from the series Raise Your Voice…
12/9/23: wind, sleet, and Smith Foundry…
Neighborhood activists again demonstrated their determination to SHUT IT DOWN. This time, placed forward on the speakers’ list, I took the opportunity to tweak the main slogan with the words: MOVE IT ON OUT. After all, foundries are a key link in the industrial chain, without which our entire economy would collapse. Indeed, Smith Foundry is home to hundreds of patterns from which molds are made… molds made of sand to accommodate molten iron. Actually, these patterns are owned by numerous industrial concerns which, in turn, machine the casting to form parts of machines which automate the production of consumer goods. It follows: a state-of-the-art facility (i.e., a less polluting facility) must be built in the countryside (and surrounded with pine trees!).
Historical note: in preparation for Hitler’s invasion, the Soviet Union transported much of its industrial capacity from the west to the faraway Urals.
Who will pay for the move?
Spread the word: a group of Canadian capitalists has acquired Smith Foundry, and evidently, their intention is to attain a degree of monopoly by owning different types of foundries, here and in Canada. Certainly, they have lots of money. However, when compelled to move, we should expect them to demand a subsidy from a government which claims to be broke.
It follows that we must project a program of radical reform:
- Tax the rich
- Stop the wars
- Cut the military budget
No, we are not presently in a ‘revolutionary situation’, but let’s say it out loud: we would all be better off if industries like Smith Foundry were publicly owned. PEOPLE AND PLANET BEFORE PROFIT!
Peter Molenaar advocates a broad united-front, even as he describes socialism as the future solution.
