We Should Have Jailed the Bankers After the Last Crisis
“Lock up the bankers” was more than a populist slogan. It was a demand for something better than a plutocratic order that allows the rich to do whatever they wish.
19456 Articles by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
India’s Neoliberal State Brought It COVID Tragedy
Last year, right-wing Indian prime minister Narendra Modi boasted that he had COVID-19 under control. Now hundreds of thousands are dead. BJP misrule and years of social neglect and austerity are to blame.
We Want a Society Without Landlords
The popularity of Berlin’s campaign to expropriate corporate landlords shows just how few people trust capitalism to provide them with affordable, good-quality homes.
America Is a Tax Haven for the Rich
The wealthiest 1 percent are evading about a quarter-trillion dollars of owed taxes every year, and corporations are audited at half the rate of poor people. Something is deeply wrong here.
Colombia’s Ruling Class Is Getting Desperate
The latest round of protests against Colombia’s right-wing government has seen a brutal crackdown, leading to at least 43 deaths. But the mass movement against neoliberalism and state violence is only growing stronger.
Want to “Be Your Own Boss”? Democratic Socialism Is for You.
Millions of US workers dream of “being their own boss.” But that kind of autonomy is impossible for the vast majority of the population under capitalism. Under democratic socialism, things could be different.
How Wall Street Gets Its Way
Bernie Sanders and Barbara Lee want to tax Wall Street transactions. Corporate America’s lobbyists are fighting them tooth and nail. A new report explains why the sector so rarely has to swallow its own political defeat.
When It Comes to Palestine, Free Speech Rights Are Under Attack
A frightening wave of firings, threats, and retaliation against pro-Palestinian writers and activists has chilled the political climate. Now, more than ever, the “Palestine exception” to free speech standards is being challenged.
Which Dianne Morales Will New York City Get?
Diane Morales has managed to secure the endorsements of groups like the Working Families Party behind progressive campaign promises. But she’s also a landlord, a supporter of “school choice,” and someone who “probably” supported Andrew Cuomo in 2018. How should we understand her contradictions?
India Walton: Corporate Democrats Gave Us Austerity, We Need Something Different
India Walton is a Democratic Socialists of America–endorsed candidate for mayor in Buffalo, New York. In an interview with Jacobin, she talks about the desperate need for change in the city, what progressive mayors can do, and why it’s time to stop supporting corporate Democrats.
We Need to Change How We Talk About Climate Action
The Left needs a message on climate action that’s about giving more opportunities for working-class people rather than restricting individual behavior.
Chileans Voted for an End to Neoliberalism
Last week, the people of Chile voted for sweeping structural reform and an end to neoliberalism. It’s one of the Left’s biggest victories since the end of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship.
Andrew Yang as Mayor Will Be a Disaster for New York
Andrew Yang presents himself as a pathbreaker with innovative solutions to social problems. But New York has already tried this kind of technocratic politics in the 1960s and ’70s, and it ended up leading to austerity and social disorder.
“Unions Are a Pain in the Ass. Yet We Have No Choice but to Build Good Unions”
Union organizer Jane McAlevey on labor’s loss at Amazon in Alabama, what the future of labor organizing success depends on, and how organizers can win.
Canada Is in the Business of Death and Destruction Too
Canada is deeply implicated in the blood-soaked global arms trade. It won’t stop until we make it stop.
Palestine Is No Longer the Third Rail for Democrats
Today’s cease-fire is a victory and a relief for Palestinians. But with Palestinians still under siege, the struggle against ethnic cleansing and occupation isn’t over. For Democrats, “progressive except Palestine” still won’t cut it.
François Mitterrand Gave French Socialists Power at the Price of Their Soul
Forty years ago today, François Mitterrand became the first socialist president of France’s Fifth Republic. But after his early attempt at left-wing reforms was defeated, Mitterrand’s tenure helped turn the Parti Socialiste into a pillar of the political establishment.
Charles Koch Funded the Push to Lift the Eviction Ban — While Expanding His Real Estate Holdings
Billionaire Charles Koch has bankrolled the campaign to end eviction bans during the pandemic. At the same time, his company has been buying up real estate, giving him a strong financial incentive to kick tenants out.
Chipotle Is a Nightmare Employer
Chipotle says it is raising its starting wage to $11 an hour. It’s not enough for many workers who say the company’s business model relies on understaffing and overwork, leaving them stressed and with little choice but to cut corners on food safety.
Karl Marx Saw Signs of the Socialist Future in the Paris Commune
Today marks 150 years since the start of the Bloody Week, when the French army drowned the Paris Commune in blood. For Karl Marx, the Paris revolution was the greatest working-class uprising in his lifetime — and a model for what socialism might look like.