Minneapolis, MN – About 40 protesters held signs reading “No war for the holidays” and “Stop endless wars” to engage with holiday shoppers at the busy intersection of Hennepin and Lagoon Avenues in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis, December 21.

A statement issued by organizers says in part, “Endless U.S. wars drag on around the world. From Afghanistan, to Iraq, to Syria, to Yemen, to Somalia, the endless wars continue. There is a danger of new U.S. wars, especially against Iran and north Korea.”

The statement points out, “Recently the Washington Post published The Afghanistan Papers, thousands of pages of government documents which showed that the Bush, Obama and Trump administrations misled the people of the U.S. about the war in Afghanistan. That war continues.”

“The Trump administration has sometimes given lip service to ending the endless wars, yet the wars go on. In Syria, the U.S. government said it would withdraw, but days later had relocated U.S. troops to seize the Syrian oil fields. These wars will only end when the people demand an end to the wars.”

Emma Fiala, a member of Women Against Military Madness, opened the protest, “As the U.S. military budget is increased to fund these endless wars, important social services are being threatened. Our tax dollars should be spent on health care, housing, education and other social programs. Not on war. The people are facing more cuts in social programs, like Food Stamps — cutting off tens of thousands from food.” She concluded, “We must continue to say no to more wars, bring all of the troops home, and fund human needs now!”

Other speakers included Kristin Dooley, the director of Women Against Military Madness and Mike Madden, a member of Veterans for Peace. The crowd sang anti-war songs to the tune of Christmas carols in between speakers.

Meredith Aby-Keirstead, a member of the MN Anti-War Committee, was the last speaker. She concluded with, “We need to insist that there be real change in U.S. foreign policy! We need to not settle for just better than Trump. We don’t want bombs dropped by a president who has a vocabulary above the fourth grade but who happens to be a woman or gay. We want the bombs to stop being dropped!”

The protest was initiated by Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and endorsed by the MN Anti-War Committee, Every Church A Peace Church, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Mayday Books, Minnesota War Tax Resistance, Party for Socialism and Liberation, St. Joan of Arc Peacemakers, Socialist Action, Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Veterans for Peace, Welfare Rights Committee, and Women Against Military Madness.

#Minneapolis #MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #MiddleEast #warOnTerror #TrumpAdministration #TheAfghanistanPapers #MNAntiWarCommittee

St. Paul, MN – Hundreds of Somali American families gathered on the State Capitol grounds, Jan. 6, to protest shutdown of hawalas. Hawalas are the only way that Somalis in the U.S. can send money to relatives in their homeland. 3 million people in Somalia depended on these remittances for survival. Because of U.S. government restrictions stemming from the ‘war on terror,’ Sunrise Community Bank, the one bank that used to process funds for all of the hawalas in Minnesota, stopped working with hawalas in late December. This is a cause of great anguish for people fearful for their families in Somalia. One demand is for the U.S. to grant a waiver so the bank will resume processing wire transfers via hawalas.

#SaintPaulMN #SaintPaul #warOnTerror #SomaliImmigrants #Somalia #Hawalas #Africa

On the heels of the attacks on 9/11, the U.S. launched its criminal war in Afghanistan in October with the stated purpose of hunting down Osama Bin Laden. They launched their bombing campaign in the face of Taliban leader Mullah Omar's expressed willingness to cooperate in capturing Bin Laden. Come October 2011, this war will have dragged on for a decade, costing nearly $500 billion and the lives of 1670 U.S. troops, with tens of thousands of Afghans killed and seriously injured.

The illegal war in Iraq was instigated by Bush's lies regarding Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. In the political climate following 9/11, the corporate media supported and parroted whatever the White House and Pentagon said. The U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq cost $800 billion, the lives of 1.4 million Iraqis, more than 4000 U.S. troops dead and more than 100,000 wounded. It is noteworthy that more than 300 times as many deaths occurred in these two wars than in the 9/11 attacks. Likewise, since 9/11, under the guise of the ‘war on terror,’ the U.S. has expanded wars and interventions in Colombia, the Philippines, Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Pakistan, Sudan and elsewhere.

