It seems in recent months (and really this has been building for years) that we no longer live in a democracy. Intimidation, fear, restraint of rights especially the First Amendment, and the large reaching hand of private interests are tactics and forces attacking and undermining our prisons, military, health industry, and edcuation. The danger of the privatization of our public services, that are at the heart of our democracy, is as clear today as it could possibly be.
Look up "Corpocracy" and/or "Corporatocracy". Educate yourself. Ask questions. Take Action.
Never be afraid to question "authority". In a democracy, THE PEOPLE are the "authority".
The time is now... united, we cannot be defeated.
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June 4th City-Wide School-Community Based Protests: No School-Based Budget Cuts or School Layoffs
Parents, Students, and School Workers at PS 15 Demand Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein Prioritize Spending for Public Education!
Public Education in NYC has faced over 500 million in cuts since 2009. The Mayor must seek other revenues instead of cutting our schools and other important services that are the lifeblood of our communities!
Bailouts for Banks and Wall Street but NOT FOR OUR KIDS? SAVE OUR SCHOOLS... STOP THE FORCES WHO SEEK TO DISMANTLE AND DESTROY PUBLIC EDUCATION!
19 schools were slated to be closed last night. The scumbags on the PEP passed the motions. As many speakers pointed out last night, the PEP has no authority to do this. We the workers, students, and teachers have the power to stop this. Last night not one person spoke in favor of a single school closing — not even from the panel which approved 19 of them. There is a unanimous consensus that these cuts are racist, classist attacks and must be stopped.
ReplyDeleteNow is the crucial moment. The sham PEP has been fully exposed. We must take matters into our own hands. We must walkout, occupy and strike to stop ALL school closings, layoffs, fare hikes, Metrocard cuts — all attacks on students, workers and the oppressed.
The UFT leaders must be exposed for their treachery. After weeks of demonstrations called by grassroots coalitions fed up with the UFT rubber stamping Bloomberg’s policies, the UFT leaders were forced to mobilize some rather small portions of their membership for the demonstration and meeting last night. This is not enough. The UFT, together with students and parents, has the power to shut the entire city down. Instead, union leaders share stages with politicians who pay lip service but scramble to keep us from mobilizing. The union leaders try to give us chances to symbolically display our anger without making a real fight or winning real change.
We cannot accept this intolerable situation. Thousands of teachers are facing layoffs, thousands of Black and Latino students are being displaced from their schools, and 500,000 students with free/reduced-cost Metrocards will lose these by September. Just like the UFT refuses to mobilize its teachers for a strike or actions to stop the closings, TWU100 refuses to mobilize transit workers against the MTA’s attacks on working class students.
Those of us who see and expose these betrayals must come together in common action. We must fight together so strongly that the union leaders have no choice but to support us or be sidelined entirely.
Now that the PEP has voted, we must immediately begin preparations for escalated and continued struggle, while realizing that many of our so-called “leaders” will be ready to drop the struggle and accept the PEP’s many-year plan to attack, underfund and close public schools.
Sending a message is not enough. We must make the change we seek.
NOW we must immediately fight together on these grounds:
SUPPORT MARCH 4TH ACTIONS TO DEFEND EDUCATION!
OCCUPY CLOSING SCHOOLS AND KEEP THEM OPEN!
USE AN OCCUPIED SCHOOL TO BUILD A GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR A REAL STRUGGLE AGAINST ALL ATTACKS ON EDUCATION!
STUDENTS AND WORKERS, BUILD A GENERAL STRIKE!
UFT MEMBERS, STAND TOGETHER AND FIGHT DESPITE THE TREACHERY OF THE BUREAUCRATS!
BEWARE OF ALL THOSE, EVEN IN OUR OWN RANKS, WHO STAND IN THE WAY OF THE MILITANT BATTLES NEEDED TO DEFEND OURSELVES FROM THE CAPITALIST ATTACKS!
Leave the war in IRAQ this is not a war this is about politics and red tape! As long as the children are being educated and willing to learn and get an education than so be it! Jack the ripper could be teaching my child as long as I know he is progressing and learning than so be it! You'll never win when it comes to politics and whatever comes along with it, they have the say so.
ReplyDeleteI'm confused by your comments, "leave the war in Iraq..." None of us will give up on protecting public education for our children, politics and red tape or not. Your sentiment that it doesn't matter who is educating your child is beyond misguided... of course it matters. Public education was created in our great country to strengthen our citizenry and create a system that would provide access for ALL children. What is happening today is a step backward towards separate and unequal. We need to take the long view on this one and demand what is best for ALL children. We refuse to accept that 'politicians have the say so'... that is exactly the opposite of what our country is supposed to stand for and we will fight to the bitter end to protect our rights, our Constitution, our kids and their education, and our country. You may choose to be cynical, we choose otherwise.
ReplyDelete