Labor Rights

Lots Of Work To Do To Advance America Socially: No Time For A Respite!

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America has a lot to be proud of, and we stand out as a beacon for the world community in many ways, BUT there is much troubling evidence of problems arising, rearing their ugly head, and demonstrating how much work is yet necessary to advance America socially!

We live in a nation where the rights of women are being curbed, rather than advanced, including

Rape problems in the military
Rape problems on college campuses
Denial of a woman’s rights to her own body and reproductive decisions
Denial of equal pay at work for women, and equal opportunity for advancement and promotion

In addition, there are troubling problems for minorities, gays, and labor as follows:

Troubling racial profiling of African Americans, Latinos and Hispanics, and Muslims in public places, and by police and law enforcement authorities
Endangered conditions for African American males, particularly young males, an endangered species
Discrimination continuing against gay men and lesbians
Active attack on labor rights to organize and bargain collectively

In theory, great strides have been made in the past on the rights and privileges of women, minorities, gays, and labor, but there has been an extreme assault on what supposedly had already been gained by these groups, on the part of right wing forces, represented by the Republican Party, corporations, and social conservatives!

So the battle for women’s rights, minority civil rights, gay rights, and labor rights continues, and there is no time for a respite, as the 2014 midterm Congressional elections and state government elections are just around the corner!

The Presidential “Bully Pulpit” From TR To Obama: Our Greatest Moments!

Ronald 18 Comments

Theodore Roosevelt, the first President of the 20th century, came up with the term “Bully Pulpit” to describe his efforts to draw attention to emerging national issues that needed our attention, with him leading the charge from the White House, and the Presidency was never the same after that!

TR led the struggle against monopoly capitalism; for conservation of natural resources; for improvement of labor conditions; and for government regulation of our food and drugs–all as important national goals. He appealed to our “better angels” in his campaigns on these issues.

Franklin D. Roosevelt led from the “Bully Pulpit” on the need for government activism to deal with the Great Depression, and in getting us ready for the challenge of international Fascism’s threat to the democracies by Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan.

John F. Kennedy led us from his “Bully Pulpit” on the need to deal with civil rights as a moral crusade, and also the significance of learning to coexist in the world, so as to avoid an ultimate war that no one could win during the Cold War era.

Lyndon B. Johnson led from his “Bully Pulpit” on the issue of civil rights, and also on the reality of poverty in America and the need to take serious action on these issues.

And now Barack Obama has used the “Bully Pulpit” to address the issues of gay rights and the role of race in our society, and what he has done is draw attention and stature to issues that have long been ignored or overlooked as too controversial to deal with on the White House level, but he has the courage and principle that TR, FDR, JFK, and LBJ had before him!

So Barack Obama, with all of the positives and negatives that we find in any President, will be long remembered for challenging our better nature with his leadership on gay rights and race. And it is good already that New York Times conservative columnist David Brooks and 2008 Republican Presidential nominee, Senator John McCain, have endorsed his message on race as recently as the time when this author is writing this entry!

America At Crossroads On Race, Gender, Ethnicity, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Class

Ronald 10 Comments

After recent events in Florida on racial profiling; in Texas and other states on abortion restrictions; in Arizona and other states on legislation regarding undocumented immigration; the push for theocracy by the Religious Right; the move in many states to allow discrimination against gays and lesbians in employment; and the growing chasm between workers and management regarding labor rights and conditions, it is clear that America is at a crossroads on issues of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and class!

African Americans, women, Latinos and Hispanics, those for separation of church and state, gays and lesbians, and the middle class and the poor face constant attack on their basic rights and their quality of life, as the Right is moving to curb advancements that have been made over the past 60 years since the time of Dwight D. Eisenhower onward by the Supreme Court, Congressional action on civil rights and civil liberties, and courageous Presidents of both parties who have seen the need to lower the barriers on race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and class!

