Honoring Labor DAN RATHER AND ELLIOT KIRSCHNER SEP 4 On this Labor Day, let us pause in reflection and thanks. Our nation — its prosperity, power, and promise — was built on the back of labor. Much of it was built by those who were enslaved, indentured, and considered expendable.  Progress in how we protect and compensate working women and men was hard fought at every turn. There was fierce resistance against even the idea of unions and organized labor. Once the movement slowly and with great difficulty began to take root, it yielded progress for working people, from the factories to the fields. And it elected political leaders dedicated to serving the people and not just the powerful and prosperous. Doing away with sweatshops, stopping the worst exploitation of child labor, the 40-hour work week, paid vacations — the list of reforms fought for by unions is long, varied, and illustrious.  We have come a great distance, but the struggle for fairness, equitable pay, and better conditions in the workplace is not finished. Indeed, we have seen a resurgence of labor unions in recent years. The United States, in general, can be a good place for working people. But we can make it better still. As we strive to do that, let us honor those who power our country with the sweat of their brows and the exertion of their bodies.  Those who toil to keep us safe, fed, and clothed.  Those whose work is in the glare of the public.  And those who labor selflessly in the shadows.  Those who administer to the vulnerable. Those who teach, heal, and mend.  Those who imbue our society with new ideas, pursue justice, and reckon with reality. Those whose occupations place them in danger.  Those who work in the home. Those who are concerned with sharing the truth.  Those who entertain us, challenge us, and ask that we do better.  Those who build, maintain, and, when necessary, dismantle.  Those who welcome new life into the world and bring comfort at its end.  Life begins in labor, and we toil, in some form, to our final days.  We all deserve dignity and respect. We deserve to be protected from those who would take unfair — and sometimes illegal — advantage of our efforts to make a living. We should recognize that the physical burden of work is uneven and that those who want to work are not always offered it. Honoring labor also means creating safety nets for those who are in danger of falling or have given of themselves and now deserve to rest.  Labor comes in many forms. And society depends on all of it. The diversity of our labor is one of our core strengths, like the diversity of our populace.  Happy Labor Day to all.

BERNIE SANDERS: Labor Day (please read)

 

In the history of this country, real, significant change has never happened from the top-down. It always happens from the bottom-up. So today, let us stand with organized labor and the working people of this country. Let us stand for economic justice. Let us take on greed and oligarchy and create a government and society that works for all, not just the few.

Please read my latest op-ed enclosed below.

- Bernie

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Why this Labor Day is so consequential
It’s not utopian thinking to imagine that, for the first time in world history, everyone could have a decent standard of living

Bernie Sanders
Mon 4 September 2023

As we celebrate Labor Day, 2023 let’s take a quick look at the economy over the last few years.

Never before in American history have so few owned so much and has there been so much income and wealth inequality.

Never before in American history has there been such concentration of ownership in our economy with a handful of giant corporations controlling sector after sector, enjoying record-breaking profits.

Never before in American history have we seen a ruling class, utilizing a corrupt political system, exercise so much political power through their Super Pacs and ownership of media.

And never before in American history have we seen the level of greed, arrogance and irresponsibility that we see today on the part of the 1%. Corporate greed is rampant.

Meanwhile, as the billionaire class becomes richer and more powerful, over 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and many work for starvation wages and under terrible working conditions. Incredibly, despite huge increases in worker productivity and an explosion in technology, the average American worker is making over $45 a week less today than he or she did 50 years ago after adjusting for inflation.

Today, in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, tens of millions struggle to put food on the table, find affordable housing, affordable healthcare, affordable prescription drugs, affordable childcare and affordable educational opportunities. In our country today we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major nation, and half of older workers have no savings as they face retirement.

And, in the midst of this massive inequality, the United States and the world face enormous economic transformation as a result of artificial intelligence, robotics and other new technologies. There is no question but that many of the jobs being done today will not be here in 10 or 20 years.

