The capitalist class is intensifying its offensive against workers, youth and the middle class as public services and wages are being savaged and layoffs mount. There have been mass protests, general strikes and other actions against the effects of the global economic crisis that first manifested itself in the collapse of the US subprime mortgage market. The crisis is spreading and commercial property and higher end mortgages are likely the next wave.
A general strike of an estimated two million took place in France. Lithuania, Greece, Russia, have all seen major protests and strikes in recent weeks that led to clashes with the authorities. In the US we have also seen a stirring as unemployment reaches its highest level since 1982 and home foreclosures mount. We can’t really say that people are losing their homes because the homes were never “theirs” to begin with. They are owned by moneylenders whose parasitic existence is maintained by interest payments from hard working people in need of shelter.
The Wall Street Journal asked in a recent article, “Why No Outrage?” The answer to this question is fairly obvious. There is tremendous outrage, but it has to have organizational expression. The response to this savage attack by the capitalist class on working people is somewhat muted and delayed due to the cowardly role played by worker’s leaders. I would go even further; the increasing incidents of suicide and family annihilation are likely the consequence of individuals who have done everything right by the propaganda of the free market yet seeing their world collapse and seeing no way out or explanation of the process that is unfolding before them, they completely break down. This mental collapse is exacerbated by the ideology of the capitalist class that explains that we are all in control of our destiny; if we work hard we will succeed. Consequently, when we fail we blame ourselves with devastating consequences.
Union leaders in the US are the most fervent defenders of the market that is destroying people’s lives daily. Despite being in control of an apparatus whose membership still has the potential to bring the mighty US economy to its knees, they cooperate in every attempt by the capitalists to save the system from itself including the recent bailouts. Their role in all of this is criminal.
It is frustrating and maddening to witness this. In my local paper today there are two articles about the cuts in social services and education. One explains that the City Council just approved a new contract with its workers. “In concession to the economic climate, the Union did not ask for any salary increase and negotiations went quickly the report announces” “The city is appreciative that the employees recognize the budget situation we are in right now and were willing to forego any salary increase at this time” the article adds. (San LeandroTimes).
Well let’s all sing Kum Ba Yah!
The “economic times” excuse again. The economic times are never right. Even during the 1990’s tech boom when profits reached a 40-year high, the Union leaders did nothing. In the most favorable economic climate in years they did nothing. There were gains made in that period, especially at the bottom end of the wage ladder but this was due more to market forces, the tight Labor market, than anything the Union leaders did.
The so-called Labor friendly members of the City Council all voted for a contract with no wage increases and I assume offered no plan other than capitulation to the economic hard times excuse.
Even worse, the local school board met last week to discuss the cuts in education. The board was very happy that the hundreds of people in attendance broke down in to little groups to figure out how to make students, teachers and public education in general pay for the Wall Street banker’s crisis; a crisis of the market. Naturally, with no other alternative than this on the table, people complied and tried to figure out how cuts could be made or revenues increased by cutting our own throats.
Many of these board members are liberals, some of them are Union members who were elected with Union support and who ran for office pledging to fight for public education and pledging to stand up for our kids. The people that voted for them didn’t vote for them to savage education; at the very least they expected them to defend it.
But with no alternative to the market they all fall in to line and their promises to represent working people fall by the wayside as they carry out the policies of the corporations and Wall Street. The idea that there is no money is preposterous. We have just witnessed a two trillion dollar bailout of Wall Street; a promise of some $8 trillion in all according to Bloomberg News.
The first $350 billion of the initial $700 billion was not even used for what it was promised; it disappeared down a black whole as banks bought other banks with it or invested it in secure less risky ventures like US treasuries or gold; and Democrats and Republicans alike do nothing. Well that’s not quite true; they give them more money. Where is our money? We don’t have to look further than the big business press to see where the money is: “Banks are not lending but are hoarding capital in readiness to absorb losses from existing bad loans and securities” the Financial Times informs its readers. Now they want those, “toxic assets”, their bad bets, to be taken over by the taxpayer. They are lying to us about money. The politicians in both the capitalist parties are mired in corruption. We are expected to believe that people with economics degrees from Ivy League colleges forget to pay their taxes. And we only find this out when they are about to get a promotion that will increase their ability to get their snouts in the public trough; it is the tip of the iceberg.
When this crisis hit, the bankers and their political friends got together in little groups as well. They got together to develop a strategy for making us pay for what one commentator called a “sumptuous feast”. And now local politicians who asked for the vote of working people are doing the same. We are being asked to cut our own throats as the cuts are “inevitable”. What is inevitable is we’ll continue to go backwards with this method, and by relying on Democrats. We need a party of our own, a mass worker’s party that could be a vehicle for us to effect political and economic change.
There will be increased struggles against these excesses of the market and people will have learned much from the recent failures of a system that was supposed to have all the answers. These process will be slower than it need be and involve a great deal of confusion and unnecessary suffering and defeats due to the role played by the Labor leadership, but within this process there will also be a strong tendency towards class unity leading to the formation of a new militant movement with different tactics that will begin to drive back this offensive of capital. George Schultz, a prominent representative of capital had some advice for his class when he said:
“Negotiations are a euphemism for capitulation if the shadow of power is not cast across the bargaining table.”
We can learn from our own traditions and from our adversaries. We need to bring some power to the table.
No comments:
Post a Comment