[U.S.] Only 53% of Americans think Capitalism is Bette Than Socialism

re-posted from rasmussenreports.com

Sure, it's not 0% believing in capitalism (yet) but, as far as survey research goes, 53% is pretty exciting. --ianna.

Just 53% Say Capitalism Better Than Socialism, 04/09/09

Only 53% of American adults believe capitalism is better than socialism.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 20% disagree and say socialism is better. Twenty-seven percent (27%) are not sure which is better.

Adults under 30 are essentially evenly divided: 37% prefer capitalism, 33% socialism, and 30% are undecided. Thirty-somethings are a bit more supportive of the free-enterprise approach with 49% for capitalism and 26% for socialism. Adults over 40 strongly favor capitalism, and just 13% of those older Americans believe socialism is better.

Investors by a 5-to-1 margin choose capitalism. As for those who do not invest, 40% say capitalism is better while 25% prefer socialism.

There is a partisan gap as well. Republicans - by an 11-to-1 margin - favor capitalism. Democrats are much more closely divided: Just 39% say capitalism is better while 30% prefer socialism. As for those not affiliated with either major political party, 48% say capitalism is best, and 21% opt for socialism.

The question posed by Rasmussen Reports did not define either capitalism or socialism

It is interesting to compare the new results to an earlier survey in which 70% of Americans prefer a free-market economy. The fact that a “free-market economy” attracts substantially more support than “capitalism” may suggest some skepticism about whether capitalism in the United States today relies on free markets.

Other survey data supports that notion. Rather than seeing large corporations as committed to free markets, two-out-of-three Americans believe that big government and big business often work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors.

Fifteen percent (15%) of Americans say they prefer a government-managed economy, similar to the 20% support for socialism. Just 14% believe the federal government would do a better job running auto companies, and even fewer believe government would do a better job running financial firms.

Most Americans today hold views that can generally be defined as populist while only seven percent (7%) share the elitist views of the Political Class.

[Oakland] Anarchist reportback

suggested by Elliott, re-posted from Counterpunch.org, "This analysis was written collaboratively by a group of anarchists based out of Oakland who together were present at all moments during the rebellion."

by Kara N. Tina

Oakland on Fire

Anarchists, Solidarity, and New Possibilities in the Oakland Rebellion

"I'm sorry my car was burned but the issue is very upsetting."

-Ken Epstein, assistant editor of the Oakland Post, who was finishing an article about Grant's death, watched from the 12th story of his office at 14th and Franklin streets as his 2002 Honda CR-V disintegrated in a roar of flames (Oakland Tribune)

The murder of Oscar Grant by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer Johannes Mehserle early New Year's morning sent a wave of grief throughout the Bay Area and reminded all that racism and police violence continue to be endemic components of US society. During the following days, that pain transformed into overflowing anger as multiple videos of the execution recorded by witnesses emerged on the internet and in the media. One week later on January 7, over a thousand people from diverse communities across Oakland and the Bay Area gathered to show their anger and be in the presence of others feeling similar grief. This hastily planned rally shut down the Fruitvale BART station where the shooting took place as speaker after speaker addressed the crowd. Without any plan or organization, the vast majority of those who patiently listened to speakers for over two hours took the demonstration into the streets with a spirited march that made its way towards downtown as the sun set. 

As the march reached the Lake Merritt BART station and headquarters of BART police downtown, clashes immediately broke out leaving one police cruiser destroyed alongside a burning dumpster. Marchers dispersed down side streets to the sounds of police weapons discharging and the sting of tear gas in the air. The following hours witnessed waves of rioting and demonstrations throughout downtown Oakland that even forced Mayor Ron Dellums to come out into the streets and promise the opening of a homicide investigation in a failed attempt to subdue the angry crowds. Hundreds of businesses and cars were damaged or destroyed and dumpsters were left burning. The next day, a BART board of directors meeting was filled beyond capacity and overwhelmed with community members expressing indignant rage, clearly feeling validated and empowered to speak up by the previous night's rebellion.

In the days since the unrest, rumors have begun to circulate that anarchists hijacked the otherwise peaceful event and were responsible for unleashing the 'violence'.  A cover story in the San Francisco Chronicle two days after the rioting quoted an organizer of the Fruitvale rally as saying that he was led to tears when his work was "destroyed by a group of anarchists." This dangerous and misleading narrative obscures what actually transpired and why, on that evening, the streets of Oakland unleashed such a powerful show of resistance and solidarity that gave many an empowered glimpse of radical new possibilities.

