Reflections on the Anniversary of Dr. MLK Jr.'s assassination

Marching through Detroit, 1963. Photo from http://voiceofdetroit.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Dr_-Martin-Luther-King-Jr_-leading-freedom-march-in-Detroit-1963-smaller.jpg

Then, and Now…

Today marks the 46th year of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination, April 4^th, 1968.  Many events have transpired since that bullet rang out just a short time ago that requires an analysis of our current situation.  Where does one start to understand the roots of the current crisis unless we compare and contrast what was then and what is now.

The attempts on Dr. King’s life are chronicled.  His pursuit of equal access throughout the South was highlighted by his relentless fight to stop the violence against Blacks in communities, on the farms, in schools, at work, and in all phases of everyday life.  In the grip of the Vietnam War, the country was torn by so many events, many of them aired on nightly national television.  Our existences were filled with bombings, attack dogs, demonstrations, and terrible violence with no end in sight.  Were those the “good old days”?

As we pause to remember the significance of this day, the new world reality has shaken us to our core.  President George W. Bush, V.P. Dick Cheney, and the Koch Brothers tricked the country into a war that was based on an absolute lie.  The World Trade Center bombings were attributed to Iraq and their allies, and after several months, said intelligence was proven to be untrue.  The impact of such an outrageous series of events that touched the lives of countless Iraqis and Americans injured or killed because of this gross un-truth has been mostly excluded from the pages of history…but it happened.

So, over a 46 year span of time, our consciousness includes both ends of this spectrum.  Dr. King was murdered because he wanted peace, freedom and equality for all.  On April 4, 2014, we still can’t find peace, freedom for all is questionable, and we are still reeling from the abuse of the 1% who will not tolerate economic equality.  How is corporate America working out for us, these days?  Miss you, Dr. King.

Maureen D. Taylor

State Chairperson – MI Welfare Rights Org.

New MWRO T-shirts!

Maureen Taylor, MWRO State Chair, models the new, hot MWRO t-shirt!

MWRO T-SHIRTS are hot off the press!! Only $15 -- in four colors and various sizes. Be one of the first people to proudly wear one! They'll be on sale tomorrow (Dec. 17) at the MWRO Holiday Party (1-3pm) at our office inside Central United Methodist Church, 23. E. Adams St, Detroit, MI 48226.

Labor Day 2013 Message from MWRO

Across Michigan, Churches, Synagogues, Temples, Meeting Rooms, assorted places of worship, and in residences everywhere, the message of labor was spoken on the Sunday before Labor Day, and that message is clear... "we will not go back!!"

No matter that at present the Koch brothers and their partners have the upper hand -- destroying the lives of millions, putting profits before people and making our today's and our tomorrows miserable. Our numbers are greater so in the end, we will win out and we will craft a world where we can live with dignity and without fear of hunger or homelessness.

Poverty is on the rise but we will meet it at every juncture and turn it back block by block until that word is just a memory. Workers...Stand Strong and Garner Hope! The enemy is powerful, but righteousness is more powerful. These pirates from the corporate world had best celebrate these recent victories because our army grows day by day, angered by the series of assaults against us and soon - very soon - we will rise up and take control of the earth. Arab summers, Baptist summers, Urban summers, Youth summers, Rural summers, Senior summers, Worker summers -- it will be hot everywhere once we all agree that the needs of the many must outweigh the needs of the few.

Victory is near, colleagues...Courage to us all and stay focused!

MD Taylor, State Chairperson
MI Welfare Rights Org.

Frederick Douglas quote fist image from Tai's Tees

Press Release on Detroit Housing Takeover Discussion

The Housing Is a Human Right Coalition is presenting to the Detroit City Council today at 1:00 p.m. its work to move homeless families into abandoned bank- and government-owned houses. The community is invited to this discussion on addressing the need for safe, affordable housing for homeless veterans, women and children; and improving the security and quality of neighborhoods across Detroit.

Maureen Taylor, MWRO State Chair, will lead the Coalition's presentation, including a history of the increasing homeless crisis in Detroit and the significant potential for addressing the economic and social costs through the City of Detroit's Nuisance Abatement ordinance.

