PHOTO/JAMES FASSINGER
By Maureen D. Taylor, State Chairperson,
MI Welfare Rights Organization
DETROIT, MI—The economic foundation of society creates conditions for change based on what that society needs to maintain life. If a society is unable to distribute what the population needs, then it must restructure itself so that humanity can continue. History is full of examples that demonstrate this fact, including the Roman Empire—today long gone, the African dynasties—today long gone, the slave system in America—today long gone, and the many societies that passed into history because of the need for change.
There is a current alteration that we are recognizing today, and that is the role technology plays relative to how our world now must respond. Work existed before jobs, but for many years, employment is the only profile that we understand—you work, you get paid for that work, you run out of money, you return to work, and so on.
Employment tied us all to certain benefits—our residence could be paid for, our transportation, our health coverage, our personal purchases plus our self-esteem were tied up in what we earned. That familiar profile is shattered because the technology that used to aid and enhance labor now replaces labor and laborers. We are so tightly tied to what WAS, that we are slow to recognize what IS.
No longer are we needed in large numbers to work, so we are left with nothing or less than nothing. Our quality of life is assaulted, and even the democracy that we cherish has been crushed. The first violation of recent voting rights was quietly and successfully launched against the “rank and file” throughout Michigan.
This rape of rights took hold in Highland Park, MI years ago when the Chrysler Plant left that small City, starting the collapse of their tax base. Since then, Michigan has a history of Emergency Managers (EM’s) forced on separate cities as a solution to financial stresses. Pontiac, Benton Harbor, Flint, Hamtramck, Ecorse, Detroit, and several school systems all have EM’s imposed that effectively nullified elections held in those same cities. EM’s sell city and community resources to corporate interests, then give those dollars to banks and lending institutions to address debts owed. Water Departments, recreation centers, city services, funeral homes, parks, city-owned buildings, and pension funds are eyed as fair game in this selling frenzy. Detroit is being sold on the auction block like slaves used to be. The EM is an unelected dictator with vast powers to dismantle our beloved Detroit, so we call-out to the “rank & file” of the country to see what is happening and be prepared when called to come to our aid. What happens in Detroit will not stay in Detroit. The needs of the many must always outweigh the needs of the few…let us make this a 99% season! No mas … (No more … )
