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On Labor Day Obama Says Workers Will Lead Us Out of Economic Crisis |
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In his first official Labor Day proclamation, President Obama praised America’s workers and made it clear workers will pull the nation out of its economic crisis and “lead us into a new era of prosperity and progress.”
In the proclamation, Obama says:
Working Americans… have carried the nation through times of challenge and uncertainty and propelled America through eras of peace and prosperity. They have long formed the backbone of our nation’s economy, and they will continue to lead our nation to new heights in the years to come.
Obama is showing his commitment to working people by spending Labor Day at the Cincinnati AFL-CIO’s 23rd Annual Labor Day picnic, the largest event of its kind in the country. In a typical year the picnic draws in 15,000 to 20,000 people. Bill Clinton and Al Gore attended the picnic in 1992.
In his proclamation, the president also praised the union movement for giving ”voice to the aspirations and concerns of millions of men and women.”
By fighting for decent working conditions, as well as fair wages and benefits, organized labor has stood for the rights of everyday Americans. With determination and commitment, labor has advocated for all working families and all have benefited of their struggles.
This Labor Day, as we honor our workers, and we renew our commitment to uphold the American Dream and the founding promise of our nation: in America, we can make of our lives what we will, and all things are possible for all people.
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Here is a more critical view of Obama’s Labor Day platitudes:
Obama on Labor Day: Hollow promises of economic recovery
By Patrick Martin
8 September 2009
Speaking to an AFL-CIO Labor Day picnic in Cincinnati, Ohio, President Barack Obama declared that “our recovery plan is working,” and that the US economy is “moving in the right direction,” despite the ongoing destruction of working class living standards and the steady rise in the unemployment rate, which hit 9.7 percent in August.
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The president did not bother to explain to his Labor Day audience why the insurance companies are actually supporting the administration’s plan. This is in large measure because they have been given explicit assurances by the White House that there will be no threat to their profits. Representatives of the insurance companies, the drug manufacturers and the big hospital chains are in daily consultation with the White House on the details of the plan.
(Read the full article here:)
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/sep2009/lday-s08.shtml
Yes, Obama, like all the Democrats but a few members of the Progressive Caucus, is in the pocket of the Mega Insurance conglomerates, The AFL should have fought hard for Single Payer instead of a weak ‘public option.”
It was obvious we were being sold out when Obama met with insurance and pharmaceutical hacks and never with any members of Physicians for National Health Plan, Nurses, or Single Payer advocates. Has Obama invited one union member or leader to any meeting on the economic crisis his corporate controlled party helped to create? Where is Joe Biden, who helped create the legislation that allowed the financial instruments that crashed our economy, while screwing workers? We need a LABOR PARTY1
For years organized labor has supported the Democracts and for forty plus years the people of the United States have returned to Congress nearly all incumbents.Why do we expect anything to change?We have got to be the dumbest bunch of voters on the planet.We are lied to every election and we buy it evertime,we have ourselves to blame and yes we really do need a LABOR PARTY and LABOR REPRESENTIVES that are not in bed with these lying politcians.