Most recently, the U.S./NATO attacked Libya, seeking to establish a firm foothold in North Africa. All of these wars and interventions are about nothing more than strengthening the power of U.S. imperialism and of lining the pockets of the U.S. ruling class with the spoils of war in the form of oil and other natural resources. For the people of these countries, it means war, occupation and repression, along with the complete violation of their national sovereignty.

All the while, the people of the world, from Afghanistan and Libya, to Colombia and the Philippines continue to fight for self-determination and national liberation. We in Freedom Road Socialist Organization, along with progressive people everywhere, support them with the knowledge that our struggles are linked. The U.S. ruling class, oppressor of nations all over the world, likewise stands on the backs of working and oppressed people here. While the economic depression creates havoc at home for working people, the rich and powerful act as war criminals overseas.

The U.S. government was quick to shift public opinion in its favor following the Sept. 11 attacks. Bush's “with us or against us” mentality left no room for sane discussion in the mainstream media. This fueled the fire for the notorious Patriot Acts that were quickly pushed through as part of the package deal of repression and war. As a result, an era of state terror against Arabs and Muslims began. Tens of thousands of Arabs and Muslims were subject to ‘special registration,’ put on no-fly lists, placed under surveillance and persecuted by the U.S.'s racist response to 9/11.

Not long after, it became clear that the web of domestic spying was being widened to include the progressive and anti-war communities generally. We understand this particularly well since the law enforcement officer “Karen Sullivan” infiltrated Freedom Road Socialist Organization, along with other groups we are active in, in the build up to the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minnesota. This infiltration led to the FBI raids on the homes and offices of 11 activists on Sept. 24, 2010, subpoenaing them to testify in a grand jury investigation concerning alleged “material support for terrorism.” Today, a total of 24 activists are targets of the investigation, with the threat of indictments looming.

U.S. imperialism is in decline, and the rich and powerful are growing more desperate by the day. As we said in our 2010 Main Political Report, “The 'war on terror' launched by the Bush administration was a dramatic attempt by the rulers of the United States to counteract the long running decline of Wall Street’s empire, by using military means. It ended in a series of defeat and stalemates, causing the phrase ‘war on terror’ to be quietly dropped from the Pentagon’s lexicon. The result is that on every continent, the U.S. finds itself struggling to find the methods and forms to maintain its domination, in the context of a declining ability to do so.”

The tragedy of 9/11 happened as a direct consequence of U.S. imperialist policy around the world. As long as these policies, which are part and parcel to the capitalist system itself, are allowed to continue, we will see further tragedy. The U.S. government repression, resulting from the cynical manipulation of this tragedy, has come down on FRSO and our friends because we have steadfastly resisted the ongoing wars and repression, both here and around the world. Likewise people around the world are continuing to fight back against the forces of empire. Despite all of the obstacles that face us in the days, months and years to come, we will continue to resist with all our might until, through mass struggle, a new era of peace, justice and equality is won.

#UnitedStates #InJusticeSystem #Editorials #PeoplesStruggles #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #warOnTerror #911 #IraqWar #September11 #September24FBIRaids #AfghanistanWar #LibyaWar #politicalRepression

Chicago, IL – More information trickled out to the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) and Chicago’s Coalition for People’s Rights (CPR), May 9, about the previous week’s freezing of the Abudayyeh family’s bank accounts. The family and supporters learned that entity behind the freeze is the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

On May 6, Hatem Abudayyeh and his wife Naima found that they could not use their ATM card. The couple, who have a five-year old daughter, spent the Mother’s Day weekend in limbo. Hatem Abudayyeh is one of 23 activists in the Midwest subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury in Chicago since September 2010. Abudayyeh – a community organizer – along with the other 22 anti-war and international solidarity activists, refused to testify, recognizing that the U.S. government was starting another McCarthy-style witch hunt, trying to get organizers to testify against their movements.

According to a statement issued by the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and Chicago’s Coalition for People’s Rights, “Supporters of the Abudayyehs and the other 22 activists have learned that apparently OFAC can block your assets pending an investigation on charges of ‘material support for a foreign terrorist organization’ without a hearing. No evidence is required to freeze assets. In the case of the Abudayyeh family, assets mean money for food and rent. As this statement is written, officials won’t even acknowledge that they are the source of the freeze.”

People across the country and the world are taking action. On the morning of May 9, hundreds called the office of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, the prosecutor behind the grand jury. Late in the afternoon of May 9, after learning what agency was behind the bank account freeze, organizers issued an action alert to make calls to the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control May 9 and 10. The demands for both call-ins are the same: “Unfreeze the bank accounts of the Abudayyeh family. Stop repression against Palestinian, anti-war and international solidarity activists.”

Since an FBI agent infiltrated the anti-war and international solidarity activists’ groups in 2008, there have been no charges or indictments. However, the most recent statement by CSFR and CPR notes, “The freezing of the Abudayyeh family's bank accounts suggests that the danger of indictments is imminent.”

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #Palestine #warOnTerror #HatemAbudayyeh #FBI #FederalBureauOfInvestigationFBI #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression

A Freedom Road Socialist Organization welcome to the March on the RNC

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization welcomes everyone coming from near and far to protest the Iraq War, the Republican agenda and to advance the demands for peace justice and equality on Sept. 1 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Like you, we oppose four more years of occupation, war, repression and racism.

We are here to build the movements for social justice and peace, to get the U.S. out of Iraq now and stop the Republicans from putting McCain in the White House. We want to put an end to Bush’s never ending ‘War on Terror,’ along with inequality and oppression at home and the occupation of sovereign countries by the armies of empire abroad.

Our voices will be heard loud and clear on the streets when Bush addresses the RNC convention Monday night. We think the March on the RNC Sept. 1, along with all the other protests will help to defeat McCain and make him a footnote in high school history books. We will march with you and tens of thousands of others. We will make history. Our protests will be the front-page photo in many newspapers around the world. The Republicans came to Saint Paul to hide from the American people, but we will not let them rest easy. Every day of this convention we plan to confront and oppose the Republicans, McCain and his wealthy backers. We say, “Stop the war! Stop McCain!”

The Republicans blame everybody but the class of billionaires who run this country for the problems we face. They will spew their hate filled rhetoric inside the Xcel center – which they have fortified like a bunker. They are terrified of working, oppressed and progressive people of all kinds advancing an agenda of real change – change that puts the people and our needs first and says to hell with the elite and corporate profits.

Our protests will be outside, in the open air. They will let the world know our demands for a just society. Our movements will demand money for human needs, not for war and occupation. We demand universal health care, money for public education, housing for the homeless, jobs for the unemployed and money and justice for all those who suffered during Hurricane Katrina. We can never forgive or forget how Bush and the Republicans left low-income African-American people stranded on bridges while the floodwaters rose.

We demand and end to racist discrimination. We support immigrants’ rights and demand legalization and full equality for all. We defend women’s right to choose and control their bodies. We want Gays and Lesbians to be able to marry and have all the rights of other Americans. And we will support workers and unions fighting for a fair wages and benefits, and oppose even more tax cuts for corporations for the rich. We support homeowners and renters being evicted from their homes while the bank and mortgage bosses continue to make millions. Our marches and protests will reflect our diversity and our unity.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization aims to end capitalism – a system that is based on inequality, exploitation and oppression. Our vision is for peace, unity, and socialism. We know this system we live under cannot deliver what we want. We know the politicians of both parties are bought and paid for by the rich. This system is based on empire, dominating peoples of other countries, while exploiting and oppressing people here at home.

The time has come to unite all who we can to defeat the main enemy in front of us at this time. McCain’s idea of occupying Iraq “for 100 years” cannot become reality. Our aim is to express the just demands of hundreds of millions of Americans, uniting with the oppressed and exploited around the world, to build a movement that will do away with not just the Republicans, but also the wealthy class that rules this country.

#StPaulMN #SaintPaulMN #AntiwarMovement #CapitalismAndEconomy #PoorPeoplesMovements #InJusticeSystem #Labor #OppressedNationalities #Editorials #RepublicanNationalConvention2008 #warOnTerror #Statement #Iraq #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #McCain

Comunidades pobres y de clase trabajadora, ya azotadas por los cesos y reducciones dehoras de trabajo que resultan de la recesión económica, están a punto de sufrir aun mas como los gobiernos estatales y municipales empiezan a cortar los servicios de salud, escuelas y gobierno local, cosas necesarias para nuestras familias.

