Remembering Marx, Founder of the Real Communism

Karl Marx (May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883)

“The actual process is not predetermined but depends on the class struggle, especially the organization and consciousness of the working class.”

Born on May 5, 1818, Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, political economist, historian, political theorist, sociologist, communist and revolutionary.  He believed that if the working classes unite all around the world then exploitative working conditions would cease to exist.  He is known, along with Emile Durkheim and Max Weber to be an architect of the social sciences. 

Marx had three children who lived passed infancy. He also had an illegitimate child with his housekeeper, Helene Demuth.  He was a correspondent for the New York Daily Tribune. 

He did not do very well in school.  His father wanted him to study law, but he wanted to study philosophy and literature.  His major influences and favorite authors were Kant and Voltaire.  He liked to study and analyze the relationship between state, society and religion.

He died from Bronchitis on March 14, 1883.  “Workers of all lands unite” are the words that are written on his tombstone.  The point, however is to change the current status of this capitalistic state.  He was known to be the break between the modern and premodern societies.

After being exiled from Paris to Brussels, Belgium he wrote, The German Ideology, in May 1845 with his best friend Friedrich Engels, which stated, “the nature of individuals depends on the material conditions determining their production.”

In 1848 Marx and Engels were expelled from Belgium and after starting his newspaper called, New Rhenish Newspaper, which the government felt was inciting the armed rebellion.

He settled back down in London and stayed there until his death.  He sought refuge in London where he focused on revolutionary organizing, political economy and capitalism as well as economic data.

In the 1800s the most popular socialist was Karl Marx a German economist.  Marx believed that all history is a series of struggles between the ruling and working classes.  Marx basic socialist ideas were first expressed in the Communist Manifesto (1848), which he wrote with Engels, as well.  He said that: “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”  From this quote, it is evident that Marx was an advocate for social change through knowledge of historical implications.  He argued that the structural contradictions within capitalism necessitate its end, giving way to socialism.  Marx taught that capitalism would be replaced by socialism.  After World War I began in 1914 the socialist Movement collapsed.  Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, revolutionary Socialists founded new parties, which they called communist parties. 

The most meaningful thing I learned was his view on land.  He thought that land was the means of production.  Shouldn’t everyone own a part of land?  Who is to say that the land that we work and breath on is not ours?  I think that the problem with the housing market as well as the homeless population need to be looked at deeper and with Marxist thought in mind.  There are so may empty homes and apartments but there are still people living in unsanitary conditions on the street.

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Your Economy On Marijuana

With the opening of iGrow just over the Bay Bridge in Oakland, California and countless legislation bills around the country its about time that we have a serious talk about marijuana.


Our economy is still in shambles and economists predict that things are not going to get better anytime soon.  So what do we do to stimulate this economy?  It's not like money grows on trees...or does it?


Here are some interesting statistics that were featured in the Rolling Stone's April 1, 2010 issue titled "Marijuanamerica" by Mark Binelli:

• Annual revenue of California's weed industry = $14 billion
• # of states in which marijuana is the cash crop = 12
• # of pot plants eradicated in California's Sequoia National Forests in a 2008 operation = 420,000
• Estimated street value of those plants, if harvested = Over $1 billion
• Total weight of all marijuana plants seized by the DEA in 2009 = 3,285 tons
• Total estimated street value of those seizures = 31.5 billion
• Estimated annual cost of marijuana prohibition to taxpayers = $42 billion

With these statistics, making marijuana legal sounds like a feasible solution to a speedy economic recovery which could actually become a reality on the November 2010 ballot in the state of California.

Tom Ammiano, California State Assembly Member, is the main backer of the initiative that has recieved 700,000 signatures which will make it possible to get the measure on the ballot.  If passed, the initiative would make it legal for anyone 21 and older to possess an ounce of marijuana and grow plants in an area no larger than 25 square feet for personal use.  It would also allow cities and counties to permit marijuana to be grown and sold, and to impose taxes on it.