For additional information, contact the Housing Is a Human Right Coalition through the MWRO office at (313) 964-0618.

Maureen Taylor To Receive NAACP Freedom and Justice Award

Update: See Maureen Taylor's NAACP award acceptance speech.

Dear Family and Friends,

Our own Maureen Taylor will be one of the people receiving a Freedom and Justice Award from the Detroit NAACP on its 100th birthday on May 6, 2012. We are very proud of her and the work she has continued to do! The dinner is the largest one in the U.S. for the NAACP.

Maureen, State Chair of MWRO, has given her life to fighting in the interests of the working class, in general; and in particular, to that section of the working class that have been forced into poverty. She understands and educates that we must build a new society where we will not be facing homelessness, we don't have to face a day without food, health care, quality and free education, etc.

Maureen's history will speak for itself because each day she is engaged in what are the next steps of the struggle. Maureen is a true leader of the working class.

You know, for me it is a joy to work with her and for all of us to gain knowledge and learn from each other.  General Baker and I have had the opportunity to have her with us for years and have watch her develop into a loving and great leader.

Thank you in advance,

Marian Kramer
Co-Chair,
National Welfare Rights Union

MWRO on Board of Canvassers Decision Against Public Act 4 Petitions

Dear Colleagues; 

On Thursday, those in attendance at the Board of Canvassers session witnessed something that shocked and horrified all.  The event at 10am was to officially certify the signatures submitted to repeal Public Act #4, also known as the "Dictator Act."  The review of the process revealed that the appropriate number of valid signatures were indeed collected, some 40,000 more than was needed totaling 206,000 Michigan signatures from all parts of the State. 

There were two Board members who were declared Democrats, and two who were declared Republicans for a total of four persons.  The Tea Party sent a lawyer who argued that the "font size" of the declaratory portion of the petition was the wrong size therefore the signatures could not be certified.  The issue is that in MCL/Michigan Compiled Law, the statute calls for a size 14 font to be used at the top of the petition that explains the rationale for the initiative. Then, it was "our turn."

Our atty. was brilliant as he went point-by-point to dismiss the Tea Party lawyer's allegation. Atty. Hank Sanders was brilliant as he discussed the font size challenge: depending on which print style you use, a size 14 font in one font style may be different in height from another, a fact.  He introduced an engraver who reviewed the print size and validated that the print was a size 14, as did the other witness, the actual printer of the petitions who conclusively validated the size 14 font as a fact.

With all that being said, the first two Democrats recommended acceptance and certification as suggested by their staff. Both Republicans cited the conclusions of the Tea Party lawyer while they declared their need to follow the law -- both denying certification. The Board rules declare that three members must agree to pass anything, so a vote of two to two did not pass. Next step, court!

There were lovers of democracy in the room and they were all dismayed by this incredible breach of the right to vote played out. The room exploded with outrage with the voters not willing to calm themselves. The two Republican Board members left the room for a while, not willing to incur the people's wrath. So incredible was this obvious stalling tactic, that the most steeled among us were speechless. Those who thought righteousness was possible were stunned. 

The question now is what to do about elected/appointed officials who act against us with no threat of repercussions. How do we interrupt their "business as usual" attitude and replace it with the fear of  reprisals should we be betrayed?

What is the answer...

Maureen D. Taylor

State Chairperson - MI Welfare Rights Org.

P.S. This post was typed in a 14 pt font.

Maureen Taylor and Marian Kramer React to Lansing Decision

The bipartisan Michigan Board of Canvassers on Thursday, April 26, 2012, voted along partisan lines -- two Democrats in support and two Republicans against -- and did not validate the 206,000 signatures against Public Act 4, the Financial Manager law.

Listen as Maureen Taylor and Marian Kramer of Michigan Welfare Rights Organization respond to the decision as residents from across the State of Michigan react with disbelief!

Maureen Taylor on Mark Steiner Show

"Do the volatile financial markets, weak economy, rising inequality, and global protests mean that capitalism is failing us?  Do we need a new system, or just reform of our current economic structures?"

Listen to The Mark Steiner Show on the nature and the future of capitalism. This August 15, 2011, podcast includes discussion and analysis by Maureen Taylor, State Chair, MWRO; and Sam Pizzigati,  author of Greed and Good, a book on the looting of the U.S. from the top.

