The Worker, Vol. 38, Number 6
Contents:
I. Build the Mass Alternative to the Strong-Arm Parties!
II. Annihilate the Profit Motive in Healthcare!
III. Consolidate the Growing Anti-Imperialist Trend
IV. Washington and Baghdad Review Central Features of Their Accord
I. Build the Mass Alternative to the Strong-Arm Parties!
II. Annihilate the Profit Motive in Healthcare!
III. Consolidate the Growing Anti-Imperialist Trend
IV. Washington and Baghdad Review Central Features of Their Accord
Note from the editor:
In 2023 we published the first Special Edition of The Worker to start off our new campaign slogan. Members, friends and supporters of the Workers Party are encouraged to participate in the campaign by reciting the slogan with others in any language of their choice while shaking hands and looking into each other's eyes. Here it is: "If you are illegal, then I am Illegal!" Do it with love in your heart. We are looking forward to the latest write-ins and reports. Tell us anything you'd like to about your experience with it. WorkerspartyUSAChicagoBranch@gmail.com
Build the Mass Alternative to the Strong-Arm Parties!
Amid the 2024 election, federal candidates are spending exorbitant amounts of money to portray themselves as saviors of the people. However, the Democrats' track record in the past four years reveals a bipartisan policy of war and militarism, aligning with the Republicans.
Biden's military agenda, inherited from the Trump administration, includes the construction of the largest-ever nuclear weapons, fomenting tensions in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and ongoing military engagements in the Middle East and elsewhere. The approval of record military budgets during Biden's term is indicative of a commitment to U.S. imperialism's aggressive military buildup. Trump's main criticism of Biden's Middle East policy is that it lacks firm enough support for Israel.
This bipartisan cooperation between warhawks and "doves" highlights that foreign aggression and military expansion serve the interests of the capitalist class, which controls both parties. The billionaire bankers and multinational corporations behind these parties are driving and preparing for wars to maintain their world empire.
Despite being presented as the "lesser evil," it is crucial to expose the Democrats as a militarist party based on their actual actions and records. To counter this propaganda, it is vital to stand up for the urgent demands and interests of the working masses, brand the Democrats as a party of war, and target the ruling class and both political parties as the sources of war and militarism.
The American workers and people need a mass political alternative to the capitalist class's war program, which can only be achieved through their own organized struggle. By uniting millions against capitalist aggression, developing independent class and mass organizations opposed to war, and building a genuine working-class political party, we can counteract the capitalist war program effectively.
Biden's military agenda, inherited from the Trump administration, includes the construction of the largest-ever nuclear weapons, fomenting tensions in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and ongoing military engagements in the Middle East and elsewhere. The approval of record military budgets during Biden's term is indicative of a commitment to U.S. imperialism's aggressive military buildup. Trump's main criticism of Biden's Middle East policy is that it lacks firm enough support for Israel.
This bipartisan cooperation between warhawks and "doves" highlights that foreign aggression and military expansion serve the interests of the capitalist class, which controls both parties. The billionaire bankers and multinational corporations behind these parties are driving and preparing for wars to maintain their world empire.
Despite being presented as the "lesser evil," it is crucial to expose the Democrats as a militarist party based on their actual actions and records. To counter this propaganda, it is vital to stand up for the urgent demands and interests of the working masses, brand the Democrats as a party of war, and target the ruling class and both political parties as the sources of war and militarism.
The American workers and people need a mass political alternative to the capitalist class's war program, which can only be achieved through their own organized struggle. By uniting millions against capitalist aggression, developing independent class and mass organizations opposed to war, and building a genuine working-class political party, we can counteract the capitalist war program effectively.
Annihilate the Profit Motive in Healthcare!
Among recent events that have shown that the workers in the U.S. are stirring against the preservation of the profit motive in health care, one that stands out is the April protest of nurses at Kaiser Permanente's San Francisco Medical Center against downsizing and restructuring in the name of artificial intelligence (AI).
The California Nurses Association gathered to denounce planned layoffs that would replace human caregivers with automated processes. Nurses argued that full-staffing, improved nurse-patient ratios, compliance with licensed professional standards, and prioritization of human expertise and judgment are essential for safe and effective nursing care, emphasizing that automation should not replace clinical healthcare professionals. The hands on healthcare providers also wanted wage adjustments which would at least match the area's high inflation rate.
U.S. industry today has reached the stage of state monopoly control in which the political power of the state is merged directly with the economic power of the giant healthcare monopolies and banks.
