Truthful News Weekend 2023-03-25 – (14 videos)

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Summary: A good number of these 14 videos are quite short. All sorts of issues dealt with in the U.S. and abroad.

Stars and channels: Democracy At Work (Richard Wolff), Secular Talk, CCCSpringfield, The Real News Network, Second Thought (JT Chapman), Sabby Sabs, The Jimmy Dore Show

Topics:

General Strike in France: Working People Uniting *
Quick Example (5.5 minutes) of Countless Luxury Homes NOT Built for Living *
Economic Nationalism
Short Summary of Political Ukraine War Mess (10 min) *
The Political Major Party Mafias
Dehumanization vs Solidarity **
Neoliberalism = The Faulty Cult of Capitalism **
History Report Film on American Wars After WW2: ‘War Made Easy’
Socialist Economic Planning OK Because…
SNAP (Food Stamps) Benefits REDUCTION Now During INFLATION *
Tucker Carlson Admitting the Dishonesty of Mass Media
U.S. Government Allied with Mafia-Like Big Pharma *
Netherlands: People Now Fought Back Against Oppressive Government via New Party
Humor: “NEVER OK To Vote Third Party!”

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1. General Strike in France: Working People Uniting *

Prof Wolff describes the labor struggle in France, their strategies, and the anti-capitalist element of the protests over pension “reform” (delay, reduction). The fight back by the hurt mass of people in France takes the much needed steps of unifying the labor movement: unions with left wing political parties (including those explicitly anti-capitalist) and with the social movements (many of which have their own anti-capitalist components).

A General Strike in France – 4 Challenges to Capitalism with Richard Wolff ~ Democracy At Work (Mar 19, 2023)

Comments from listeners:

Thank you for giving visibility and clarifications on the reason we go on strike. I unfortunately see a lot of English language caricatural content across social media just making fun of french, stating “they are going on strike to work less”. But when it is in reality about social rights deprivation, one by one. The capitalists want to unknit our social and societal gains and protection system, be it Healthcare or pension system etc. Government after government, everything happens at the expense of workers. It’s never about reducing capitalist predation but always about reducing workers rights, and power.
The smug indifference to the plight of millions by our ruling 1%ers, coupled with their arrogant sense of “entitlement” multiplied by their ever-growing capture of our decision makers… [has made us a] species out of equilibrium in so many fundamental ways. Greed has trumped common sense every time it has the opportunity to do so.
It’s worth noting that the unacceptable scenario for workers in France is still better than anything that workers in the U.S. can possibly hope for.
It’s probably just coincidence that in the USA where lifespans are falling, retirement will also get later and later. Nobody seems to be able to stop it.
If I was a US resident, and had to struggle to survive, I would sooner be dead. In challenges and struggles there comes a time you can only endure so much.
The French expect to have a life beyond toiling for the benefit of their rich and privileged capitalists. We Americans have been whipped into submission and we have so much stress in our lives that we don’t even argue about retirement age. We expect to be Walmart greeters, caregivers and other low paid workers after our lifetime of working at whatever jobs we did in our youth, until we drop on our tracks. – I envy French workers. They get longer vacations than we do. They have national health care. Even with the now missing 2 years of retirement, they retire before us, and most important, they are willing to fight for a decent life. So, what’s wrong with us? We don’t fight for our lives. – We just suffer and think grumbling about our difficulties at the end of our life; it’s embarrassing. We American workers have been whipped into compliance and silence. We don’t stand up for ourselves.
In my mind, what a democracy really means is getting all taxpayers to vote on every proposed government policy. Otherwise, it’s more like a collective dictatorship.
The French also have a 35 hour work week with compulsory paid overtime (more than regular hourly wage) . This was made law 22 years ago.
The American working class needs to do the same on many issues; 🔴🔵 not red vs blue, ruling class vs you.
I recall an older man, at least 80 years old, working at my local grocery store a few years back. I assume he was not there because he was happy there, he was there to keep up. He lived in an apartment nearby, and walked to work. We later found out he no longer lived in the apartment, but in a hotel nearby. No doubt he has passed at this point, and I have fond memories of his kindness. We let this capitalist system degrade everyone, young and old, black, brown, white, just to barely allow us a wretched existence.
One of my seven brothers worked very hard for the Union at Royal Mail in N Ireland – part of UK. Tragically, he passed away from cancer a week before the retirement age in UK (65 yrs). Was very sudden, aggressive cancer. He was diagnosed the year before – a month after my mother passed. Such a shock. So people – KEEP FIGHTING !!! PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT ALWAYS !!!! Capitalism is ‘dog eat dog’ – straight from hell. All about Rich getting richer. The world is changing – waking up in many ways. Great work Professor ! Thank you.
I hope they get a huge win. They have earned. This mobilization has been absolutely incredible to watch
In Germany, my soon to be 60 year old dad has to work for 7 more years. His wage has been lowered and he won’t be able to finish paying for our house. He’s dead tired everyday he comes home and it looks like he’s slowly crumbling from all the weight. His employers treat him like shit.
Politicians have done the same in the U.S. and it infuriates me. They have moved the age of full retirement in the hopes we die before getting there. We need to be as determined as the French in pushing back.
With a Universal Basic Income, there won’t ever have to be an employment age or a retirement age.

