Trump is “prepared”

“Absolutely. I am prepared,” said Donald Trump. Prepared for what? To keep (some of) the federal government shut down for months or a year or longer.

Sure, he’s prepared. He’s got his millions and keeps raking it in from his real estate swindles while in office.

But how about the 800,000 federal employees who have been told to go home? Or the many others who have been told to keep working, but won’t get paid till later?

Starve the hungry
And how about those on food stamps, or other federal assistance? Those who are sleeping in the streets, barely surviving on the miserable little pittance of a few hundred dollars a month they get – money they need just to eat? It’s not clear exactly what will happen if the shutdown lasts into February, but it seems that programs like food stamps and WIC will be cut bay about 2/3. It also seems that tax refunds won’t be issued.

One of Oakland’s many, many tent cities.
These are the ones who will suffer the most

public opinion
One poll showed that 54% of people oppose the wall while 43% support it, and over 2/3 don’t think the wall should be a priority.

What can make a break in this impasse?

Action needed
Aside from uttering a few complaints, the labor leaders are being completely passive… once again. The AFL-CIO web site has nothing on it, for example. The same for the country’s largest socialist organization (50,000 plus) – Democratic Socialists of America. They should be organizing protests at every federal building in the country. This should include mass civil disobedience. We should be demanding “no wall; no furloughs; no pay cuts”. All the repressive measures of the state – the military, for example – keep operating, while the hungry starve.

Mass protests like this are what would decisively swing the overwhelming majority of people against the government shut down and against the wall. This is what would create a real crack in the Republican “wall of shame” in the Senate. This is what would break Trump’s will and would guarantee he is not reelected. Equally important, it could be the first step along the road towards building a mass working class movement and a mass working class political organization, one that could be a first step towards building a mass working class party.

Why isn’t it being organized? Because doing so is not in the playbook of the Democratic Party politicians – none of them. Supporting any Democratic Party politicians simply leads us down the road away from building a real working class movement.

Yellow Vest the Federal Buildings!
You can organize a protest at your local federal building, or wherever is appropriate.

• End the federal shutdown NOW; full pay for all federal workers!
• No! to the Wall; Release all asylum seekers!
• Full federal assistance and services for all who need it; no reduction in food stamps, etc.
• Full pay raise for all federal workers; for an immediate $5/hr raise for all!
  
• Drive Trump/Pence out of the White House!