FREE, QUALITY HEALTHCARE FOR ALL– NOW!

The United States Healthcare Crisis and the Socialist Alternative

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A PUBLIC MEETING AND DISCUSSION
Wednesday, August 26th – 7:00 PM
Thomas Crane Public Library–Main Meeting Room
40 Washington St. Quincy Center
Local Contact Info: (774) 454-9060
BOSTON@SOCIALISTALTERNATIVE.ORG
WWW.BOSTON.SOCIALISTALTERNATIVE.ORG

HEALTHCARE FACTS

*20,000 Americans die every year from lack of access to healthcare.
*Nearly 50 million people in the  U.S. are uninsured. Tens of millions more are under-insured.
*Half of all personal bankruptcies in 2007 were due to medical bills - three-quarters of these involved people who were insured.
*The U.S. spends two times more per person on healthcare than any other country and we are currently ranked 37th in the world.
*31% of all private healthcare dollars in the U.S. go to bureaucracy and administration, not actual healthcare. Under MEDICARE, the number is only 3%.
*A national health insurance system could save nearly $300 BILLION a year in administrative costs alone - enough to cover all the uninsured and all out-of-pocket prescription drug costs, with more than $150 BILLION left over to pay for new hospitals, training more doctors and nurses, and providing more jobs in the process.
*Obama’s healthcare plan is NOT socialized medicine.

SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE

Socialist Alternative is a national organization fighting in our workplaces, communities, and campuses against the exploitation and injustices people face every day. We are union activists fighting for workers’ rights and militant, democratic unions; we are people of color speaking out against racism, students organizing against sweatshops and war, immigrants demanding papers for all undocumented workers, women and men fighting sexism and homophobia.
We campaign for the building of a mass workers’ party to represent the interests of workers, youth, and the environment against the two parties of big business. We see the global capitalist system as the root cause of terrorism, war, poverty, discrimination, and environmental destruction. As capitalism moves deeper into
crisis and recession, a new generation of workers and youth must join together to take the top 500 corporations into public ownership. We believe the dictatorships that existed in the Soviet Union and Eastern
Europe were perversions of what socialism is really about. We are for democratic socialism where people will have control over their daily lives.
Socialist Alternative is in political solidarity with the Committee for a Workers’ International, a worldwide socialist organization in 37 countries, on every continent. Join us!

What Is Socialism?

This recession is causing many people to question the capitalist economic system and to seek alternatives.

A recent poll by Rasmussen found that only 53% of American adults believe that capitalism is better than socialism. 33% of adults under 30 prefer socialism.

Merriam-Webster reported that socialism was the third most searched-for term (”bailout” was #1) during 2008 in their online dictionary, which receives 125 million views per month, meaning millions of people were looking to find out what socialism means.

While the word “socialism” has been receiving much attention, much of its meaning has been distorted by the corporate media and right-wing politicians. If you are interested in finding what socialism really is and what socialists do, please join us for this presentation and discussion.

facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=83402664380

Contact:
774-454-9060
boston@socialistalternative.org

Auto Bailouts and Crisis…

Auto workers in the 1930s carried out massive sit-down strikes to win union recognition, better pay, benefits and conditions. Then, auto workers became a symbol of the American dream. Today, big business is carrying out attacks on working people, and the auto workers are first on the chopping block. With a union leadership that often refuses to fight, workers face colossal layoffs, cuts in pay and elimination of benefits.

Brett Hoven will be discussing his experience as an auto worker, the need to transform the labor movement and the democratic socialist alternative to the dictatorship of big business. Join us for this important meeting!

Contact:
774-454-9060

boston@socialistalternative.org

3rd ANNUAL MASSACHUSETTS SOCIALIST CONFERENCE

No Layoffs at Harvard Rally - April 16, 4-6pm, Harvard Sq.

Thursday, April 16, 4pm-6pm in Harvard Square near the Au Bon Pain, there will be a rally and demonstration against any and all layoffs at Harvard. Organized as a cooperative effort by the No Layoffs Campaign which includes SEIU 615 (representing custodial staff and security guards), Rank’n'file activists in HUCTW, and students in the Student Labor Action Movement (SLAM), it will be the second of such rallies.  Please make every effort to come and show your support!

Sign the No Layoffs Petition!

SLAM has created an online petition.  Anyone (you don’t have to be affiliated to Harvard) can sign! http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/slam/petition5

Also check out the No-Layoffs Blog and SLAM’s website.