Springtime approaches ...

... yet the capitalist crisis keeps snowballing, with no bottom in sight. It's already as bad as the Great Depression, despite the deceptive methods of tracking the current figures, according to one economist. By his count, in terms that are comparable to those used to assess joblessness in the 1930s, the unemployment currently stands at 19.1 percent. I don't know about you, but I worry about my job all the time, though thankfully so far there's no sign of any trend toward university layoffs. Some close friends and family, however, who have jobs in retail, computing, and the public schools, for heaven's sakes--don't get me started on the outrage of teacher layoffs while our tax dollars continue pumping up the Pentagon and the banks--are skating on thin ice, with job cuts all around them and heading their way.

There's only one thing to do: bop 'em! As in BOPM--the Bail Out the People Movement. This coalition of trade unionists, anti-foreclosure activists and others has called a major action for April 3-4, to coincide with the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who, as the BOPM call states, "gave his life fighting for social and economic justice."

"Why? Because we must demand that the needs of the people come before the greed of the super-rich. Millions are jobless and homeless, and millions more will be living on the street if the government continues to waste trillions of dollars on saving wealthy bankers instead of saving people."

Wall Street in front of the New York Stock Exchange at 1:00 on Friday, April 3: I'll see you there. If you're not in NYC, check out the BOPM website to find out about actions planned in your area. To get you in the mood here's this, lyrics by the never to be forgotten political artist Yip Harburg: