A great event can throw into sharp relief the virtues and flaws of political tendencies. Regarding the anti-climactic report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the greatness lies in the loudness of the dog that didn’t bark. Evidently there are no … Continue reading
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In this era of progressive upsurge, we’re at a point where we should start translating aspirational demands, in other words, stuff that just isn’t going to happen right away, into practical terms, which includes consideration of potential difficulties. One such … Continue reading
Another interesting policy proposal from Matt Bruenig inspires some comments here. The proposal’s framework has more potential than might be evident. In particular, with regard to problems with the availability of child care services, since school districts (which are everywhere) … Continue reading
Recriminations are thick on the ground in New York City, as retail and cloud-service giant Amazon announced the cancellation of plans to locate a new facility in the borough of Queens. The state and local governments offered them $3 billion … Continue reading
Here we go again. Another crisis in a nation ruled by an unfriendly regime made worse by U.S. policy for the sake of running sanctions as prelude to military action. We’ve seen this movie before. The inconsistency of U.S. foreign … Continue reading
The actual construction of a big, beautiful wall, along the entirety of the U.S./Mexican border, in concrete, steel, or whatever, sends a horrible message. That is the intention. It’s a metaphor of bigotry, not to mention ignorance. But such a … Continue reading
After publishing my “Send More People” piece in Jacobin, I decided I ought to offer a rebuttal to this junky essay by Angela Nagle on the purported ideological travesty of the “open borders left” (sic). By now this subject is … Continue reading
“It was wonderful to find America, but it would have been more wonderful to miss it”. – Mark Twain, The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson MaxSpeak Summary: Among Puritan Christian fundamentalists, the Pilgrims were treacherous, murderous swine. The Pilgrims made a … Continue reading
Now that debates are raging over Bernie Sanders’ proposal for a job guarantee, also known as an “employer of last resort” or ‘ELR’ policy, one bit of skepticism founded on apparent empirical evidence needs to be addressed. The evidence in … Continue reading
“The only thing worse than being exploited is not being exploited.” – Joan Robinson One of the purported benefits of a job guarantee is said to be the dignity it confers on otherwise unemployed people. Matt Bruenig is at pains … Continue reading