Is the Labor Movement Dead in USA? How about Pittsburgh? The story of Mark Rukavina.

Globalization has been the trend for the past four or more decades. You can almost trace it to when Steel departed Pittsburgh. Remember the US manufacturing story you see trotted out during NFL commercial breaks shows Steel in Pittsburgh, tires in Akron, cars in Detroit, coal in Kentucky, King Cotton in the south, and Jazz in New Orleans. It's cliche after cliche, but most of it is fake.

I don't think there's country music in Nashville anymore; it doesn't sound like the Country music I remember hearing.

Now go down the aisles of Target or Walmart, or worse than that, check out evil Amazon.

The Democratic party (allegedly our dominant party) used to corner the labor vote. But there has been a dramatic shift in politics. As kids, we studied terms like democracy and even held exercises like "voting for class officers" in schools. I always wanted to be the treasurer.

But we are not a democracy. We are some hybrid of plutocracy or oligarchy (ruled by an elite few) or, I'd say, a kleptocracy (meaning leaders stealing from villagers.)

The ruling class holds almost all the wealth. They do so by controlling the means of production, funding elections, and funding lobbyists. So now we see that members of Congress have no term limits, and members of Congress can transact in equity trades after receiving "secret" briefings. We call this illegal insider trading (but not for the rulers.)

So we don't have a choice between GOP and DEMS. They are called the UNIPARTY.

They all fall in step when it comes to waging wars. There have been 57 undeclared wars since WW2, and these wars enrich the war profiteers.

The purpose of the wars is to steal natural resources, make sure foreign actors use the USD as the global reserve currency, enforce rigged trade and prop up labor arbitrage (a fancy way of saying "installing sweatshops)

So back to the beginning. Labor is dead in USA because we don't make things like we used to. Democrats can't court the labor vote because it does not exist. So they have had to shift to a pathetic and desperate strategy of using "identity politics."

This means they have to invent concessions targeting various subcultures. They're called "campaign promises." And they are empty promises.

-say one thing to Blacks

-say one thing to Hispanics

-say one thing to LGTBQ+.

-say one thing to women.

-say one thing to college grads in debt.

-say one thing to people hooked on opioids (growing population)

But in their arrogance and stupidity, our rulers don't seem to understand that not "all Blacks are the same," "all gays are the same," or "all Hispanics are the same."

This is typical behavior for Kings and Queens. They lump the villagers into stereotypes and then use the PR firm of their kingdom (the complicit press) to reinforce the cultural wars.

And everyone knows politicians lie because they can't possibly keep these promises. So elections become a hodge-podge mix of sound bites in the noisy cable news/social media messaging landscape.

Many of you know I recently moved to Pittsburgh and found this fascinating piece of history while studying why the labor movement is dead. My thesis is that labor is dead in the USA because the corporate elite can not profit without "slave labor." This is also why you will see a mad dash into AI and robots. It has nothing to do with improving medicine or quality of life but more with cutting labor costs.

Back to Pittsburgh, check out this fascinating story.

Mark Rukavina was a labor activist and organizer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who was also associated with the Communist Party in the mid-20th century.

Rukavina was known for his efforts to organize steelworkers and other industrial workers, and his work on behalf of civil rights and social justice causes.

Rukavina's legacy in Pittsburgh is complex and controversial. On the one hand, he is remembered by some as a dedicated and influential labor organizer who fought tirelessly for the rights of working people in a city dominated by the steel industry.

Rukavina was involved in numerous strikes and protests throughout his career and was often willing to take bold and controversial stands in defense of worker's rights.

On the other hand, Rukavina's association with the Communist Party has made him a controversial figure in Pittsburgh's history.

During the Cold War, the Communist Party was viewed with suspicion and hostility by many Americans, and Rukavina's activism often put him at odds with powerful political and economic interests in the city.

Some have accused Rukavina of being a subversive or a threat to national security, while others have celebrated him as a hero and a champion of working people.

Mark Rukavina, labor activist, cops branded him as gay or communist just to silence him Look at the top of the Pittsburgh Police mugshot intake card, invert was a term for homosexual.