March/April issue: Tax the Rich!

I have lots of stuff to link to; I hope to get to them soon.  I have been working to get the March/April issue to the printers (which happened this morning) and to get material from the new issue posted to the website (which happened just now), including our Tax and Deficits Activism Kit, which I'd wanted to get up today in case anyone wants to use material from it for tomorrow's nationwide rallies/demos in support of public sector workers in Wisconsin.  One article in particular, available in html format and pdf format, is especially salient: Ethan Pollack's piece on public-sector compensation. We have also posted Polly Cleveland's article, Restore the Original Wealth Tax, which inspired this issue's theme.

Here's the editorial note for the issue:

The surge of pro-union activism in Wisconsin is exciting and inspiring, especially coming on the heels of liberation movements in the Middle East. But the struggle there is also frightening. The assault on public-sector unions by Republicans and the billionaires who fund them is not just an assault on public-sector unions; it’s an assault on unions in general. And it’s not just an assault on unions in general; it’s an assault on the working class. The struggle in Madison and beyond is starting to look like the culmination of decades of class struggle from above, with the ruling class aiming now to deal a final death-blow to what remains of an organized working class in the United States.

Building a movement to resist these assaults will be the work of years, even decades. A good place to start is to reframe the fake battles around budgets and deficits to reveal them for what they are: class warfare from above. A recent discussion on the email list of the United Association for Labor Educators provides a great starting point for such a reframing. Steve Schnapp, a veteran popular economics organizer with our neighbors, United for a Fair Economy, had this to say:

And from Fred Glass of the California Federation of Teachers:

As a contribution to a revived class struggle, this time from below, we offer our “Tax Day Activism Kit”—articles and slogans to cut out, post, and distribute on April 18. The resources you will find throughout this issue and at dollarsandsense.org can provide an alternative and antidote to the faux populist, billionaire-funded Tea Party (which after all came to be portrayed as a nationwide “movement” on Tax Day 2009).

It’s time to get organized! No to austerity! Don’t blame workers! TAX THE RICH!

We hope the articles and graphics in this issue can contribute to the resurgence of activism we hope comes after the inspiring resistance in Madison.

—Chris Sturr