be changed.

Reading the report in today's Wall Street Journal on the confirmation hearings for Sonia Sotomayor the class nature of law and society in general stands out like a sore thumb. As one commentator said on this blog, all the squabbling between these representatives of capital about Sotomayor's remarks leave out one bias that any candidate for the US Supreme Court must have, a class bias towards the workers of society----all workers.

The whole provedure is such a farce from a worker's point of view. First off, the name Supreme Court, implies a sort of divine character to this body. Why are there no Janitors on it? No nurses?

Then Sotomayor says in response to questions about her allowing emotions rather than legal judgement to influence her decisions that "It is not the heart that compels conclusions in cases, it's the law." "We don't apply feelings to facts" she says. They are afraid the pressure of the Latino workers and all women will influence her. This process does reflect differences of opinion among sections of the capitalist class about how they govern, but in the main it is to determine her allegiance to the class she represents and the so-called "free market."

The hypocrisy of these people. Senator Jeff Sessions, from Alabama (a historical bastion of egalitarian justice perhaps) says that her remark about a "wise Latina" having better judgement on some issues than a white man "goes against the American ideal and oath that a judge takes to be fair to every party."

This is a stunning statement when you think of it? And from a Senator from Alabama! When has the justice system been fair to every party? It has not been fair to workers who are white even, and where was the Supreme Court when blacks were being castrated for trying to excersize the democratic right to vote? We all know the law protects the rich, so the Supreme Court must protect the rich too.

The whole proceeding reveals the discrimination that exists in the ruling class, the resistance of the white racist bourgeosie at the inclusion of another ethnic group and a historically opressed gender in to their ruling clique. Can they trust her? Will the pressure of Latino and women workers influence her, force her to make decisons that harm capitalism?

It also shows how race and gender are secondary. She is sitting in front of these bastards when one of them like Sessions makes the comment he did that most workers regardless of race or religion knows is a lie and says nothing, instead, she does her best to convince them she is safe.

This is the main issue here.

venezuela, reforms and the people speak

It seems I never enough time to sit down and blog.

I will write in point form as much as possible. The entire family shares the computer.
The 20 year old male in this household just went off Monday night to defend his masters thesis, so proud. Obviously without the reforms in education coming from literacy work strong and integrated with peoples liberation ideology. The primary health care is impressive .

Many reforms seem linked to and dependent on pressure from communal councils. in some areas these are very organized and strong and in some areas less so -so reforms being instituted in communities are very linked to strength of organizing in councils. For instance, in an area perhaps the most densely populated in Latin America in the hills we visited yesterday the councils pushed for funding from the state for a health clinic. The was much resistance from local opposition and bureaucrats, so the organizers found a space and occupied it until they got the space for the clinic, direct action is a tactic used often primarly by the women activists who are definitely in the lead at local level.

I Went to meeting yesterday where spokespersons elected of 20 community councils to speak to the mayor re many things promised and not done in the community. Big gaps between promises and actual work done and it seems that the community councils are the intermediary and pressure from them will determine to a large extent what gets carried through. Mayor not there but the pro Chavez media was there. It seems they are part of the denunciation and this is the word they use when reforms are not carried through. The media denounces the state and brings issues into the newspapers and then pressure is placed upon the bureaucrats. One woman very vocal re things not done. said " I do not care what you call it, socialism or communism- we need things done and they are not getting done."

There are big gaps and again very dependent on local community organizing.
The Cuban doctors are very impressive and the clinics are amazing. As a nurse I am impressed at the enthusiasm of the people for this elementary and basic care. Again though, the clinics are dependent on the strength of the community councils.

In some areas that are les organized the clinics and vaccination programs etc not so good.
Anyway so much more to say. I am going to spend the weekend in an indigenous community and then I hope off to the outlying areas and see the difference between the city and the provinces.

Visiting a worker occupied factory is still a big possibility, I hope so. Co-operatives are a big thing here and really promoted as an economic alternative.

Got to go-so much more to say but we are always on the run.

Sotomayor- Are we getting duped?

I am watching this "fight" against Sotomayor go on in the media. If confirmed ( which she probably will be) she would be the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court and one of the few women to serve on the Supreme Court. She has been getting attacked I guess because of a comment she said. Something to the effect of I hope a Latina woman would be able to make a better decision than a white male based on her experiences than a white male who did not have the same experience. My gut response to the attacks against her is " white judges are never questioned for favoring white men! It seems like any time white women or people of color are up for a position ( myself included) our biased has to be weighed in.

But I can't forget we live in a system of media spin. Just like the media put up this front about Obama challenging the health insurance companies ( when he is really attacking medi-cal) could this be another ploy? To send those of us concerned about gender and race issues to fight for a person who we don't know about politically? I think if the president backs her it could be more political window dressing ala Bush. Lets not forget its the Obama administration who pays banks trillions while they are always biased against people of color and give us high interest loans. And the same administration who has continued to erect the Wall of Death at the Mexican border, passed anti-immigrant legislation. How's that for supporting people of color?

It's our money--lets go get it

The Banker's Association reported increased delinquency rates on consumer loans and credit card debt spurred higher by increasing unemployment rates. The unemployment rate must be around 20% and higher for youth and minorities.

I don't have the figures for capital spending for this quarter but for industrial machinery it fell 47% the first three months of 2009. Construction spending fell 44%. As James Cooper commented in Business Week, "Businesses don't make decisions to shell out money based on cautious optimism" and I think that unemployment is likely to continue rising along with delinquencies. The bastards are still on a capital strike.

The bankers, after receiving trillions from working people are refusing to accept IOU's from California, the 6th largest economy in the world.

I read the other day that a major lender to over one million small businesses might go under. This is not the climate for capital expenditure.

The US deficit has risen beyond one trillion dollars for the first time ever. This crisis is far from over and we are correct in making it very clear that this administration will continue to savage workers and the middle class in order to pay for the bail out. The pope is so worried he's writing economic tracts.

The capital they hoard or invest in safe havens is the product of our labor, it is the surplus value extracted from past labor power. We shouldn't feel shy about taking it back.