National Speaking Tour: Socialist Won Historic Vote — Building an Alternative to the Two Parties of Wall Street		Printer-Friendly E-Mail This
Mar 30, 2013 By SocialistAlternative.org
The Republicans are trying to make working people and the poor pay for the government’s deficit by making deep cuts to Social Security and Medicare instead of taxing millionaires. Obama and the Democrats are proposing to make unprecedented cuts to these social safety net programs, too. Events like these are leading more and more people to conclude that the richest 1% has two political parties and it’s time the 99% had a party of our own. In 2012, Occupy activist Kshama Sawant ran an insurgent campaign as a Socialist Alternative candidate against Washington state’s Democratic Speaker of the House. Her campaign refused corporate donations and was largely ignored by the corporate media, yet she won a historic 29% of the vote with over 20,000 votes - the highest vote for a Socialist in Seattle in decades! This shows it’s completely possible to build an alternative to the two corporate parties. To build on this success, Sawant is running again this year on a platform ranging from putting the brakes on environmentally disastrous coal trains running through Seattle to a Millionaires Tax to fund education and public transportation to taking on police brutality. Kshama Sawant will be speaking around the U.S. this spring, raising the need for candidates from Occupy, the labor movement, and other activist forces to join forces and run their own independent candidates. She will be speaking up and down Washington State, as well as in New York, Chicago, Boston, Madison, New Orleans, St. Petersburg, and other cities across the country. Come discuss building an alternative to corporate politics and find out how you can help. Kshama Sawant National Speaking Tour Stops Springfield, IL Monday, March 25 6:30 pm CST University of Illinois Springfield- Great Room of Lincoln Residence Hall- 2160 Vachel Lindsay Drive Springfield, IL 62703 https://www.facebook.com/events/440000682744005/ Chicago, IL Tuesday, March 26 7:00pm CST United Electrical Workers (U.E) Hall 37 S Ashland Avenue https://www.facebook.com/events/430327160387599/ Panel discussion with Kshama Sawant and Northside activist Fran Tobin: using electoral strategies to fight back against austerity New York City, NY Two Meetings! 1. CUNY Wednesday, March 27 7:00pm EST CUNY Graduate Center, Room 5414 https://www.facebook.com/events/576173045728721/ Speakers (besides Kshama Sawant): LUCAS SANCHEZ, New York Communities for Change (NYCC) organizer of grocery store workers, member of the Comité de Trabajadores de Nueva York. ELJEER HAWKINS Social activist born and raised in Harlem, political writer on prisons, police brutality and racism, member of Socialist Alternative. 2. Astoria, Queens Friday, March 29 6:00pm EST Greater Astoria Historical Society, 4th Floor Lounge Quinn Building, 35-20 Broadaway, Astoria, Queens https://www.facebook.com/events/595797700450066/ Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ Thursday, March 28 9:00pm EST Rutgers University Scott Hall room 220 43 College Ave https://www.facebook.com/events/171122869707370/ Philadelphia, PA Saturday, April 6 1:00pm EST Arch Street United Methodist Church 55 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia 19107 https://www.facebook.com/events/588982294447552/ While Wall St is handing out bonuses, most working class citizens of this city are facing the hardest time they have seen in their lives. The Wall St Banks have taken more than $13 trillion from us in bailouts since the crash in 2008. Out of that they have paid themselves bonuses, satisfied their legal obligations and contracts and accumulated massive cash reserves that they have used to speculate on the market instead of creating jobs. U.S. Corporations are now sitting on a cash hoard greater than $1trillion, and now despite the 'end of the recession' even more Cuts in Federal, State and Local programs are coming. Here in Pennsylvania all the powers that be from Governor Corbett to Mayor Nutter to the SRC have made it clear whose side they are on and it is not ours. We do not need school closings, we need real investment in the education system. We do not need privatized liquor stores or mail service, we need decent secure jobs with pensions and health care. We do not need transit cuts, shuttered fire houses, and privatized city services, we need a massive investment in our cities infrastructure to enhance the quality of life for all residents of this city. We invite you to an afternoon of discussion and analysis Saturday April 6th 1-4pm Arch St UMC 55 N Broad A Speaker from the fight against school closings A Speaker from Philly ROC fresh from their campaign for paid sick leave Special guest: Kshama Sawant - Socialist Alternative, Seattle PCAPS and the fight back against the school closings in Philadelphia is front and center of the struggle to preserve public education nationally. Philly ROC fresh from their campaign for paid sick leave does grassroots organizing of restaurant workers to empower them to fight for justice in the workplace, equitable wages, and working conditions. Boston, MA 6th Annual New England Socialism Conference Saturday, April 13 10:00am – 4:00pm EST Community Church of Boston 565 Boylston St. https://www.facebook.com/events/423592137733542/ Featured speakers: Kshama Sawant- An Economics professor at Seattle Central Community College, Kshama recently ran against Washington Speaker of the House and Democrat Frank Chopp and got 30%/20,000 votes in her district as a candidate of Socialist Alternative. She is currently running for Seattle City Council. Seamus Whelan- A Registered Nurse at Cambridge Hospital and activist within the Massachusetts Nurses Association, Seamus is currently running an insurgent campaign as the Socialist Alternative candidate for Boston City Council At-Large. Workshops include: “Organizing against the Attack on Labor” “Immigration and the Class Struggle” “Defeating the Pipeline: a Green Socialist Solution for the Environment” “Building a Fight Back Against the 1%” Madison, WI Saturday, April 27 Time and location TBA