Monday, February 1, 2010

Vote to tax rich and corporations.

Trotsky said there were two kinds of newspaper. the gutter press which told lies nine times out of ten and was aimed at confusing the mass of the population. Then there was the serious press which told the truth nine times out of ten in order to be able to lie convincingly the tenth time when it was essential. The Wall Street Journal is in the main in the second category even though it probably lies more that what Trotsky said.

Anyway today it had an article talking about the crisis in school funding. And in the most blatant unashamed lie it wrote that people would not accept increased taxation to increase funding for schools. Now think about this.

Just last week there was a vote in Oregon on two propositions, 66 and 67. They both passed with big majorities. These propositions increased the taxes on those earning $250,000 or more, increased the taxes on the big corporations and reduced the taxes on the unemployment income of 270,000 unemployed.

So what the Wall Street Journal write was a blatant lie. They knew they were telling a blatant lie. They are deliberate in their lying. It is part of a propaganda campaign, part of an offensive to kill the knowledge of what happened in Oregon before it spreads throughout the country. It is our job to see that they do not succeed. it is our job to see that the real mood of the country is known. In these days of the internet this can be done. Spread the news.

Help everybody see what is the real mood of the country. It is that when they are given an opportunity to increase the taxes on the rich and corporations to fund education and at the same time decrease the taxes on the unemployed and when this is fought for then the majority will go for this. The teachers unions in Oregon led the fight for propositions 66 and 67. Their members campaigned door to door and linked with the parents and other unions. This is the approach that must be taken throughout the country.

Unfortunately the union leaders with few exceptions are completely cowed by the capitalist offensive and the propaganda such as I refer to above. It is a disgrace. This has to change. Those of us who are active must organize in our workplaces, in our union locals, in our colleges and schools and our workplaces, in this way we can build an alternative which will make the rich and the corporations pay for the crisis they caused.

Spread the news. Send this post and the news in general to every list, website and email you have. Build a movement to tax the rich and the corporations.

Sean.

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