Let’s be clear. These technologies, which will greatly increase worker productivity, have the potential to be extraordinarily beneficial for humanity, or could cause devastating pain and dislocation for tens of millions of workers. The question is: who makes the decisions as to what happens in this radically changing economy, and who benefits from those decisions? Do we allow the “market” to throw working people out in the streets because they are “redundant”, or do we take advantage of the increased productivity this technology creates to improve the lives of all?

Throughout the history of humanity, the vast majority of people have had to struggle to feed themselves, find adequate shelter and eke out a living. The good news is that the revolutionary new technology, if used to benefit all of humanity and not just the rich and the powerful, could usher in a new era in human development. It is not utopian thinking to imagine that, for the first time in world history, we could enter a time in which every man, woman and child has a decent standard of living and improved quality of life.

In the United States, for example, the 40-hour work week, under the Fair Labor Standards Act, has been the legal definition of full-time work since 1940. Well, the world and technology have undergone enormous changes since 1940 and American workers are now 480% more productive than they were back then. It’s time for those standards to reflect contemporary reality. It’s time for a 32-hour work week with no loss in pay. It’s time that working families were able to take advantage of the increased productivity that new technologies provide so that they can enjoy more leisure time, family time, educational and cultural opportunities – and less stress.

Moving to a 32-hour work week with no loss of pay is not a radical idea. In fact, movement in that direction is already taking place in other developed countries. France, the seventh-largest economy in the world, has a 35-hour work week and is considering reducing it to 32 hours. The work week in Norway and Denmark is about 37 hours a week.

Recently, the United Kingdom conducted a four-day work week pilot program of 3,000 workers at over 60 companies. Not surprisingly, it showed that happy workers were more productive. The pilot was so successful that 92% of the companies that participated decided to maintain a four-day work week because of the benefits to both employers and employees.

Another pilot of nearly 1,000 workers at 33 companies in seven countries, found that revenue increased by more than 37% in the companies that participated and 97% percent of workers were happy with the four-day work week.

Needless to say, changes that benefit the working class of our country are not going to be easily handed over by the corporate elite. They have to be fought for – and won. And in that regard there has been some very good news over the last several years. We are now seeing workers stand up and fight for justice in a way we have not seen in decades. In America, more workers want to join unions; more workers are joining unions – 273,000 last year alone; and more workers are going out on strike for decent wages and benefits and winning. We’re seeing that increased militancy all across our economy – with truck drivers, auto workers, writers, actors, warehouse workers, healthcare professionals, graduate student teachers and baristas.

Let’s continue that struggle. Let’s think big, not small. Let’s create an economy and government that work for all, not just the few.

Happy Labor Day.

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Our work rallying and organizing progressives across the country takes resources, but it is important work that must be done. So please:

Can you please make a contribution of $27 — or whatever you can afford — to help our movement elect progressives who are prepared to stand with the working people of this country?

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CC Newsletter 04 Sept - Too late? The climate & nuclear juggernaut

Dear Friend,

At 90 seconds to a midnight and a few decades to +4oC will ’sapiens’ end up on the beach?

Without the help of each and every one of you CC will not survive. So, Plz come forward to help. https://countercurrents.org/subscription/. Those outside India can use this link https://buy.stripe.com/7sI6pW3nTgDofEQ5kk or become a patron https://www.patreon.com/countercurrentsorg

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Countercurrents.org

Too late?  The climate & nuclear juggernaut

by Dr Andrew Glikson

https://countercurrents.org/2023/09/too-late-the-climate-nuclear-juggernaut/

At 90 seconds to a midnight and a few decades to +4oC will ’sapiens’

end up on the beach?

From the Partial Test Ban Treaty to a Nuclear Weapons-Free World

by Lawrence S Wittner

https://countercurrents.org/2023/09/from-the-partial-test-ban-treaty-to-a-nuclear-weapons-free-world/

This September is the sixtieth anniversary of U.S. and Soviet ratification of the world’s first significant nuclear arms control agreement, the Partial Test Ban Treaty.  Thus, it’s an appropriate time to examine that treaty, as well as to consider what might be done to end the danger of nuclear annihilation.