2. Quick Example (5.5 minutes) of Countless Luxury Homes NOT Built for Living *

Built instead as commodities for the super rich money lords (as this guy doesn’t explain well enough, but I will:). They are simply real world “capitals” (instead of the fantasy money we constantly struggle with) which the super rich money lords hope not to lose their value during inflations or currency crashes, plus potential gambling gain when selling to other rich guys, and – perhaps the most important use – to easily trade treasure across borders that use different currencies, thus no need to convert currencies, and possibly also a way to hide the wealth they pay with for things (when banks often must present money transfers to governments). All this obviously much more important and desirable than giving people homes to live in, right? (yes, I just wrote a satirical sentence – my apology, if needed – heck I was homeless myself for 2.5 months in 2021). So, these rich money gangsters don’t even bother with the work of dealing with tenants to make profit, because they make tons of profits already in other ways. What ways maybe? How about interest gains from debts the rest of us often get shoved into (financial capitalism) for example? Or stock market gambling (leading eventually to bubble bursts known as economy crashes)? Or owning health insurances that impoverish us with big premiums and refuse proper coverage when we get sick? Or profiteering needles wars? Or overpriced products built to not last long? Or using super-cheap wage-slaves in places like Asia? And, and, and… Welcome to ruthless capitalism. Why, in a Monopoly-game-like human world let you live in a home?

Global Finance Has Housing Needs Too – Cities After… ~ Democracy At Work (Mar 22, 2023)

3. Economic Nationalism

Always creating problems for other nations, for war avoidance, and thus ultimately also usually for one’s own country. A reminder from me: We all humans must stop focusing on money and trade as the only thing(s) our lives are about. In fact, money and trade games should be at the very bottom of our list. At the top should be love and care for all and insistence on a Good Life for All.

Ask Prof Wolff: What Is Economic Nationalism? ~ Democracy At Work (Mar 17, 2023)

4. Short Summary of Political Ukraine War Mess (10 min) *

… especially in Europe. Mostly the economic aims and troubles (and why Europe may now begin to reconsider its alliance with the U.S.). Not pointed out in this short video the fact that every war is a mass murder and must therefore be avoided or ended as much and soon as possible. We humans have moral responsibilities which our modern corrupt cultures and systems often make us forget.

Ask Prof Wolff: What Europe Got Wrong about Sanctions on Russia ~ Democracy At Work (Mar 22, 2023)

5. The Political Major Party Mafias

… that we suffer from in the United States. In this video not really new revelations for many of us given, but maybe for some of us (especially young ones). Traditional Republican voters could still be proud of Abraham Lincoln and the originally Marx-associated Republican Party (why else do you think its official color is RED?), but should realize it became corrupted super fast after its creation (masked as “conservative”). And traditional “Democratic” Party voters should realize “their” party was always corrupt, except pushed for a while into considerably more decent people-service during the New Deal age that was forced by American workers threatening a revolution nearly a century ago, leading both other-parties-blocking-“major”-parties then to play along with the New Deal for a while, giving one or two generations decent lives, but since then only reversal rather than a continuation of moving forward into a better society, country, and planet, serving the rich money lords and politicians’ own gains and powers instead.

BOMBSHELL: Reagan Commited Treason To Rig Election Against Carter | The Kyle Kulinski Show ~ Secular Talk (Mar 21, 2023)

6. Dehumanization vs Solidarity **

Some nice insights given on how we become dehumanized and what goals we must persue. Love, caring, respect, compassion, wisdom, and generosity are needed instead of exploitation, alienation, isolation (“individualism”), coercion, and violence. Instead of destroying body and spirit we better normalize healing and growth of body and spirit. Instead of dehumanizing one another to cope with or accommodate injustice we better connect with common humanity and commit to mutual care. Instead of creating (or supporting or leaving unchanged) conditions where depression, anxiety, rage, and despair characterize our everyday lives we must instead create conditions where everyone can thrive (and get strong physical and mental healthcare whenever needed).

