The austerity-based class war against the American people

Rapidly rising deficits at both the federal and state and local government levels, along with prospective long-term financing problems in the Social Security and Medicare programs, have triggered a one-sided austerity-focused class war in the US and around the globe.

A coalition of the richest and most economically powerful segments of society, conservative politicians who represent their interests, and right-wing populist groups like the Tea Party has demanded that deficits be eliminated by severe cuts at all levels of government in spending that either supports the poor and the middle class or funds crucial public investment. It also demands tax cuts for the rich and for business. These demands constitute a deliberate attempt to destroy the New Deal project, begun in the 1930s, whose goal was to subject capitalism to democratic control.

In this paper I argue that our deficit crisis is the result of a shift from the New-Deal-based economic model of the early post-war period to today’s neoliberal, free-market model. The new model has generated slow growth, rising inequality and rising deficits. Rising deficits in turn created demands for austerity. After tracing the long-term evolution of our current deficit crisis, I show that this crisis should be resolved primarily by raising taxes on upper-income households and large corporations, cutting war spending, and adopting a Canadian or European style health care system. Calls for massive government spending cuts should be seen as what they are – an attack by the rich and powerful against the basic interests of the American people.

http://tinyurl.com/7cxvbfm

Obama’s middle-of-the-road austerity budget “less savage” than Republican proposals

(video)

http://tinyurl.com/6mhm8vo

The Secret Austerity Society: Bipartisan Group Works on Grand Bargain

Intransigence from Republicans basically kept us out of a grand bargain last year. Plenty of Democrats were willing to do it, the White House was more than willing to do it, and even John Boehner was willing to do it, at least on a conceptual level. But House Republicans wouldn’t betray their tax pledge and so it didn’t happen.

There are some different dynamics to the next round of the grand bargain. There are still enough Democrats willing to deal, led by House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer. The White House has de-emphasized a deficit deal, but their budget still shows a blueprint for one, and if they get revenue in exchange, they’ve stated openly that they would make cuts to Medicare and other social programs. So is there a new willingness on the Republican side? According to The Hill, Republicans have joined a bipartisan working group that is preparing a document on deficit reduction.

http://tinyurl.com/7h76q7s

Continue reading “The OB Media Rundown for 3/5/12” »

The Occupy Movement in the 2012 Elections

Just as the Tea Party did in 2009 and 2010, Occupiers have begun to shift American political discourse. We are now more aware of, and more outraged by, the growing income disparity in our country and the pervasive role of money in our elections. This trend may merely be indicative of the cyclical nature of American political interests, but I prefer to believe in the power of Occupy Wall Street and its message.

Concurrently, though, there is something quietly unsettling about the movement. Perhaps it is that I still believe in the capitalist system, and I cringe every time my peers use the words “dirty capitalist” or “bouji.”  Or perhaps, it is that I am waiting for the Occupy movement to materialize into a real operation for political change within the confines of our flawed two party system. Occupiers believe that the American political process once belonged to the American people but has since been co-opted by corporations, special interests groups, and big money. The movement is characterized by a desire to reclaim the American political process – a goal that cannot be achieved entirely by operating outside that same system.

http://tinyurl.com/7zpqy2j

Was Occupy’s “Shut Down the Corporations” Action a Success?

If the action was intended only to be educational, then it surely succeeded, since numerous news outlets had to explain to the public the main target of the actions: ALEC, a group of corporations that work together to buy off politicians so that pro-corporate laws can be passed and anti-1% laws can be defeated.

However, if the goal of the day of action was to build power towards winning concrete victories for working people, Shut Down the Corporations must be viewed with greater scrutiny.

Although education is a crucial component in any social movement, it must be incorporated into a larger strategy of building power among the 99%. This creates an easy barometer to assess Occupy or labor movement actions: does the action build power or not?

http://tinyurl.com/86park2

The Truth About Drug-Testing the Unemployed

The new federal law that lets states drug-test applicants for unemployment compensation was a small win for the Republican-led efforts to examine the urine of everyone receiving government safety-net benefits. How many people it will affect depends on how the Department of Labor establishes the regulations-and on whether the courts continue to hold that such policies violate the Constitution’s protection against unreasonable searches.

