By Mike Kolhoff
There comes a point where you either fight back or you make peace with being a slave. I can’t make peace with being a slave, so I have to fight back. I am sick of smirking tea party republicans, I am sick of bosses who treat free working people like servants; I am sick of being forced to pay more while people who are filthy rich pay little or nothing. I’m sick of war for profit and homeless shelters full of veterans. I’m sick of men and women working 40 hours a week and still having to endure the embarrassment of applying for food benefits to feed their families. I’m sick of a prison system that is used as a substitute for decent education and good jobs.
I don’t know how general strikes work, but I do know we need one. When the republican scum rammed through “Right to Freeload” in Michigan, the words were on the lips of many of the workers on the capitol lawn, as well as: “the leaders will never go for it”. But the leaders aren’t the ones who go on strike; WE are. Union, non-union, full-time, part-time, permanent, temporary, we are the working class. We are the people who do what needs to be done.
I know one person can’t “call” a general strike; but let’s strike anyway.
DEMANDS:
Nationwide Right-to Organize law with card-count recognition
Nationwide living wage law
30 hour work week with hourly rate adjustment (30 hours work for 40 hours pay)
Nationwide public works program aimed at young workers
I dunno about the demands aspect, Mike. I get the drift and the anger, not sure about the effort and orientation towards the demands. Surely libertarian workers can come up with concrete things in the immediate period, while still aiming towards broader visions.
Yeah, I wouldn’t presume to set the demands for even a local general strike, much less a nationwide one; these are just my suggestions, things I thought would make the trip worth the gas.