the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jan 24, 2011
Ever since the elections, Obama has been sending “signals”:
• he intends to “compromise” with the Republicans;
• he intends to make his administration “more business friendly.”
Apparently, the government wasn’t “business friendly” enough when it handed over trillions of dollars to the big banks.
Nor, apparently, was the government “business friendly” enough when it eased GM and Chrysler through bankruptcy–as the pretext for extorting big concessions from auto workers.
Nor, apparently, was Obama’s health care reform “business friendly” enough–despite the fact that it will require people to buy overpriced insurance they cannot afford from big financial companies that will make still more money from people’s illnesses.
What a crock of sweet potatoes!
Of course the government was “business friendly” during Obama’s first two years in office. It’s a joke to say otherwise.
Except it’s no joke, because all these pronouncements indicate that Obama and the government he heads are about to become still more friendly to business and the wealthy.
They’ve already started.
The “compromise” between Obama and the Republicans over taxes was only a down payment on more gifts to business and the wealthy. In exchange for a 13-month renewal of long-term unemployment benefits–which reach only a small part of the long-term unemployed–Obama agreed to give the wealthiest people in the world tax breaks amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars each. Perhaps the biggest insult was the pretense that this tax deal would benefit “everyone.” It’s true that, for most people, taxes would stay the same, not go up. But the poorest part of the population is actually going to pay more taxes–while business gained a basketful of tax cuts.
Democrats and Republicans may play politics as the 2012 presidential elections come closer. But both parties are “business friendly.”
And “business friendly” means a worsening situation for the majority of the population. The money given to big business comes out of our hide.
There’s no point for us to wait for the 2012 elections. The 2008 elections didn’t give us the change that many workers hoped for. The 2010 elections dragged in more of the same, but worse.
Forget about those con artists and their political games. Hold their feet to the fire.
Demand what we need. Jobs. Decent schools. Public services that work. Social service that protect–“worker friendly policies.”
We won’t get those by waiting.