Plutocracy

By Michael T. Klare | (Tomdispatch.com) | – – Pity the poor petro-states. Once so wealthy from oil sales that they could finance wars, mega-projects, and domestic social peace simultaneously, some of them are now beset by internal strife or are on the brink of collapse as oil prices remain at ruinously low levels. Unlike […]

Employment

Aside from Super-Rich, All Americans are poorer this century

contributors

TeleSur | – – Soon, researchers predict, the middle class will no longer be the largest class in the United States. Households in the United States made less money in 2014 than they did in 1999, according to a study released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center, a decline that transcends class. According to the […]

Economy

Chomsky: Who Rules the World? (Hint: Not States any more)

contributors

By Noam Chomsky | ( Tomdispatch.com) | – – [This piece, the first of two parts, is excerpted from Noam Chomsky’s new book, Who Rules the World? (Metropolitan Books). Part 2 will be posted on Tuesday morning.] When we ask “Who rules the world?” we commonly adopt the standard convention that the actors in world […]

Banking

When Corporations use havens, you Pay their taxes; & the leading Candidates have Havens

contributors

By Nomi Prins with Craig Wilson | (Tomdispatch.com) | – – There’s a pile of money hiding offshore. It’s true that jobs are also leaving the United States because American companies find it convenient to cut labor costs by moving manufacturing abroad, the economic issue you’re hearing most about in this election season. But the […]

Employment

Saudi Arabia’s Vision: Cut Subsidies to Workers, Middle Class, put Women to Work

contributors

Courtney Freer | (The Conversation) | – – Saudi Arabia has released details of its Vision 2030 – an immensely ambitious plan which Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman says will end the Kingdom’s dependence on oil by 2020. To help reach that goal, the plan details major targets, such as the establishment of a […]

Plutocracy

Curtains for Trans Atlantic Trade Deal? Greenpeace Leak Exposes Corporate Takeover

contributors

By Deirdre Fulton | ( Commondreams.org ) | – – The secret documents represent roughly two-thirds of the latest negotiating text, and in several cases expose for the first time the position of the U.S. Confirming that the TransAtlantic Trade and Investment Partnership amounts to “a huge transfer of power from people to big business,” […]

Arms Sales

Big Money in Politics Doesn’t Just Drive Inequality. It Drives War.

contributors

By Rebecca Green | ( Otherwords.org) | – – Military contractors have shelled out over $1 million to the 2016 presidential candidates — including over $200,000 to Hillary Clinton alone. The 2016 presidential elections are proving historic, and not just because of the surprising success of self-proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders, the lively debate among feminists […]

Health

Now the 1% Live 15 yrs longer than the Poorest: The Death Gap’s Increasing

contributors

By Sam Pizzigati | ( Otherwords.org) | – – Rich people live longer than poor people. No big news there — we’ve known that health tracks wealth for quite some time now. But here’s what we haven’t known: The life-expectancy gap between rich and poor in the United States is actually accelerating. Since 2001, American […]

Hillary Clinton

It’s Possible: Koch Brother Says Hillary Clinton Might Be Best Choice for Him

contributors

By Jon Queally, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | – – Asked if he could actually see himself supporting Hillary Clinton in a hypothetical general election against Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, or John Kasich – billionaire rightwinger Charles Koch smiled, but didn’t say no. (Image: Screenshot/ABC News) When the oligarchs speak, take it with a grain […]