If this is to pass there are still certain measures that need to be taken and things that need to be monitored closely.  Like making sure production is still moving along smoothly and people aren't smoking too much and getting "too relaxed." And also making sure that the growers are not booted out of thier profession because of a few companies trying to monopolize.  Like Nick Tennant, founder of a pot-growing business-like class in Detroit, Michigan says: 

"It's better for society to stimulate micro-economies of scale.  You give 10,000 people the oppurtunity to make $50,000 a year, rather than giving 10 people the oppurtunity to make $10 million a year."

See a story discussing whether Marijuana is good for you.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Pink Slips Are Not Going Away

Los Angeles Unified School District could be sending out more pink slips to their already sparse roster of teachers. The school board, yet again, unanimously approved layoffs as a way to close an expected $640 million budget gap.

The first positions that will be eliminated are school nurses and librarians as well as an increase in class sizes in an already inundated school system that is the second largest in the country, after New York City.

This news comes in wake of the vote by LAUSD to hand over some its public schools to charter school operators and teachers groups as part of an experiment to see whether outsiders will have better luck improving student achievement. The board awarded four schools to charter groups, and two schools to a group led by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

“We’re extremely disappointed in the vote today,” said Lauren Carter, administer for ICEF, Inner City Education Foundation, a charter school group that runs 15 schools in Los Angeles and hoped to be awarded a new school. Instead the board voted to give the school to a teachers’ group. “We were looking for more bold action from board members to make decisions for what was in the best interests of the kids. It’s a sad, sad day for us.”

Under a resolution passed last year, the Los Angeles Board of Education for the first time allowed charter schools and outsiders to bid for the right to operate schools deemed “public school choice” sites.

Charter schools are said to be doing quite well according to a Times analysis that showed, overall, L.A. charter schools deliver higher test scores than traditional public schools.

These type of cuts are taking place all over the United States so this recession is obviously far from over. With all of these cuts taking place and a complete overhual of the healthcare system its going to be very interesting to see what our nation will look like in a few of years. One thing is certain and that is if we don't raise a competent next generation things will be looking bleaker than they do now.

U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan stated that he wants to “make sure there is flexibility on the local level. We cannot begin, nor do we want to micromanage 100,000 schools from Washington. The best ideas have always come from the local levels and we want to continue to support that.” I am sure the local-level-less-government touting Republicans will be happy about that one.

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White House To Invest $850 Million For Black Colleges And Universities

White House To Invest $850 Million For Black Colleges And Universities

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U.S. - Cuba Foreign Policy Looking Up

Americans are one step closer to being able to travel to Cuba. Obama is making small but progressive moves, along with Fidel and Raul Castro, to settle the bitter feud that has been going on for half a century.

Today in Washington, Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson )D-MN), Congressman Jerry Moran (R-KS), and at least 31 of their House colleagues introduced new legislation HR 4645 that would finally restore diplomacy between the two countries allowing for travel, telecommunications and agricultural sales to the island.

“U.S. producers are the closest suppliers that can help meet the food and agriculture needs of the Cuban people. Opportunities to sell to paying customers in Cuba have been hindered by bureaucratic red tape and by arbitrary prohibitions on the ability of U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba. This bill cuts the red tape and allows that trade and travel to happen,” Chairman Peterson said.

Although Cuba is benefitting from tourism and farming it is still an isolated island that struggles to feed its population. Communist Cuba is known to have reputable health and education systems and the embargo has hindered American students from using its educational institutions.

After the Cuban revolution the US placed an embargo that would last until Cuba moved toward “democratization and greater respect for human rights.” It didn’t help that in 1996 the Cuban military struck down and killed the passengers of an unarmed U.S. civilian aircraft in international airspace north of Cuba.

Since then, there has been a National Emergency Act placed between the two countries denying monetary and material support to the Cuban government.

Many say that the full embargo will be lifted by the end of the 2010.

