Current Issues

If there were such a thing as a perfect economic storm, I would say we are close to it.

The housing crisis continues and shows no sign of ending; credit and money markets are either churning or freezing up; the stock market is gyrating; unemployment is leaping upward (sharply so in the communities of the nationally and racially oppressed); poverty is up and wages are down; oil and food prices are climbing; the value of the dollar is falling sharply compared to other currencies; the level of indebtedness is astronomical and will be difficult to unwind in the near term. And we sit on the edge of a financial collapse with all the accompanying dislocation and hardship that it would bring.

As the Bush administration attempts to ram a bailout package of nearly one trillion dollars through Congress, it begins to feel like Colonel Sanders asking the public to trust him to take care of the chickens.

If it weren’t so damn serious, there would be something almost comical about it. Here we have the White House, which has squandered trillions of dollars over eight years, and its point man, Hank Paulson, fresh from 38 years of gaming the financial system while working at Goldman Sachs, insisting that Congressional leaders hand over a trillion dollars to them with no debate and no strings attached.

The shockwaves from the financial crisis have left working class families in every part of the country in a state of great worry and fear.

Over $100 billion of public money has been spent to bail out huge financial corporations while millions of people are losing their homes, losing their health care, losing their pensions, losing their jobs and losing college loans. Those who have been paid the least, African American, Latino and women workers, are losing the most.

The week of September 15, 2008 has been a dramatic and unprecedented period in the world of high finance. The economic crisis is not over despite what some pundits and politicians have claimed. A series of government interventions have changed the map of banking and finance.

The Beijing Olympics represent a vision of the kind of future for which the Communist Party USA strives: a world where people from hundreds of countries come together peacefully to enjoy a common cause.

205 states will participate in the Olympic games, many of whom are in conflict with each other. Iraq and the United States, Israel and Palestine, Russia and Georgia, the D.R. Congo and Rwanda, Sudan and Chad: All of these nations and dozens more will be part of a single, peaceful event.

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In This Newsletter:
American Axle workers face big pay cuts
Action Alerts: Chinese workers; Working Woman Survey
Zimbabwe Labor Leaders Arrested
Indian Workers hunger strike enters second week
Clean Car Wash Campaign
Jobs with Justice Conference
Crandall Canyon Cover-up
Election 2008: McCain Revealed kicks into high gear, new endorsements
Union Jobs (still more needed!)

McClatchy newspapers
guardian.co.uk, Friday May 16 2008

The California Senate yesterday passed legislation that would delete membership in the Communist party as a reason for firing a public employee, a Cold War-era prohibition intended to root out communists.

Democratic Senator Alan Lowenthal called communism a "failed system," and said his bill - Senate Bill 1322 - was intended to protect "the constitutional freedoms that we have fought so valiantly for," including freedom of political affiliation.

to view full article click: guardian.co.uk

A red resurgence

You bet your babushka, baby. But now, the red menace is kind of green.

Matt Kennard
Columbia News Service

May 11 2008

NEW YORK -- The decor inside the national headquarters of the Communist Party USA, or CPUSA, is more Macy's than Marx. Glass walls rise from the floor to form state-of-the-art work spaces, nontoxic linseed oil burnishes the work surfaces, and biodegradable blue carpet is underfoot. Colorful paintings by the renowned artists Boris Taslitzky and Alejandro Romero, depicting the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps and working-class struggle, dot the walls of the expansive open-plan office. Inside their transparent cubicles, the 21-strong staff tap away on Apple Macs and sip Starbucks coffee.

The complete article can be viewed at:OrlandoSentinel.com

Our fraternal newspaper, the People's Weekly World, has redesigned their website, http://pww.org. It now features daily online articles, multimedia, and even a blog!

We hope you'll consider making the PWW/NM your daily home for progressive news and views.

Communist Party USA documentary circa early 1990's. Narrated By John Randolph. Documents the CPUSA's work and organization. Discusses history of the Communist Party USA, debunks myths and explores social issues. Featuring Gus Hall CPUSA chair 1959-2000, Judith Leblanc Vice chair, Scott Marshall Chair Labor commission, Jarvis Tyner Executive Vice Chair, and Terrie Albano Peoples Weekly World

Elena Mora, Organizing Director of the Communist Party USA, went on CNBC to defend the "nationalization" of the Venezuelan oil industry by Hugo Chavez. This originally aired January 31st, 2007.

I’ve always wanted a button that reads, “Workers of the world unite, back by popular demand” — almost as long as I’ve wanted one that says, “May Day, made in the USA.”

May Day 2008 would have been a great time for both.

From the New York State Communist Party Blog

"NEW YORK - Trade unionists, housing activists, and residents of New York City public housing gathered at City Hall today to protest the Bush administration's proposed budget cuts to the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)."

Dynamic is the magazine of the Young Communist League USA. It includes art, politics, and culture written by youth, for youth.

The 2008 Spring Double issues includes articles about the youth impact on the 2008 elections, youth participation in unions, the writer's strike and its impact on a family that struggled through it, and much more!

Erica Smiley's Bi-Annual Report to the National Council
April 12-13, 2008; Chicago, IL

POLITICAL CLIMATE

There are so many things I could talk about right now with regards to the state of education, jobs, housing, and the on-going occupation in Iraq. But these days it would be difficult to mention these things without first discussing the 2008 elections.

Where will the money come from for a free post-secondary education and socialized health care system? Will the people drown in taxes? Will you rob the rich and give to the poor?

Most Americans are taught either in school or by their parents and families that we communists want to destroy religion and turn everyone into atheists. Well that's a myth, and not surprisingly started by the US ruling class. Listen to the truth about our relationship to religion and churches. You will be quite surprised.

Why do communists hate capitalism so much? Why do you think it's a failure? How would a communist society be any better? Haven't those been horrible failures too?

In this Issue:

• Global Warming: The Communist Solution
  
• Solidarity Pack - PWW Special Offer!
• PWW on the Picket Line in Detroit