Re: [Marxism] leaflet and program and no foreclosures slogan

["Anthony Boynton" <anthony.boynton@xxxxxxxxx>]

No foreclosures! is a slogan aimed at primarily at protecting the
aristocracy of labor and the petty bourgeoisie from the current crisis. The
great mass of poorer workers rent, but some of them were suckered into
trying to buy homes they could not afford.

If we as Marxists view ourselves as champions of the oppressed, we should
fight against foreclosures, but this clearly can not be the main or only
focus even at this early stage of the economic crisis. Already job losses
are mounting, pension plans are deflating, and local government services are
about to be cut. Marxist activists need to participate in, and even try to
initiate, struggles in each of these areas.

We also need to offer a program of steps to take to begin to resolve the
crisis in favor of the working class. These steps must include immediate
reforms which the capitalist government could make to improve conditions for
workers now. Earlier I suggested nationalizing the banks and mandating them
to provide interest free loans to refinance bankrupt mortgages and
revitalize the housing market. This is an SR type platform, not one that
Lenin would have chosen before 1917.

But it speaks to the desire of all workers in the United States to own a
home. You can not simply abolish the "American dream", and as long as it
shapes the consciousness of workers in the United States, you must find ways
to mobilize the working class within their own terms of reference.

One big problem with a "no foreclosrues" movement is that, due to the social
composition of those who might become part of such a movement, it is likely
to be dominated by the radical right, not the left.
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