Sorry Mayor Pete, Means-Testing Is Not Progressive
Universal programs build solidarity and are far more politically durable than means-tested programs. By going after free college, Pete Buttigieg is doing the bidding of the Right.
19494 Articles by: Enver Motala
Enver Motala is an associate of the Centre for Education Rights and Transformation (CERT) at the University of Johannesburg and of the Centre for Integrated Post-School Education and Training at the Nelson Mandela University.
A Hot Lunch Is a Human Right
Denying students a hot lunch because they’re too poor to pay is shameful. Food employee unions should lead the way in overturning this grotesque practice — by committing civil disobedience and serving all students, regardless of their family’s income.
It’s Time to Throw Off Our Digital Chains
As data-mining companies and government decision-making edge ever closer, it is not just our digital privacy that’s at risk, but our very capacity to organize in solidarity.
Democratize the Internet
We spoke to Ramesh Srinivasan, Bernie Sanders campaign surrogate and author of a new book on big tech companies, community-driven alternatives, and the battle for the future of the internet.
Why Basic Income Failed in Finland
Political maneuvers and bureaucratic resistance helped sink Finland’s widely watched basic income experiment. But the most important factor behind the policy’s demise was its uneasy relationship with widespread social norms about work and fairness.
The New York Times Is Spreading Charter School Lies
The New York Times is still fawning over them, but the charter school experiment has been an abject failure. People are clamoring for well-funded public schools, not millionaire pet projects.
Maoism and Its Complicated Legacy
Despite its massive length, Julia Lovell’s Maoism: A Global History doesn’t offer us a clear way to understand Maoism and its legacy.
A Socialist Plan to Fix the Internet
What should we do about Google, Facebook, and Amazon? Here’s a democratic-socialist blueprint to decommodify and democratize the internet.
The German Model Is Dead — And What Comes Next Could Be Worse
After recent electoral defeats for the Christian Democrats, Angela Merkel’s heir faces ever louder resignation calls. Europe’s economic powerhouse no longer looks like a model of stability — and it’s the far right that’s benefiting.
What Unions Everywhere Can Learn From the Chicago Teachers’ Strike’s Win
The Chicago Teachers Union used strike action to lift up working-class demands that go far beyond traditional collective bargaining. From teachers elsewhere to auto workers, other unions can, too.
Twenty Years After We Shut Down the WTO, the Left Is Finally Resurgent
On November 30, 1999, activists shut down the World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle. The protests were a thrilling moment during bleak times for the socialist left. Now, years of resistance are finally paying off.
Today’s Socialist Revival Began on the Streets of Seattle 20 Years Ago
The global justice movement exploded onto the scene in protests against the Seattle WTO meetings twenty years ago today. The movement was far from perfect, but its anarchist, direct action-oriented politics were crucial learning experiences for a left that has today finally found its footing.
Not a Black Friday Sale
We don’t have a Black Friday sale — but we do have an urgent appeal for your support. Help us spread socialist thought to millions.
Parasite, a Window Into South Korean Neoliberalism
Bong Joon Ho’s film Parasite has been hailed for highlighting the class divides that split South Korean society. But its portrayal of working-class life also demonstrates a deeper ill of capitalism — the way in which the constant hunt for a job undermines our basic human dignity.
You Deserve to Live Close to Where You Work
Beto O’Rourke is actually right about something — everyone has the right to live within a reasonable distance of where they work. But to make that right a reality, we’ll need an industrial and housing policy that values people over profit.
The Student Worker Movement Is Growing
Faced with a hostile NLRB, repressive university policies and a lack of institutional support, student workers across the country are pushing ahead in their campaign to unionize.
“No Rape, No Base, No Tears”
The US military presence around the world doesn’t just create death and destruction — in places like Okinawa, Japan, its bases foster an environment of sexual violence against women.
The US Could Have A Welfare State — But We Don’t
In the United States, we have a labyrinth of tax subsidies and vouchers, and an endless line of private interests looking to cash in on social services. Don’t call that a welfare state — it’s not. And we deserve better.
Finishing Off the Pinochet Dictatorship
Chile’s ongoing uprising has made clear that the country’s neoliberal order needs to be overthrown. There’s no better place to start than with the pensions Pinochet sold to private, profit-seeking management companies during his dictatorship.
The Labour Party’s Green Revolution
Labour’s plans to invest in a million green jobs can transform the very parts of Britain decimated by Margaret Thatcher’s economic reforms — and begin to undo the damage of deindustrialization.