The profit motive in the healthcare industry is a barrier to providing appropriate care for all who need it. The concentration and centralization of production under capitalism prioritizes maximization of profits for a few, rather than guaranteeing the health and well-being of all. This issue of private capitalist ownership prevents the full utilization of the modern healthcare infrastructure for the benefit of society as a whole. Putting ownership of the healthcare industry in the hands of the workers is the only way of ensuring that it serves society's needs rather than generating profits for a few.
It is this monopoly capitalist profit motive which prevents us from utilizing our modern health care infrastructure to maximize the health and well-being of the people. It is this issue of ownership which must be addressed. The health care industry, built up by generations of labor and investment by the whole society, must be put in service of society as a whole. Ownership must be put in the hands of the people as a whole in order to guarantee the right to health care for all.
Of course, the problem of contracting out work and downsizing effects workers all across the country and in nearly every economic sector. Time and again, workers have had to go on strike to try to put an end to contracting out and downsizing. Although some battles have been won, others have been lost and the workers have yet to resolve the problem.
Contracting out and downsizing remain favorite means used by the capitalists to increase the exploitation of the workers as well as to smash unions. By these means the capitalists void union contracts and, especially in the public sector, arbitrarily violate the law. Their goal is to wipe out the standards of wages, working conditions and benefits gained by workers through unionization and decades of struggle. Furthermore by these means the capitalists replace unionized workers with nonunion workers. This undermines the collective and organized strength of the workers, leaving individual workers all but powerless to resist capitalist exploitation.
The immediate struggle of the nurses deserves the support of all workers. To achieve lasting solutions, workers must unite with other workers and assert all their rights against capitalist privileges. Today they must strive for wages commensurate with their skills and the country's level of development. Ultimately, the goal is to eliminate capitalist exploitation by creating a new socialist society where healthcare is organized based on serving the needs of all rather than generating profits for a few.
The California Nurses Association gathered to denounce planned layoffs that would replace human caregivers with automated processes. Nurses argued that full-staffing, improved nurse-patient ratios, compliance with licensed professional standards, and prioritization of human expertise and judgment are essential for safe and effective nursing care, emphasizing that automation should not replace clinical healthcare professionals. The hands on healthcare providers also wanted wage adjustments which would at least match the area's high inflation rate.
U.S. industry today has reached the stage of state monopoly control in which the political power of the state is merged directly with the economic power of the giant healthcare monopolies and banks.
The profit motive in the healthcare industry is a barrier to providing appropriate care for all who need it. The concentration and centralization of production under capitalism prioritizes maximization of profits for a few, rather than guaranteeing the health and well-being of all. This issue of private capitalist ownership prevents the full utilization of the modern healthcare infrastructure for the benefit of society as a whole. Putting ownership of the healthcare industry in the hands of the workers is the only way of ensuring that it serves society's needs rather than generating profits for a few.
It is this monopoly capitalist profit motive which prevents us from utilizing our modern health care infrastructure to maximize the health and well-being of the people. It is this issue of ownership which must be addressed. The health care industry, built up by generations of labor and investment by the whole society, must be put in service of society as a whole. Ownership must be put in the hands of the people as a whole in order to guarantee the right to health care for all.
Of course, the problem of contracting out work and downsizing effects workers all across the country and in nearly every economic sector. Time and again, workers have had to go on strike to try to put an end to contracting out and downsizing. Although some battles have been won, others have been lost and the workers have yet to resolve the problem.
Contracting out and downsizing remain favorite means used by the capitalists to increase the exploitation of the workers as well as to smash unions. By these means the capitalists void union contracts and, especially in the public sector, arbitrarily violate the law. Their goal is to wipe out the standards of wages, working conditions and benefits gained by workers through unionization and decades of struggle. Furthermore by these means the capitalists replace unionized workers with nonunion workers. This undermines the collective and organized strength of the workers, leaving individual workers all but powerless to resist capitalist exploitation.
The immediate struggle of the nurses deserves the support of all workers. To achieve lasting solutions, workers must unite with other workers and assert all their rights against capitalist privileges. Today they must strive for wages commensurate with their skills and the country's level of development. Ultimately, the goal is to eliminate capitalist exploitation by creating a new socialist society where healthcare is organized based on serving the needs of all rather than generating profits for a few.
Consolidate the Growing Anti-Imperialist Trend
There is currently a significant surge in mass struggle and anti-imperialist revolutionary initiatives throughout the United States. People from various backgrounds, including workers, small farmers, national minorities, youth and students, are actively participating in militant protests against fascist rules and regulations. Anti-imperialism has become the fastest-growing trend in the country, with all forms of U.S. imperialist domination being questioned and challenged. The ultimate goal is to defeat U.S. imperialism and establish an anti-war peoples' government that follows a genuinely democratic foreign policy.
