Coronavirus Can Be a Death Blow to Neoliberalism — If We Organize
The coronavirus epidemic has shown the complete bankruptcy of neoliberalism. But the neoliberal order won’t be toppled if we don’t give it a hard push.
21047 Article(s) by: Ryan Switzer
Ryan Switzer is a PhD candidate in sociology at Stockholm University. He researches right-wing politics in welfare states.
“Uber Is Handing Us a Penny and Acting Like It’s Ten Grand”
Uber announced it will give its drivers two weeks paid leave — but only if they test positive for coronavirus. We talked to a veteran Uber driver in Philadelphia about his decision to stop driving and the company’s pathetic response to the pandemic.
The Limits of Liberal Urbanism
As housing becomes more and more unaffordable, liberal mayors have jumped to recognize the crisis. At the same time, they’re fully committed to the status quo, giving carte blanche to developers at the expense of legitimately affordable housing.
How the US Helped Build Egypt’s Prison State
The fall of Hosni Mubarak in 2011 threatened Washington’s relationship with one of its most valuable client states. But since then, US military aid has been used to build up a new machinery of repression that’s strangling the hopes of the revolution.
Even in a Pandemic, Andrew Cuomo Is Not Your Friend
In chaotic times, New York governor Andrew Cuomo wants to convince you he is the calm, competent leader you need. It’s been effective — so effective you might miss that even in a pandemic, Cuomo is fighting to protect the rich and impose austerity, including devastating Medicaid cuts, on everyone else.
This Crisis Has Exposed the Absurdities of Neoliberalism. That Doesn’t Mean It’ll Destroy It
The coronavirus shock has shaken the world’s stock markets, imposing the need for massive state bailouts. But the measures to deal with the crisis risk spurring an authoritarian controlled capitalism — one that protects corporate interests while offloading the costs onto the rest of us.
Basic Income in a Pandemic and Beyond
Politicians who represent the interests of capital clearly grasp the point that a UBI would tilt the playing field in favor of workers. That’s why they’re fighting the idea tooth and nail, even amid an unprecedented crisis.
Corona: The Inequality Virus
The coronavirus pandemic affects everyone, but it doesn’t affect everyone equally. Working-class neighborhoods have it much harder than wealthy enclaves — and that’s unconscionable.
Union-Busting During a Pandemic Could Become Deadly
With a pandemic raging, Oberlin College is outsourcing 108 unionized campus jobs in the interests of cost-cutting. Universities across the country are doing the same. We can’t let them get away with it.
The Last Thing We Need Is a Military Shock Doctrine
The COVID-19 pandemic should be a time to reduce the military’s deadly footprint at home and abroad. We can’t let the military use this crisis to expand its powers.
We Can’t Return to Capitalism as Usual After This Crisis
Here are questions we need to ask right away: If foundational economic principles must be abandoned when things get tough, does capitalism really serve our needs? If rapid, radical change is possible when circumstances demand it, what excuse is there for failing to act with similar urgency to prevent cataclysmic climate change?
We Just Barely Averted a Gigantic Pandemic Grift by Big Pharma
The pharmaceutical giant Gilead tried to pull a fast one by seeking a special status that would restrict the supply of its coronavirus drug and boost profits. Luckily, healthcare advocates, left-wing journalists, and Bernie Sanders were having none of it.
Economists Told Us “Flexible” Labor Markets Were a Good Thing. Now They’re Plunging the US Into an Economic Catastrophe
For decades, America’s “flexible” labor markets have been celebrated by economists and favorably compared to Europe’s “sclerotic” labor institutions — the products of a century of militant worker struggle. Now, thanks to that very flexibility, the US stands on the brink of an economic disaster.
We Should Nationalize Food Delivery Apps and Turn Them Into a Public Food Service
Faced with the coronavirus shutdown, more people are getting meals delivered straight to their homes. At a time of mass panic buying, the state should step in to guarantee a smooth food supply — and start by turning platforms like Uber Eats and Grubhub into a public service.
Pandemics Show How the Free Market Fails Us
The Spanish flu of 1918 infected a quarter of the world population and was decisive to the rise of public health-care systems. Today’s COVID-19 crisis is again showing that collective problems demand collective solutions — and a state that provides for all our essential needs.
In a Pandemic, Bolsonaro Is More Dangerous Than Ever
Jair Bolsonaro is still refusing to implement basic isolation measures to protect Brazilians against the onslaught of COVID-19, hurtling the country toward disaster. Now his negligence is feeding widespread dissent, and even his former allies are calling for the far-right leader’s removal.
Corporations Are Broke. It’s Time to Cut Up Their Credit Cards.
After a decade-long, worldwide corporate debt binge, the bill has come due: huge swaths of the corporate world are now at risk of default, with only governments able to save them. This time, any bailouts must place corporate investment under public control.
US Sanctions Must End Now
US sanctions are devastating in ordinary times. But with the COVID-19 pandemic raging, they’re killing more people than ever.
How Capitalism Kills During a Pandemic
From failing to develop a vaccine, to evicting the jobless and cutting off their health care, to needlessly subjecting workers and the public to infection: capitalism will be responsible for millions of coronavirus-related deaths.
Comrade Britney Spears, We Salute You
Britney Spears called for a general strike and wealth redistribution in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore we are legally obliged to publish something about it.