‘Commentary’ Archives
Tony and Fidel
By Peter Molenaar In their February 2017 issue, our friends at Southside Pride saw fit to publish an article by Tony Bouza, a former Minneapolis chief of police. In this piece, Tony fondly recalls his youthful encounter with the charismatic Fidel Castro, but sadly, at midpoint he advises: “socialism doesn”'t work.” Before launching any rebuttal, readers should take an online look at both Tony Bouza and the editor of Southside Pride, Ed Felien. To his credit, Brother Bouza has, for many years rendered critical commentary on policing problems. Moreover, Friend Ed (the “unrepentant Maoist!”) frequently has submitted astonishing insights into the maneuvers of capitalists here and abroad. So, Tony and Ed are honorable guys. However, according to Tony, socialism “lacks the competitiveness, greed, energy and wealth producing genius of capitalism.” Oh, wow. Regarding capitalism, let us skim from the surface the horrific [...]
As the Trump era begins, local unions will practice solidarity and resistance
Reprinted with permission from the Minneapolis Labor Review, January 27, 2017 By Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou, President, Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation Never before have the institutions of the labor movement faced as formidable a threat as Donald Trump in the White House with Republican-controlled majorities in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Union members are bracing for widespread attacks on our rights to collectively bargain and on the very structures that allow us to leverage pressure on employers. If this wasn”'t bad enough, this past election also showed just how easily divided we can be in our own ranks. While some despair as we look to the horizon, it surely is not all bad news. Unions were not always legal. Workers in generations before us created and fought for the right to collectively bargain, just like we will continue to fight regardless of the barriers corporate CEOs and destructive politicians put in our way. Locally, our unions have rejected a [...]