Colonial African Cities Have Always Been Mass Graveyards For Black People

by Dr Pedro Mzileni

https://countercurrents.org/2023/09/colonial-african-cities-have-always-been-mass-graveyards-for-black-people/

Its no accident therefore that the majority of the black people who died in that building are immigrants from across the continent who are in SA to work in the retail sector of Johannesburg as cheap labour. Some of them are street vendors, sex workers, Uber

drivers, and informal traders who are struggling for a living under this rotten modern condition.

Ukraine Crisis Sounds Alarm For Mankind, Do Not Repeat Ukraine Tragedy, China Warns Neighbors

by Countercurrents Collective

https://countercurrents.org/2023/09/ukraine-crisis-sounds-alarm-for-mankind-do-not-repeat-ukraine-tragedy-china-warns-neighbors/

Southeast Asian countries must avoid following in the footsteps of Ukraine and beware of being used as geopolitical pawns by foreign forces that are sowing discord in the region for their own gain, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi  has warned. “The crisis in Ukraine has sounded the alarm for mankind, and similar tragedies must not be staged in Asia,” China’s top diplomat said on Saturday in a video address at a conference hosted by the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, a think tank in Jakarta.

Strategy, Politics and Ethics of the Ukrainian Counteroffensive

by Bharat Dogra

https://countercurrents.org/2023/09/strategy-politics-and-ethics-of-the-ukrainian-counteroffensive/

The Ukrainian counteroffensive of the past three months or so, starting on 4 June, has been widely discussed. In one of the most well-documented and thoughtful reviews of this counteroffensive titled ‘Bound to Lose— Ukraine’s 2023 Counteroffensive’ Prof. John J.    Mearsheimer, who is R.Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, has raised several important issues.

Death, the Crisis of Meaning, and Capitalism

by Carlos L Garrido

https://countercurrents.org/2023/09/death-the-crisis-of-meaning-and-capitalism/

We destroy, in other words, so that we may construct a future which obliterates poverty, exploitation, plunder, war, oppression, alienation, meaninglessness, bigotry, etc. We destroy so that we may construct a world in which humanity can flourish, where people of all creeds may, as Che Guevara hoped, achieve their

“full realization as a human creature”

Education as a Means for Empowerment

by Vivian Merchant

https://countercurrents.org/2023/09/education-as-a-means-for-empowerment/

Like other systems of production and exchange, our education system is operating on the principles of demand and supply. To set up any educational institution, there is a cost benefit analysis carried out and various factors are considered before initiating the undertaking. The mentality of mass production and mass control still runs in large scale conglomerates who provide the funds for schools to be run.

India the surveillance state and the role of Aadhaar

by Arjun Banerjee

https://countercurrents.org/2023/09/india-the-surveillance-state-and-the-role-of-aadhaar/

India has been turned into a full-scale surveillance state with the masses under the watchful eye of the government, vulnerable and oblivious to being tracked, profiled, recorded, and registered at every point of their day and entire

lifetimes. Invasive technologies like facial recognition are being cavalierly used in public spaces and universities, political and institutional opposition is being stymied through sophisticated surveillance methods like the NSO’s Pegasus spyware (which the Supreme Court itself has largely been unable to get a clear answer on from the government), and the Aadhaar project is proliferating rapidly and being imposed with the full backing of the Aadhaar Act 2016, and is being virtually impossible to escape.

