One of the tasks I perform is keeping in touch with pensioners from other unions from here in the US and from other nations. I’ve learned not all of them have the same level of support from the active workforce that we in the Pacific Coast Pensioners Association enjoy. We have unparalleled backing from the ILWU, and for that we are grateful. In return, we do what we can to help our union.
I remain active in the Democratic Party where I live. I support it financially and I pitch-in and help do the work that needs to get done. The Republican Party has embraced a mean-spirited agenda and is playing an obstructionist role in Washington D.C. They want to continue to reward their friends and benefactors on Wall Street, and corporate chieftains who are responsible for the financial mess that is confronting our nation.They are trying to blame President Obama for the national debt that was created by the Bush Administration.
When Bush took office the national debt was $5.7 trillion. When he left office it had ballooned to over $11 trillion, and much of the increase in the national debt since President Obama was sworn-in is from carry-over policies of the Bush years. There is an anti-incumbency mood. Some of our friends may be swept out of office this coming November if working class men and women allow themselves to be seduced by the false promises of the GOP. It is essential for us to continue to be engaged and to involve ourselves in the political process.
In California, Senator Barbara Boxer is in a tight race, and in Washington Senator Patty Murray has a real fight on her hands. One myth that is being peddled is that the Obama Administration has not accomplished anything. Despite opposition from the GOP and some in his own party, much has been accomplished by President Obama.
- The last combat troops departed from Iraq. The President has said that the remaining 50,000 troops acting as advisors will be out in a year, and a drawdown of troops in Afghanistan will likewise begin.
- The Stimulus Bill helped create about 3 million jobs while lowering taxes for the working class Unemployment remains too high, but without the Stimulus Bill it would have gone up to 11 or 12%.
- Health Care Insurance for children was expanded.
- We have a credit card holders’ Bill of Rights.
- Some financial regulatory reform has occurred, with more to come.
- There was the cash for clunkers program that helped save jobs for tens of thousands of autoworkers.
- Improved Student Aid programs were established.
- The President signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that requires equal pay for equal work for women.
- A crackdown on Pentagon waste has begun.
- Veteran’s benefits have been improved.
- An extension of unemployment benefits for those who lost their jobs was enacted over the objections of Republicans.
- A jobs bill was created and is being improved over the protests of hostile Republicans.
There are two major political parties and that won’t change before November. The new health care bill will impose a tax on good health care plans in 2018. We want that changed. It won’t get changed if Republicans seize control of Congress. Yes, there is still plenty more to do. But remember, Bush was in office for 96 months. It is unfair to fault President Obama for not repairing all the damage of the previous administration in the short 19 months he’s been in office.
Our neighbors to the north are also experiencing the effects of an economic crisis. The same neoliberal forces that seek to reward the super-rich are busy in Canada too. Those of us from the U.S. should take the time to learn about what is going on in Canada. The struggles that we share have some commonalities, but there are also striking differences in how our respective governments have responded to the needs of people over the last several decades.
We can learn from our similarities, but even more from our differences. That is why international solidarity is so very critical. Through solidarity we can develop alternatives to the unethical, unconscionable capitalism that seeks to keep the working class under its thumb.
– Rich Austin, President, PCPA
[This report from Rich Austin, President of the Pacific Coast Pensioners Association, has been edited for length. –Eds]