News

BOSTON/Copley Square - On Tuesday, a 20 person delegation representing unionized security guards from the Service Employees International Union Local 615 - including guards, union staff, and supporters from the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice and Jobs with Justice - entered the lobby of the 200 Berkeley St. headquarters of Manulife Financial (formerly John Hancock) and attempted to meet with company management to enlist their support in ongoing contract negotiations with Manulife's security contractor, Securitas.

Dear Dr. Dollar:
Isn’t the “bailout” of Wall Street like having a rotten tooth extracted? The extraction is very unpleasant, but it beats the alternative. Even if the dentist charges an unreasonably high fee, I am still going to pay and have the job done. Later I will worry about taking better care of my teeth. So shouldn’t people quit complaining about the bailout, suck it up, and get the job done?
—Peter Wagner, Weston, Mass.

BOSTON/Roxbury - Over 150 people participated in a "Community Unity Rally" to support the "No on Question 1" campaign this evening at Roxbury Community College. Speakers from several sponsoring organizations vowed to defeat the statewide referendum question - which would eliminate the Massachusetts state income tax by 2010 - saying it will cut over 40% or $13 billion from the state budget, including $158 million from Boston Public Schools. Rally sponsors included ACORN, Boston Tenant Coalition, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, Hyde Square Task Force, Jobs with Justice, Mass.

Walking in Davis Square two days before the election, I saw a rather dour-looking young man seated on a high pedestal holding a handwritten sign that read “No on Socialism.” Heading on by him, I looked at the back of his sign. It said, “Is Obama an American?”

Socialism has clearly returned to the agenda of popular debate, from campaign rhetoric to comedy shows. It comes disguised – not for the first time – as an ogre. Once we take note of who is presenting it that way, however, we may get the message that socialism could have something going for it.