La recesión ha causado una caída grande en los ingresos de los estados. En Abril, las entradas de los gobiernos estatales mostraron una baja de 20% en comparación con el año anterior. Ademas, las pérdidas en la bolsa de valores ha obligado a algunos gobiernos locales y estales a contribuir mas a los fondos de jubilación de sus empleados. Esta baja en ingresos estatales ha causado que algunos estados han cortado programas y aumentado impuestos. Aquí en California, el deficit que se proyecta es de $25 mil millones, de un presupuesto total de $100 mil millones.

Los estados tambien se encuentran atrapados por la política federal de obligarles a cubrir mas de los costos de bienestar social, en términos de ayuda pública y cuidado de salud. Durante una recesión económica, la demanda para estas servicios aumenta (por ejemplo, el número de personas recibiendo ayuda pública ha aumentado por primera vez en varios años), pero los estados están recibiendo menos ingresos. Porque los estados tienen que balancear a sus presupuestos (cosa que el gobierno federal no necesita hacer) esto significa recortar programas precisamente cuando hay mas necesidad.

Algunos estados, como Missouri y Massachusetts, se han encontrado en una situación tan apretada como para haber necesitado que han demorado la entrega de dinero extra que pagaron los ciudadanos en impuestos. La legislatura de Oregon ha hecho recortes grandes en el presupuesto de las escuelas. El gobernador “Nuevo Demócrata” de California, Gray Davis, ha intentado balancear el presupuesto por medio de cortar servicios de salud para los pobres, cesar a los empleados estatales, pasando la responsibilidad de programas sociales a los condados, y usando dinero prestado, proveniente de los resultados de la demanda en contra de la industria de tabaco, y de distritos escolares.

Minnesota se ha encontrado en una situación presupuestuaria tan mala como para hacerlo recurrir a mecanismos de contabilidad tipo Enron, y con ataques a los servicios sociales. Esto significa que mas tarde este año va a haber una crisis aun mayor. Illinois planea atacar a los empleados públicos. La respuesta de los gobiernos estatales a las deficiencias presupuestuarias es sencilla. Los políticos intentan balancear sus presupuestos en los hombros de los pobres y los trabajadores. En este proceso los mas afectados son las minorías oprimidas.

La crisis de los presupuestos estatales tambien afecta a los municipios y los condados, quienes reciben gran parte de sus fondos del estado. Durante la última recesión, en 1991, California balanceó su presupuesto principalmente cortando los fondos a los condados, que hacían la mayor parte de los servicios sociales. Estas entidades ademas de muchas organizaciones no-lucrativas, se encuentran doblemente impactados, como sus ingresos se van bajando mientras que la necesidad para sus servicios se aumentan.

Por supuesto, si los políticos no fuesen títeres de las grandes corporaciones, sería posible balancear los presupuestos mentras que se mantenían, o hasta expandían, a los servicios sociales. Aqui en California, organizaciones de consumidores, de comunidades y sindicatos, juntos con algunos políticos locales, lucharon a favor de un aumento de impuestos en personas de alto ingreso. Pero la resistencia de la legislatura republicana y el gobernador demócrata paró a este esfuerzo. En vez de eso, el gobernador pretende aumentar los impuestos de cicarros y gasolina, mas imponer un pequeño aumento en los impuestos de ventas, lo que no afecta especialmente a los ricos que son los que pueden pagar mas.

La “guerra en contra del terrorismo” del presidente Bush y sus aumentos de las fuerzas armadas significan que el gobierno federal no da tantos recursos a los servicios de salud y escuelas. Esto aprieta mas a los presupuestos estatales y municipales, que pagan casi la totalidad de los costos de las escuelas. El gobierno federal tambien pudiera ayudar transferiendo mas dinero a los gobiernos estatales y locales. Lo mejor sería si el gobierno federal pudiera cancelar a los cortes de impuestos de los ricos que se implementaron el año pasado, o si rediciera al presupuesto militar. Pero aun sin pedir esto de parte de los político, el gobierno pudiera conseguir dinero prestado y transferir una parte a los gobiernos estatales y municipales, ya que no existe ningún requesito que el presupuesto federal sea balanceado.

