Steal from the Workers to give to the Rich

 

Hollis Stewart

The Libertarian rich believe they got their wealth by their work while what has worked for them is taking the wealth produced by workers while paying the workers as little as possible: that is why they are anti-union, anti-social security, anti-medicare since if working people aren't kept at the bottom barely surviving they won't want to work and give the wealth to the wealthy. That is why it is called wage slavery -- you aren't a slave owned by a slave owner, rather you are forced to sell your work time, ability and skills to an employer, and the less the employer pays you the more he/she gets to keep. 

 

After the working people were well unionized in the 1970s and earned decent wages to support a living style that provided some dignity the Libertarians went on the warpath to force wages back down or keep them from rising even as production per worker rose, productivity increases, so that more of the wealth created went to the owners instead of being spread among the workers and their families to maintain the living style, it was a race to the bottom for the working people. 

 

The system even began bringing immense amounts of imports at low prices so they could close production here in the USA, which kept families stable for a while, but eventually closed down or lowered the wages of production here. It is not complicated: the rich just attempt to take everything on the table away and let us die or live without dignity. And then they get someone like Trump to stir racial and class divisions so that people look at the stress around them and attack each other instead of the wealthy. See, divide and conquer and the conqueror gets the goods and spirits them away in cash/wealth to Wall Street or where ever.  NOW THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IS FURTHER IMPOVERISHING THE WORKING PEOPLE WHILE THE RICH ARE MAKING BILLIONS MORE AND STASHING IT IN THEIR BANKS.

First motorbike adventure!

Our first motorbike, small to medium motorcycle in my judgement, was from the campus at TDT to downtown Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon, riding on the back of bikes with students.  After riding downtown we all sat at an out of door restaurant and had tea and other drinks.  It was a great time but unfortunately my pictures never came out because too busy having fun to take them.  The only downside was that the students did not have permission to take us on their bikes as it was considered dangerous for us oldsters.

If I had known I wouldn't have gotten on the back of the bike like that but it sure was fun and the students rode very well and very carefully.

APALA Commercial

Been a bit of time since I posted any blog, health issues and all made me step aside for a while.  Have been following the news from Vietnam and about Vietnam, Obama's visit and the appointment of the war criminal Bob Kerry as the President of a US University in Vietnam to be run by the Fullbright folks.  Why they would put up as President a man who personally ordered the slaughter of children, women, men and old folks is hard to understand unless the message is: the Vietnam nation will do it our US way or else.  We don't care about the slaughters and the Agent Orange, napalm, carpet bombing, bombing dikes and flooding villages and destroying food stockpiles and other  atrocities.

And from what the US press I can't see that Obama brought any message of "we are truly sorry for what we inflicted on your country and the 2 to 4 million people that we helped kill or killed ourselves."

Students organize Blood Drive and students and faculty give!

Campuses across Vietnam have blood drives at several times during the year and the Women's Academy students organized a drive and it was held while we were visiting here.  They set up the tent and other logistics the night before and then staffed it on Tuesday.  Although we had a workshop earlier in the day we got down out there to get a few pictures.

The students were delighted to have their Blood Drive photographed and we told them it would be on our blog to let our friends know what a good experience it was.

Meeting with Women's Academy students and talking about family, hobbies and fun time.

Every Vietnamese student likes to have fun, who doesn't?  When we got together with a group of the students on Tuesday this week we talked about what they like to do for fun, what is their family like, and what hobbies do they pursue, if any? Several of the families had four members: mother, father,brother or sister and our student and about 1/2 of the students' families live in Hanoi.

Some of their fun and hobbies go together like salt and pepper:  For example many students like listening to music with their friends or by themselves when studying. Others liked movies, fishing, sports, and hanging out with friends to chat at "sidewalk cafes".  Several of the students were from rural provinces where their families farm.

US LABOR DELEGATION VISIT TO WOMEN'S ACADEMY

President Mr. Tran Quang Tien of Vietnam Women's Academy
 and Professor  Mr. Kent Wong of the UCLA Labor Center,
our co-chairs for the meeting. 

On Monday afternoon, 11-1-2016, the US Labor Delegation organized by Kent Wong visited the Women's Academy for a very lively and friendly discussion about the Academy, the Vietnam Women's Union and chat about active women and feminists: the same  or different in the USA. The delegation totaled 13 labor leaders and in a future blog we will present all the names as well as the names of our Vietnam friends who were present.  Mr. President Tran Quang Tien of the VWA and Mr. Kent Wong, Director of the UCLA Labor Center co-chaired the meeting in expert fashion assuring everyone a chance to be recognized, ask questions or comment on points.  For many of the delegation this was their first time in Vietnam and they relished the chance to ask questions, learn from their hosts and giver their opinions and speak to their experience in labor and gender issues.

 In short, the discussion was free ranging and as someone commented it was a joy to trade information and learn from each other on important issues for Vietnam, the USA and the World.

Professor Duong the Dean of the Gender and Development Faculty, clarifies and answers questions on women's issues
in Vietnam and on her department and its research. Lecturer,
Ms  Giang on the left interpreted when necessary and helped
the visiting labor instructors.

The discussion was wide ranging covering some history of the Women's Union - VWU, organized in 1930, and a strong player in the successful struggle for national independence and, too, the history of the  Academy referred to also as the VWA.  Here is a link to the history of the VWA:

 http://hvpnvn.edu.vn/bai-viet/gioi-thieu/lich-su-hinh-thanh-hoc-vien-phu-nu-viet-nam-1379.htm

The VWA was founded by the VWU in 1960 during the intensity of the American war [For those unaware, the US war effort in VN began years before 1963.] to educate and train women in a variety of work in government and social affairs. [FYI: if the writer is wrong on points it is not by intention but hearing difficulties sometimes make it hard to get things perfectly on point.]  Since that time the Academy has brought education and skills to thousands of government workers as well as the staff of the Women's Union and other organizations and continues to do so with its expanded and expanding programs of education.  Just this past September two new departments were added to the educational work: 1.Law and 2.Gender and Development to join the existing faculties of  3.Social Work and 4.Business Administration.  There are about 1000 students served at this campus with many living in a dormitory and others who commute to their studies.  Besides the educational work at the campus the faculty also travels to widespread local sites where they conduct seminars and training for women's organizations including local membership organizations of the Women's Union.  FOR CLARIFICATION: THE WOMEN'S UNION IS NOT A TRADE OR LABOR UNION BUT A VERY STRONG AND CAPABLE ORGANIZATION THAT BRINGS AND KEEPS WOMEN'S ISSUES ON THE AGENDA OF THE NATION.  As a member of the Fatherland Front the WU is a perpetual participant in the deliberations of policy for the nation and can and does bring woman centered policy proposals forward to benefit national development and women's place in society.  It was explained that the WU has organizations in villages, communes, provincial and city governments and of course there is the national organization.  The Vietnam Constitution guarantees the equal rights and status of women and the WU is the organization that sees that the role of women is maintained and develops.