AC Transit, BART, MUNI: Going After Workers, Punishing Riders
The key components to any public transit system are well-maintained buses or trains, convenient scheduling, affordable fees for passengers (or free), a well-trained and regular workforce. All of this is under attack. As people struggle to make ends meet, the fares are out of reach of many, and lines are being cut. And the people […]
Having a Future Depends on Public Transit
Our systems of transportation impact our lives in many ways. In most of the U.S. today, it is necessary for almost every adult to own a car. The individual automobile is the main method of personal transportation to and from work and home – everybody in their own car. But this method of transportation causes […]
Film Review: Fruitvale Station
The film Fruitvale Station, written and directed by 26 year-old, Oakland resident, Ryan Coogler, tells the story of the murder of Oscar Grant. In 85 minutes we are taken through a depiction of the last 24 hours of Oscar Grant’s life. We get to know him, get to see him as the 22 year old […]
Privatizing Public Hospitals
As budget cuts dry up state funding for public hospitals, emergency rooms and entire hospitals are shutting down. Over the past ten years over thirty public hospitals in California have closed. Public hospitals are the health care safety nets that serve mostly uninsured, low income and poor communities. As more close and layoff workers, the […]
Wellness Programs Are Bad For Our Health
Workplaces everywhere have been starting what are called Wellness Programs. Under these programs, companies are able to punish workers for not meeting certain health requirements that the companies choose. Companies are setting limits on body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, cigarette smoking, minimum exercise requirements and more. And if the guidelines aren’t met, health care […]
A Society That Makes Us Sick
We’re supposed to believe that our health is our own choice, that anytime we’re overweight or unhealthy, it’s our own fault. But the truth is, we live in a society that makes us sick and we are getting sicker every day. More and more of us join the ranks of the overweight and obese, with […]
Obamacare or Corporate-care: The Writing of the Affordable Care Act
The Obama administration presented the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as a victory for health care over the corporations and their profits. In fact, not only does the ACA maintain the profits of the big insurance and drug companies, but it was written for the Obama administration with the help of these very same companies. If […]
The Affordable Care Act: A Gold Mine for Corporations – A Disaster for the Rest of Us
We are beginning to see the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – what has been called Obamacare – and it is a disaster. We have a health care system designed for making profit and all this bill does is increase the money to be made within the health care industry, charging us more […]