Taylor and Pizzigati discuss whether capitalism in the U.S. is fundamentally flawed or simply in need of reform, plus the role of technology and the state of workers. The Mark Steiner Show is broadcast on WEAA 88.9FM, Baltimore, Maryland.

Listen to the podcast or download the mp3.

Image from The Mark Steiner Show.

Detroit Premier of film "Opening Our Eyes"

Abandoned Detroit homes during Winter as captured by the filmmakers

Please join Michigan Welfare Rights Organization and filmmaker Gail Mooney for the Detroit film premier of Opening Our Eyes. (View trailer)

Filmed over 99 days in six countries, this mother and daughter film making team interviewed 11 "people who are making a positive change in our world." It is an inspiring story about the power of one person to make change in their part of the world.

Two of the interviews include Maureen Taylor and Marian Kramer from MWRO -- Detroit-based welfare rights activists who fight for the dignity and rights of poor and low-income people in Michigan and beyond.

This FREE screening will be held:
When: Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 6pm
Where: The University of Michigan-Detroit Center (3663 Woodward Ave at Mack/MLK).

Beat the 100 degree heat and enjoy the film in air conditioning!

For more information, contact MWRO at 313-964-0618.

Fault Lines: Despair & Revival in Detroit, Part 2

In part two of this series from Al Jazeera's Fault Lines program May 14, 2009, Despair, revival in Detroit Part 2, they take a closer look at what local residents are doing to survive in this devastated economy.

Grace Lee Boggs discusses how Detroit--100 years ago--was a symbol of industrialization. Today, it is a symbol of devastation and deindustrialization. Many of the jobs that UAW workers have fought to maintain are now being sent to Mexico, as in the case of American Axle.

Unlike the auto executives who chose to focus on the bottom line sales of their profitable SUVs and other gas guzzling vehicles, many Detroiters saw the collapse coming.

In one segment, Bobbi Thompson, a piano teacher at Detroit's Central United Methodist Church, discusses how she lost her four children to the foster system for 22 months because she was unable to pay her utilities bills. She also points out how the public schools failed to see changes coming in the auto industry and continued to educate her children and others for "drone work instead of brain work."

Another segment of this video shows Capuchin Soup Kitchen's Earthworks Urban Farm, "the largest network of urban food production in the U.S." It encompasses over 130 sq km (80 sq mi) of vacant lots and provides 100,000 seedings per year, such as eggplants, melons, and peppers.

The video ends with an assessment by MWRO's Maureen Taylor with faith that Detroit will be "hell on wheels" once it pulls out of this! Please share this series with others!

Video: Despair, revival in Detroit , Part 1

Please check out this two part series from Al Jazeera's Fault Lines program May 14, 2009, Despair, revival in Detroit.

Journalist, Avi Lewis, interviews GM executives along with MWRO Chair, Maureen Taylor, and other local residents, activists, and workers. It's a great overview of the automotive industry collapse where Detroit was once "Ground Zero" of the automotive world.

One portion of the report includes a tour by Maureen Taylor of low-income housing that was torn down to make way for sporting facilities and casinos: "They call it urban renewal, we call it urban removal!"

There are also great interviews with Bobbi Thompson, Grace Lee Boggs, Ralph Nader, and other local and national figures. Check it out!

Wake The Hell Up!!

‘CIPIENTS SPEAK
by Maureen D. Taylor
State Chair, MWRO
May 2009

On Thursday, May 14th, 2009, most Americans woke up to the grim news that in order for Chrysler to save itself, 25% of the current dealers needed to be sacrificed. Some 789 Chrysler dealers were on a list to be closed, some as early as June 9th, after having served the master for decades. Never mind the hundreds of thousands of new families who are now facing unemployment, never mind the many community programs underwritten by these dealerships over the years, never mind the feeder businesses near by who rely on the traffic created by these car dealers - with one swipe of the pen, they will soon be “toast!”

Next comes the dreaded list issued by General Motors who will name the fate of thousands more GM dealerships that must close to save GM. All the while these horrific announcements are being made, a psychotic Wall Street reacts by closing higher, happy at the news that the Big Two are being saved by the sacrifices of millions. Is there not something insidious, sick, and diabolical about these happenings?