It is true that anarchists were present from start to finish on Wednesday. Counter to some generalizations that assume all anarchists are white, those who were there on Wednesday come from diverse backgrounds. They participated in a wide variety of ways; from spreading the word about the rally beforehand in order to have a large turnout, to spending hours painting banners and signs, to engaging in militant street actions, to being rounded up and at times beaten and arrested. Anarchists are among the over 100 community members who now face charges ranging from misdemeanor rioting to different felonies.

African-American youth made up the majority of those involved in the actions along with sizable numbers of anarchists as well as other youth of color and activist folk who were all there side by side. During the rioting, there was a sense of unity in the air and a defiant mood of solidarity among all who faced off against the police.  Anarchists tend to show up at all demonstrations prepared to act should the situation escalate, and this case was no different. Yet it is simply incorrect to suggest that there was some conspiracy of anarchists from the 'outside' who were able to manipulate the helpless youth of Oakland as part of their sinister agenda. This is a paternalistic and disempowering misreading of what was unquestionably a spontaneous outpouring of rage, led by youth of color, creating an extremely empowering moment for participants in the streets. There, temporary alliances were made as those who were motivated to act in the moment experienced a unique cross-pollination that cut across the inhibiting social boundaries of everyday life. 

The allegations of an anarchist takeover are destructively misleading. At best they come from ignorance and at worse they represent a flawed and divisive ideology of social change which embodies paternalistic and racist assumptions about those involved in the actions. To scapegoat anarchists for what transpired, robs from marginalized and oppressed youth of color the agency they possess and the power to resist which they demonstrated that evening. It also ignores the remarkable diversity and unique solidarity in the streets that created an liberating experience far beyond any rally or march.

There were some moments during which individual anarchists attempted to influence the course of events, but these instances still do not fit into the narrative that the corporate media and some organizers have tried to tell. At one point a group of black youth smashing the windows of a locally owned business were encouraged to target large corporations and banks instead of 'mom and pop' shops. They proceeded to do just that. Anarchists also un-arrested youth, and encouraged people to push dumpsters and other objects into the streets to prevent the police from advancing, a tactic that was quickly picked up and utilized. Other examples of this type of interchange involved anarchists encouraging youth participating in the riots to wear bandanas over their faces, change clothes during calm moments and other tactics to help avoid arrest or identification. Without question, the exchange went both ways as anarchists took away valuable lessons in mobility, evasion, and more as they worked together with the youth throughout the night.

None of this, however, suggests that anarchists had some sort of control or single handedly determined the events that transpired. The rage and energy that transformed downtown Oakland into a momentary battlefield came from those who are most directly affected by the racist police state regime. No one group had any control over what unfolded. It was a spontaneous rebellion that sprang organically from the streets of Oakland and in retrospect anarchists played an important yet relatively minor role. 

The property destruction and rage that burned throughout downtown Oakland was at times undirected and ended up damaging many small businesses and cars along with corporate targets such as Sears and McDonald's. However, some of the most powerful moments that parralled the destruction were confrontations with police and sponatenous high energy gatherings of people in the street who refused to be dispersed. It was during these moments that chanting would again erupt from the crowd reminding all who were present that the direct political demands of justice for Oscar Grant and active resistance to the racist police state system in the United States were the motivations of all who took to the streets that evening.

It's important to also remember that not one person was assaulted during the actions and there were no reports of fights or scuffles amongst the groups of youth who resisted police and destroyed property into the night. In this sense, the rebellion was not violent. It is disturbing to watch as fellow organizers and members of our communities have uncritically adopted the rhetoric of the right in their confused denunciation of mass property destruction as 'violence'.

On the other hand the Oakland Police Department, who everyday harass, intimidate and beat Oakland's youth, was unleashing its very real violence that night. Police opened fire on crowds with different types of less lethal projectiles and in some cases shot tear gas canisters directly into people's bodies. A Berkeley High teacher had his face bashed during arrest and spent the night in the hospital before being taken back downtown for booking.  A man taking pictures was attacked by police and his bike helmet was cracked as he was beaten. During the mass arrest at the end of the night, 80 people were forced by police to lay on their stomachs at 20th and Broadway, including a very pregnant woman who was screaming in pain.

What manifested during the Oakland rebellion was a moment of interchange and revolutionary transformation that rarely happens within the rituals of left organizing in the Bay Area. Between white "community organizers" overtaken by guilt into an impotent politics of servitude, professional activists worried about annual reports and grant cycles, and vanguardist marxist sects continually looking to use the next demonstration as a recruiting drive, many radicals find themselves in a desert devoid of revolutionary activity and thought. Within this barren landscape, it is rare to find new possibilities for radical social change while combatting racism and the constant oppression of capitalism. Resisting the police shoulder to shoulder, destroying property (albeit with different emphasis), helping one another evade arrest, exchanging tactics and gestures of solidarity across racial barriers pushes the desire for a multi-racial revolutionary movement years ahead, more than any speaker at a rally ever could.

