This annual fund helps finance the work of the Socialist Workers Party.

“Close to 100 people contributed to the fund here,” said Peter Thierjung of New York. “Of those, about 25 increased their pledges during the drive motivated by workers’ resistance to the bosses attacks on wages and benefits and the increased political receptivity to the Militant and socialist election campaigns.”

Those most successful lined up pledges early in the drive and collected weekly. “We sent out personalized letters to a large list early on and followed up with discussions,” said Wendy Lyons of Los Angeles. By the time L.A. supporters held a public fund-raiser, half way through the drive, they had collected a good amount of the pledges. After a presentation by Olympia Newton on the new political situation, many decided to increase their contributions.

Newton, as well as other speakers in similar fund-raisers across the country, explained that millions today anticipate a tumultuous future marked by economic depression, wars, and heated class battles. The wealthy rulers can’t find an alternative to this course, which results in a crisis of confidence in themselves, in their “historic mission”—imposing what they describe as “democracy” along with “free markets.” Bourgeois politics is marked by factionalism and instability. In contrast to this seemingly bleak picture, working-class resistance to the bosses’ attacks points the road forward: the need to build a workers and farmers movement that will lead a fight by working people to take power out of the hands of the ruling billionaire class, establish a workers and farmers government, and join the worldwide struggle for socialism.

The success of the fund indicates the attraction to this perspective among many working people and youth.

Click here to see the fund chart.
 
 
Related articles:
SWP supporters’ financial campaign: a resounding success  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home