Should We Abolish Prisons?
America’s prisons are grossly dehumanizing and unjust. The eminent political philosopher Tommie Shelby debates prison abolition and what kind of radical change justice demands.
19684 Articles by: Karl Leffme
Karl Leffme is a socialist in New York CIty.
Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg Could Still Deliver Sick Leave to Railworkers
After forcing a contract on exhausted railworkers last week, President Joe Biden vowed to keep fighting for them to have paid sick leave. If he’s serious, here is how he and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg could fulfill that promise.
The Railway Labor Act Allowed Congress to Break the Rail Strike. We Should Get Rid of It.
Congress was able to break the rail strike last week because of a century-old law designed to weaken the disruptive power of unions. It’s time to cast aside this law and every other government-mandated strike prohibition that ties the hands of workers.
Trump’s Call for the “Termination” of the Constitution Shows He’s Not Even Trying Anymore
Donald Trump’s call to “terminate” the Constitution is every bit as outlandish as we’ve come to expect. But it’s also a political dud, reflecting the low-energy mood that pervades his newly announced presidential campaign.
France’s Most Degrading Talk Show Is Promoting Far-Right Politics
It’s easy to think of French public life as more highbrow than its US counterpart. But France’s top-rated talk show is fusing politics and entertainment — and it’s a key part of a billionaire-funded effort to normalize far-right talking points.
To Win Progressive Policies, Tell Voters Exactly How They Will Benefit
Midterm ballot initiative votes in Colorado and Massachusetts suggest that taxing the rich and increasing public spending is more popular with voters when it’s clear exactly how these measures will improve people’s lives.
The NLRB Has Filed Repeated Charges Against Starbucks for Illegal Union Busting
For the fifth time, the National Labor Relations Board has filed charges against Starbucks for illegal firings of union supporters, claiming the company has repeatedly violated labor law in its attempts to destroy the fledgling union.
Taiwanese Workers Have Shown Us How to Gain Ground in the Neoliberal Era
Taiwan’s working class has been able to make significant gains in recent decades despite the pressures of economic liberalization. That’s because its unions have received crucial support from a wider network of social movements and advocacy groups throughout the country.
From the Progressive Era to Today, Employers Have Always Been Petty Dictators
Today’s union-busters owe much to the bosses of the Progressive Era, who refused to recognize unions and fired labor organizers. Employers have never been “enlightened,” instead fighting tooth and nail to maintain their dictatorial powers.
Class Conscience
Whatever their professed values, when it comes to the ballot box, rich people are out for themselves.
C. Wright Mills’s The Power Elite Still Speaks to Today’s America
Knowing that inequality and powerlessness helped produce European fascism, C. Wright Mills exposed postwar American power and warned of an authoritarian turn in The Power Elite. The book speaks to our own moment of inequality and right-wing anger.
The Story of the “Twitter Files” Is About Press Freedom, Not Twitter Personalities
Regardless of what you may think about Elon Musk or Matt Taibbi, the “Twitter Files” offer a behind-the-scenes look at how the firm embarked on an act of unprecedented press censorship — and that should make us very uneasy.
Don’t Blame Republicans. “Amtrak Joe” Biden Is the One Who Defeated the Railworkers.
Beyond the rhetoric of liberal politicians and the complexities of congressional sausage-making, one fact should not be forgotten: it was the Democratic leadership — not Republicans — who spearheaded last week’s efforts to trample on the rights of workers.
Looking for Utopia, Alone
A passionate search for America’s utopian communes inadvertently reveals what’s wrong with building enclaves of progress cut off from the real world.
Issue 47: Letters
Finally, some good letters. We were about to give up.
Why Equality Is Better for Everyone
More unequal societies are less trusting, more violent, less healthy, and more stressed.
Unions and the Political Machines
Are modern American unions doomed merely to succumb to dealmaking with business Republicans and centrist Democrats?
From Bowling Alone to Posting Alone
Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone chronicled the growing loneliness and isolation of wealthy societies. Twenty years later, the problem is far worse than he could have imagined.
Debt-Trap Democracy
We talk to activist and filmmaker Astra Taylor.
The Selling of “the Journalist”
The lionization of mainstream media is just sentimental marketing.