Reflections Without Borders - Who We Are
24 Jun 2008
(Poster's note: The article below was written for the forthcoming newsletter of
Reflections Without Borders, published by a group of individuals with decades
of experience in the revolutionary struggle, who are seeking to restore the
working class to the leadership of the revolutionary movement. The group
includes present members of the International Republican Socialist Network, one
of whom wrote the following article to help articulate the group's orientation.)
We are a group of workers who think the present system fails to meet the needs
of people like us and should be changed. By `workers' we mean those who support
themselves by working for wages, whether janitors, computer programmers, factory
workers, farm laborers, nurses, cashiers, servers, or tech services. We
recognize workers create all of society's wealth and enable the creation,
distribution, and exchange of all goods and services, but know most of that
wealth goes to those who produce nothing. We recognize that workers are the
majority of the populace, yet every elected politician-Democrat or
Republican-governs in the interests of the rich, rather than the majority.
Our motivation is a genuine concern and respect for our fellow workers, because
workers today face serious problems that threaten our quality of life and life
itself. Workers are losing their homes to foreclosure or eviction. We're being
saddled with a crushing National Debt that threatens all sorts of services we
need and deserve. Oil and food costs are sky-rocketing, while commodities
traders grow wealthier. Those who perpetually tell us `you've never had it so
good' are the same people who've always had it better than us, and we're tired
of hearing it. We create all wealth and it should belong to us. That's called
`socialism' and we're reclaiming the word and putting it on our immediate
agenda. We're tired of crumbs from the tables of the rich-we don't want
pitiful reforms, but fundamental change!
What do we mean by `socialism'? Not a police state, not generalized poverty, not
an improved welfare state! We mean the collective ownership and management of
all productive enterprises, administered through real democracy-democracy
that begins in the workplace, where we spend a third of our lives-and extends
all the way through national and foreign policy. Not a `Presidents for Life',
but people like ourselves, elected by us, with salaries like ours, and subject
to recall by us if they don't represent us adequately. We mean nobody making
billions off our labor while producing nothing; but everyone being guaranteed a
job, a home, health care, free child-care through college education, and concern
for the environment.
If that sounds better to you than what we have at present, your participation is
welcome.
(Peter Urban, comrade IRSN)
(Poster's note: The article below was written for the forthcoming newsletter of
Reflections Without Borders, published by a group of individuals with decades
of experience in the revolutionary struggle, who are seeking to restore the
working class to the leadership of the revolutionary movement. The group
includes present members of the International Republican Socialist Network, one
of whom wrote the following article to help articulate the group's orientation.)
We are a group of workers who think the present system fails to meet the needs
of people like us and should be changed. By `workers' we mean those who support
themselves by working for wages, whether janitors, computer programmers, factory
workers, farm laborers, nurses, cashiers, servers, or tech services. We
recognize workers create all of society's wealth and enable the creation,
distribution, and exchange of all goods and services, but know most of that
wealth goes to those who produce nothing. We recognize that workers are the
majority of the populace, yet every elected politician-Democrat or
Republican-governs in the interests of the rich, rather than the majority.
Our motivation is a genuine concern and respect for our fellow workers, because
workers today face serious problems that threaten our quality of life and life
itself. Workers are losing their homes to foreclosure or eviction. We're being
saddled with a crushing National Debt that threatens all sorts of services we
need and deserve. Oil and food costs are sky-rocketing, while commodities
traders grow wealthier. Those who perpetually tell us `you've never had it so
good' are the same people who've always had it better than us, and we're tired
of hearing it. We create all wealth and it should belong to us. That's called
`socialism' and we're reclaiming the word and putting it on our immediate
agenda. We're tired of crumbs from the tables of the rich-we don't want
pitiful reforms, but fundamental change!
What do we mean by `socialism'? Not a police state, not generalized poverty, not
an improved welfare state! We mean the collective ownership and management of
all productive enterprises, administered through real democracy-democracy
that begins in the workplace, where we spend a third of our lives-and extends
all the way through national and foreign policy. Not a `Presidents for Life',
but people like ourselves, elected by us, with salaries like ours, and subject
to recall by us if they don't represent us adequately. We mean nobody making
billions off our labor while producing nothing; but everyone being guaranteed a
job, a home, health care, free child-care through college education, and concern
for the environment.
If that sounds better to you than what we have at present, your participation is
welcome.
(Peter Urban, comrade IRSN)