Trump ran on a promise to lower costs on day one, but a year into his presidency, the real beneficiaries are his billionaire donors. Instead of making life more affordable for everyday Americans, Trump has used the presidency to enrich himself and his billionaire allies, while making the largest cuts to Medicaid and food assistance in history and leaving working families behind.

As families struggle with rising costs, Trump has effectively turned the White House into a slush fund, running the federal government like a personal ATM.

  • gnuthing@piefed.social
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    4 days ago

    We need to combine this with strikes and slowdown strikes. The rich now make up enough of the economy that our spending doesn’t matter as much. But our labor is something they need or the whole machine stops

    • breadleyloafsyou@lemmy.zip
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      4 days ago

      It’s going to take repealing the taft hartley act before labor unions can do anything like that. Any union endorsement of these actions would see them buried in lawsuits and the leadership sent to jail. That’s why these general strikes movements use lots of language saying it’s an individual choice or individual action to participate.

      • gnuthing@piefed.social
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        4 days ago

        Most Americans aren’t in unions, any action we take would be individual participation. I think most of us are angry enough about what’s happening to at least do a slowdown strike

        • breadleyloafsyou@lemmy.zip
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          4 days ago

          You are missing the point. strikes require central organising and funds to last for any significant duration. especially in a country where most people are one missed paycheck from being unable to eat or pay rent.

          Also the taft hartley act is directly responsible for dwindling union membership in the states since it makes typical union activities in we see in every other “developed” nation illegal.

          • gnuthing@piefed.social
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            2 days ago

            This is why I think we should do a slowdown. In a slowdown we’re still drawing paychecks, we don’t need the union funds. Political strikes and general strikes aren’t legal here at all whereas a slowdown might be a natural outgrowth of the stress we’re feeling about ice, the economy, govt pedos, etc

            • breadleyloafsyou@lemmy.zip
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              1 day ago

              When your employer can fire you for any non-protected (and protection is basically nonexistent) reason I feel like even the suspicion that someone is doing a slowdown will get them fired.

              • gnuthing@piefed.social
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                1 day ago

                This is true of you are the only person doing it. But if it’s nationwide with high participation that becomes less likely. That’s one of the things I like about a slowdown, it’s something that can pick up steam and become more intense. Slowdowns and general strikes have been used in the past by labor organizers and I don’t think it being illegal should stop us. The shitty labor laws we have aren’t going anywhere unless labor stands up to the people who own this country