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Clinton: We Can’t Be a Great Nation Without Manufacturing |
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| Hillary Rodham Clinton | |
The United States must invest in renewable energy and allow workers to freely join unions if it wants to revitalize the nation’s manufacturing, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton today told a national United Steelworkers conference today.
Three other Democratic candidates—Sen. Joseph Biden (Del.), former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio)—spoke yesterday at the conference in Cleveland. (Click here to read what they said.)
Sen. Clinton (D-N.Y.) told the more than 800 conference participants:
We are going to revitalize our manufacturing base. I don’t think we can be a great nation without a manufacturing base. If we don’t keep making things, we’re not going to sustain our economic standard of living or our quality of life.
Clinton also criticized the Bush administration for serving the interests of the wealthy instead of looking out for the nation’s middle class.
Also at the conference, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka presented the economics education program An Economy That Works for All, saying, “We all need to take part in this war of ideas.”
We can set the stage to build a movement to change our country’s economic policy—a movement that works for all of us. Our unions are ready to meet the challenge, but we need allies, progressive groups, economists…so we can win a workers’ agenda for economic justice to change the direction of the country.
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US manufacturing is becoming more and more a point of final assembly of high value components manufactured elsewhere. This is a tax shelter for multi-national corporations such as Toyota that inflate the pricing of these imported high value components (motors,transmissions,ect) and then yield a net loss on American sales, therefore paying no taxes on profit here while reaping the benefits of incentives given by local and state governments. This type of manufacturing relationship is of no overall good to America. Support American manufacturing by buying from American owned companies.
Hello Fellow Workers,
Sen Clinton will have to add more “teeth” to her Manufacturing Policy before she is handed the endorsement of the labor movement on a silver platter.
In Syracuse, New York, manufacturing jobs are being shredded. We just lost one of our oldest industries: Syroco. They made patio and lawn furniture. They were a company that was over 100 years old. Also they were nonunion.
In addition to closing the Syracuse-area plant, three other plants were also closed around the country, totaling around 330 affected workers.
Since it was under 100 workers at each workplace, the employer didn’t have to abide by the federal WARN Act. These workers didn’t even get a basic severance package. All they got was a notice posted in the plant on Friday, and then was informed on the following Monday that they have lost their jobs.
This bad news came on the heels of the closing of Camillus Cutlery. They were another 100-plus years old Syracuse company. They made a lot of hunting and Boy Scout knives. Those workers were steelworkers.
As a member of the Working Families Party in New York state, I’m supporting the 2nd tier candidates such as Sen. Edwards and Rep. Kusinech, who have stronger trade positions, for now.
Make Sen. Clinton work for the endorsement.
In solidarity,
moondog
Hillary was not only married to, but supported the position of the man who is single handedly responsible for the loss of more manufacturing jobs than even George W. NAFTA was the beginning of the end for the middle class in the United States. It gave corporated America not only the freedom, but the endorsement of the United States Governments to export manufacturing jobs to other North American Countries.
Many of the plant closings in America came with incentives paid by the same workers who lost their jobs. They are now employed in dead end jobs without proper health and welfare and pension plans the government is letting go bust while the corporations are raking in billions of dollars in profits and paying CEO millions of dollars in bonuses.
If this is the America you wish to see - support Hillary because she is no more than a Bush is a dress and will continue the destruction of America’s middle class.
Its time that we stopped letting companies move to 3rd world countries and then turn around and sell their products here in America. Lets just stop the importing all together. All it is is a political game that the rich use against the blue collar working person.
And we can’t have manufactruring as long as corporate America wants cheap overseas labor!
