Emphasizing the ‘L’ in ‘DFL’
Joan and I attended the city precinct caucus on April 16, 2013, at the Highland High School. We are new members of the Highland community after living on the East Side for over 50 years. It was a great experience meeting people who we have known ourselves in our new community. We easily got elected to the city convention, and I look forward to our political life in the Highland community.
I was so pleased to hear the encouragement of the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation and, particularly, President Bobby Kasper to attend the caucus and get involved in our community. In our democracy we have the great opportunity to have a say about important issues that affect us. We all know we have the opportunity to vote, but get frustrated because it appears that the public officials we elect fail to represent us. Public officials who are wanting to run for re-election or aspiring political persons who are seeking their first political office do remember the issues and values of delegates who can and do provide the votes they will need for future endorsements.
Many of us have dreamed for years to have a Labor political party. If we all attended the DFL caucuses, we could easily put labor into the DFL party.
– Wayne Wittman, Machinists Local Lodge 459
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Don’t gut Health & Human Services
During the last three to four years, major cuts were made to the Health and Human Services budget. There were over $60 million in cuts made to the mental health system – a fragile and underfunded system. I can’t understand why the Democrats in the Legislature would propose cutting over $150 million from Health and Human Services. This funding takes care of children and adults with mental illnesses, people with other disabilities and older adults. It funds mental health centers and providers, hospitals and nursing homes.
I urge our legislators to revisit this decision. It will have a negative impact on our community.
– Shelley Burns
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Why resurrect fight over communism?
The March issue of The Advocate contained an article from the archives with the heading: “75 Years Ago: Fighting Communism.” Why the resurrection of this piece? Presently, one wonders if these early communists were not correct in their belief that capitalism is inherently unjust, unstable and unsustainable. Were they also correct to suggest that workers not soldier up their children for so many cruel and unjust wars?
Yet the modern Advocate appears to have echoed the old declaration: “Compromise with communists would be suicidal.” Should “pleas for tolerance, unity and harmony” continue to be ignored in favor of “a pragmatic approach?”
Pardon me, but the historic accommodation between labor and capital has brought us now to what state of affairs?
– Peter Molenaar, Teamsters 970
Union Advocate 