Re: [Marxism] Blow to Amazon as Seattle socialist looks to have triumphed in key vote | US news | The Guardian

2019-11-10 Thread Ralph Johansen via Marxism

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It occurs to me that this is one of many issues of its kind, where what 
we push for is well beyond what capital can put up with and which 
resonates with a large section of the population in all its 
permutations. Setting up an exacerbation of contradiction which can only 
favor workers in its effects. We know this, but it's a reminder that the 
world is teeming with such issues, and it's the type of fight where 
reformism has an appropriate place, in dismantling rather than buoying 
capital. 
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/nov/08/how-big-tech-is-dragging-us-towards-the-next-financial-crash.


Louis Proyect wrote

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/09/seattle-amazon-kshama-sawant-socialist-elections
-

Interesting that one of the primary issues in this race was Sawant's 
full-on leadership in the fight for a head tax, a tax which would have 
funded public housing in a city with the third largest homeless 
population in the nation (after NYC and LA), a per-employee tax on large 
corporations which would have come down on Amazon in particular. 
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/05/amazon-seattle-councilwoman-kshama-sawant-re-election-bid. 



So Jeff Bezos threatens to take his company, which has a virtual 
lock-down and concentration of power in the retail online shopping 
business, out of Seattle and let Seattle voters stew in their Commie 
juices. We'll see a lot of that, I'd think, and the interesting thing 
here is that it's so transparent - if the media play it at all.


Homelessness may finally become an issue that can no longer be ignored, 
with real estate billionaire Trump entering with club feet and 
advocating the equivalent of confinement in 19th century poor houses in 
LA, in the context of housing shortage, rising rental prices and real 
estate wealth, evictions, especially of homeless single mothers with 
"bothersome" children who are the main victims in this. There is a 
national reporting agency, according to Matt Desmond in his book 
"Evicted", which property managers subscribe to, which reports on 
evictions everywhere. So if you've been evicted in one region of the 
country you're poison all over.


It may be the right issue at the right time. It feeds into people's 
growing sense of insecurity and injustice, a great preponderance of new 
jobs being part-time, low-end, temporary, without benefits, and it just 
might contribute to a sense of our common identity. Especially to 
younger workers, those most closely affected, who have as a cohort been 
reluctant and largely cynical about prospects of resistance, for too long.




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Re: [Marxism] Blow to Amazon as Seattle socialist looks to have triumphed in key vote | US news | The Guardian

2019-11-10 Thread Ralph Johansen via Marxism

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Louis Proyect wrote

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/09/seattle-amazon-kshama-sawant-socialist-elections

Interesting that one of the primary issues in this race was Sawant's 
full-on leadership in the fight for a head tax, a tax which would have 
funded public housing in a city with the third largest homeless 
population in the nation (after NYC and LA), a per-employee tax on large 
corporations which would have come down on Amazon in particular. 
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/05/amazon-seattle-councilwoman-kshama-sawant-re-election-bid.


So Jeff Bezos threatens to take his company, which has a virtual 
lock-down and concentration of power in the retail online shopping 
business, out of Seattle and let Seattle voters stew in their Commie 
juices. We'll see a lot of that, I'd think, and the interesting thing 
here is that it's so transparent - if the media play it at all.


Homelessness may finally become an issue that can no longer be ignored, 
with real estate billionaire Trump entering with club feet and 
advocating the equivalent of confinement in 19th century poor houses in 
LA, in the context of housing shortage, rising rental prices and real 
estate wealth, evictions, especially of homeless single mothers with 
"bothersome" children who are the main victims in this. There is a 
national reporting agency, according to Matt Desmond in his book 
"Evicted", which property managers subscribe to, which reports on 
evictions everywhere. So if you've been evicted in one region of the 
country you're poison all over.


It may be the right issue at the right time. It feeds into people's 
growing sense of insecurity and injustice, a great preponderance of new 
jobs being part-time, low-end, temporary, without benefits, and it just 
might contribute to a sense of our common identity. Especially to 
younger workers, those most closely affected, who have as a cohort been 
reluctant and largely cynical about prospects of resistance, for too long.


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Re: [Marxism] Blow to Amazon as Seattle socialist looks to have triumphed in key vote | US news | The Guardian

2019-11-10 Thread Michael Meeropol via Marxism
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The thing that amazes me about the reaction of Amazon is that the actual
IMPACT of whatever the Seattle city council passes would be NEGLIGIBLE when
it comes to the giant's bottom line -- so what's going on?   I think it's
the same issue as the general "cry-baby' billionaires demonstrate.  They
don't just want to SUCCEED and become unbelievably wealthy -- they want to
be LOVED and PRAISED for doing it!!!   And when they don't get the praise
they throw tantrums like that guy Cooperman who wrote the famous letter to
Obama back in 2011 (year???) -- and who just came out with something
shorter attacking Elizabeth Warren ---

That seems to be why Bloomberg wants to get into the race 

I guess the human brain is beyond understanding no matter what the
Behavioral Psychologists assert (!!!)
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[Marxism] Blow to Amazon as Seattle socialist looks to have triumphed in key vote | US news | The Guardian

2019-11-10 Thread Louis Proyect via Marxism

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/09/seattle-amazon-kshama-sawant-socialist-elections
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