To achieve this, demands include ending U.S. aggression and intervention against other nations, withdrawing all U.S. troops stationed abroad, discontinuing participation in aggressive military alliances, terminating support for reactionary regimes, ceasing the militarization of the country's economy, and promoting the sovereign equality of every nation.
People are responding by wholeheartedly supporting national liberation wars and revolutions against imperialism while opposing preparations for inter-imperialist wars. Instead of aligning with one imperialist power against another, people are seeing the need to take responsibility for striking blows against their "own" ruling class.
And it is right to do so! The U.S. capitalist class is actively preparing and executing its war program, deploying massive military forces globally and increasing the militarization of the economy. To silence opposition to war, the rights of immigrants and all Americans are under attack. Politicians and media continuously promote militarism and chauvinism.
It is crucial to keep in mind that the capitalists are working diligently to contain, fragment, and dismantle the growing anti-war movement in the United States as part of their war preparations.
The capitalists employ various tactics to suppress the people's movement, including slanderous propaganda, repression, and undermining the anti-war movement from within. They label the movement as antisemitic, woke, or terrorist to discredit it.
The media anointed leaders of the anti-war movement water down demands such as by suggesting to the Biden administration that the wanton slaughter of Palestinian refugees is not the best strategy for the U.S.-Israeli alliance to follow. At the same time, these "anti-war" personalities insist that the Palestinians lay down their arms. They also declare their complete support for "American leadership," including nation-building in Iraq, weapons inspections in Iran, etc. This opportunism poses a significant danger as it causes unprincipled splits and divisions within the movement and demands that genuine anti-war activists tone down their struggle to cater to these official "leaders."
To counter this, activists must continuously engage in ideological and political work to clarify the goals and strategies of the movement and protect its independence. The official opposition seeks to keep local organizations uninformed and subservient to revisionism and opportunism, obscuring the true nature of U.S. imperialism's global dominance plans.
The reality is that the U.S. government anticipates a war lasting for decades, already evident in its military engagements in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, the Philippines, and Africa. To achieve peace, the anti-war activists must confront these issues comprehensively and take the leadership of the movement into their own hands.
The official opposition within the anti-war movement stands accused of working to spread American chauvinism. They issue calls to get out the vote for politicians who not only support U.S. imperialism in Iraq and the genocidal war against the Palestinian nation but who also threaten and impose sanctions on countries like Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela.
The opportunist line within the movement calls for anti-war activists to join coalitions that focus on winning over capitalist politicians, which results in a narrow agenda and a hierarchy that prioritizes the politicians as speakers and representatives. This approach alienates the masses who are seeking enlightenment and a real fight against war-making parties and class interests.
The Workers Party welcomes all opposition to U.S. imperialism but emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between genuine and sham opposition. We believe that the broad masses of the American population are the only reliable force in the political struggle against U.S. imperialism.
Strengthening an independent movement requires adhering to principles, opposing chauvinism, militarism, and imperialism, and refusing to cater to the aims and ideology of the ruling class. It means uniting people in common actions against the warmakers by building their organizations rather than sacrificing their independence. The foundation of a truly broad anti-war movement lies in the choice to build mass anti-imperialist organizations.
To achieve this, demands include ending U.S. aggression and intervention against other nations, withdrawing all U.S. troops stationed abroad, discontinuing participation in aggressive military alliances, terminating support for reactionary regimes, ceasing the militarization of the country's economy, and promoting the sovereign equality of every nation.
People are responding by wholeheartedly supporting national liberation wars and revolutions against imperialism while opposing preparations for inter-imperialist wars. Instead of aligning with one imperialist power against another, people are seeing the need to take responsibility for striking blows against their "own" ruling class.
And it is right to do so! The U.S. capitalist class is actively preparing and executing its war program, deploying massive military forces globally and increasing the militarization of the economy. To silence opposition to war, the rights of immigrants and all Americans are under attack. Politicians and media continuously promote militarism and chauvinism.
It is crucial to keep in mind that the capitalists are working diligently to contain, fragment, and dismantle the growing anti-war movement in the United States as part of their war preparations.
The capitalists employ various tactics to suppress the people's movement, including slanderous propaganda, repression, and undermining the anti-war movement from within. They label the movement as antisemitic, woke, or terrorist to discredit it.