Perhaps what is most disturbing is the ease in which millions of car-related workers accept the premise that for America to be better, they must starve, lose healthcare, have homes taken from them, and in other ways stand “mute” while their very lives are being wrecked. The incomes offered to the next generation of workers is woefully lower than what their predecessors earned and will not allow the purchase of these hi-priced cars of the future.

The question is, where are the blue-collar and no-collar visionaries who have the answers to these current economic issues? Welfare Rights firmly believes that the solution to this deepening crisis is not to be found in the direction which we are all being pushed that calls for us to lose everything for the sake of the company. Don’t our lives and the future of our children count? Every response to the growing international crisis is one that suggests that we must bear the pain…closing schools, reduced wages, loss of retirement funds, loss of retiree health coverage, mounting foreclosures, rising domestic violence, rising suicide rates among children and veterans, rising incidents of police brutality…all things connected to rising stress levels. What do we get for our pain?

The time to bring up new ideas is now. The time to suggest a new and different course of action has arrived. The 6.5 million workers who now receive unemployment benefits must soon decide what is to be done when that last check arrives and a job has not been secured. The only answer to this greed-driven, corporate crisis is to engage in building an organized society that rests on certain foundations. People must eat, no matter what. People must have access to clean drinking water, no matter what. People and families must have homes to raise children in, no matter what. Elders deserve respect and a level of comfort, no matter what. We take care of sick people, we educate children so that they can make wise decisions as adults, we care for animals, and we live our days to serve a higher cause that includes kindness and concern.

The time has come to make a choice – “which side are YOU on?” Massa won’t let you live with him, so we must live without him. Wake the hell up!

MWRO Protests Censorship by WHPR

As reported in the Michigan Citizen, MWRO has ceased its weekly television and radio broadcast on WHPR-TV 33, 88.1FM in Highland Park, Michigan.

On Tuesday, April 21, 2009, the station owner, RJ Watkins, informed Marian Kramer and Maureen Taylor, co-hosts of the popular, "Ask Welfare Rights Show," that they would not be allowed to criticize former Highland Park Emergency Financial Manager, Arthur Blackwell--a friend and investor of Mr. Watkins.

The previous night, Marian Kramer attended the City of Highland Park City Council meeting where Mr. Blackwell and his supporters tried to distract from the firing of Mr. Blackwell who paid himself nearly $300,000 from the city--after agreeing to oversee finances for his native town for $1 per year!

MWRO and other community shows on WHPR pay an hourly fee for broadcast and production assistance. Following this censorship, the Michigan Citizen interviewed Mr. Watkins as saying that MWRO could talk about Mr. Blackwell "at home or on the telephone, but I have a right to say they don't talk about it on the air."

Marian Kramer retorted: "Maybe that is so, but it is our right to stop people from supporting the station."

Read Marian Kramer's full story about these incidents at the People's Tribune. Ms. Kramer is consulting with an attorney about reporting the matter to the proper authorities, and possibly boycotting the station.

Michigan Welfare Rights Organization broadcasted the "Ask Welfare Rights Show" on WHPR for over eight years. It provided regular updates and information about available public assistance benefits, "Know Your Rights" facts, and commentary on issues pertaining to low-income and poor people in southeast Michigan.

For more information or to voice your concern, call the MWRO office at (313) 964-0618.

(Image from MWRO)

What Is To Be Done?

‘Cipients Speak!!
By Maureen D. Taylor, State Chair, MWRO

Many cities across the country are experiencing economic declines like Detroit is going through, but we have the distinction of being “first” on many painful lists. We are in the top five in housing foreclosures, in unemployment, in tax foreclosures, in infant mortality rates, in school closures, in dropout rates, etc.

Some things, however, you can’t make up. Highland Park, Michigan, was one of the most beautiful small cities located entirely within the boundaries of Detroit. The trees stretched across the streets to touch each other, providing shade in the summer and giving all residents a panoramic winter view of deep and lasting beauty that all of us enjoyed. Along the edge of Highland Park was one of the Chrysler auto plants that employed 1000’s. It gave both a solid standard of living and a tax base that helped operate the local government.

