From: harelb@MATH.CORNELL.EDU (Harel Barzilai)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,alt.activism,misc.headlines
Subject: AGRAN: Op-Ed on Economy
Date: 17 Apr 92 15:43:00 GMT
Organization: misc.activism.progressive on UseNet ; ACTIV-L@UMCVMB



                      ********************************
                         ECONOMIC CONVERSION AND A
                      DEFENSE WORKERS' BILL OF RIGHTS:
                     A Presidential Candidate's Program
                            for the U.S. Economy
                      ********************************
                               by Larry Agran
                     Democratic Presidential Candidate
                      ********************************


        America enters 1992 still in the throes of a recession, one
that confounds the economic experts.  The classic cures for past
recessions -- a tax cut and/or an increase in government spending --
would be dangerous and irresponsible in an econo my drowning in red
ink.  The economy is stagnant because we lack adequate capital to
invest in new business -- capital siphoned away to service private
debt and massive public debt.

        The huge deficits of the Reagan and Bush Administrations have
all but bankrupted the federal government.  We now pay $200 billion
per year -- 20% of all budget receipts -- just in interest on the
cumulative national debt of $3.5 trillion.  Much of the deficit was
rung up by Ronald Reagan, George Bush and a compliant Congress to
bankroll a bloated, porkbarrel military.  For years the United States
has spent $300 billion per year, about 30% of all tax proceeds, on the
military.  Even though the Cold War ended years ago, we still spend
about two-thirds of our military budget -- $200 billion per year --to
defend Europe and Japan from a Soviet threat that no longer exists.
That's about $2,000 per American household.  Meanwhile, those nations
continue to enjoy robust economies, reaping the benefits of trade
surpluses with the United States.

        We need a President willing to make the tough decisions to get
our economy going again.  The only way to rescue the American economy
is to take one difficult yet obvious course -- to make a fundamental
shift in federal spending priorities away from military spending and
back to our needs at home.

        It's time for Europe and Japan to pay for their own defense,
and for America to invest in protecting its own economy, not those of
our economic competitors.  Accordingly, I've called for immediate
steps to cut our military spending in half --by $150 billion per year.
We should remove all U.S. forces from Europe and Japan, cancel
needless and costly weapons systems like the B-2 bomber and Star Wars,
and all foreign military aid.  If we took these steps, we'd still have
the strongest military force in the world.  But we'd also have a $150
billion per year peace dividend to rebuild our cities and towns,
improve our schools, clean up our environment, provide health care for
everyone, and even reduce our annual federal deficits.

        If elected President, I would implement a comprehensive
program of economic conversion -- remaking our military economy into a
peacetime economy, producing transit systems and energy-efficient
infrastructure, producing quality consumable products to be sold in a
globally competitive market.

        We're just now starting to see the first consequences of the
lack of a national economic conversion program.  As weapons contracts
are cancelled and military bases are closed, more and more related
industries are laying off employees, and in some cases going bankrupt.

        There's no getting around the reality that, like it or not, we
as a nation face the difficult decision of what to do with military
contractors.  The Bush Administration, sadly, has shown no leadership
at all in addressing this question -- the President seems content to
let our defense workers, some of our nation's brightest and most
talented people, be laid off with no hope for another job.

        This policy vacuum is criminal.  Defense workers and military
personnel have served their country, just as they were asked to do.
They take pride in their work.  But what does George Bush give them in
return?  A pink slip.

        If elected President, not only would I propose a national
economic conversion program, but I'd also propose a Defense Workers'
Bill of Rights.  It would be a safety net for defense workers as they
undergo retraining and their employers undergo retooling.

        The Defense Workers' Bill of Rights would include these
provisions:

        First, defense workers have the right to expect their
employers to engage in long-range planning for the conversion of their
workplace to production of peacetime consumable goods.  I would
therefore require military contractors to begin planning for economic
conversion.

        Second, defense workers have the right to participate in
determining what types of products their employers will produce.  I
would therefore require that military contractors collaborate with
their employees in planning the conversion.  Third, defense workers
have the right to assistance while undergoing retraining.  They are a
valuable resource, deserving of our protection.  I would therefore
direct $15 billion per year from the military budget be set aside to
guarantee income support for defense workers undergoing retraining
and resettlement.

        Fourth, defense workers have the right to expect their
government to assist in transitioning their workplace to the
production of quality consumable goods.  I would therefore propose the
creation of a Federal Economic Conversion Council, which would
coordinate the efforts of our nation's brightest economists, trade
unionists, planners and management experts to advise military
contractors on how to convert to a competitive, productive business.

        Fifth, defense workers have the right to live in vibrant
communities with safe streets, good schools and clean parks.  I would
therefore propose a $5 billion per year fund be created as a
"Conversion CARE Package" for cities and towns affected by economic
conversion.

        We have many, many jobs still unfinished here at home.
Imagine what we could do if we took minds bright enough to design a
Stealth Bomber, and put them to work designing futuristic mass transit
systems, or creating synthetic fuels, or exploring space, or
protecting our environment, or finding cures for cancer, AIDS and
other terrible afflictions.

        America still has the best workers in the world.  It's time
that we invest in this resource, providing America's workers with the
training and the tools to compete and succeed in the global
marketplace.

        Larry Agran was the second Democrat to declare his candidacy
for the party's 1992 presidential nomination.  He served on the
Irvine, California City Council from 1978 to 1990, including six years
as mayor.  He was recognized as one of America 's most progressive and
innovative local elected officials.  In 1987, he led a study by the
U.S. Conference of Mayors proposing economic conversion for America's
cities and towns.  In 1990, he hosted at Irvine City Hall a National
Round Table Conference on Economic Diversification.  For more
information about the Agran campaign, call Agran 92 at (800) 727-9425.

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Agran for President 92
(800) 727-9425
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