Re: [Marxism] RE: Civilian Benefits for Veterans

["acpollack2@xxxxxxxx" <acpollack2@xxxxxxxx>]

Still at work myself, but Brian raises an important point. I was mentioning to 
a friend yesterday how I stumbled on Howard Zinn's name as a veterans' 
activists while doing research on postwar veterans' movements (progressive, not 
American Legion). Think Bonus Army, Black vets in the civil rights movement, 
etc. That's the kind of movement that could see the link between preferences 
for vets and for women, Blacks, etc. (which are after all increasingly 
overlapping categories and all mostly workers).
But the EXISTING dichotomy and counterposition that Brian pointed out in both 
his messages is REAL and is the terrain on which some of this discussion must 
happen in the real workplace and barracks today.

-- Brian Shannon <Brian_Shannon@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Just back from work, I see that no one commented on Civilian Benefits
for Veterans.

For me, it is not just about what happened to women in post WWII, when
returning veterans not only took the jobs that they had so effectively
filled.

I start with the assumption that "veterans' preferences" exist at the
national, state, and local level.

1)
Have you ever taken a civil service job only to find that your boss was
an idiot? Not only was he (and it is mostly "he" that I am referring
to), stupid, he was also a reactionary, i.e., "veterans' preference"
unites 10 extra points with "U.S.A. all the way."

2)
The effect of "veterans' preferences" on the capitalist state. Lifers,
i.e., 20-year- and 30-year-men, take a second job with the government.
Aside from them, the ones that I refer to above are also filling
positions that they acquire from those extra 10 points.

3)
Compare "veterans' preferences" to "affirmative action." Although some
private industry and the military services themselves support
affirmative action or quotas (They are not about to return to white
officers leading minority soldiers!), there has been a successful
attack on affirmative action in public and governmental institutions.

Thus, the state of California hiring system is based on veterans'
preferences, but the University of California can no longer admit
students based on historic discrimination against African Americans.

from Brian Shannon


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