Time for a systemic change?

Time for a systemic change?
John Beeching, Hon. Chair CPS

Since its inception, the capitalist system has as its major basis the conflict between social production and private ownership – that is between those who must work to live and the owning class. It has undergone many changes from its more democratic stage in the beginning, the industrial revolution to the present 21st century change the scientific and technological revolution.

The Haiti earthquake ushered in a spate of media analysis and explanations on earthquakes. We found most interesting one from a communist that sometimes for centuries the tectonic plates make minor movements or shifts. Then when a major shift takes place we witness an earthquake. For example, we heard that in BC’s lower mainland there are over 200 minor quakes a year. The prediction is that the big one can come at any time. The article then went on to point out a similar condition prevails in systems. Sometimes in hundred of years small changes in the system take place like the success of the Magna Charta such as strikes, demonstrations, petition campaigns like the ‘Ban The Bomb’ campaigns which bring about minor changes in the system. When the predominant conditions reach a point where those in social production are in agreement that “we can not live this way any more” and the Private ownership also can no longer continue as they have in the past the earthquake – a revolution takes place.

Each crisis in the capitalist system has the capacity to begin the earthquake – the revolution. Worldwide the proxies of corporate governance are busy doing all possible to prevent a social earthquake. A good example is the Speech of Canada’s Prime Minister Harper in Denmark when he ignored a historical fact and said that 90 years ago Canadians “stood firm” against imperialism. The inference is that some system in WW I was fighting imperialism. The fact is that war was a fight between two imperialist systems. “The First World War was an Imperialist War was an imperialist war for the re-division of global markets, for control of global resources and for the control and re-division of colonial empires.” Don Currie, editor focus on Socialism. See www.focusonsocialism.ca

World war II also began as a conflict between two imperialist systems, capitalism and fascism/nazism. With the attack by Hitler’s troops on the former Soviet Union, it changed from an unjust war to a just war. A war between communist states allied with capitalist states against a Nazi/fascist state. Our veterans, I am one of them, fought with our allies for the defeat of fascism. Our winning, besides keeping the world free of a tyrannical system also halted the holocaust. Recent world events have shown that most people have not forgotten and fascism is a hated system. Our hope is they have not forgotten what is called the Spanish Civil War. The Canadians who fought in the international brigades there were the first to battle against fascism. Ask at you library for the book by BEECHING, WILLIAM C. - Canadian Volunteers Spain, 1936-1939. If they do not have it ask them to order from MACKENZIE-PAPINEAU MEMORIAL FUND, Association of veterans and Friends of the MacKenzie-Papineau Batallion, International Brigades. 56 Riverwood Terrace, Bolton ON L7E 1S4.

Speaking of allies, I overheard a conversation while onboard a ship, to come home and be demobilized where the claim was made that Churchill had ordered that no weapons captured should be destroyed, as we would need them against Stalin. Overnight our ally was our enemy! The losses of the Soviet Union both civilian and military came close to half that of its ally. In New York after the war I recall Churchill quoted as saying that communism should have been strangled in the cradle or words to that effect. Anti-Communism has since then been perhaps the major weapon if imperialism.

The fact is the private owners and investors use the profit system today for the maximization of profits. They fight fiercely to have their taxation reduced while promoting through their proxies cut backs in spending for social programs. It is increasing opposition in small changes. We live in the period before the big one when resistance to undemocratic and draconian measures against those who produce socially will resolve into the big one. Recent events in Greece and the Red Shirt demonstrations in Thailand are examples of the small shifts.

The time has come to stop accepting corporate governance and restore true democracy not the present for the rich democracy.

For participatory democracy

NATO to supplant The United nations?

The Harper Minority Government Supports NATO Plan to Supplant the United Nations.

"Turning NATO from an aggressive imperialist military alliance with a record for launching illegal wars, into a benign international force for good is a stretch. Undaunted, the group [USA, EU and Canada] of experts simply appropriated the U.N. model and are busily refashioning NATO in its image."

A quote from an article in www.focusonsocialism.ca To read the complete article go to -
http://www.focusonsocialism.ca/random.asp?ID=356

HandyDART becomes a cash cow

MVT Canadian Bus Inc., have confirmed on their web site our assertion that Translink, Campbell appointed, have opened the door all across Canada to this and other American firms thanks to the Free Trade Agreement.

A visit to their site reveals the proof. In the first paragraph headed "HandyDART service in Metro Vancouver" you will find the following sentence, "We will provide these services to both public and private agencies nationwide." Now THAT is counting their chickens before they are hatched! To our knowledge the Metro Vancouver contract is the only Canadian contract they have. They clearly are looking to the future of huge profits to be sent to their parent firm in the USA.

BAN ON UNION DONATIONS - DEMOCRACY?

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BAN ON UNION DONATIONS – DEMOCRATIC? John Beeching

Courier News Item: Friday March 26, 2010.

“It surprises me a lot and it sounds a little odd” Barry O’Neil said in the item. It not only surprised us; we felt it was a disgusting distortion of democracy. It is typical of the now social democratic leadership.

