I would note, that after a conversation Mark Dayton and I had about casino workers and the Indian Gaming Industry, he came out in support of what the Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council has been advocating for years--- a state operated, state owned casino while taking a poke at Stanley Crooks and his Mystic Lake Casino empire employing over 5,000 Minnesotans.
After asking me what he should do as part of his campaign to address the issue of the failure of city, state and the federal government to enforce affirmative action… Dayton publicly lashed out at the two main state agencies--- the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and the Minnesota Department of Transportation--- responsible for massive government expenditures in their failure to initiate, adhere to and enforce affirmative action when it comes to Native American Indians and other minorities, women and the disabled.
The time to engage in these kinds of dialogs with these politicians is during election campaigns--- not when the election is over. Liberals, progressives and the left have made, and continue to make, this mistake of failing to vigorously engage Obama and the Democrats on issues of importance to working people.
I have taken a lot of heat because I have vigorously spoken my mind with these politicians… but, as a result, people are discussing the issues and politicians are being forced to respond… in the case of a few like Mark Dayton, the response has been very good. In the case of racist bigots like State Senator Tom Bakk now running for Minnesota governor and his friends… the response has been less than cordial.
Anyways, read this dialog taking place on Mark Dayton’s FaceBook page… feel free to join in the discussion.
Alan L. Maki
Wall-to-Wall
Mark Dayton
Thank you, Sen. Berglin, Rep. Murphy, and other legislators, who have worked together to develop this much more compassionate and cost-effective approach to providing essential health care to the poorest or the poor, and not bankrupting hospital emergency services upon which all of us depend.
Sen. Linda Berglin, Rep. Erin Murphy: GAMC plan is bipartisan and affordable
StarTribune.com
www.startribune.com
Last Thursday the Legislature sent Gov
Alan L. Maki
This crap with healthcare has gone on long enough... Minnesotans should tell all you politicians to go take a flying leap when you come begging for our votes.
The only solution to this healthcare mess is socialized healthcare.
When I drafted the DFL resolution on single-payer universal healthcare three years ago which was approved by 72% of the delegates at the 2006 MN State DFL Convention, we had a real mess that could have been straightened out with Canadian-style single-payer universal healthcare.
Now, nothing short of socialized healthcare is going to get us out of this mess that has worsened astronomically in the last three years.
This is the wealthiest country in the world spending trillions of dollars on wars and militarism financing over 800 foreign military bases dotting the globe protecting Wall Street's interests and profits and you politicians can't provide the very people who you go whoring for votes from with real healthcare reform.
Roseau County Democrats at the 2006 County Convention unanimously passed a resolution calling for:
"No-fee/no-premium, comprehensive, all-inclusive, pre-natal to grave, universal health care; publicly funded, publicly administered and publicly delivered."
I challenge you or any other politician to do what people do in a democracy... put this to a vote alongside all your other phony healthcare proposals like the one you are praising these politicians for and see for yourself what Minnesotans want in the way of healthcare reform.
You will find just what I did when I visited every single one of the 87 counties as you are doing looking for delegates to support single-payer universal healthcare Canadian style...
That the overwhelming majority of Minnesotans want nothing less than socialized health care although they will settle for Canadian-style single-payer as a first step towards socialized healthcare.
I understand for that for most of you politicians it is very difficult for you to squeeze the words "socialized healthcare" from between your lips... but, with a little practice you might manage this simple feat.
Until then... I'm not wasting my one precious vote on any politician who continues to pander like a bunch of whores for campaign contributions from doctors or insurance companies for campaign contributions.
And as far as you paying for buses to take Minnesotans to Canada--- which the Canadians were opposed to you doing because it placed a strain on their healthcare system; you should have been insisting that people receive their medications right here in Minnesota at a reasonable and affordable price... you politicians can't even manage this simple task, how can we possibly trust you to talk about healthcare reform?
And don't forget... you still have over 40,000 Minnesotans employed in smoke-filled casinos at poverty wages working in these atrocious and despicable conditions without any rights under state or federal labor laws... and this isn't helping any to keep healthcare costs down unless you don't believe the materials put out by the American Cancer Society and the Heart and Lung Foundations--- two organizations I understand you have contributed to.
The sheer hypocrisy of all of you politicians in the face of this healthcare mess is sickening.
Over one-third of this state's casino workers make less than $8,000.00 a year... so, the tax-payers have to subsidize their healthcare when they are employed in the most profitable industry in the world.
Maybe you should be talking about taxing this casino industry to pay for healthcare reforms? Right now, these casinos don't pay their way... tax the hell out of them.
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
Joe Gardner
I would hate to see socialized medicine in Minnesota or even for the US as a whole. It isn't very good care at all. I know what I'm talking about. I'm living in Europe and here it is ok to have as you don't pay for it but through taxes, and they are high here. Roughly 40% of your income is paid in taxes not including all the VAT that you have to pay on other things as well. The care you get, once you get into the system isn't too bad. It is the wait for care that is the problem. I know a couple of people have been waiting for care for months and it isn't helping them at all.
As far as the Casino's? That is an Indian Nation Problem. They say they are a separate nation. Tell them to pay higher wages and more to health care. Remember how much money each of those Indians are getting. From what I remember hearing it is in the millions a year. Do you complain about that? Go to them about it. Talk to AIM and see if they will help you. I doubt they will.