Moving a Balloon, Moving a Rock: On Patience & Praxis ~ CCCSpringfield (Mar 19, 2023)

7. Neoliberalism = The Faulty Cult of Capitalism **

Capitalism and this insane cult merged with it make us all potential victims (and definitely at least almost all of us actual victims) of a messed up human society, all of us victims of market gambling. Like I always point out, our system is like a Monopoly game, but not playful. All of us who lose in it won’t get to play all over again or merely lose a game goal but rather lose our lives. Everything gets put on each individual and yet it is nearly made impossible for the individual (if not born rich or crimewise gotten up on the ladder) to succeed. And we also nowadays get educated for job training instead of democracy, even though the capitalist employments will never secure our lives no matter how well and hard we work. Roughly the first half of this video is (to me) not all that important (maybe * or **). Later it gets really god to listen to (** or even closer to ***). So if your time is short maybe start listening either at 15:06 or 19:20.

Neoliberalism’s anti-democratic stealth revolution w/Wendy Brown ~ The Real News Network (Mar 22, 2023)

Vocab: Stagflation: “In economics, stagflation or recession-inflation is a situation in which the inflation rate is high or increasing, the economic growth rate slows, and unemployment remains steadily high. It presents a dilemma for economic policy, since actions intended to lower inflation may exacerbate unemployment.” ~ from Wikipedia (also: Stagflation became known in the ’70s when federal deficits boomed largely due to the Vietnam War; and we have it again or building up again right now.)

8. History Report Film on American Wars After WW2: ‘War Made Easy’

Way too long and repetitive for me, not telling me what I don’t already know. But again possibly very helpful for people who are young or waking up only recently.

(Originally found on The Real News Network this week, but now suddenly gone as “This video is private”. The link and title was: www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3zfEAO2HbQ
‘War Made Easy’ – The Iraq War 20 years later (FULL FILM) ~ The Real News Network (Mar 19, 2023))

Now refound by me:

War Made Easy ~ Real World Order (Dec 19, 2018)

9. Socialist Economic Planning OK Because…

… because our capitalist system also has it anyway. So no difference. Only the goals planned for can differ between selfish money lords and a people’s democracy (the latter more doable in socialist politics than anti-social, anti-people, all-for-the-super-rich politics capitalism gives us). Yes, this video is a bit complicated, but does give some interesting insights, especially on history in both the U.S. and Chile. On the whole this video is probably mostly of interest for young people who happen to try to understand what socialism may be and how to run it and giving them some interesting historic and current insights (major examples: Walmart, Sears, and democratically elected and interestingly acting president in Chile versus the fascist coup pushed later by Chilean capitalists and U.S. government). The official description given by this video: “We’ve been told all our lives that competition, free markets, and ruthless business practices are the best way to run an economy. If that’s the case, why do all major corporations operate as planned economies? And how can we follow that example to build a nationwide planned economy?”

How Companies Plan The Economy ~ Second Thought (Mar 24, 2023)

10. SNAP (Food Stamps) Benefits REDUCTION Now During INFLATION *

See? We live in a corrupt society system.

SNAP Benefits REDUCTION During INFLATION (clip) ~ Sabby Sabs (Premiered Mar 9, 2023)

11. Tucker Carlson Admitting the Dishonesty of Mass Media

… working to make us people accept corrupt governments and economies, specifically mentioned here: profit wars.

Tucker Carlson: The Media’s Job Is To Control! ~ The Jimmy Dore Show (Mar 18, 2023)

12. U.S. Government Allied with Mafia-Like Big Pharma *

Examples given. Incredibly huge costs for medical drugs even when they were developed by government’s financing (our tax dollars) at a 100%.

Biden Screws Cancer Patients – Sides w/ Big Pharma! ~ The Jimmy Dore Show (Mar 23, 2023)

13. Netherlands: People Now Fought Back Against Oppressive Government via New Party

Remember the roads blocking protests of farmers there (shown here back then)? Well, when they created a new political party, lots and lots of common people supported it, voted it into the nation’s congress.

Dutch Farmers Win Big In Anti-Climate Change Backlash! ~ The Jimmy Dore Show (Mar 21, 2023)

14. Humor: “NEVER OK To Vote Third Party!”

Funny (and at the same time hinting at our actual problems and what we could do).

It’s NEVER OK To Vote Third Party! ~ The Jimmy Dore Show (Mar 19, 2023)

Honorable Mentions:

If you have plenty of time plus some history interest, here is a 30 minutes history report on how an American union and black-white-workers uniting were murderously crushed: How Black and White Southern Timber Workers Almost Smashed Capitalism ~ NonCompete (Jan 29, 2023)

Not easy to understand the interviewed Italian lady (for instance, what does she mean by saver investors?): Economic Update: How Austerity Paves the Way for Fascism ~ Democracy At Work (Mar 20, 2023) The best thing I think I heard was the final talk (26:50) about the meaning of working-life/human-life, plus hope for the future.

And don’t forget to regularly look into The Revolution Continues for good reads.

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