What Do We Actually Mean When We Talk About Class?
Socialist politics is a class politics. A clear conception of class is essential for our political strategy.
206 Article(s) by: Matt Bruenig
Matt Bruenig is the founder of People’s Policy Project.
The Criticisms of Bernie’s AI Wealth Fund Idea Don’t Hold Up
Bernie Sanders has proposed making artificial intelligence providers hand over 50% of their stock to a US sovereign wealth fund. Criticisms of the idea, ranging from AI skepticism to arguments against public ownership, have not been compelling.
The ACLU Wants to Shrink Workers’ Speech Protections
The ACLU is trying to convince Trump’s labor board to overturn precedent that expansively protects workers’ speech rights. The nonprofit wants the NLRB to instead adopt narrower rules that make it much easier for employers to fire workers for speaking up.
Why Americans Feel Like They’re Falling Behind
There is a widespread feeling that the living standard of the average American has declined since the mid-20th century. This is false — but it reflects the reality that it is now much harder for single-earner families to afford a mainstream lifestyle.
“Premajority Unionism” Is Not a Promising Path for Labor
“Premajority unionism” is a new term for corporate campaigns, in which workers try to win concessions from employers using channels outside the workplace, like investor pressure and appeals to the public. Such efforts are not likely to achieve much.
Europe Primarily Uses the Welfare State to Fight Inequality
Some economists argue that European countries have lower inequality than the US because they distribute market income much more equally, not because of their welfare states. This is false: the welfare state beats market-income compression.
To Reduce Poverty, Expand the Welfare State
The policy solutions to poverty are simple: redistribute capital ownership and expand the welfare state.
The Fifth Circuit Ruled That the NLRB Is Unconstitutional
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with SpaceX earlier this week, ruling that the National Labor Relations Board’s current structure is unconstitutional. The decision will keep the agency hamstrung until the case makes its way to the Supreme Court.
The Bad Argument Against Zohran Mamdani’s Free Bus Proposal
In his campaign for NYC mayor, Zohran Mamdani has proposed making city buses fare-free. Critics of the proposal say this would deprive buses of needed funds, but their argument is based on a mistaken understanding of government revenue.
No, There Isn’t an Epidemic of Workless Medicaid Recipients
Trump administration officials including RFK Jr want to add work requirements to Medicaid, arguing that there is a major scourge of able-bodied recipients refusing to get jobs. Their case dramatically overstates how many people in this group are not working.
The “Success Sequence” Argument Makes No Sense
Many conservatives argue that the order in which a person achieves certain life milestones is key to their financial security. The point of the argument is to blame individuals for their poverty.
Will Trump’s Attorney General Override the NLRB?
An anti-union trade association is urging the US attorney general to invalidate 15 previously decided NLRB cases. The group argues the AG can and should declare that certain board precedent is no longer binding, an unprecedented and illegal move.
Young Men Are Not Lazily Opting Out of Work
Republicans are citing a supposed epidemic of young men opting out of work as a rationale for cutting Medicaid. But the data shows that only a small percentage of young men are absent from the labor force in a long-term way.
What the “Abundance Agenda” Leaves Out
Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s new book Abundance has plenty of merits, writes Matt Bruenig, but its emphasis on growth and innovation must be married to other egalitarian concerns.
How Many Americans Really Live Paycheck to Paycheck?
Centrist pundits take issue with Bernie Sanders’s frequent claim that 60% of Americans are living “paycheck to paycheck.” His critics’ attempts to debunk this statistic aren’t convincing.
The NLRB Can’t Punish Employers Strongly Enough
The problem of case backlogs at the National Labor Relations Board goes deeper than budget shortfalls. Without serious penalties for employers who break the law, the board will continue to be hampered by a pileup of charges.
Universalism Fixes Flawed Welfare States
Thousands of Americans cohabitate but don't marry because doing so would result in the loss of Medicaid eligibility. Marriage penalties (and bonuses) are just part of why we need a universal social-democratic welfare state.
What Now for the NLRB?
The National Labor Relations Board has been a bright spot for progressives. Don’t think Trump’s team hasn’t noticed.
Manchin and Sinema Just Handed the GOP an NLRB Majority
Yesterday Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema voted to block the reappointment of Democrat Lauren McFerran to the National Labor Relations Board. This means that when Donald Trump takes office, he can immediately establish a GOP majority on the board.
Blame Health Insurers for Exorbitant Health Care Costs
Since the shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, a number of pundits have claimed that the main cause of exorbitant US health care costs is overcharging by providers, not health insurance companies. The argument doesn’t hold up: insurers are mostly to blame.