Free stickers, via IDollarNY.org

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is general election day here in New York City and across the waters in NJ.  If you can vote, use it to make a point.

I know all the debates about voting not changing anything, and while I tend to agree, I’m not asking you to overthrow capitalism with your vote.  It won’t do that.  But it is a splendid soapbox from which to shout, and it is a way to ensure the object with which those in power can hit you is as small as possible.

So here are my recommendations:

Vote Against Bloomberg

The 4th richest man in America and the 17th richest in the world, Bloomberg is a billionaire 16 times over.  He’s spending over $100 Million to finance a campaign that is illegal under NYC law, after we all voted twice for term limits.  Of course he got other politicians to annul this law.  I wonder how?

Bloomy has jumped UP the rankings, making billions more during his two mayoral terms.  And yet he’s cutting schools, health care, services, and raising only those taxes that hit the working poor hardest.

http://www.voterevbilly.org

In short, he’s a scumbag.  Tell him what you think by voting for Reverend Billy Tallen for mayor!

You don’t have to worry that Billy will win and be corrupted by power.  And Billy has always been the first at every little picket or protest, always offered solidarity, always been there for those fighting power.  You owe him one (if not several).

Vote Socialist for NJ Governor

Greg Pason, perennial candidate for the Socialist Party is running for governor.  I may be biased.  But the media driven acceptable choices are the fat Republican who loves George Bush, or the hairy Democrat who made billions as a unrepentant capitalist merchant banker, or the “independent” who’s really a Republican who just doesn’t hate everyone who’s not straight/white/rich as much as the first guy.

http://www.votepason.org/

Greg Pason is not going to win.  Again, if you think this is a question of revolutionary principles, you’ve gotten ahead of yourself.  This is a lifeline to those out there who’ve always been told that capitalism, free markets, and wage labor are the only choices there are.  I’ve seen the effect that Greg’s campaigns can have on people across the state.  People are so rarely reached by radical newspapers, protests, email lists, or punk rock fanzines.  New Jersey law gives an avowed anti-capitalist air time, mailings that go to every home in the state, and a platform bigger than any march you’ve ever put together.  Every vote Greg and other anti-capitalist candidates gets lends legitimacy to a future more just society.

And this society has gotten so used to abstention, that despite what you’re told, no power is threatened when you stay home.  They just think you’re too fat and happy to shift your ass.

So drag it out: you won’t find a better use for a vote, even abstention.

Vote for Debbie Rose for NY City Council

Next Left Notes Photo: Michelle Akyempong

If you’re lucky enough to live on Staten Island, you have the chance to vote for Debbie Rose for City Council.  After decades of grassroots activism, Debbie got out the vote and shocked the Democratic Party machine in the primaries, spanking the right wing Democrat Fred Flintstone look alike Ken Mitchell.  Now Debbie is a day away from being the first person of color to be elected from any Staten Island election.  Ever.

If that’s not reason enough, Ken Mitichell is storming back, using the Conservative Party ballot line (NYC politicians stand on, sometimes seemingly contradictory, multiple party lines) to try and win back his City Council seat.  The same seat he was gifted by the Democratic machine, with which he did zero, except voting against a law that would protect Abortion providers from harassment.

Is Debbie Rose going to change the world? Hardly.  But she’s good people, has always been loyal to her working class community and the struggles here against racism, police brutality, pollution and poverty. We need to give her a louder megaphone, and take it away from the idiots who hold it now.

So like I said, votes won’t make a revolution.  That’s up to the rest of us.  Your vote can make a point.  Use it.

Related articles:

• See another leftist set of recommendations at  Next Left Notes (nextleftnotes.org)
• Reverend Billy: New York’s Consumerism (huffingtonpost.com)
• Bloomberg Sets Record for His Own Spending on Elections (nytimes.com)
• New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spending 15000 an hour on reelection bid (telegraph.co.uk)
• On Tuesday Your Vote is Really Going to Count (streetsblog.org)
• New Poll: Anybody But Bloomberg [Polls] (cityfile.com)
• Newark Mayor Backed Bloomberg, Then Got Funds (nytimes.com)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pittsburgh, PA – From September 22nd to 25th members of the NYC Local of the Socialist Party USA, will be in Pittsburgh, PA to participate in mass demonstrations in opposition to the G20 meeting being held in the city. We will be providing live reports, pictures and videos to the Socialist Webzine (http://socialistwebzine.blogspot.com) and our twitter account (@socialistzine). We will also be available by phone for interviews before, during and after the street protests.

Nations in the G20 control 90 percent of world GDP, and 80 percent of world trade and operate under the free market direction of the IMF and World Bank. As a result, UNICEF reports that more than 25,000 children die each day due to poverty and millions survive on less than $1 a day. The economic policies of the G20 are a direct cause of the current global economic crisis which has produced mass layoffs and social suffering throughout the world.

The G20 meetings have no published agenda and there is no accountability – the meetings are conducted in secret and remain closed only through the violent acts of police. We oppose these policies and will make this opposition clear by taking part in the demonstrations against the G20 meeting.

“People are tired of settling for the crumbs of the global economy,” says Billy Wharton, Editor of The Socialist and Socialist Webzine. “Thousands will march in Pittsburgh to demand democracy, economic redistribution, and a future beyond capitalism.”

The NYC Local of the Socialist Party USA supports the creation of a world where the vast wealth in society is used for the benefit of the greater good. We believe in a radical expansion of democracy to all areas of life and we promote the use of our civil rights to protest. With our participation in these demonstrations we are not only declaring our opposition to the G20, but also our belief that the exploitative policies of capitalism offer no way forward for humanity. For us, taking part in these demonstrations are a declaration in our belief that a more democratic and equitable future is possible.

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For more information or to arrange interviews contact:

Billy Wharton
Editor, The Socialist and The Socialist WebZine
718-869-2279
billyspnyc (at) yahoo.com