CHRYSLER IS NOW GOING TO BE BUILT IN CHINA,,,,,, Thanks to Chryslers CEO’s,,,,,,,,,Many yearss ago Lee Iacocca got credit for saving Chrysler,,,,he did not. CHRYSLER WAS BAILED OUT BY THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER ,,,,,,CHRYSLER’S CEO’s HAVE CONSISTENTLY SCREWED THE AMERICAN WORKERS………EVERY PRODUCT BUILT BY CHRYSLER SHOULD ‘NOT’ BE BOUGHT BY THE AMERICAN PUBLIC,,,,,PUT THEM OUT OF BUSINESS IN AMERICA
ROSS PEROT MADE THE FOLLOWING COMMENT YEARS AGO. IF NAFTA WAS MADE INTO LAW ,,,,THERE WOULD BE A HUGE SUCKING SOUND OF AMERICAN JOBS GOING OVERSEAS,,,,,,,HE WAS RIGHT.
Last night on CNN Lou Dobbs was reporting on Chrysler Corps new Chinese made Chery car and how the import tariff would be 2-1/2% whereas the tariff on US cars imported into China is 25%. Is this fair trade? Communist China has an advantage of cheap labor, no worker or environmental regulation , an artificially devalued currency and one way technology transfers from the US. Free trade is fair trade and from what I see, there is no reciprocity from the Chinese on anything. The trade treaty with China needs to be revoked and punitive tariffs applied to level the playing field until communist China decides to play fair, and that goes for all the other bogus free trade deals made by this and the last administration.
Paul,
Not only was Bill Clinton president, the Demacrats were the majority in the House and Senate and collaborated with the Republicans to jam NAFTA down our throats.
But what really got me fired up is when my Locals leaders were trying to pressure the rank and file to vote for Clinton and the Demacrats to be reelected. When I asked why we should support Clinton and the Demacratic Party their answer was “they won’t pass any laws that will make it harder for us to organize”. My reply was “they don’t have to. With the passage of NAFTA all jobs will be going south, Union and non Union. So who are you going to organize? and with Union jobs leaving you will be collecting less dues money which will severely weaken all Unions. They don’t have to pass laws to hinder your ability to organize because they knew with the loss of jobs and dues money they have killed the unions abilty to stay a force to be reckoned with”. They had no reply.
Hillary Clinton was also on the Wal-Mart board of directors and supported Wal-Marts policy of sending manufacturing jobs to China. Also she gave a speech the othe day to an India organization saying we need to have more Indians come in to the U.S. on work visa’s. They will work for ten thousand to fifteen thousand dollars less than American workers.
Right now the only Demacratic candidate who beleives in the US Constitution and supports the American Worker is Dennis Kucinnich. I hope I spelled his name right.
Hillary is a phony!
DUMP THE DEMOCRATS! ORGANIZE A NEW PARTY IN THE INTERESTS OF ALL WORKING PEOPLE! THERE IS STILL TIME!! The best thing that the organized labor movement could do is to refuse to endorse ANY Democratic Party candidate as it is now totally controlled by corporate interests. Hillary and Obama are rolling in MILLIONS of dollars from corportate intersts, both oppose SINGLE PAYER national health plans (want to retain coporate profits in the system). WHAT TO DO?
DO NOT COLLECT ANY MONEY OR FUND ANY DEMOCRATIC PARTY CANDIDATES AS THEY ARE ALREADY OWNED AND CONTROLLED BY CORPORATE INTERESTS! Especially Hilliary and Obama who are both rolling in TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM RIGHT WING ANTI-UNION AND ANTI-WORKER INTERESTS.
ANNOUNCE THE FORMATION OF A NEW PARTY ORGANIZING COMMITTEE TO DO THE FOLLOWING THINGS: PROPOSALS TO BE RATIFIED AT A FOUNDING CONVENTION PERHAPS FOR THIS FALL.
1. Establish the basic premises of the NEW PARTY:
To represent at every level of government the economic, social and political needs of the majority needs of the American people… the working people of America. That it represents and seeks to improve the life of all working people including undocumented working people.
Basic premise:
Human life and progress is possible only in a world that is ecologically sustainable and in which the global economy is democratically based to provide for universal human needs.