Chrysler moved to upscale Auburn Hills, Michigan and took that tax base with them. The decline in Highland Park started. The population dwindled from a high of 66,000 residents to less than 16,000 today. Tough times in H.P.

Knowing this history, knowing about the 1000’s of residents who lost their jobs, knowing that water was disconnected because residents couldn’t pay the rising costs, a series of no-vision politicians vied for elected seats until the juice ran out. A disappointing Governor Jennifer Granholm, not allowing H.P. to declare bankruptcy on her watch, instead appointed a financial manager who took the place of an elected body. The first pirate crew was lead by a now defunct Ramona Pearson & Associates who were dismissed after some 20 months. They took more than $1 million dollars out of Highland Park in salaries. No improvements to turn the crisis around during that reign of terror were made except to benefit themselves at the people’s expense. Now we come to this.

Native son Arthur Blackwell shed tears when he was appointed to serve as the next Financial Manager of cash-strapped Highland Park in 2007. He was so touched by this appointment, and declared his love for the city that raised him & his family. The ‘HONOR” was so great, he vowed to work for $1.00 a year. After a series of FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests were filed, we find that he collected since 2007, $495,000.00. Of course, he has an explanation for this, suggesting that it may only be an accounting error, plus noting that he has written back to the City $66,000 that he may have collected unwittingly. He was fired two days ago, and a 3rd Financial Manager from an upscale community has been appointed. Wonder how this is going to turn out?

Just losing his job is not enough. Blackwell should be the focus of a citizen’s arrest, and taken from his nice home kicking and screaming and off to jail where we decide how long he should stay there after stealing from poor people. Class war continues. Who pays for destroying the lives of working people? No one!

(Image courtesy City of Highland Park)

America, Women, and Babies!

By Maureen D. Taylor
MWRO State Chairperson

A surprising segue has developed over recent weeks, after the birth of octuplets to a mother who already has six children. The good news I thought was that all the children are still alive after these few weeks, even though it is suspected that several will have developmental issues.

The "flap" one would guess, would be over the wisdom of implanting so many embryos that bring with this procedure potential for birth defects. In Vitro Fertilization has risks that multiply with multiple births--we all get that--but this is not what is being spoken of.

Hate mail and hatred is being directed toward this mother because she is not married and the government may have to take financial responsibility for these eight, along with the other six. This mother seems obsessed with having babies, all fathered by the same partner--a fact known by the clinic who performed this procedure every time.

Bitter statements have suggested that Ms. Suleman has created this scenario to gain income for herself and her children. Her planned pregnancy has unleashed the wrath of many orthodox thinkers who are ultra critical without offering the sympathy this challenged mother needs.

Somehow, she feels herself to be little more than a "baby-machine" who because she lacks affection in her own life, needs babies to cherish who will categorically love her back. We say nothing about the $1,000 hammers purchased by the Defense Dept., or the $10b per month price tag for our involvement in Iraq.

The gov't benefits she receives is not enough to care for this family. The mother needs counseling and care, as do these babies who have been born into a world that loves them not. Women of America, don't join in this assault against this troubled soul that we should, instead, demand services for, along with all children and depressed moms.

(Image from Washington Post/AP/KTLA)

Dear Pachyderm Friends!

By Maureen D. Taylor, MWRO State Chair

President Obama is correct. We voted you out of office in groves, trying to make it clear that your political point of view was contrary to the direction most of us wanted. I have seen and heard bad things said and done by mean-spirited elected officials, but the fight against helping Native Americans with upgrades on houses standing on reservations astounds even me.

How low-down is a person or group of persons that thought such a move was not critical and primary toward proving jobs and improving the lot of those who had so much stolen from them? The $3 billion recommended could never make-up for the resources taken from them, so I think we should pass that section first and make those dollars available immediately.

Still, President Obama should apply the "trickle up" theory, meaning that he should test in the ten poorest states this concept. Make dollars available to those already receiving unemployment benefits, about $30,000 this year, and $20,000 the following year and watch how quickly we are able to turn this economy around!

We lift all ships if resources are applied first to those at the bottom. Trickle down NEVER works, Mr. President!

