"Reform will come and only come through the building of mass movements and alternative centers of power that can overthrow -- let me repeat that word for Homeland Security -- overthrow the corporate state. If we fail to sever these chains, we will become like many who did not rise up in time to save their civil society's human chattel. This means we too must defy the law and engage in civil disobedience." --Chris Hedges
America is in a desperate state, and it is not just because of Donald Trump. Our problems are bigger than any one man. He is merely a symptom of a corrupt fascist system whose puppeteers believe in elite privilege, corporate rule, and dog-eat-dog competition that impoverishes people and destroys families and communities. Unless we overthrow the system, there will be more Donald Trumps in our future. Make no mistake about it, this abhorrent behavior isn't limited to the GOP. We have, for decades, watched the total disintegration of the Democratic Party into a corrupt, festering cesspool of unbridled power, dirty money, and fraudulent elections. There is no real difference between the Democrats and the Republicans. There is only the illusion of choice. Before we can make any real change, we must face the facts and stop believing in false narratives.
It is clear that, while we do not all agree with the specific tactics necessary to effect real transformation in our government, we recognize that we must band together in this battle for the common good.
To this end, we are calling for a National Strike on May 1, 2017, known and celebrated around the world as International Workers' Day. This day commemorates the Haymarket martyrs, who fought for an 8-hour day and defended workers' and union rights.
We know we are being lied to about taxes funding anything on a national level. Our currency is sovereign. We don't just use the money. We produce it. We have enough money to take care of what the people need, including health care for all as a right, good jobs for all at a decent living wage, and free education. They have no shortage of money when it comes to waging war; they run into financial problems when it comes to taking care of us. Our elected officials must understand that if they do not spend on we the people, they will be voted out.
Unions and workers alike must stand up against "right-to-work" legislation, which is nothing more than a transparent attempt at union-busting and an assault on workers' wages. Yet, conservative union leaders still believe they can work with Donald Trump, while other leaders believe that the Democrats -- in spite of their dismal track record -- will save them. History has shown that unions are saved by the workers themselves, not by labor leaders. It is up to us to put the pressure on from the bottom up.
Immigrants are being unfairly scapegoated as the cause of Americans losing jobs. We know better. We know that it is because of the greed of the corporate state that disastrous trade agreements, like NAFTA, have resulted in American jobs being outsourced overseas. We also know that American corporations are exploiting undocumented workers here at home by paying them slave wages. Make no mistake about it: We are in this situation because we have legislators who do not legislate. They have not been able to pass comprehensive immigration legislation for decades now. We believe in comprehensive immigration reform, but we demand that every undocumented person currently in America be offered a path to citizenship. They should not be made to suffer because our government does not do its job.
We believe in a new direction for this country that puts the needs of the majority above the wants of few oligarchs that control our lives right now. We need a strong third party that is built outside the established empire, a party that puts people over profits. We cannot continue to prop up a corrupt system and expect things to improve. There will be no change coming from either established party because, as long as we continue to support them, there is no need to change. We also believe that, even if by some miracle the Democratic Party returns as a party of the people, there will still be a need for more parties. The American people deserve more choice, and we lag far behind many other supposedly "less advanced" countries.
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