House Republicans initially wanted to let states drug-test all 7.5 million people collecting unemployment compensation. The compromise reached in the payroll tax-cut deal, along with cutting six months off the time people can collect, authorizes states to test applicants for benefits in two circumstances: if they were fired for using drugs, or if the only occupation they’re suited for is one the Department of Labor lists as commonly requiring drug-testing.

http://tinyurl.com/76u33c5

Continue reading “The OB Media Rundown for 3/4/12” »

Former Dewey Occupier joins hundred mile march to CA state capitol from the Bay Area to protest education cuts

Pinole got a taste of the Occupy movement Friday, but not a prolonged one. A group of about 100 people – UC Berkeley faculty, students and members of the Occupy movement -stopped for lunch in Fernandez Park on a leg of their journey to Sacramento to protest cuts in education and other areas.
. . .

A man who identified himself as “Wildabeast” said he is from Massachusetts and had camped at the Occupy Boston site before is was dismantled. He originally protested about cuts in the Boston subway system but said he opposes cuts in education and other services.

“My objective is to carry an upside-down (American) flag all the way and to protest cuts” Wildabeast said. “I found happiness in that tent (in Boston) and I haven’t had it since. I’m trying to get it back.”

http://tinyurl.com/795xrzx

Occupy Rhode Island Campuses protest student burdens

Braving snow and downtown traffic, Occupy Rhode Island Campuses held their first inter-campus event last night. The organization, which includes students from Brown, the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and Providence College, staged the March to Defend Education and a rally in conjunction with 59 campuses across the country.

http://tinyurl.com/7j7y7st

Postal closures concern election officials, voters

Elections officials in several states are concerned that the closing of mail-processing centers and post offices could disrupt vote-by-mail balloting this year, a potential problem that has led some members of Congress to call for a delay until after the November elections.

The U.S. Postal Service recently announced that it is moving ahead with plans to close at least 223 processing centers and thousands of post offices, adding to the 153 centers and 965 post offices that have closed since 2008. The moves are part of a wide-ranging cost-cutting strategy for an agency that estimates it will lose up to $18 billion a year by 2015.

Voting officials are raising a variety of concerns, depending on the circumstances in their states. Meanwhile, postal customers have security concerns about leaving ballots in their mailboxes to be picked up by postal carriers.

http://tinyurl.com/7v6up8n

Continue reading “The OB Media Rundown for 3/3/12” »

MBTA Riders Express Anger, Offer Solutions At Latest Hearing

The meeting began with chaos; after a very short speech about the building’s emergency exits and the translation services available, the MBTA’s Assistant General Manager For Development, Mark Boyle, was speaking about the availability of assistive listening devices and an older woman in the front row yelled, “This is our time to talk!”

She continued to yell the phrase repeatedly, which resulted in a standing ovationand some boos from the crowd as MBTA employees tried to restore order and keep her an appropriate distance from the seated panel. MBTA GM Jonathan Davis then took the microphone and said that they would get started hearing from community members. The crowd soon quieted when the microphone was given to Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone.

http://tinyurl.com/7nk3h3p

New documentary ‘The Occupiers’ focuses on camp community from start to eviction

The Occupiers, premiering tomorrow morning at Emerson College’s Bill Bordy Theatre, captures the Occupy Boston movement from its impassioned beginning to its controversial eviction. Co-directors John Forrester and Joseph Leahy spent months filming — and even occasionally sleeping — in Dewey Square.

“For me, it was one of the most fascinating things I’ve seen come out of our generation,” Forrester said. “[Filming at the camp] was exciting — frightening at times — but it was definitely something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

http://tinyurl.com/7pys4kd

Occupy Boston: the movie!

John Forrester spent the past five months filming and editing two terabytes of raw digital Occupy Boston footage, captured between late September and December 2011. The result is The Occupiers – a feature-length documentary of the rise and fall of Camp Dewey.

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/news/134796-occupy-boston-the-movie/

Occupiers rise again as Wall Street suffers losses

The same day Occupy Wall Street rallied against corporate excess, a new report shows New York’s once booming financial sector has not yet fully recovered from the 2008 economic collapse.

The city’s securities industry shed 4,300 jobs across the board between April and December last year, according to a report released yesterday by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

http://tinyurl.com/7wkayyr

Continue reading “The OB Media Rundown for 3/1/12” »