How To Pay For Universal Health Care?

This is one idea to consider.

How would free education and free medical care be paid for? Right now, each year billions of dollars go into the pockets of already wealthy capitalists. That’s one source of money to pay for these changes. Right now much of our tax dollars go to making repayments on the national debt, billions of dollars a year, and this is another source of money—if the banks and other financial institutions are nationalized, then the democratic political structure can rationally decide on realistic repayment options and interest rates, freeing up much of this money for public benefits. Another source is that, contrary to the common claim that private business can do everything cheaper, many things can be done more cheaply by government, by pooling resources, by maximizing economies of scale, by eliminating unnecessary paperwork. Before you guffaw, since government right now causes much unnecessary paperwork, let me point to a program that works well. In Washington State, the state provides worker’s compensation benefits—provides the insurance for workplace injuries. Private insurance companies, on top of their profits, run about 20% administrative costs. Since they are banned from operating in the state (except for large employers who can set up their own programs under certain conditions), and the state thus covers everyone, they keep the administrative costs to about 2%! In years when the state’s investments are paying well, the program has actually returned money to the state treasury, since there are no profits and since administrative/paperwork costs are so low. No doubt many government programs don’t work this way, but it is possible, especially when they are not set up to provide profits to the private sector. This is another source of billions.

There are no easy answers to this problem.  However, none of the candidates from either party is offering “universal” health care.  Some try to paint it as so but it is not universal.

The American Axel Strike Statement From SPUSA

This is a statement issued by the Socialist Party-USA in support of the workers of American Axel.

We urge striking American Axle workers to decisively reject any contract that includes cuts to wages, cuts or cost-sharing of healthcare or a reduction of pensions. It is rank-and-file American Axle workers, not UAW officials who are making the financial sacrifices in this strike, and it is the rank-and-file workers through their strike committees who ultimately have the power to determine where the strike will lead. As the current period demonstrates, making more concessions will not stop the overall concessionary trend; it will only re-enforce it. The only way to stop the cycle is for the American automotive industry to once again feel the collective strength of the working class.

We further call on all workers, whether organized or not, to actively join our brothers and sisters at American Axle in their struggle. The attacks by American Axle on its workers are one part of an escalating crackdown on the living standards of working people by an obsolete system that puts private profit before human need. The particular struggle of the American Axle strikers affects every worker in every industry. A victory in this strike would be a victory for the whole working class. We must keep the momentum going!

The Socialist Party supports this strike and calls for a more comprehensive program centered on democratic social ownership through worker’s control of the automotive and other industries. Social ownership will allow for the development of vehicles for the use and human needs of workers and consumers, rather than the private profit of a tiny few. Further, we stand for the right of all manufacturing and service workers to retain the full value of their labor time and all that they produce. Our program also calls for publicly-funded universal healthcare for all, the elimination of capital flight, and mandatory union-recognition based on card-check. We support militant, united labor action including hot cargo agreements and boycotts, factory committees, secondary and sympathy strikes, sit-down strikes, general strikes, and ultimately the democratic control of the workplaces. We encourage all UAW workers who agree with these demands to join us today! More generally, we want to work with all those who are prepared to confront the corporate bullies that are oppressing us.

Solidarity is coming from all quarters, workers are in support for their comrades at American Axel.

Democratic War Funding Bill

Here are the portions of the bill that the Dems will be voting on today or a bit later.

The proposed spending includes:

_$163 billion to pay for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for the rest of this year and several months into 2009, when the new president will take over responsibility for the two wars.

_Extending unemployment benefits for workers whose benefits have run out by up to 13 weeks nationwide and an additional 13 weeks in states with unemployment rates of 6 percent or greater, including Michigan, Alaska and California. Cost: $11.1 billion over 10 years.

_Greatly expanding education for active-duty members of the armed forces since Sept. 11, 2001. Under a formula related to years of service, the measure aims to provide the equivalent of a four-year education at a state university. Cost: $720 million over 2008-2009, but $52 billion if extended for a full decade.

