The August jobs report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics paints another grim picture for the unemployed. The August numbers show little change in the number of unemployed, with the economy creating barely enough jobs to compensate for the 150,000 new workers who enter the workforce every month.According to the BLS, “the number of … Continue reading Obama rediscovers the jobs crisis
Category: Economy
West Coast longshore workers fight for their jobs
For the past five months the small town of Longview, Wash., has been the scene of one of the most militant labor battles in recent history. International grain exporter EGT, a Fortune 500 company, has attempted to open a new $200 million terminal on space leased from the port of Longview. EGT is attempting to operate … Continue reading West Coast longshore workers fight for their jobs
MASSIVE OCCUPATION TARGETS WALL STREET
<!--[if !mso]> <![endif]-->Worldwide economic misery, inequality, and war have sparked an explosion of protests against Wall Street’s super crooks. The Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement, which began in New York City, has spread like a wildfire across the United States. Protesters, led mainly by young people, have built encampments in numerous cities, with accompanying marches and … Continue reading MASSIVE OCCUPATION TARGETS WALL STREET
Obama, Fed offer no solutions as capitalism’s crisis deepens
“ZERO JOB GROWTH LATEST BLEAK SIGN FOR U.S. ECONOMY,” reads the lead headline of the Sept. 3 New York Times. The article expresses the deep pessimism of the U.S. ruling rich that no solutions are in sight.The government’s new report on hiring—a better term would be “firing”—released the day before, according to The Times, “provided … Continue reading Obama, Fed offer no solutions as capitalism’s crisis deepens
No recovery in sight for the jobless
The jobs and unemployment numbers released on June 3 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) paint a grim picture of the situation facing unemployed workers in the United States. According to some capitalist economists, the “Great Recession” supposedly ended in 2009 but the economy remains weak—with the housing, manufacturing, and construction sectors still flat … Continue reading No recovery in sight for the jobless
Bring the War Dollars Home!
The economic crisis continues to strain our city and town budgets. Layoffs, concessions, and budget cuts have become familiar words in many homes. Yet our federal government and President Obama seek to keep the wheels of the war machine grinding on at any cost. Including new wars in Libya and Somalia, our tax dollars fund … Continue reading Bring the War Dollars Home!
The Greek Struggle Against Austerity
One year after the imposition of the Memorandum and the antilabor and antisocial measures it brought in its wake, the situation of the Greek economy, even under capitalist criteria, did not only not improve but instead significantly worsened. Salaries decreased, provoking a generalized crisis in the market. At the same time the public debt, which … Continue reading The Greek Struggle Against Austerity
New Jersey: The new face of austerity
by Wayne DelucaCAMDEN, N.J.—With states across the nation facing budget shortfalls and seeking to balance them on the backs of state workers, New Jersey governor Chris Christie has come into the national spotlight as a model for “tough-talking” state executives. Speculation abounds about Christie as a possible Republican candidate for president.Since his election in 2009, … Continue reading New Jersey: The new face of austerity
Obama maps out plans to rescue U.S. capitalism
by Andrew PollackIn his State of the Union address on Jan. 25, President Barack Obama laid out his goals for the second phase of his efforts to rescue U.S. capitalism. His first term was devoted to preventing a total system breakdown, with efforts that consisted of bailouts for banks and corporations, paid for by workers. … Continue reading Obama maps out plans to rescue U.S. capitalism
Prospects for the New Year: Jobs picture bleak
by Michael Schreiber The New Year’s season is ideally a time of cheerful hope for the future. But for many in the United States this year, it is the time to turn down the heater, scrimp on food for the family, and contemplate many more months of standing in unemployment lines. Few communities have been … Continue reading Prospects for the New Year: Jobs picture bleak
Obama, Congress call for austerity; U.S. workers are their prime target
by Andrew PollackWhile their European competitors impose countrywide austerity plans, and their Chinese trade rivals focus on continued state support for booming industries, capitalists here at home seek to boost their global competitive stance, and overcome their profitability crisis, with their longstanding policy of misery by a thousand cuts. That means attacking the U.S. working … Continue reading Obama, Congress call for austerity; U.S. workers are their prime target
Obama finds deep resistance to monetary, trade policies
by Andrew Pollack Barack Obama is beginning to take on an eerie resemblance to Rodney Dangerfield—“I get no respect!” First, his party suffers massive midterm election losses, followed soon thereafter by more in a long series of embarrassing revelations about his puppets in Baghdad and Kabul. Then Benjamin Netanyahu, his partner in the Middle East … Continue reading Obama finds deep resistance to monetary, trade policies
’Tis the season to buy, buy, buy!
