Economy

( Yes! Magazine) – Economic power is—and always has been—the foundation of political power. Those who control the peoples’ means of living rule. In a democracy, however, each person must have a voice in the control and management of the means of their living. That requires more than a vote expressing a preference for which […]

Climate Crisis

Democracy and the Green New Deal Demand higher Taxes on Rich

Sam Pizzigati

( Inequality.org ) – Innovative proposals like tying income tax rates for America’s riches to the minimum wage for America’s poorest could help high tax rates survive over the long haul. Jan Schakowsky doesn’t need to apologize for anything. This veteran member of Congress from Illinois has a record second to none on issues that […]

Climate Change

The Main Drag on Saving Planet from Boiling? The Super-Rich

Sam Pizzigati

(Otherwords.org) – Millions of years ago, life on Earth survived an existential climate crisis. But that Earth had a distinct advantage: no rich people. We either keep fossil fuels in the ground, or we fry. That’s the conclusion of another new blockbuster study on climate change, this one from the National Academy of Sciences. Our […]

Plutocracy

Billionaire Wilbur Ross on Unpaid Fed Workers: “Let them Eat Debt!”

Chris Lefkow

By Chris Lefkow | – Washington, D.C. (AFP) – Donald Trump’s billionaire commerce secretary fueled accusations Thursday that the US administration was deaf to the impact of the government shutdown after saying he didn’t understand why some federal workers were turning to food banks. Wilbur Ross shrugged off the impact of the shutdown — now […]

Democracy

Health, Poverty, Conflict in Charts: Is the World Better off Today than ever before in History?

The Conversation

By Julius Probst | – Swedish academic Hans Rosling has identified a worrying trend: not only do many people across advanced economies have no idea that the world is becoming a much better place, but they actually even think the opposite. This is no wonder, when the news focuses on reporting catastrophes, terrorist attacks, wars […]

Featured

Why Martin Luther King, Jr., would Support Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Juan Cole

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, at 29, has become a lightning rod. She was recruited to run against a corporate Democrat by activists of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which has become a significant caucus within the Democratic Party. Her advocacy of a higher marginal tax rate (no, she […]

Inequality

World’s 26 Richest Own Same as Poorest Half of Humanity: Oxfam

AFP

Davos, Switzerland (AFP) – The world’s 26 richest people own the same wealth as the poorest half of humanity, Oxfam said Monday, urging governments to hike taxes on the wealthy to fight soaring inequality. A new report from the charity, published ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos, also found that billionaires around the […]

Employment

80% of Workers live Paycheck to Paycheck, and Federal ones are no Different

Chuck Collins

(Otherwords.org) – Unemployment is low, but federal employees are lining up at food banks. They aren’t alone. As the government shutdown drags on, the image of federal workers lining up at food pantries has dramatized just how many workers live financially close to the edge. By one estimate, almost 80 percent of U.S. workers live […]

Banking

Not the Onion: Ivanka Trump in running for World Bank Head

Juan Cole

WASHINGTON (Ma’an) — Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, and US President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, are reportedly among possible US candidates to replace the outgoing World Bank President Jim Yong Kim. Earlier this week, Jim Yong Kim announced he would be stepping down as the World Bank’s president three […]