_Requiring the Pentagon to start withdrawing troops from Iraq within 30 days, with a goal of completing withdrawal of combat troops by December 2009.

_Requiring that U.S. reconstruction aid to Iraq be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Iraqi government.

_Blocking new Bush administration regulations that would cut federal spending on Medicaid health care for the poor and disabled by $13 billion over the next five years.

_$5.8 billion to strengthen New Orleans levees, as requested by the administration.

_$4.6 billion for military construction projects, $2.2 billion over Bush’s request, including $210 million for child-care centers and $956 million to build military hospitals.

_$1.9 billion, $745 million more than requested by Bush, for international food aid, development assistance and disaster assistance.

Just thought that my readers might like to know where the money is going.

Do You Want To Help Workers Of American Axel?

The workers are still on strike, if any one here has been on strike you know the hardships that the strikers are suffering from.  Please, if you are near one of the striking plants, show some solidarity with the workers.  Stop by a sight and talk with the people, or bring them some snacks and hot coffee.  Or better yet grab a damn sign and walk the walk with the strikers.

If you are near these sights, please help the strikers in their efforts.


1840 Holbrook Ave, Hamtramck, MI 48212-3488
1 Manufacturing Dr, Three Rivers, MI 49093-8915
1001 E Delavan Ave, Buffalo, NY 14215
2390 Kenmore Ave, Tonawanda, NY 14150-7847
2799 Walden Ave, Cheektowaga, NY 14225

Your efforts will be much appreciated.

Is The Michigan Question Settled?

For months there has been a back and forth for the delegates from the state of Michigan.  The Detroit Free Press has printed the following plan.

Michigan Democratic leaders settled today on a plan to give presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton 69 delegates and Barack Obama 59 as a way to get the delegates seated at the national convention

Clinton won the Jan. 15 Michigan primary and was to get 73 pledged delegates under state party rules, while Obama was to get 55. The state also has 29 superdelegates.

The state party’s executive committee voted today to ask the national party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee to approve the 69-59 delegate split when it meets May 31. The plan would shrink Clinton’s delegate edge in Michigan from 18 to 10 and allow the state’s 157 delegates and superdelegates to be seated at the convention.

The state’s Democratic leaders also pushed back the date of the party’s State Central Committee meeting from May 17 to June 14 to give the rules committee time to act. The party is to pick 45 pledged delegates and two superdelegates at that meeting. It chose 83 pledged delegates last month at district conventions.

Will this be the end of this little piece of drama?  we can only pray so.

Pres. Bush Addresses Gas Prices

Yesterday I wasted a chunk of time watching the president’s press conference on the raising gas prices.  I came away with just one question, does this guy have a clue of what he is saying?  He said the the high price was hurting Americans, which was a very observant of him.  As with most of his recent press conferences, it is the fault of the Democrats in Congress.

They are blocking the domestic oil exploration and blocking the building of refineries.  Basically, ANWR needs to be opened and environmental restrictions need to be eliminated so that refineries can be built.  Now, are nay of you buy this bovine fecal matter?  If so, that morphine drip you are on is doing its job.

Does anyone really think that if oil companies could explore in ANWR would bring the gas prices down?  These companies are making obscene profits, investors are happy, so where would the incentive be to lower gas prices?

So, to blame America’s dependence on gas on the Democrats, is just about one of the dumbest things this president has ever said and there have been many to choose from in the past.

Anal-Ocity

Damn–this is gonna be a good year for dumbass statements by people–this one is from Josef Fritzl, the Austrian dude who kept his daughter in a hole in the floor for 24 yrs, while fathering several children with her.

Recently he told a German news paper:

“I am no monster,” Fritzl said though his lawyer Rudolf Mayer, according to the German tabloid newspaper Bild.

“I could have killed all of them, and no one would have known. No one would have ever found about it.”