The media anointed leaders of the anti-war movement water down demands such as by suggesting to the Biden administration that the wanton slaughter of Palestinian refugees is not the best strategy for the U.S.-Israeli alliance to follow. At the same time, these "anti-war" personalities insist that the Palestinians lay down their arms. They also declare their complete support for "American leadership," including nation-building in Iraq, weapons inspections in Iran, etc. This opportunism poses a significant danger as it causes unprincipled splits and divisions within the movement and demands that genuine anti-war activists tone down their struggle to cater to these official "leaders."
To counter this, activists must continuously engage in ideological and political work to clarify the goals and strategies of the movement and protect its independence. The official opposition seeks to keep local organizations uninformed and subservient to revisionism and opportunism, obscuring the true nature of U.S. imperialism's global dominance plans.
The reality is that the U.S. government anticipates a war lasting for decades, already evident in its military engagements in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, the Philippines, and Africa. To achieve peace, the anti-war activists must confront these issues comprehensively and take the leadership of the movement into their own hands.
The official opposition within the anti-war movement stands accused of working to spread American chauvinism. They issue calls to get out the vote for politicians who not only support U.S. imperialism in Iraq and the genocidal war against the Palestinian nation but who also threaten and impose sanctions on countries like Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela.
The opportunist line within the movement calls for anti-war activists to join coalitions that focus on winning over capitalist politicians, which results in a narrow agenda and a hierarchy that prioritizes the politicians as speakers and representatives. This approach alienates the masses who are seeking enlightenment and a real fight against war-making parties and class interests.
The Workers Party welcomes all opposition to U.S. imperialism but emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between genuine and sham opposition. We believe that the broad masses of the American population are the only reliable force in the political struggle against U.S. imperialism.
Strengthening an independent movement requires adhering to principles, opposing chauvinism, militarism, and imperialism, and refusing to cater to the aims and ideology of the ruling class. It means uniting people in common actions against the warmakers by building their organizations rather than sacrificing their independence. The foundation of a truly broad anti-war movement lies in the choice to build mass anti-imperialist organizations.
Washington and Baghdad Review Central Features of Their Accord
President Biden and Prime Minister Sudani of Iraq recently met at the White House to discuss the strategic framework agreement signed between the two countries in 2008. They went over their sense of gratification for the steps of integration carried out since 2003 and how to direct the reins of government going forward. They assigned special importance to "comprehensive bilateral cooperation" in the civil war, oil field exploration, and ensuring that Iraq's oil reaches international markets.
The "Joint Statement from the Leaders of the United States and the Republic of Iraq" released by the White House also attributed importance to bilateral plans for the Central Bank of Iraq, including enabling it to launch direct correspondent relationships with U.S.-backed international banks.
Biden and Sudani also vowed to prevent any political movement for Iraqi national liberation from being reconstituted again. The bilateral military-to-military mechanism used for the purpose is called the Higher Military Commission. It was established in August 2023 for planning, evaluating and remarking on U.S.-Iraq cooperation in the civil war.
In sum, the Biden administration aims at consolidating and codifying the imperialist conquest of Iraq. These 20 years of building Iraq up to the status of a "protectorate" or "trusteeship" of the "Great Powers" are based on military superiority and the capacity to bomb Iraq to its knees. Far from being designed to accomplish a friendly purpose, the U.S.-Iraq strategy is constantly created by the imperialist conquerors based on "Might Makes Right." Today's plunder of Iraq's vast economic and natural resources is a prelude to new battles that U.S. imperialism is preparing against the Iraqi resistance.
The "Joint Statement from the Leaders of the United States and the Republic of Iraq" released by the White House also attributed importance to bilateral plans for the Central Bank of Iraq, including enabling it to launch direct correspondent relationships with U.S.-backed international banks.
Biden and Sudani also vowed to prevent any political movement for Iraqi national liberation from being reconstituted again. The bilateral military-to-military mechanism used for the purpose is called the Higher Military Commission. It was established in August 2023 for planning, evaluating and remarking on U.S.-Iraq cooperation in the civil war.
In sum, the Biden administration aims at consolidating and codifying the imperialist conquest of Iraq. These 20 years of building Iraq up to the status of a "protectorate" or "trusteeship" of the "Great Powers" are based on military superiority and the capacity to bomb Iraq to its knees. Far from being designed to accomplish a friendly purpose, the U.S.-Iraq strategy is constantly created by the imperialist conquerors based on "Might Makes Right." Today's plunder of Iraq's vast economic and natural resources is a prelude to new battles that U.S. imperialism is preparing against the Iraqi resistance.