Remembering the Legacy of Renowned Educationalist Prof. Tangeda Navaneetha Rao

by Bheenaveni Ram Shepherd

https://countercurrents.org/2023/09/remembering-the-legacy-of-renowned-educationalist-prof-tangeda-navaneetha-rao/

It is with a profound sense of gratitude and admiration to pen down this heartfelt tribute to the late Professor Tangeda Navaneetha Rao, a luminary in the field of education and an iconic figure in the annals of Osmania University’s history. Prof. Rao’s

journey, from a remote Jeelugula village situated in erstwhile Karimnagar district, to becoming a torchbearer of academic excellence is a narrative that deserves to be remembered. His educational journey commenced at Osmania University itself, where he pursued his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

The conundrum of parliamentary proceedings and judicial review

by Tejaswi Ravinder Battala

https://countercurrents.org/2023/09/the-conundrum-of-parliamentary-proceedings-and-judicial-review/

The passing of laws without addressing the core issue of trust in the Council of Ministers when a no-confidence motion has been moved, appears to be undemocratic. This action by the union government bizarrely is a square peg in a round hole failing to uphold democratic principles as well as collective responsibility and public accountability inscribed by the Constitutional makers after much thought, discourse, and deliberations to safeguard the spirit of the Constitution.

 

The terrifying road ahead What we all must try to do if American democracy is to survive ROBERT REICH SEP 5 Friends, The week after Labor Day weekend usually signals the start of a return to serious business — summer vacations over and kids back to school, fiscal years ending and new ones beginning, cleaning up and battening down for winter. This particular week after Labor Day also marks the start of a terrifyingly high-stakes ride for America — five months until the beginning of the primaries, eight until Trump’s trial for seeking to overturn the 2020 election, 10 until the Republican convention in which Trump is almost certain to be nominated, 14 until the presidential election of 2024. All the while, Trump and House Republicans will be throwing up every conceivable distraction and roadblock — threatening to or actually closing the government, impeaching Joe Biden, and holding more hearings on “woke” capitalism, Hunter Biden, the alleged “weaponization” of the Justice Department and the FBI.  At this point, the polls are too close for comfort. The question we must all ask ourselves, I believe, is what can we do between now and the election to help save American democracy? Let me try out a few answers: — Do everything within your power to ensure that Donald Trump is not reelected president. For some of us, this will mean taking time out of our normal lives to become more directly politically involved — up to and including moving to a critical swing state. — Do not succumb to the tempting anesthesias of complacency or cynicism. The stakes are too high. Even if you cannot take much time out of your normal life for direct politics, you will need to organize, mobilize, and energize your friends, colleagues, and neighbors. — Counter lies with truth. When you hear someone repeating a Trump Republican lie, correct it. Which will require that you prepare yourself with facts, logic, analysis, and sources. — Do not tolerate bigotry and hate. Call it out. Stand up to it. Denounce it. Demand that others denounce it, too. — Do not resort to violence, name-calling, bullying, or any of the other tactics that Trump followers may be using. — Be compassionate toward hardcore followers of Trump, but be firm in your opposition. Understand why someone may decide to support Trump, but don’t waste your time and energy trying to convert them. Use your time and energy on those who still have open minds. — Don’t waste your time and energy commiserating with people who already agree with you. Don’t gripe, whine, wring your hands, and kvetch with other progressives about how awful Trump and his Republican enablers are. Don’t snivel over or criticize Biden and the Democrats for failing to communicate more effectively how bad Trump and his Republican enablers are. None of this will get you anything except an upset stomach or worse. — Demonstrate, but don’t mistake demonstrating for political action. You may find it gratifying to stand on a corner in Berkeley with a sign asking drivers to “honk if you hate fascism” and elicit lots of honks, but that’s as politically effectual as taking a warm shower. Organize people who don’t normally vote to vote for Biden. Mobilize get-out-the-vote efforts in your community. Get young people involved. — Don’t get deflected by the latest sensationalist post or story by or about Trump. Don’t let the media’s short-term attention span divert your eyes from the prize — the survival of American democracy during one of the greatest stress tests it has had to endure, organized by one of the worst demagogues in American history. I cannot overstate how critical the outcome of the next 14 months will be to everything we believe in. And the importance of your participation. I will be with you every step of the way.