The “Affordability” Hustle
Mainstream Democrats love to talk about making things like health care and education more affordable. They should be talking about making them free.
19679 Articles by: Karl Leffme
Karl Leffme is a socialist in New York CIty.
The Tories Think Voting Is Too Easy
Unlike the voter-supressing US, Britain is a country where it’s easy to vote. Now the Tories are trying to change that.
Trump Is Right to Be Afraid of Socialism
Trump warned the nation about the rise of socialism last night. He’s right to be afraid. Working people shouldn’t be.
Julián Castro’s Early, Neoliberal Years
If Castro is indeed the “Latino Obama,” it’s because his early years in San Antonio replicated many of the ingredients of the former president’s recipe for failure.
The Green New Deal’s Five Freedoms
A radical Green New Deal would open up enormous possibilities for human flourishing — and allow us to reclaim the language of freedom from the Right.
Capitalism’s Mob Mentality
Capitalists are gangsters engaged in an elaborate protection racket. The only way to get them to back off: socialism.
The Return of Left Internationalism
Bernie Sanders and AOC have helped to transform our domestic politics. But in order for those politics to stick, we also need to confront US imperialism and the power of multinational corporations.
Nothing Short of Medicare for All in 2020
Bernie Sanders would be the only 2020 presidential candidate who’s taken on health care profiteers in the name of the working class and worked to pass Medicare for All through social movement pressure, not compromise.
Friendly Fyre
We’re fascinated by the grand scam that was the Fyre Festival not because such blatant ripoffs never happen under capitalism, but because for once the wealthy were getting screwed along with workers.
It’s Time to Try Fossil-Fuel Executives for Crimes Against Humanity
It isn’t hyperbole to say that fossil-fuel executives are mass murderers. We should put them on trial for crimes against humanity.
Venezuela and the Left
Venezuela is in crisis, and Trump’s saber-rattling is making things worse. Our response should be guided by three principles: non-interventionism, self-determination, and solidarity with the oppressed.
A Green New Deal to Win Back Our Future
How quickly, how intensely, and how democratically we decarbonize will be the economic story of the century — only a Green New Deal can save us from climate apocalypse.
There’s No Deferring Medicare for All
Unfeasable. Impractical. Unaffordable. All the excuses for putting off Medicare for All are wrong.
Cory Booker Hates Public Schools
There are many good reasons to oppose Cory Booker’s bid for the presidency. One of the main ones is his long-standing drive to destroy public education.
Ridiculously Rich
Norway’s trillion-dollar oil fund is so important to the welfare state that they’ve even made a sitcom about it. But sound economic planning can’t be based on polluting the environment forever.
Fascisms Old and New
The rise of Bolsonaro in Brazil, Trump in the US, and the far right throughout Europe has the word “fascism” on everyone’s lips. But that rising Right is distinct from twentieth-century fascism in key ways.
LA Teachers Show the Way Forward
The Los Angeles teachers’ strike is a model for a popular, militant working-class movement advancing a broad vision of education justice. That model can be replicated everywhere.
Let Them Eat Pigskin
Georgia doesn’t have money for social services, but taxpayers gave $700 million for the stadium that’s hosting tonight’s Super Bowl. How long will NFL owners screw working-class Americans?
Bernie Against the Billionaires
Bernie Sanders is right to want to hike the estate tax — there’s no reason for billionaires to exist, and there’s definitely no reason to allow their failsons to inherit their fortunes.
The Strike Returns to New Zealand
Over the last year, New Zealand has seen tens of thousands of workers walk off the job, challenging the Labour government’s self-imposed austerity.