It writes:"Cutting expenses sounds good theoretically, but look at California: students (and faculty) are up in arms over proposed tuition increases and cut backs at the state's once prestigious university system. State employees are mounting fierce legal battles against furloughs and other wage concessions."
The California students and workers in the education struggle are an inspiration to other students and workers. As can be seen by this comment in Forbes their struggle is seen as a threat by the top strategists and politicians of US capitalism. If capitalism can cut education in this major state then it will have a better chance of doing the same elsewhere. If on the other hand the students and workers in California win their battle this will be a significant set back for US capitalism's offensive in general. It could begin to open up a new offensive of the working class and change the balance of forces in the country to the advantage of the working class. There are very big issues at stake in the struggle in California.
There is a particular challenge here for those in the California movement who see themselves as revolutionary socialists and anarchists. It would be wrong for these activists to just see their involvement in this movement as one of explaining their general socialist or anarchist ideas and recruiting some new members. This would be to put their own narrow interests ahead of the interests of the movement. This would be left sectarianism which is very damaging to the working class and student movement.
The struggle against the attacks on education in California is being fought as a united front. The March 4th committees are building this on the ground. This united front is fighting on an agreed program of no concessions, and not only no concessions, but for an increased and expanded free federally funded education system with more jobs, in other words an offensive program. It also fights to make the rich pay for the expanded education system, to end the wars abroad and use the resources saved to fund the education system, it fights for education not incarceration and education for all workers documented or undocumented. This program is being fought for through the use of mass direct action, strikes and days of action tactics. The student worker day to prepare for the major event of the March 4th strike and day of action is presently central.
This program and these tactics can throw back and defeat capitalism's attacks on the education system in California. This would be a major victory and step forward for the struggle of the working class in general. Unity in the united front around this program and these tactics is what is needed.
The left forces have to see their involvement having as a priority to strengthen the movement around this program and these tactics. This program and these tactics can bring the largest numbers of people together in a combative movement against the attacks. They can see the development of a mass movement which will fight and could have a victory. The left forces should see their involvement being dominated by how to take this movement forward and to have a victory. If there is a victory then the class balance of forces could be changed and as part of this the consciousness of the working class and youth could be changed for the better. A victory would increase the demand amongst the working class and youth for ideas and for an alternative to capitalism.
With such a victory workers and youth would increasingly think that as we won here as we defeated capitalism's attacks on education then we need to clarify where we stand on the more general issues, especially the more general struggle against the capitalist offensive and capitalism in general. If this mood develops we can have the general ideas of democratic socialism back on the agenda of the mass movement once again. In this atmosphere all the left ideas and forces will have an increased opportunity to have their ideas heard.
Sean.
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