Anarchists are very accustomed to accusations of spoiling carefully managed demonstrations, and in some cases this is true and necessary. The Oakland rebellion was a different story. Those who are truly committed to revolutionary change in this country need to appreciate the significance of what unfolded in the streets that night and move forward without falling into the usual sectarian traps.

[Charleston, SC] Buy Nothing Day Tactics in South Carolina

suggested by: Gaurav, re-posted from: Charleston.net

By Katy Stech for The Post and Courier
Saturday, November 29, 2008

Vandals squeeze glue into locks of King Street businesses

Groups outside King Street stores early Friday morning weren't waiting for Black Friday sales to start. They were waiting for locksmiths.

Vandals squeezed glue into the front door keyholes of 70 downtown Charleston stores overnight, delaying some business openings and rattling already stressed store managers.

The vandalism didn't deter downtown shoppers, who usually start their bargain-hunting later in the day, but the incident added an unexpected twist to one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

As the downtown commercial district livened during the morning hours, clusters of shut-out sales employees commiserated over losing precious preparation time for the coming Black Friday crowd. Some managers said they were awaiting overnight instructions from corporate headquarters on things like pricing and display arrangement.

Meanwhile, a handful of locksmiths darted from one storefront to the next. They drilled into the keyholes, leaving a dusting of shiny metal shavings.

While the clerks outside retailers like Juicy Couture, Williams-Sonoma and Steve Madden politely awaited their turn, the owner of M. Dumas and Sons clothier decided to take matters into his own hands.

Shortly before the store's special 6 a.m. opening, eight groups of shoppers had lined up outside the store's entrance, eager to take advantage of its three-hour, 35 percent storewide discount. With the front door lock sealed and business at stake during these tough economic times, owner David Dumas made a critical decision.

"I said there was no way we were going to lose 1 1/2 to two hours of business when we had people waiting to get in," he said, noting that last year's Black Friday was the biggest sales day in the company's 88-year history.

So with Dumas' permission, a sales clerk swung a cinderblock through the glass front door, shattering it.

"We were open for business five minutes later," he said.

Dumas' store was one of the few retailers on King Street that opened early for Black Friday, a somewhat suburban holiday that is typically dominated by large retail chains.

Bleary-eyed downtown boutique employees, in the absence of the harsh fluorescent lighting found in big box stores, usually see business pick up in early afternoon. (It didn't help that the vandals glued the lock on Starbucks Coffee shop, too.)

"They'll come in after they get their electronics fix," said Nora Innis, who manages Affordables, a women's clothing shop. While only a few customers shopped early at the downtown store, Innis said that the chain's West Ashley and Mount Pleasant locations buzzed with bargain hunters.

Activity was even quiet outside the popular Apple Store. About 30 minutes before the store's 9 a.m. opening, West Ashley resident Norm Shea was the only potential customers who peered through its glass window exterior.

Shea, who admitted he was more a Black Friday spectator than shopper, jokingly suggested the overnight vandals were trying to send an anti- capitalism message.

"I feel bad for the businesses, but I think it was kind of clever," he said.

State Rep. Chip Limehouse, R-Charleston, took the vandalism a little more seriously, calling it a "systematic assault" on the local business community.

"This is the time when we all need to be pulling together to make our economy better, and for some person to commit a crime of this nature — this is a lowdown trick," he said.

He added that he'd consider proposing legislation that would toughen penalties for those who commit property damage. Currently, a vandalism conviction is considered a misdemeanor and carries a maximum of five years in prison and possible fine if the amount of damage is between $1,000 and $5,000.

Charleston police public information officer Charles Francis estimated the glue caused several thousand dollars worth of damage. His department is reviewing a handful of surveillance tapes but didn't have any suspects Friday night.

The vandals also damaged at least one downtown home. Rob Concannon, who lives on King Street, came back from walking his dogs Thursday evening to find the lock to his condominium glued shut. He said the incident shows how the downtown commercial district, a gleaming shopping mecca during the day, can become an unsafe, unfriendly place at night.

"There's no police presence out here whatsoever," said Concannon, who owns Trio Club on Calhoun Street. "The police need to do a better job between the homeless guys, the graffiti and now this."