At first, it sounds democratic; after all it lumps union with corporations and treats them equally. That is fair is it not? The supporters of the present system we live under think so. We do not. To us we liken it to the time when the small business has approached the NPA council and convinced them to change the burden of taxation to the homeowner. The NPA declared it democratic and began to shift the burden of taxation to the homeowner. It completely ignores income. A comparison of incomes will show homeowners, in particular seniors, are largely in the fixed income bracket. Business on the other hand has an income that is profit based – variable income. There is a (hidden from public) process called mark-up. Its function is to guarantee maximum profit to the owner of the business. That is why they can sell an item at 70% off and still not go out of business because they have already recovered their costs with the first mark-up price. Check it out! COPE and Vision we understand are continuing to shift the burden of taxation from business to the homeowner.

As supporters of world peace allow us to give you some information you may not know that relates to democratic balance, which remains unfair in the extreme. “Since September 29, 2000 to the present 1,072 Israelis and at least 6,348 Palestinians have been killed.” Source, If Americans Only Knew web. “USA is providing Israel with at least $7.0 million per day in military aid and $ 0 in military aid to the Palestinians.” Ibid. Where are the people who support a balanced approach?

As for unions, it is time they faced up to the realities of our present day. They are under attack by a failing system in the interest of making super maximum profits. It is time they woke up and began to take open political action. Business is not shy about doing just that.

Translink discriminates against people with disabilities

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Translink discriminates against people with disabilities

Translink guilty of discrimination of people with disabilities

"I can confirm that 'custom transit model' I referred to in my March 4th letter is the service delivery method chosen to provide HandyDART service to customers. You may be interested to know that since its beginning nearly 30 years ago, HandyDART has been a contracted service." Dale Parker Board Chair

For almost 30 years HandyDART has been separated from general public transportation. To be clear "discriminate 1. make or see a distinction. 2. treat unfavorably or favourably on the basis of race, gender etc." Oxford. We suggest that disabilities is one of the subjects under "etc".

"Translink does not have the in-house expertise to operate such a specialized service. In fact, when Translink issued a Public Request for Proposal (RFP) to advertise and identify the most qualified proponent for the HandyDART contract, our own Coast Mountain Bus Company concluded that it did not have the experience necessary to submit a viable bid." ibid.

We do not know about Coast Mountain but to us this sounds like an evasionary tactic on the part of Translink. In other words an excuse. We find it in contradiction with known facts. Here is the question we have asked Translink;

"Regarding the section of your letter dealing with, “in-house expertise to operate such a specialized service” we wish clarification of a puzzling contradiction. Translink signed a “Custom Transit Operating Agreement” effective November 15, 2008 to December 31, 2013. Under “Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act” we are in receipt of an edited copy. Presumably, Translink had the “expertise” to understand and agree or disagree before signing. Its contents deal precisely with the ‘operation of such a specialized service’. You say neither you nor Coast Mountain Bus Company have expertise; therein lies the contradiction."

Translink chose not to end the HandyDART strike

Finally it is time the public knew that in that contract mentioned above there were two clauses which would have ended the HandyDART strike almost immediately:

"We have studied the agreement and it contains detailed information regarding the operation of such a specialized service. Taking advantage of a discretionary word “may” you did not use the authority you have to invoke section 11 DEFAULT AND TERMINATION section 11.1 and under section 8.0 RECORDS AND AUDIT section 8.5. We believe the public deserve to know this and have an explanation as to why." From our letter to Translink.

Posted by John Beeching at 2:57 PM

HandyDART Strike is over

http://www.focusonsocialism.ca/random.asp?ID=349
The above URL will take you to the article. John

Greetings World federation of Trade Unions

Dear friends, workers, poor farmers, unemployed, homeless,

Dear brothers and sisters in Africa, in Asia and the Pacific, in Latin

America, in Europe and the Middle East

on behalf of the leadership of WFTU, we wish you health and strength for the new year 2010.

We are in the middle of the international economic crisis. Unemployment, poverty, expensive prices on basic food-stuff, further raise. The imperialistic wars create more refugees and migrant workers, more destructions. The profits of the capitalists increase.

In the last year the Working Class did many big, massive and efficient struggles.

In the new year, new struggles could and should be even stronger. The trade union movement in all over the world to become stronger. The WFTU will be in the front line of these struggles and defend:

- The rights of all the workers, the rights of young people and the rights of women, for regular and stable jobs with good salaries and trade union freedoms.

- The rights of ordinary people for public health, education and social security.

- The survival of the financial immigrants and refugees.

- The cancellation of the debts of all Third World countries.

- The freeze of lay-offs and privatizations.

- The protection of the enviroment and the quality of life. To face the problems resulting from the climate change.

To strengthen our internationalism and solidarity with the people of Cuba, with the important Bolivarians changes that are taking place in Latin America, with the people of Asia to stop child labor, with the people of Eastern Europe to stop the prostitution, with the people of Africa to stop the deaths for starvation and AIDS. With the struggles in Honduras against the coup d’etat, with our brothers from Colombia and the Philippines, who are being assasinated by paramilitary organizations. We will struggle to stop all the imperialistic wars, for the withdrawal of Israel from all Arab territories and the foundation of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem for capital city.

Dear colleagues,

2010 is for the WFTU a year of trade union formation and training. With concrete programmes of trade union training and education in all continents, in every country. With special care to the young workers who represent the hope for a socialistic world.

We wish to the International Working Class

Health, strength and efficient struggles