PHOTO/DAVID BACON
HERRIN, IL — On a recent trip to the northern part of Florida and in discussions with co-workers following the elections, I listened to the worries of workers who sit on the edge, living a precarious existence.
Their underlying concern is the economy. Many of my co-workers manned the factories and mines of Southern Illinois until they closed. We are worried about retirement—will we be able to live on our retirement and social security if we live long enough to do so? What about the future of our children and grandchildren? Will we be able to afford health care given the huge increases in premiums, co-pays and deductibles leaving many of us in debt?
These concerns motivated the vote, whether it was for or against Hillary or Trump, or for third party candidates. The growing impoverishment of the working class must be seen as a condition for a new type of politics. We must take this opportunity to unite as a class around a program and vision of a society that meets our needs.
The vision for a cooperative society where we, the people, own the social wealth as a whole and distribute it according to need, regardless of the color of our skin, our ethnicity, gender, or whether or not we have a “job.” Achieving this vision depends upon recognition of our common needs, and the necessity of our taking over the corporations, which currently have control of the economy and government.
The future is truly up to us now if we are to survive.
Cathy Talbott is a former telephone operator, a job lost to automation. She was a homeless mother of two and fights for welfare rights. A former co-host of a weekly community radio program out of Carbondale, IL, “Occupy the Airwaves,” Cathy is the Environmental Desk for the People’s Tribune.