If the labor movement take the initiative to organize such a party for all working people (mostly UNORGANIZED at present), to throw out the Republican/Democratic war mongers, polluters, and corporate gangsters that have privated the federal government, they would provide A MEANS OF ENDING THE POLITICAL BANKRUPTCY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
Priority No.! End War and Militarism NOW otherwise inevitable economic collapse.
Oppose Iraq War, and all wars for oil and profit.
Oppose the Project for the New American Century - i.e. shut down nearly all of the 700 +!!! military bases around the world.
Cut back the military budget 50%. Audit the military, and intelligence budgets of last 6 years, where supposedly (OMB audit unaccounted for a trillion dollars?) in CIA budgests vast corruption and waste.
End privatization of the military. Close down mercenary armies such as Black Water before they become the “death squads” here in U.S. in the coming times of social upheaval due to increasing impoverishment of American working people.
Re-instate tax cuts of Bush administration. Go after tax cheats moving overseas (such as now Halliburton moving corporate office to Dubai. Henry Waxman is investigating!)
The labor movement (and the NEW LABOR PARTY to organize itself) must invest $$$ in starting new national television and radio networks for 24 news to help working people understand what is going on! Push Rush Limbaugh into retirement!
Break up national media monopolies that constantly brain-wash and dumb-down the natural intelligence of working people. IGNORANCE IS NOT BLISS FOR WORKING PEOPLE! ESPECIALLY WHEN IGNORANCE AND MIS-INFORMATION IS MPOSED BY CORPORATE INTERESTS TO EXPLOIT THE PEOPLE.
The gravity of our current situation today for working people is many crisis all happening at same time!!! Poor or no health insurance, poor schools, lack of affordable housing, fewer living wage jobs, etc! What we must do as a nation
to transform the economy. We must move away from corporatism, greed and corruption to an economy based on filling universal economic needs.
The time to act is now…… November 2008 is the goal to elect thousands of pro-labor pro-people into offices at every level of government. Elect good people competent and able to represent the people in their district.
Jerry,
I have written letters to the AFl-CIO as far back as thirty years ago when Lane Kirklannd was President urging them to fund or form a Labor Party. For some reasons they believe the Democratic Party is the way to go. I still believe we need a party that represens the majority of Americans and the time is NOW!!
Also lets get rid of the Inome Tax system and go to a flat tax. No deductions everybody pays. Also a Value Added Tax on goods to pay for national health care like they have in Europe. These ae just a couple of ways we can change things for the better.
Also Hillary and Edwards got caught with the mic on after their last debate. Seems like they don’t like real competition. They would like to limit the debates to just a few candiditates. According to Hillary the others are not serious. She is like Cheney, she talks out of both sides of her mouth. I like Kucinich and hope he runs as a third party or independent candidate.
You are right on and I agree with you. Keep writing and informing us.
I want to refine my thoughts a little from above: Mass media content is now totally controlled by corporate ownership. Both Democratic and Republican parties are now totally controlled by these same corporate interests. Thus the following “rant” comes out of a hope (a fantasy?) that in realizing the nature of problem, we still have a possibility of changing the situation. I really would like some feedback… especially if anyone in the labor bureaucracy has similar thoughts!
———————————————————————————————-
DUMP THE DEMOCRATS!
UNITE INTO A NEW THIRD PARTY NOW!
We the people, opposed to the destruction of the planet and it’s peoples, now atomized and powerless in “grass roots” and “special interest” groups, must unite our efforts and resources into a new party to replace the corrupt Democratic Party! A new party that rejects corporate funding in order to end the corporate plunder of the federal government.
A new party explicitly opposed to the Project for the New American Century. Opposed to unending war for profit and power. Cut the military budget by 50%, shut down the 700 military bases around the world. Re-instate taxes cut by Bush gang.
A new party that commits the entire resources of the country to end global warming, end imperialist wars, implements true non-profit universal health care. promotes mass transportation, develops renewaable energy, and produces the essentials for human survival.