Ahora mismo, muchos políticos están utlizando a la crisis del presupuesto para sacar ventajas para las elecciones de Noviembre. Aquí en California, el gobernador está amenazando de parar los cheques de ayuda pública y los fondos para servicios sociales si los republicanos no le aprueben su presupuesto. Piensa echar la culpa a los republicanos con tal de avanzar su campaña re-eleccionista. Los gobiernos municipales y de los condados se van a encarar con mas cortes presupuestuarios cuando se revisa al presupuesto al fin del verano. Los sindicatos y organizaciones comunales deben prepararse ahora mismo para resistir a los cortes de programas que nos acercan.

#EstadosUnidos #Analysis #BudgetCuts #BudgetCrisis #crisisOfCapitalism #welfare #healthCare #safetyNet #warOnTerror #militarySpending

For the people of Afghanistan, the “war on terror” has been a war of terror. Some people say that the American bombing campaign has taken the lives of 4500 people. Other estimates are higher. In any event, no one here should be fooled. The bombing targets included hospitals and old folks homes, the Arab media and the Red Cross (twice). Nothing can justify this.

And the war continues. It is likely go on for the some time. No one wants their country occupied by foreign powers. So, the people of Afghanistan will mount a resistance. Its scope and power remain to be seen, but it will certainly be a factor.

The Bush administration says it has a “public relations” problem. They are right about that. But PR or no PR – Marines brandishing M-16s on the streets of Kandahar and Special Forces threatening people at hospitals speak volumes about U.S. intervention. For that matter, no spin-doctor can cover up the criminal bombing that took place in the villages around Tora Bora. Bush spokesmen say it never took place, while the rest of us can look at the pictures in the newspapers of dead bodies and kids without legs.

Collapse of the Taliban

The Afghan people have a long history of fiercely defending their independence. The British tried, and the story of their occupation could have been entitled “no one gets out of here alive.” A month into the bombing campaign, the Pentagon was referring to the Taliban forces as “seasoned fighters” and “tough customers.” So what happened? Why did the cities fall so quickly?

Some of the answer lies in the technological power of the U.S. military. Fifteen thousand pound bombs are no joke. But the Vietnamese faced those same bombs, waged a people's war, and Saigon became Ho Chi Minh City.

The ability of the Taliban to resist has been limited because their reactionary policies undermined their popular support. No matter how favorable the terrain, without active popular support it's impossible to wage and win a guerrilla war.

War Aims

With or without the events of Sept. 1l, the U.S was on a collision course with Afghanistan. On a political level, countries that maintain their independence, for whatever reasons, are labeled “rogue states” and the Taliban government was on the short list to join that list. Sanctions were already in place, and from there it is a short step to war.

From an economic perspective, Afghanistan is important to the corporate heads that call empire building “globalization.” The oil reserves of the former USSR, especially those of central Asia, are critical. So are plans to put oil and gas pipelines throughout Afghanistan. The strategic significance of these oil reserves is accented by the growing radicalization of the Arab peoples. Time is not on the side of the Saudi rulers, nor on that of the other Arab elites who have pledged their loyalty to the dollar. So, alternative sources of oil need to be developed.

Limits of Empire

In the early 1970's, the U.S. was at the height of its power. Blows from the national liberation movements in Asia, Africa and Latin America, along with the rise of competition from Europe and Japan signaled an end to the “American century.” The standard of living here has declined each year since 1973, as corporations have restructured themselves and society to maintain rates of profit and compete effectively.

The fall of the Soviet Union gave the U.S. more room to maneuver. But more room to act is different that “do as you will, when you will.” In no place is this more clear than the Middle East, where events are spinning out of Washington's control.

All War, All the Time?

For American policy makers, the world is a dangerous “with us or against us” sort of place, so, according to this view, there are lots of terrorist, terrorist-supporting, and weapons of mass destruction producing countries.

Defense Secretary Rumsfield was correct in saying the U.S. cannot wage a war with everyone in the world at the same time. So, a debate is underway in the White House and Pentagon about who to strike next. Iraq, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan are among the place under discussion. In some places the U.S. will use proxies to fight its wars. In others, American intervention will be more direct – U.S. ships, troops and planes.

An element of U.S. strategy is the attempt to criminalize the fight for national liberation – to put a “terrorist” tag on freedom fighters.

It is important to recall that the U.S. is already playing a military role in Colombia and the Philippines The longest air war since Vietnam is being directed against Iraq. Israel's occupation would be impossible without U.S. assistance.

