By Thomas J. Mackell, Jr., Ed.D.
Senior Consultant
International Longshoremen's jAssociation, AFL-CIO
The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. said it eloquently and poignantly, "Our lives begin to end, the day we become silent about the things that matter."
Life in the 21st Century, for many, is extremely fragile and in some instances a large number of families are getting crushed economically. These are the tortured souls. A hostile environment populated by tortured souls is dangerous to society.
So why are we in this vulnerable and precarious position today?
Because our government no longer feels that it is important to provide assistant to create jobs for those who have been unemployed for many months, if not for years. And there is a constant battle and debate in Washington between the right and the moderates about whether to extend unemployment benefits that in some cases are sorely needed in order for some to put food on the table and to basically survive. This schism is both sad, frightening and frustrating.
Employers have been reneging on the "social contract" for decades, for example, demolishing defined benefit pension plans, reducing healthcare coverage, driving down wages and taking away pension and healthcare benefits from retirees, while they fight off unions, ship jobs overseas and implement automation to savagely reduce employment and salt away their profits in some offshore tax haven. Their collective behavior is despicable and I would submit un-American and downright unpatriotic.
Yet, corporate CEOs reap incredibly outrageous salaries and bonus payments, in some instances, in exchange for questionable performance and for some for relatively short periods of employment.
The cast of characters on Wall Street who destroyed the life savings, pensions and home values for millions of Americans are still perpetrating schemes to make them wealthier off of the backs of the misfortunate and they have no respect for the toil of the common man or woman. Their maids, doormen and drivers and other service providers are merely commodities.
So where do we go from here? How do we right the wrongs and re-instill the integrity and dignity of labor at the workplace in America? How do we reward workers for their ingenuity, hard work, their productivity and devotion to their jobs and employers?
Can we reinstate the eroded benefit programs, the downgrading and demise of decent wages and bring back the wholesomeness of employment that was experienced in this country in the post-WW II era up until the late 1970s?
If not, what happens? How long can the disenfranchised remain calm and accept the dirt that they have been dished?
When does that one charismatic individual appear who offers the embodiment of hope and who comes to the fore and engages the frustration, anxieties and fears of the American population?
When that happens, and it will, how will it manifest itself? Will we elect new conscientious leaders to deal effectively with the multitude of challenges? I would doubt that happening.
Or will it be more outrageous and capture the fear and venom of the populace resulting in firing up and loosening up their rage?
Is there a modern day version of Cesar Chavez or John L. Lewis or FDR or some other noble individual who will lead the joyless, downtrodden souls to a higher ground?
Today, interestingly, fear is entering the ranks of the 1%. It does not reside and foment itself exclusively in the domain of the mistreated workforce who fear that they will ultimately become homeless once their jobs and resources dry up.
It is interesting to note that we now employ as many private security guards as high school teachers--over one million of them, or double their number since 1980.
In addition to private security guards, that means police officers, members of the armed forces, prison and court officials, civilian employees of the military, and those producing weapons: a total of 5.2 million workers in 2011. That is a far larger number than we have teachers at all levels.
The Pentagon and police organizations across the country are dusting off their old defensive plans from the days of rage of the 60s in anticipation of what is expected to be the impending social unrest throughout the land that is anticipated over the next five years.
The growing inequality in America has been accompanied by a boom in gated communities and armies of doormen controlling access to upscale apartment buildings.
There is a simple economic lesson here: a nation whose policies result in substantial inequalities may end up spending more on guns and getting less butter as a result. Or to put it another way, how many gated communities do you think that we can we build in this country, surrounded by moats of money, protected by a twisted political system that favors the rich before those on the outside want in? They call that revolution. You say that can't happen here and I say that we are all the sons and daughters of revolutionaries.
How long can we neutralize and sedate those who are the downtrodden? James Baldwin, the African-American author of the 60s, was quoted as saying: "The most dangerous creation of a society is the man (or woman) who has got nothing to lose."
There are too many guns in this country and what does it take for a person to get up one morning with nothing to lose and go out with his gun?
Or to put it another way, Chuck Colson of Watergate fame said it differently: "The average individual is nine meals away from committing a crime." Powerful, yet frightening, thoughts.
These are not fabricated ideas, this is reality!
Poverty is a thief. It diminishes a person's life chances and it's steals years from one's life.
There will be a reconciliation if we don't turn things around. Failure to do so will result in a raging movement against deprivation, dispossession and displacement.
Pay attention you sons and daughters of privilege you may be looking down the wrong end of a gun.
A country western group called Big and Rich produced a song entitled: "That's Why I Pray." If we don't move in the right direction we had better fall down on our knees and start praying.
The French aristocracy never saw it coming, will we?
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