by Bronson Rozier’Tis the season to be jolly, or so we are told over, and over, and over again. It’s also the season to go out and buy! buy! buy! At one time the drumbeat to buy started the day after Thanksgiving. That time is long gone. Now with the rush of the capitalists and … Continue reading ’Tis the season to buy, buy, buy!
Commentary on the Obama ‘Jobs Bill’
European Crisis Comes as Doubts Cast on US “Recovery”
by Andrew PollackThe fears of bankers and investors over the shakiness of European public debts and deficits (see related article on this blog) were mirrored in dire predictions in May about the fiscal health of the US, as well as worries over the performance of the underlying real economy.Spiegel Online warned that “the US budget … Continue reading European Crisis Comes as Doubts Cast on US “Recovery”
Curious George Attends a Tea Party
“Fascism is not a set of ordered beliefs… it is essentially an emotional protest, partly of those members of the middle class (such as small shopkeepers) who suffer from modern economic developments… It is irrational, in the sense that it cannot achieve what its supporters desire… If it could succeed, the results would be widespread … Continue reading Curious George Attends a Tea Party
Democrats’ Healthcare “Reform” Bails Out Insurers
By ANDREW POLLACK The following article will appear in the April 2010 edition of Socialist Action newspaper. In late March, after months of debate, Congress passed, and President Barack Obama signed into law, a bill that progressive columnist Chris Hedges accurately described as “the health-care industry’s version of the Wall Street bailout.” Rose Ann DeMoro, … Continue reading Democrats’ Healthcare “Reform” Bails Out Insurers
The Falling Rate of Profit
The War on Workers at Home & Abroad
Right-Wing D.C. Protest Poses Grave Threat to Workers
Capitalism’s poisons in their myriad forms are injected into the broad worker’s movement usually in small but steady doses. Racism, sexism, xenophobia, anti-immigrant prejudice, anti-Semitism, and homophobia all serve to divide and conquer—to direct the anger and frustration generated by the system’s inherent inequities and brutalities at its victims as opposed to its perpetrators. But … Continue reading Right-Wing D.C. Protest Poses Grave Threat to Workers
UC Students Walk Out!
BERKELEY, Calif. — On Sept. 24, the first day of classes, University of California students and faculty across the state walked out against fee hikes, cutbacks in services and classes, increased class sizes, and faculty and staff layoffs, furloughs, and pay cuts.Out of the 10 UC campuses statewide, Berkeley had the largest walkout by far; … Continue reading UC Students Walk Out!
Canada’s healthcare system and implications for the struggle in the US
Below is the text of a presentation by Barry Weisleder of Socialist Action-Canada to an SA forum in New York on September 11, 2009. Based on research by SA member Dr. Robbie Mahood of Montreal, it provides not only a detailed look at the Canadian system, but also an analysis of how they won it … Continue reading Canada’s healthcare system and implications for the struggle in the US
Nationalize the Banks Under Workers Control!
[by Andrew Pollack]Simultaneous with the announcement of his 10-year budget plan, Obama rolled out new bank bailouts.Obama announced on February 26th he was considering giving $750 billion or more to banks, and that he had budgeted $250 billion in reserves, based on a conservative estimate of what it could lose in the course of spending … Continue reading Nationalize the Banks Under Workers Control!
Off With Their Heads
Obama’s New Budget
[by Andrew Pollack]On February 26th, Obama unveiled a 10-year budget proposal. Most of its provisions won’t kick in until 2010 or even later, and are clearly not designed to deal with the current effects of the crisis.Instead it was designed to showcase his grand plans for restructuring the US economy, which consists largely of new … Continue reading Obama’s New Budget