I like what Mark was trying to say with his bus trips. I see alcohol as a major problem more than smoking. There is more violence related problems with drinking than with smoking. I say this. If you don't want to work in those conditions then leave and find work else where. Leave it up to each place like that to be smoke free. I don't smoke and believe it is not healthy but it is a choice to smoke or not to smoke.
Socialized anything isn't going to be the answer. We have enough of our government getting into things as it is. This is a dangerous slope to go down if you start with socialized medicine then what next? Socialized industry? We all know how that works. What is needed is reform and the option. An option for employers of small businesses to afford good coverage for their employees and for people that can't get coverage to opt into something to help them. Put it on a scale for people so they can contribute at a reasonable rate. Big business can afford better coverage but just plain won't as they don't see how it will help their bottom line. If their workers are healthy less days lost of employees not able to work.
What else is needed is better education on how health care works. As a former Call center person it is amazing how many people don't understand how their coverage works or even how to access medical care the way it should be that would be more help to them. Then there are those that come from areas of the world where you just show up and expect to be taken care of. Hence why Emergency rooms are full.
Cut down on litigation and such as well. The Doctors are being sued a large amounts when something happens. That will make costs sky rocket as well.
It is mostly about educating the public on health care. Instead we are more interested in who wins American Idol.
Joe, no one will stop you from paying for your own health care since you like it that way. I know a few, not many, people who rant and rave about how evil the socialist Social Security program is... but boy, they sure waste no time looking for that Social Security check in the mail every month.
Like I said... put socialized health care up for a vote.
Quite honestly, you don't seem to have much empathy or understanding for others so I am not surprised you take the very selfish positions that you do.
As far as I'm concerned, the more socialization that takes place in this country the better. What do you propose to do with the almost 4,000 mines, mills and factories now closed and idle in this country?
Working people with their labor create every single bit of wealth while having no say in how this wealth is used or distributed.
Millions of people are unemployed in this country when millions more require all kinds of things like healthcare.
I say: Stop Obama's dirty senseless wars and put the money saved towards building a socialized healthcare system creating millions of new jobs in the process of building and staffing community based healthcare centers all over this country... peace, healthcare and jobs... if the present politicians can't deliver this kind of very basic program meeting the needs of the people instead of killing people half-way around the world they don't deserve to be in office.
As far as the Indian Gaming Industry... the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association has corrupted Minnesota politics beyond belief as they distribute their bribes at election time... this is not democracy; this is nothing but plain old greed and corruption.
I notice you claim to be so concerned about Native American Indians' rights when it comes to paying people poverty wages and abusing workers by forcing them to work in unhealthy, smoke-filled work-places... but, you conveniently fail to explain how it is that a rich white man heads up the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association doling out millions of dollars in bribes to politicians to protect this industry from having to respect the rights of 41,000 Minnesotans--- many of whom are Native American Indians--- being paid poverty wages getting heart and lung diseases and all kinds of cancers from working in these smoke-filled casinos while there isn't one single Native American Indian sitting among the more than 200 Minnesota State Legislators or in its Congressional delegation.
There are very, very few Native American Indians getting rich like Mr. Stanley Crooks from his Mystic Lake Casino empire... there are, however, thousands of Native American Indians being pushed further into poverty by this casino industry because they are paid such pitifully little poverty wages... pay someone a poverty wage and they live in poverty--- as any school child can figure out, especially when they are the child of a casino worker who can't make ends meet from pay-check to pay-check and they have to go to school hungry.
Keep your for-profit healthcare system and build yourself a casino and fill it with all the smoke you want to your heart's content... but build it on some little uninhabited island where you can breathe in all the smoke you want and tax-payers won't have to subsidize paying for your illnesses.
You detest socialism... in fact, you don't understand what socialism is... maybe you are the kind of person who doesn't think or understand until your belly-button hits your back-bone and then it turns on a light upstairs.
Maybe you haven't noticed but we have quite a few socialist type programs in this country besides Social Security and they all work just fine when properly funded:
Public education.
Public libraries.
Public city, state and national parks and recreation centers.
Police and fire protection.
Public water and sewer systems.
Public streets, roads and highways.
Social Security.
Unemployment Compensation.
Workers' Compensation.
I am sure you can think of other programs to add to this list.
Government itself is a public institution.
I find it rather ironic politicians trying to shove the "market" and "free-enterprise" system down our throats all the time would even run for public office since they hate big-government so much. I guess these hypocrites just run to get their dirty little corrupt fingers in the public till because they don't want to work for a living.
And, yes, we already have a pretty darn good start with a socialized health care system which includes VA, the Indian Health Service and, you will be surprised to know, we even have the National Public Health Service... all of which can be expanded upon quite easily to provide everyone with free healthcare at less cost than is being spent for healthcare by the government right now with everyone from greedy profit-gouging doctors to health insurance companies to HMO's, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies not to mention the home healthcare providers and nursing homes all looking for government hand-outs while decrying socialized healthcare... which, by-the-way, is nothing but public health care.
Without public education we wouldn't even be able to teach 300,000,000 people to read and to write... why would anyone have ever thought that private, for-profit health care would serve the health care needs of so many people? I hasn't worked over the years; it doesn't work; and private, for-profit health care will never work... socialized health care, like socialism itself, really works and that is why Minnesota's two most popular governors ever, Floyd Olson and Elmer Benson, supported socialism and socialized health care--- free health care for all.
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
Yours in struggle and solidarity,
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763
Phone: 218-386-2432
Cell Phone: 651-587-5541
E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net
Please check out my blog: http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/
Let’s talk about the politics and economics of livelihood for real change.
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