The anti-war movement has its work cut out for it. We need to demand “no new targets!” The sanctions and bombing campaign against Iraq needs to be ended, and we should be on guard for any moves to expand the war on Iraq. With the possibility open for the dramatic escalation of the war in Colombia, it's critical that demands are raised to bring U.S. military personnel home and to cut off assistance to Colombia's death squad government.

Finally, there is the issue of Palestine. It is unfortunate that many progressives have turned a blind eye towards Israel's occupation. The effort to liberate Palestine is central to the Arab people as a whole. Aid to Israel must end.

#UnitedStates #AntiwarMovement #Analysis #Afghanistan #warOnTerror #911 #taliban #Asia

Poor and working class communities, already hit hard by layoffs and shorter work hours from the recession, are about feel more pain as state and local governments cut health care, education, and other social services that our families need.

The recession has caused a large fall in state tax revenues. In April, taxes paid to state governments fell more than 20% from a year earlier. In addition, the falling stock market has forced some state and local governments to chip in more money to their employees' retirement funds. This drop in tax monies has led state governments to cut social programs and raise some taxes. Here in California, the projected budget deficit for the 2002-03 fiscal year is $25 billion, out of a total budget of $100 billion!

Currently, 43 states are experiencing budget shortfalls. The National Governors' Association estimates that state budget deficits will come in between $40 and $50 billion for fiscal year 2002. All this adds up to the deepest set of state budget crises in 20 years.

States are also in a bind because of the federal government policy of making them more responsible for the safety-net in terms of health care and welfare. During a recession, demand for these services increases (for example, there has been an increase in the welfare rolls for the first time in years), but states are faced with less tax revenues. Because states (unlike the federal government) must balance their budgets, it means cutting back on programs just when the need is greatest.

Some states, including Missouri and Massachusetts, have found their budget situation so bad that they have resorted to delaying payments for state tax refunds in order to conserve cash. The Oregon state legislature has made major cuts to their schools' budgets. California's “New Democrat” Governor Gray Davis is proposing to close the state budget gap by cutting health care for the poor, laying off state workers, shifting social service programs to county government and by borrowing monies from school districts and the tobacco lawsuit funds.

Minnesota has responded to its budget crisis by attacking social services and by Enron-type accounting practices – which means that a larger budget crisis will develop later this year. Illinois plans to attack public employees. The response of state governments to the budget shortfalls is simple. Politicians try to balance the budget on the backs of poor and working people. In this process, the hardest hit are the oppressed nationality communities.

The state budget crisis also threatens city and county governments, which receive much of their funding from the state. During the last recession in 1991, California balanced its budget mainly by cutting funds to counties, who are the providers of most social services. These local governments, as well as many non-profit social service agencies, are feeling a double whammy as their tax revenues and donations decline, even as demand for services increases.

Of course, if politicians were not in the pockets of big business, the budget deficits could be closed while continuing to fund, or even expand, needed social services. Here in California, consumer, community, and labor organizations, along with some local politicians, fought for an increase in taxes on high-income households. However, opposition from the democratic governor and republican legislators stopped this effort. Instead, the governor is supporting a small increase in sales taxes, as well as taxes on cigarettes and gasoline – both of which would not single those who can best afford to pay: the rich.

President Bush's “war on terrorism” and his big military build-up mean that the federal government budget skimps on spending for education and health care. This adds to the pressure on state and local budgets, which pay for almost all schooling. The feds could help by transferring funds to state and local governments. It would be best if the federal government cancelled last year's tax cut for the wealthy, cut back on the huge military build-up, or both. But even without asking this of politicians, the federal government could borrow more money and transfer the funds to state and local governments, since the federal government does not have a balanced budget requirement.

Right now, many politicians are trying to use the states' budget problems to position themselves for the upcoming elections in November. Here in California, the governor is threatening to stop welfare checks and funds for social services if republican legislators won't agree to his budget – hoping to blame them, and help his reelection campaign. City and county officials will also be faced with more cuts after state budgets are revised or passed this summer. Community organizations and labor unions need to get organized now to fight the program cuts that are coming down.

#UnitedStates #Analysis #BudgetCuts #BudgetCrisis #crisisOfCapitalism #welfare #healthCare #safetyNet #warOnTerror #militarySpending