workers

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – By beginning with Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” and then switching to Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is your Land,” Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta, 30) engaged in a subtle but very radical critique of the immigration and other policies of Donald J. Trump. Her switch at the […]

Employment

Even in the Trump Era, Inequality can be Reduced

contributors

By Josh Hoxie | (Otherwords.org) | – – With Washington looking hopeless, it’s up to local communities to close the gap between the richest and the rest. In a lot of ways, 2016 was a big year for reducing inequality. Five states raised their minimum wage through citizen-led ballot initiatives. A job-killing free trade agreement, […]

African-Americans

Trump won b/c we Let ourselves be Divided & Conquered: Standing Rock was the Opposite

contributors

By David Korten | Yes! Magazine ) | – – We’ve been pitted against each other for too long. Now is the time to come together to fix our corrupt political systems. The heroic work of the Standing Rock water protectors represents a defining moment in the long struggle against the institutions of empire and […]

Employment

It’s the Economy, Stupid: Ending ‘Religious’ Violence in the Middle East

contributors

Moha Ennaji | (Project Syndicate) | – – FEZ – The escalation of radicalism, violence, and civil wars in the Middle East since the so-called Arab Spring revolts began in 2010 has exacted a massive toll in human lives and welfare. The need to build effective states that support peace, provide greater opportunity and prosperity, […]

Democratic Party

Election Postmortem: Did the Labor Unions get Taken for a Ride?

contributors

By Andrew Kolin | (Informed Comment) | – – According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, “Labor Unions Step Up Presidential Election Spending,” labor unions contributed to Hillary Clinton at a scale that is without precedent. The article pointed to $108.2 million contributed in this presidential election cycle. These contributions raise questions […]

Climate Change

Four years of Trump could really sink the planet

contributors

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – I argued that President Obama’s carbon-reduction plan wasn’t anything to write home about. He wanted to reduce our annual emissions from 5.4 billion metric tons of CO2 annually from the US to 4.7 billion metric tons by 2030. It isn’t an insignificant reduction, but it doesn’t […]

Democratic Party

How can Progressives get through the Next 4 Years? Organize!

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Anti-Trump demonstrations have broken out all over the country in the wake of his surprise victory on Tuesday. Latinos are afraid he will deport their undocumented relatives, breaking up millions of families. Women are afraid for their basic rights to control their bodies, a right Trump […]

Democratic Party

Why the White Working Class Rebelled: Neoliberalism is Killing Them (Literally)

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Democratic Party has been the Establishment for eight years, and the Clintons have arguably been the Establishment for 24 years. Since the late 1990s, members of the white working class with high school or less have seen their life-chances radically decline, even to the point […]

Employment

Can America’s Middle Class make a Comeback?

contributors

By Munir Moon | (Informed Comment) | – – The middle class is getting crushed. But there is hope. The most common argument about the middle class destruction is the declining or stagnant income, which is true. However, the main culprits are the costs of healthcare, education, and housing that have increased at a much […]