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22. Trade Unionism
Thu May 12, 2016, 04:51 PM
May 2016

It makes me doubly proud that, at age 18, I became a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, or Wobblies). Now, at 68, I am still a proud member of one of the most influential and radical of the early trade unions. I still carry my little red card in my wallet today.

Politically, I am what is known as an "anarcho-syndicalist," which was a flavor of the original far-left libertarian movement (the right-wing "libertarians," like the Cato Institute, call themselves "anarcho-capitalists&quot . The anarcho-syndicalist philosophy favors, much that Bernie Sanders also advocates, a democracy in which the power is located with the working people of America (through unity in the Trade Union movement) and that each layer of representatives above us is dependent on and responsible to the layer below for its position. It is a bottom-up form of democracy where the idea of the Sovereignty of the People is not just an empty phrase.

Today, both political parties represent groups of the elite (more commercial and Wall Street in the GOP's case, and Ivied intellectual, professional, the rare successful entrepreneurs, and other elements of Wall Street in the Dem's case).

Both parties believe that, as members of an American elite, they, not the ordinary people, know better than we do ourselves about what we want and need. In both parties, leadership is from the top down, and not from the people up. Neither Trump nor Clinton has any plan to change this oligarchical system. Only Bernie Sanders seems to understand the value of returning our Sovereignty to the entirety of the American People.

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It was only introduced here late in the day. Bad Dog May 2016 #1
Thanks. Originally, the first sentence of my post referenced the pagan holiday, but I decided merrily May 2016 #2
Getting rid of a bank holiday is a vote loser. Bad Dog May 2016 #3
But, they could rename it and obscure its significance. Hell, if Grover Cleveland merrily May 2016 #4
Why rename it? Bad Dog May 2016 #5
International Workers Day deserves its name and also deserves observances. merrily May 2016 #6
We've always called it May Day. Bad Dog May 2016 #15
Great Post! afertal May 2016 #7
Thank you so much! merrily May 2016 #8
K&R------------------------- turbinetree May 2016 #9
They wanted us to forget, to think Labor Day was just another day off, merrily May 2016 #12
You are so correct we the working class------------------------ turbinetree May 2016 #16
Yep Greed is the root cause. merrily May 2016 #18
Agree with turbinetree Beartooth Bronsky May 2016 #24
When I was a child in the 1940s, we made May baskets full of goodies and put them JDPriestly May 2016 #10
That is how Grover Cleveland wanted May Day to remain. merrily May 2016 #11
Haymarket Square ReRe May 2016 #13
You are very welcome. I thought that while I was writing it. What Hollywood loves to make merrily May 2016 #19
I wonder how long they would lock one up for printing off things like this and handing them jtuck004 May 2016 #14
People who are not teaching it may not know about it either. merrily May 2016 #21
Excellent post. I've pinned it. demwing May 2016 #17
Thank you for the kind words. Of course, I don't mind. merrily May 2016 #20
Trade Unionism Beartooth Bronsky May 2016 #22
Very interesting post. Thank you! merrily May 2016 #23
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