What is still left for interpretation is the fact that the U.S. leases Gauntanamo Bay land from Cuba. Castro says that he hasn’t cashed any of the checks since the 50s when the Cuban Revolution took place.

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Doggy Hustlin' - Its a Dog-Eat-Dog World

Larry, a pit bull dog breeder has eleven pit bull dogs, three adult and eight pups. He thought he could breed his pit bulls on the side while working full time at a casino in Northern California to make ends meet. Fulz, who got into the breeding business about a year ago, has a strict contract that customers must sign before they purchase any of his pups:

“Buyer certifies that he/she is not acting as an agent for another individual in the purchase of this dog, and will not sell this dog to any mass-producing kennel (puppy mill) or business.”

Fulz is beginning to realize that not as many people are willing to spend their money on pure breds and he is worried that he will not make a profit and worse, he might have to give these pups to an animal shelter. Although Fulz has a strict contract that buyers must sign he is still adding to an epidemic: animal overpopulation.

According to the American SPCA, a puppy mill is a large commercial breeding site where puppies are bred with profit, not so much the well being of the animal, as the main goal. The pets are usually kept in unsanitary conditions, small cages and bred until they die.




Because of societal trends such as the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Legally Blonde and Hollywood heiresses Paris Hilton and Nicole Ricci trendy pups like Yorkies (Yorkshire Terriers) and Shih Tzus have become very popular. Puppy Mill owners have capitalized on this trend and the consequences have been dire. A puppy mill in Virginia is said to house over 1,000 puppies that are treated in very bad conditions. If you are buying your pet from a pet store odds are they are from a puppy mill.



Fulz makes up to $3,000 for selling a female UKC Blue Pit Bull Terrier. A pit bull is known to breed up to 12 pups in a litter, which can earn the owner up to $45,000 in one year. The female pit can be bred once a year.

In these economic times, many are looking for alternative ways to make income. Some have turned to selling and breeding their animals. Many animal activists have noted that there seems to be an inflation problem going on in the animal world: too many animals chasing too few owners.

“If more people decided to adopt a pet, the less would get euthanized,” says Betsy McFarland, senior director for companion animals from the Humane Society of the US.

According to the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), 800,000 cats and dogs are abandoned in California each year. More than half of those are euthanized which is similar on a nationwide scale where 6-8 million cats and dogs enter a shelter each year and almost half are euthanized.

“Especially since the recession started animal shelters have become inundated with a severe overpopulation problem,” Harrington stated. She goes further to say that people and organizations are tightening up on their donations and in some cases they have to close all together.

The SPCA said that police departments have reported animals left behind at foreclosed homes as a significant problem as well. McFarland urges prospective pet owners to understand what kind of pet fits their lifestyle in terms of expense and how active the pet is. She says that bigger dogs will require more care than, say, a Chihuahua, which will require less.

Because of Michael Vick raising the public’s awareness about the brutality of dog fighting the attention has been turned towards Pit Bulls. According to the documentary “Off the Chain,” there are over 200 websites devoted to pit bull breeding that can be linked to over 1,800 kennels all over the country.



Currently, the pit bull euthanasia rate in shelters is at approximately 93%. This can be linked to the stigma associated with pit bulls but contrary to popular belief, pit bulls are very loyal, playful and friendly. They just need to be surrounded by owners that have their best interest at heart.

“Breeding is a consumer driven activity,” says McFarland who prefers adopting pets to buying them from a breeder or puppy mills. “If the demand goes down, then the breeders will stop breeding them.”

Pet owners have also had to give their animals away to pet shelters because they cannot afford to keep them or the new place that they are moving to does not accept pets. All of these factors have caused overpopulated animal shelters, says Harrington.

“Our primary concern is the health and well-being of the animals,” said Harrington. “In this circumstance people are being motivated by profit which raises huge concerns.”

More dogs are being stolen from adoption agencies as well as from homes, says Harrington. Pet theft is a crime and the criminal can face up to 5 years in prison in the state of California.

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