(Image courtesy Flickr Creative Commons)

Eight Years of Hell Come to an End!

By Maureen D. Taylor, MWRO State Chair

Last week, my friend, confidant and great poet Ron Allen and I talked about the "State of the State." I miss Ron who relocated out of the state because, among many other things, he was my dance partner when we would accidentally meet up at this grocery or that department store. Many a time, some Temptation tune or some Bee Gees classic would be blaring out overhead, and we would take off on a serious Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers ballroom dance step or two to the amazement of store on-lookers who always had a smile at our antics.

Ran and I spoke about how silly so many people are who ascribe to our new President's powers as if he was Superman. He is but one human being. As wonderful as we all feel about his being the President and that he has opened the door for us to do great things with him, it is both unfair and unrealistic for people to assume that he will correct all mistakes or reverse all policies.

Whose task is it to work at eliminating poverty across the country? OURS! Whose task is it to help Federal funds get directed to chronically low income persons so that those on the bottom can be encouraged and employed? OURS! Whose task is it to take control of what projects need be instituted in places like Detroit with 50% unemployment in black communities, 60% unemployment in Latino communities, 70% unemployment among Native Americans, and 75% unemployment among youth? OURS!

There is much work to be done in America, as Ron and I discussed. The soul of poetry and cultural creation has been gutted by 8 years of "mob-rule." How long will it take to repair the damage done by the Bush/Cheney Mob? Probably decades. But what matters is that we have to start the process of change now.

We are standing at a crossroad. We all have freedom, or no one does. We all have food to eat, or no one does. We all have places to live, or no one does. Technology has reached a point where there is no need for ANYONE to be hungry, homeless, without health care, uneducated, or without the means to pursue happiness and full equality.

Bush is gone, and a breath of fresh air has moved into the White House. Rush Limbaugh is having a case of the vapors, and the right wing is in absolute misery. So this is the time for us to put our best foot forward and get busy. All help and support must be directed to those at the bottom because to help them means lifting all ships. Low income people and Welfare mothers - let's give 'em something to talk about.

(Photo courtesy: Flickr Creative Commons)

“Capitalism vs Democracy”

‘Cipients Speak! December 2008
by Maureen D. Taylor, MWRO State Chair

As we come to the end of the year, MWRO sends out greetings to our members across the state and to the welfare rights members across the country, the front-line fighters. Don’t get weary now! The American worker is looking at this collapse of an economy that we have all grown up under, and many questions abound.

Most of our lives, we have equated capitalism with democracy. People have the right to make money at the expense of someone else. Lights, gas, water – all natural resources have been privatized as corporations make millions at the hands of our suffering, and we are taught that this is the “American way.”

Retirees put their trust in these same corporations, and allowed these snakes to invest their pensions in stock market ventures, and now that their precious dollars are gone, the message is, “too bad!” We have seniors living well below the poverty level, juggling decisions to pay bills or pay for prescriptions, and we are okay with that?

Veterans who served honorably are living in homeless shelters, and we are okay with that? Southern congressional officials are demanding that northern workers accept the no-benefit salaries paid to non-union workers, and we are okay with that?

Capitalism doesn’t mean democracy, it equals terrorism.

The door is open to start rebuilding the country based on a new standard of living. Welfare Rights supports a guaranteed annual income for those unable to secure employment that maintains a level of existence well above poverty. If we can spend $10B per month over eight years for wars, we can keep people fed, clothed, and out of harms way.

The technology exists today to feed folk, to build cars that run on vegetable oil, to build affordable homes, to provide healthcare, and to make America closer to the dream that it was built on. We have to construct a new point of view that emphasizes that the needs of the many are more important than the needs of the few. Thank you, Mr. Spock! Happy Holidays to All!

UAW Exposes GOP Efforts to Punish Organized Labor

By Maureen D. Taylor,
MWRO State Chairperson

Last Friday, Dec. 12th, 2008, two days after the 60th anniversary that the Declaration of Human Rights was signed, the American worker was stabbed by corporate capitalism and their elected official friends. In a stunning betrayal of truth, a small Nazi-fringe of the GOP engineered the collapse of the auto-loan request designed to stop blue-collar workers from being put out on the streets.

