The economic crisis could plunge the U.S. into a long period of social instability. Our democracy is in peril; the threat of totalitarianism is real.
From Alternet:
The daily bleeding of thousands of jobs will soon turn our economic crisis into a political crisis. The street protests, strikes and riots that have rattled France, Turkey, Greece, Ukraine, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Iceland will descend on us. It is only a matter of time. And not much time. When things start to go sour, when Barack Obama is exposed as a mortal waving a sword at a tidal wave, the United States could plunge into a long period of precarious social instability.
So what do we do?
If you want to begin a discussion about what we can build at the local, grassroots level to defend the interests of working class people, come to the Community Meeting for a People’s Bailout this Saturday, February 7 from 1-4pm at Hartford City Hall, Council Chambers.
The economic crisis is just that – a crisis and an emergency. The responses to it so far, even by our liberal and progressive friends, have been business-as-usual. “Official” unemployment of 12 percent is on the horizon, but that translates into real unemployment that could be double that amount – and even higher in poor urban and rural areas. That’s why even some mainstream capitalist economists believe that Obama’s stimulus plan will be far too little and too late to stop the economic decline, and even under that plan there will be millions of us unemployed and facing foreclosures and evictions.
Faced with a challenge to our survival, working class people must demand that the government treat this as the emergency that it is. Don’t cut the budget, fund the budget – maintain vital services and keep people working! Put a 2 year moratorium on all residential foreclosures and evictions! Expand and extend unemployment benefits!
While reading Wolin’s observations about the progressive movement, my first thought was that he must have worked as a community activist in Hartford. After burning through three Hartford based community organizations over the past few years, I wholeheartedly agree with Wolin’s opinion that the Left’s total inability to organize is its fatal flaw.
Being a black man, I don’t consider myself to be a member of the Left. The division between blacks & whites in community organizing is the elephant in the room who has taken up permanent residence. Sexism is rampant. This work is overrun by individuals who are too busy pursuing personal agendas to actually help the people. The progressive “movement” is a fractured, morally ambiguous train wreck. “Activists” are either using this work as a stepping stone to a political career, chasing grant checks, or pursuing good ol’self aggrandizement;”Look, I have a blog! I post a comment after every single article in every other blog! I’m involved in every group & issue in the state! Everybody knows me!” The nauseating competition for money,influence & notoriety within the progressive “movement” is akin to a fight for the best deck chair on the Titanic.
I couldn’t agree with you more David. Seems like a lot of folks are just into padding their “activist” resume. Unfortunately, these issues aren’t just native to Hartford. I’ve seen attitudes like the ones your describing all over this country.
However, I have also met and work/ed with many righteous individuals in and around Hartford and beyond too…so luckily not everyone is a jerk. But I hate to say it, but it’s gotten to the point where I generally don’t trust anyone who calls themselves an activist these days.
I have more thoughts on this, but I think I’ll leave it to another time and place.
Oh I am so glad that I retired. Remember Dylan when he sang, “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.”