A new party that promotes an economy that works towards fulfilling the economic needs of all the people, not just to profit a tiny minority of super wealthy. No more people living on the streets! No more hospitalized people being dumped into the streets when they have no money or health insurance! (See the film SICKO)
A new party to unite all of the oppressed people of this country. A new party that cuts across all the false social and cultural divisions that keep us forever powerless (racial, ethnic, age, language, etc.). A new party to unite us against the unending destruction of peoples and planet.
A SOCIALIST HUMANIST PARTY to promote the end of gangster capitalism, run-amok capitalism, which is supported by both Democratic and Republican parties.
A new party to support the labor movement and all working people. We urge the labor movement to stop supporting the Democratic Party (already besotted by corporate money), and to focus its precious resources to fund a new national radio and television network. By being on the air 24 hours a day the labor movement can provide the latest news, information, education and current affairs analysis desperately needed by all working people. This effort, combined with the formation of the new party, will be a bold step towards reviving the organized labor movement.
For years we have listened to radio programs like DEMOCRACY NOW! that has discussed with numerous “grass roots” groups desperately struggling to make a positive change in society. Anti-war protest groups, civil rights groups, union struggles, affordable housing groups, teachers unions, health care access, seniors about Social Security, have involved millions of people. Now is the time to unite the energy and resources of the people into a new party.
The new party provides a means of uniting the “special interest” agendas of each group into the platform of the new party. The new party candidates, selected from the various individuals and groups, would become the candidates representing their cause and the new party. The new party will contest for office at every level of government in order to take power. The new party will provide the new leadership and new programs this country desperately needs.
There is still time before November 2008 elections to start this process. Even the announcement and preparation for a founding convention of such a new party will shock both Democrats and Republican incumbents. They will know that their days are numbered!
The needs of all previous “minority” and “special interests” people now become the platform of the new party representing the vast majority of people. Can the existing activists of so-called “minority” and “special interest” groups overcome their existing powerlessness, and link up with each other to start this new party?
This all-inclusive struggle will attract millions of atomized working people, often non-voters and uninvolved people, who have been atomized, exploited, brain-washed by corporate media and ultimately destroyed by gangster capitalism.
P.S. RE: labor starting a new national radio and/or tv networK:
Just for the “hjello of it” I sent an email to AIR AMERICA and suggested that,
since AIR AMERICA has had terrific fininancial problems starting up, that perhaps the AFL-CIO, CtW and/or the larger unions could go to AIR AMERICA and make a deal. The unions could finance a block of time: 6 to 9pm every night, with no commercials, and that this block of time could be used to broadcast news, economic news for working people. interviews and discussions about the many problems working people face across the coutry, etc. Professionally done, interesting programs, perahaps some humor (go we sure need that!) and hopefully discuss the formation of a new national party for working people (NOT JUST ORGANIZED LABOR BUT FOR ALL!) etc.
I kind of doubt any response from AIR AMERICA. I have also proposed on several attempts that Pacifica radio network also carry such a program here in Los Angeles on KPFK radio. Response has been …. nothing. I know of WIN (Workers Independent News Service) but it is a “sound bite” of a couple of minutes of headlines.
On the web, I would reccommend one site: LabourStart (located in the U.K. thus the funny spelling of labor) go to: http://www.labourstart.org. They have massive amounts of news stories about labor and working conditions from just about EVERY country on the planet! They publish the articles in about a dozen different languages. Check them out… and notice one thing.
The attacks against working people are truly international in scope and very similar in tactics and depravity. In Europe, benefits such as 6 week vacations and 35 hour work weeks are being attacked and destroyed in the name of “productivity”. These essential benefits that make life worth living were the result of intense struggle of OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS by labor unions and socialist political parties. Sadly to say that today so-called “Labour” parties such as Tony Blair in England, have been in the forefront of this destruction of living standards and a major increase in poverty.
Immigration is a major problem in Europe as here in the U.S. Causes are similar as multi-national corporations destroy local economies, impoverish local subsistence farming, etc. and plunder the economies, causing millions to flee to find a sustainable income.