This country is alone in its refusal to help shore up manufacturing entities making lack-luster politicians who heretofore stood mute, into outstanding champions for justice. Better late than never! No minor children should read beyond this point, because the language is about to take a low ride.

Today, AIG -- the American Insurance Group -- that was given billions over the last several weeks was caught again giving bonuses to their executive staff. According to our sources, some 78 administrative staff received these dollars ranging from $92K to $4M each! This would be the third such “gift” from our tax dollars provided to executives, while blue-collar workers are being asked to “grovel.”

UAW President Gettelfinger was impressive as he exposed the “secret GOP memo” that suggested methods and rationales for how to punish the UAW for their support of Democratic candidates over the years. Today, we learned the fees taxpayers paid to “right to work” states to bring off-shore auto manufacturers to Tennessee and to Alabama. He revealed the shocking $500M Tennesseans paid to Volkswagen to build a factory there along with years of tax abatements! He revealed the $252M paid to Hundai, the $29M paid to Toyota, the $158M paid to Honda, and the $253M paid to Mercedez by Alabamans so that these competitors could locate manufacturing hubs in America. He revealed the deal penned by our own Peter Karmanos, who purchased 2,500 Benz’s for his executive staff.

American workers should craft new plans for a better future. Suggestions: buy factories and start making our own cars – we know how! File tyranny charges against AIG, Alabama and Tennessee state senators and take them to court for crimes against American workers. Take over the production of all industries and operate them toward the benefit of working people everywhere. Research what elected officials in Indonesia, and China make so that these high and mighty senators can lead by example and start accepting similar salaries as they are demanding American workers to do. Juan Williams from Fox News suggested that blue-collar workers do earn too much, so we need to research what news broadcasters in Indonesia and Mexico make so he too can lead by example and accepts similar wages.

We have reached the end of an era. What will the next set of pages contain about how the world is to be run? You get what you organize to take. These corporations hate you. They hate your children. They would see you die from starvation, from neighborhood violence, from no health care, and we are walking into the crematoriums without so much as a whimper. Fool us once, shame on you…fool us over and over and over again, shame on us! Wake Up!

(Image from China Daily, includes Republican Senators Richard Shelby (AL), center; John Ensign (NV), and Jim DeMint (SC).

The Death Of Youth?

By Maureen D. Taylor
State Chair, MWRO

Little “Daniel” was eleven years old when he wondered into the thick brush near his home. Among the unkempt shrubs and trees, he found a discarded .22 caliber pistol. To his delight, after several tries, the gun discharged so he shot it several times into the air. One of the bullets found and killed “Mr. Bean” who was an innocent twenty-one year old walking down the street.

The Michigan courts decided after reviewing the background of “Daniel” that he was unsupervised and unaccounted for, especially since his mother was away from home at her job. Uncles and other relatives were asked to attend him, so sometimes they did, and other times, they didn’t.

Since no one cared, he was tried as an adult, found guilty, and sentenced to ten years in “kid” jail. When he was twenty-one, he was released. To the delight of the press, they photographed him as he walked away, wearing a fake-fur coat, a “zoot-suit,” a “pimp hat,” and red shoes someone had purchased for him.

Howls went up when it was suggested that the Governor had arranged for a job. “Why should this jail-bird get work when my kid can’t find a job?” The job vanished along with the apartment that he had been promised, and the educational spot that was arranged also went away.

Some months later after several minor offenses, he was stopped again by local authorities, and they found 232 “ecstasy” pills in his possession. He was charged with another crime of intending to sell drugs. Wonder where he got 232 pills from? Probably from the same person who bought those clothes and those red shoes.

Anyway, rather than go through another court case, this 22 year old shocked the court by telling his attorney that he was pleading guilty. He was sentenced to 4 years in an adult jail, and that was that. He will come back to us again in 2012, and I wonder how old will he be then?

Daniel was eleven when this terrible tragedy happened to him and to the young man who he shot. He was twenty-one when released, going on thirteen, and will be twenty-six when he is released again in 2012, going on fourteen. How could mothers and fathers let this happen? Oh well, just another “Bronx tail” about the death of youth.

(Image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons)