[Leaflet] A Program of Struggle for Youth & Students

Leaflet can be downloaded here.

The burden of the capitalist crisis is being passed on to the working class and the youth through a near-universal assault on our quality of life. Millions of jobs have disappeared forever and unemployment is especially high among young workers. Both the federal government and almost all the states have been slashing their education budgets, further exacerbating the pressure on the youth. Access to education is increasingly difficult for the average working class family. Those who can go to school face fee increases and cut-backs in all areas: lost programs and courses, redundancies in school staff and faculty, increased class sizes, cuts in student transportation and other services.

Instability, austerity, and stagnation are the “new normality” and have led to a questioning of the capitalist system. This is a world-wide phenomenon and has brought about a growing radicalization of the youth in Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and beyond. Right here in the US, a huge layer of discontented students are living through the experiences that are preparing them to struggle as part of the working class.

The International Marxist Tendency believes young people deserve a better future than that which is possible under capitalism. We believe that the working class is the only force in society that can bring about fundamental change. We believe that the crisis of the capitalist system should be paid for by the capitalists, not the workers and youth. We believe that both the Republicans and Democrats are bought and paid for by the billionaires and therefore cannot serve the interests of the working class majority. We believe the unions need to break with these parties and build a party of, by, and for the working class: a mass party of labor based on the unions. We believe that everyone living in the US has a right to quality jobs, health care, education, and housing.

We believe we need a society that is truly democratic, with leaders that are directly elected and directly accountable to their constituents. But none of this is possible under capitalism, a system based on maximizing profits for the few at the expense of the majority. This is why we fight for socialism. If you agree with the program we outline in this leaflet, please contact us and join us in this struggle!