We are at a crossroads in the constant struggle for American democracy and fair play, as even when progress is made, there is aggressive action to reverse the progress, trying to wipe out what has been accomplished!

The country is changing, but we have negative elements who are trying to return America to what it was many generations ago, and the fight for continued progress and advancement to a “more perfect Union” is a never ending one, and no one can give up their participation in the struggle, as that only advances the movement toward negativism, regression, and reversal!

Role Of Women Has Changed In Last Sixty Years, But Republicans Are Still In The 1950s!

Ronald 4 Comments

American women have made tremendous strides, economically and socially since the 1950sl, but the Republican Party and the conservative movement still seem to want women to be obedient and submissive, and stick to the kitchen and the bedroom, and have no control over their lives!

This is why, ultimately, the GOP is doomed, more than the growing Hispanic-Latino vote for the Democrats.

As long as the Republican Party follows the ideas of Michele Bachmann and other Neanderthal Congresswomen of their party, a total disgrace to womanhood, they will be unable to win enough of the women’s vote in future Presidential and Congressional elections!

Women will not be dictated to, ordered around, and told what to do with their bodies, and they will demand better labor conditions, rather than cutting back overtime pay and benefits!

It is reality that 40 percent of American households have a woman as the primary or only breadwinner. But single mothers make only an average of $23,000, while married women, who are more likely to be white and college educated, make an average of $80,000 if they earn more than their husbands. Twenty four percent of marriages now have a wife making more than her husband, up from six percent in 1960! More women now attend and graduate college, making them less dependent on the man in their life for economic survival!

A depressing statistic is that 44 percent of single mothers have never been married, as compared to 4 percent in 1960, and almost all are poor, and from minority racial and ethnic groups.

The conclusion is that women play a much greater role in American economic life, and are not about to have any men dictate what direction their lives will follow!

“Turning Point” Presidencies: Those With The Greatest Impact!

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With Presidents Day coming up on Monday, this author has, already, made clear which Presidents were transformative in the areas of foreign policy and diplomacy, and in domestic affairs.

Now, it is appropriate to make clear which Presidents have been the true “turning points” in American history, in the sense of changing the dynamics of Presidential leadership.

This author would say that there have been EIGHT Presidents who transformed America by their actions in office. In chronological order, they are:

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), who was the first President to transition from opposition leader to one who united the country in his inaugural address, adopted many ideas of the opposition as his views, and doubled the size of the nation, and kept America away from a war with Great Britain.

Andrew Jackson (1829-1837), who added greatly to Presidential power, and was the symbol of the spread of democracy to all white men, rather than just the aristocracy, and became the father of the Democratic Party.

Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865), who saved the Union by fighting the Civil War against the Confederacy, brought about the end of slavery, promoted nationalism over states rights, made the Republican Party the majority party in America, and greatly increased Presidential power

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), who revived and expanded the Presidential office, promoted government intervention in the economy, advocated for the environment and for labor rights, and became a model for later Presidents of both parties.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945), who helped bring America out of the Great Depression by massive federal government intervention and programs through his New Deal, and took America through another great crisis (World War II), all the time greatly increasing Presidential authority.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969), who greatly expanded federal authority beyond beyond the New Deal through his massive Great Society domestic programs, becoming the image of modern American liberalism at its peak.

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989), who promoted a conservative “Revolution”, reversing the direction of the previous fifty years, and helped to bring about the end of rhe Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union.

Barack Obama (2009-2017), who brought about the greatest domestic reforms, including ObamaCare, since the Great Society of Lyndon B. Johnson, and moved to change the direction of foreign policy and fight terrorism effectively, with of course, his final record of accomplishments still in process.

These eight Presidents all ushered in a generation or more of their political party’s dominance, with the exception of TR and LBJ, who saw what they represented repudiated or replaced by the opposition party within a short span of time.

And of course, the long range effect of Barack Obama is still questionable, although at the moment, it looks likely that his agenda will be pursued by a stronger Democratic coalition seen as likely to keep the Presidency in 2016 and beyond, with either Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden as the standard bearer and inheritor of the Obama legacy!

Also, notice that these “Turning Point” Presidencies occur within a 16-40 year range from one President to another, with most within a generation of earlier such Presidents by the end of each of these Presidencies!

The Reagan Era Is Over: Obama Agenda Makes That Perfectly Clear!

Ronald 4 Comments

The Reagan Era, which lasted from 1981-2009, is over, and will be seen as constituting those years in the history books! This would include the time of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, as well as Ronald Reagan.

Ronald Reagan promoted the idea of distrust of government; of greatly increased federal spending on defense and national security, while cutting domestic spending: helped to undermine labor rights and minority rights; allowed corporate dominance to grow without federal regulations; undermined the environment and consumer safety; engaged America into a major role in the Middle East, therefore promoting anti American terrorism; and caused through their taxation cuts on the upper class and their wild defense spending to cause most of the increase in the national debt from $1 trillion when Jimmy Carter left office to $10.5 trillion when George W. Bush left office.

Even Bill Clinton, the one Democratic President, accepted the idea of smaller government and less regulation, while, however, having the success of adding less to the national debt and having balanced budgets for several years, something that the Republican Presidents—Reagan and the two Bushes—were unable to accomplish during the 20 years out of 28 total in the era they were in charge.

And one must recall that Republicans controlled the Senate from 1981-1987, and from 1995-2007, except for the last half of 2001 and 2002. And they controlled the House of Representatives from 1995-2007. So they had an impact on policy making for a majority of the years of the Reagan era.

Barack Obama represents a diametrically opposite viewpoint on all of the characteristics of the Reagan era. While he will not be able to accomplish all of his goals in the second term, with the GOP control of the House, and the ability to use the Senate filibuster in the upper chamber, the Obama era can now be seen as a path breaking event, similar to Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan representing fundamental change in their times!

126th Anniversary Of Founding Of American Federation Of Labor: The Struggle For Labor Rights Never Ends!

Ronald 1 Comment

On this day in 1886, the American Federation of Labor, the first long term successful national labor union, was founded by Samuel Gompers and others, with Gompers being its leader for nearly four decades.

The battle for labor rights was a tormenting, and often bloody, struggle, and despite many victories and contributions to the lives of working people in and out of labor unions, the struggle of workers for justice and human rights in America is a never ending battle, with major losses since the administration of Ronald Reagan, and facing new challenges from the “Bully” Republican Governors, many elected in 2010, who have declared war on workers and their basic rights to collective bargaining, and decent pay, benefits, and working conditions.

And we have seen the rise of new monopolies, best personified by Walmart as a symbol, who have reneged their responsibilities to their work force, and used their power and influence to leave it to taxpayers to support underpaid workers on food stamps and Medicaid.

And the Tea Party radicals, and their corporate backers, best personified by the Koch Brothers and other billionaires, have tried to gain control over Congress and the White House through their spending and lobbying, with success in Congress, but thankfully, failing to defeat President Barack Obama!

This is a day to celebrate about organized labor, but also a day to recommit ourselves to revive the labor movement which has made so many lives much better than they might have been, by leaving all power to corporate influences and the Republican Party, which has been anti labor for many decades!

Good Question: Would Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, And Dwight D. Eisenhower Be Republicans In 2012? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Ronald 2 Comments

When one looks at the sad state of the Republican Party in 2012, having lost the popular vote FIVE times in the past six elections, and when one analyzes the kinds of groups and viewpoints of their base—right wing social and religious extremists, neoconservatives, Grover Norquist inspired economic viewpoints, Wall Street elitists, and the Old Confederacy view on racial matters, the feeling that develops is that the Republican Party has lost its moorings, and will not reach national power in the Senate and the White House until they change radically, and back toward the moderate center.

But one has to wonder, would three of the icons of the Republican past even wish to be associated with the present mess that is the GOP?