Don’t forget that the so-called IMMIGRATION PROBLEM in the United States has been caused by the implementation of NAFTA treaties, as about 1 million small farmers were unable to compete against US subsidized agribusiness that dumped corn into Mexio. Going back a few years, Arbenz of Guatemala, was overthrown, trying to put landless peasants onto unused banana plantation land. Overthrown by U.S. marines (see Bitter Harvest by Harrison Salisbury and also the more recent book OVERTHOW by Stephen Kinzer that discusses 14 (!) examples of us imperial policy since the overthrow of Hawaii by business men.
A new national radio network would present some of the history of what has happened in the last 100 years in the struggle to maintain life to educate working people of today who are mainly kept in total ignorance of WHY things the way they are.
The notion that all “commonwealth” or “socialistic” ideas are wrong, are like “communism” or “Stalinism” of the collapsed Soviet Union, must be dealt with.
Democratic Socialism that involves all the people at different levels in society in running the society, is nothing like “top down” barbaric and authoritarian systems such as occurred in the Soviet Union or China.
We have Social Security in this country, free access to public education, libraries, etc. which are supported by everyone through taxes, but are essential for working people to minimally survival. The Scandanavian countries have developed these institutions even further.
The Bush gang want to destroy all of these institutions for the common good and turn them into private businesses that destroy the universal access and the public control of the institutions. This is called Privatization (or as Nader says CORPORATIZATION) perhaps should be called simply “PLUNDER” or “PIRACY”. The objective of the newly privatized business is to maximize the profit derived from the new acquisition. The user cost must immediately go up. And to maximize profit the quality may go down. Access to the institution or service can become unaffordable to many of the former users. This becomes a crisis when it is water that is privatized, and can lead to civil war (as happened to Bectel in Bolivia).
There is a massive amount of information and news that most U.S. working people never receive BECAUSE THE INFORMATION IS CENSORED BY CORPORATE CONTROLLED MEDIA AND CORPORATE CONTROLLED POLITICIANS. YOUR “IGNORANCE” IS ‘BLISS’ FOR THE CORPORATE MASTERS, BUT NOT FOR YOU OR ALL WORKING PEOOPLE TRYING TO SURVIVE WITHOUT KNOWING HOW OR WHY THEIR LIVES ARE BEING DESTROYED.
Thus it is essential to re-educate the majority of working people who have been indoctrinated FOR GENERATIONS during the “cold war” period to think that any effort of “the government” to carry out efforts on behalf of all the people is somehow “EVIL”. It may be “evil” to the most wealthies who object to having some of their massive wealth diverted back to the common good of society.
This is why they are always saying they want to “take government of our backs” as if government is the problem. Conservatives hate “government” because it dares to say to millionaires and billionaires (top 1% now owns 90% of the wealth!) you have enough … you have too much … you have exploited to much from too many… you have “redistributed” the wealth from the many to yourselves. Now we wish to reverse the process in the name of economic justice and to achieve some degree of social equality.
This is what is meant by “socialism” in the “reformist” or social-democratic sense. If such a reformist socialism is impossible, due to the extreme power acquired by the ruling elite, then the society will degenerate into fascism, which is what we are rapidly approaching. There comes a time when masses of people realize they are being worked to death, starved to death, for no good reason except the pathological greed of the ruling elite. Then all hell breaks loose in civil war, anarchy, “revolutionary” socialism. etc. but it is never certain or sure the outcome against barbarism is certain, but the struggle is inevitable.
“Humanism” above is used in the sense of universal humanity, in the worth of all humans, as in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (which is U.S. Law from acceptance of the treaty, and by the way, article #5 prohibits torture, so Bush gang is involation of this U.S. Law) Thus the anti-immigration laws under discussion.especially by Sensenbrenner, must be opposed. Immigration Reform must grant human rights, labor rights, driver’s licenses, etc. NAFTA treaty must be voided and the multi-nationals stopped from destroying economic life of peoples for profit.