Industrial Workers of the World

                                 by   Pavlov’s Tiger

At the end of 07

This is how it goes

Howard government flows

As loud as Marcel Marsuo’s

Spited Howard’s face

And we collected his nose

K-RUDD don’t dare disguise

His union bashin lies 

Were his ultimate demise

My American Vision: A shorter work-time jubilee

On November 2, 1865 – one month before the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, abolishing slavery – the great antislavery activist and orator, Wendell Phillips, proclaimed /his/ American vision from the platform of Faneuil Hall in Boston:

"Today one of your sons is born. He lies in his cradle as the child of a man without means, with a little education, and with less leisure. The favored child of the capitalist is borne up by every circumstance, as on the eagle's wings. The problem of today is how to make the chances of
the two as equal as possible; and before this movement stops, every child born in America must have an equal chance in life."

The election of President Obama symbolizes the progress made in a century and a half toward fulfilling that vision. There is still far to go, though, before every child born in America has that equal chance in life. Wendell Phillips's devotion to the cause of labor can show the way
– the "more American way."

Even Samuel Gompers saw it:

    "The answer to all opponents to the reduction of the hours of labor could well be given in these words: 'That so long as there is one man who seeks employment and cannot obtain it, the hours of labor are too long.'"

Mary Steward also  had the answer: "Whether you work by the piece or work by the day; decreasing the hours increases the pay."

Mate,  it all sounds too good to be true. It's counter-intuitive! Like the theory the earth revolves around the sun rather than the other way 'round?

Most workers have bought the conservative line about socialism i.e. that socialism will make them poorer and even more alienated from power than they are. For example, the conservative line in the USA, more or less mirrored in the rest of the industrialised world, says that the American people are taxpayers and that because they pay for government, they deserve as little government as possible. In practtice, this boils down to cutting government provided social services and leaving the lean, mean part of the State intact e.g. police, fire, military, prisons and help for commerce like roads. The Americans should not have to put up with higher taxes to fund the parasitic poorer workers who can't pay their own way in the free marketplace because they're too lazy to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, Such is the conservative line and so the conservatives would have their listeners believe, the government should let the free market rip without bothersome interference by bureaucrats.

The October 18th issue of New Scientist featured a cover and special report on "how our economy is killing the earth."

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg20026786.000-special-report-how-our-economy-is-killing-the-earth.html

As Wobblies, we know that it isn't 'our economy' which is polluting the planet with the growth of crap.  As Wobblies, we desire, "to live in harmony with the Earth" which means living in a sustainable way and not treating the planet like it was a commodity, to be bought and sold in the marketplace. 

Capitalism can't be sustained without growth.   Can humans and the capitalist system continue to live in harmony? 

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Andrew Lahde, manager of a small California hedge fund, Lahde Capital, burst into the spotlight last year after his one-year-old fund returned 866 percent betting against the subprime collapse.

Last month, he did the unthinkable -- he shut things down, claiming dealing with his bank counterparties had become too risky. Today, Lahde passed along his "goodbye" letter, a rollicking missive on everything from greed to economic philosophy. Enjoy.