Would Abraham Lincoln be a Republican today? Clearly, the answer is no, as his views would not conform with today’s GOP, including the racism, the movement toward secession by extremist elements, and the religious foothold in the party.

But neither would Teddy Roosevelt, with his belief in regulation of big business, trust in national government, promotion of the environment, and dislike of wealthy corporate leaders who exploited labor.

And neither would Dwight D. Eisenhower, affectionately known as “Ike”, who was basically nonpartisan, who could have just as easily become a Democrat in 1948, when offered a chance to run for President, but turned it down. With his ultimate election as a Republican, he ended the debate among conservatives in the party about attempting to repeal the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and announced acceptance of what it had done.

Imagine: the three most respected and honored leaders of the party, if alive today, would have broken with the Republicans, and would have found the Democratic Party much more to their liking, with its platform of change, reform, and progress!

And all three would have been proud of a nation that not only elected the first African American President, Barack Obama, but went ahead and reelected him as well!

What The Republican Party Used To Be And No Longer Is–Rest In Peace!

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The Republican Party of the past stood against slavery and slavery expansion, and for racial equality and civil rights, in the age of Abraham Lincoln.

The Republican Party of the past stood for progressive reform in the Progressive Era of Theodore Roosevelt, for conservation of natural resources, labor rights, and the rights of women.

The Republican Party of the 1960s and 1970s used the words “moderate” and “progressive” in its party platforms, and backed wage and price controls under Richard Nixon; support for an equal rights amendment for women; called for help for minority groups; federal funding for mass transit projects; advocated voting rights for Washington, DC in the House of Representatives and US Senate; promoted environmental standards; supported civil rights protesters; backed immigration and rights of workers in a broad context; supported expansion of Social Security; called for campaign finance reform to overcome the power and influence of political action committees; and avoided a stand on abortion rights, acknowledging the controversy over it after Roe V. Wade in 1973, but not condemning abortion until 1980.

The Republican Party of past eras—Lincoln, TR, and the 1960s and 1970s—was a moderate, mainstream party, and could work and negotiate with Democrats.

That is no longer true in the age of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, where even a “moderate” Republican in Massachusetts ten years ago is now selling his soul to the emergent right wing of the party, against all of the principles of the historic Republican Party!

One could say that the GOP is in a state where it could be declared RIP–Rest in Peace!

The Crucial Wisconsin Recall Election Next Tuesday June 5: It Could Affect The Fall Elections!

Ronald 2 Comments

Next Tuesday, June 5, “Bully” Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin faces a recall vote after only 17 months in office, only the third time in American history that a governor has faced recall, the other two times in North Dakota in 1921 (Lynn Frazier) and in 2003 in California (Grey Davis), with both of them being recalled.

This recall election is much more crucial, as Scott Walker has run a corrupt government, a government which has taken away labor rights and favored the wealthy over the average Wisconsin citizen, and allowed himself to be influenced by right wing interests led by the Koch Brothers.

If Walker wins, it will be a major setback to the progressive movement, embolden conservatives, including the Tea Party Movement, and the other “Bully Governors”, and could affect the state vote and the national vote for President and Congress in November.

This election is not to be taken lightly, and it endangers the fight against the extremists on the right, so we must push everyone who understands the dangers to get out there and vote, or else the price paid will be heavy!

Mayor Tom Barrett of Milwaukee is worthy of the support of the national party and President Obama much more directly than has occurred so far. Bill Clinton may go out and campaign, and President Obama needs to take a stronger stand, and possibly his presence, in the next few days in Wisconsin.

This is the home of Robert La Follette, Sr.; his sons Robert Jr. and Philip La Follette; William Proxmire; Gaylord Nelson; Russ Feingold; and many others who have contributed to progressive reform in the past century.

Better to fight and lose, than sit back and allow regressive policies to be emboldened and affect the nation as a whole! We must not cave in, but instead, continue to fight for basic principles of fairness and equity!