Archive for November, 2017
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Will Bitcoins Be the Subprime Mortgages of the Next Capitalist Crash?
The price of bit-coins has risen from 900 dollars to 10,000 dollars in a single year.
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Radical Political Economist Thanksgiving Letter to the One Percent
This satirical article by political economist Jack Rasmus is filled with economic statistics about the wealth of the 1% compared to the rest of us, especially concentrated since the crisis of 2008.
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An Afghan Year: My Road from Soldier to Socialism
“War is hell.” How often have you heard that phrase? It’s been repeated by celebrities, politicians, characters in books, all more than can be counted. This saturation has denuded it of its weight.
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New Silk Road Coming to Africa: Opportunities and Problems for China
This article nicely describes the geopolitics of China, Turkey and Pakistan as they enter agreements with Sudan in building a New Silk Road.
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German “Left” Fears New Elections in Germany
Despite its initial reluctance to join in another grand coalition government, the leadership of the Social Democratic Party of Germany is now talking about joining.
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Going Red, Not Green, Will Save the Planet
It’s pretty amazing to see a story about capitalism’s impact on climate change and global warming in corporate media.
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Pros and Cons of Secession Under Global Capitalism
This is a very careful cross-cultural and historical weighing of the pros and cons of seceding under 21st century capitalism.
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Asian Age Blossoming: Silk Road Links to Syria and Turkey
Towards the end of their lives Andre Gunder Frank (ReOrient) and Giovanni Arrighi (Adam Smith in Beijing) both argued that Asia was going to become the center of the geopolitical world.
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Democracy From Below in Venezuela Controls Capitalist Pricing
Can you imagine going to a congressional body in the United States and voting for price controls on capitalism when it comes to essential goods like food and toothpaste?
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Petrodollars Currency In More Trouble: Will Saudis Abandon the Dollar?
There are three solid countries who have broken past petrodollars: China, Russia and Iran. (more…)
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Another Blow For Centralist Politics: Merkel’s Failure to Form A Coalition Government
Germany has been the strongest capitalist economy in Europe and the heart of the European Union.
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The Class Exploitative Nature of Automaton
The capitalist mythological story we are told about automation is that it is the inevitable outcome of scientific progress and has nothing to do with politics or economics.
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Let Them Eat Cake! Tax Reform for the Rich
This picture really says it all. Here is the secretary of the treasury, the former head of Goldman Sachs and hedge fund founder, impressing his Marie-Antoinette of a wife with his signature on the new dollar bill.
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Are “Evil Russian” Neoliberals and Neocons Closer to Moving on Trump?
This article is mistitled for it is not primarily about the U.S. military. It is more about the neoliberal and neoconservative forces who want a war with Russia.
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Tattering Sails of a Capitalist Flagship; 860,000 Homeless In Germany
The European Union looks to Germany to steer the way out of stormy waters.
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Desperate Zionists’ “Interference” in Italian Politics
While the Democratic Party in the United States babbles on with their mantra of “Russian interference”, Zionists interfere with the politics of countries all over the world.
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Socialist Planning Circles: Building Scaffolds Before the Wreckage
Why is is that socialists form discussion groups about theory but do not form discussion groups about how these theories can turn into socialist plans?
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Making Libya Safe For Democracy: Another Capitalist Disaster
Well, now that Obama, Hillary Clinton and the CIA have gotten rid of the evil dictator Qaddafi we can breathe a sigh of relief as Libya is now a pluralistic mess of collapsing infrastructure and warring fundamentalists. Anyone who thinks capitalism guarantees a better standard of living in Africa ought to have a look at Libya.
Read in Strategic Culture
Image from Strategic Culture
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Socialists in Recent US Elections: Perils and Promises
A recent survey conducted in the US said that over half the people in the US look favorably on socialism.
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Socialist Planning Circles: Building Scaffolds Before the Wreckage
Common objections to socialist planning from below
In my last article, Do You Socialists Have Any Plans? Why We Need Socialist Architects, I argued that the only way 21st century socialism is going to get any traction with working class people is to not only have a socialist vision, but also to have feasible plans which suggest transitions in between the current capitalist crisis and our ultimate vision.
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Russian Elites are Mute About Their Own Revolution
Not surprisingly, there was no official national commemoration of the 100th year anniversary of the Russian Revolution its country of origin.
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Support our Vets by Changing the Capitalist System That is Killing Them
Veteran’s Day was November 11. While everyone was busy celebrating by having time off from work and posting “Thank you for your service” on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, many veterans were – and will be – still paying the cost of that service.
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“We’re all being too harsh on Priti Patel. We all know what it’s like to accidentally meet a foreign head of state down the campsite.”
Hilarious perspective from The Independent on Priti Patel’s forced resignation from her position as a British government minister because of her “secret” meetings with Israeli officials.
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What Will It Take To Bring People Into the Streets?
On the one hand, we have the political machinations of Republicrats and the economic truck and bargaining of capitalists.
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Organizers are the Heart of a Revolution: Learning and Unlearning From Lenin
This is a very interesting article about the relationship between organization and spontaneity.
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Catalan Independence: What is the Working-Class To Do?
This article gives very useful information about the reasons the ruling classes want to break away from Spain.
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Harvey Weinstein is Only the Tip of the Iceberg: What Could Be Done
While it’s courageous for women to come forward, one by one, to expose how prevalent sexual harassment is, we predict this will fade from public attention because there is no structure in place that can protect women as a group. We need to build women’s solidarity networks, both virtually and face-to-face.
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With Crypto-Currency Even Digital Wallets Can be Picked
A disastrous mistake made with one touch of the finger, ethereum, a form of cashless currency held in “virtual wallets”, has been frozen and made unavailable to the owners of those wallets. (more…)
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Saudi Arabia and U.S. Involved in Funding Jihadi Terrorists
This should be breaking news because it implies that Obama as President, and Hillary as Secretary of State, were involved in the funding of the very organization they claim to be fighting.
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Capitalism Failing in India According to Piketty
India has been presented by the World Bank and the IMF as the most recent poster child for capitalist “development” in a non-European country.
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Harvey Weinstein is Only the Tip of the Iceberg: What Could Be Done?
Rats fleeing a sinking ship – the ship of white male privilege
The floodgates have opened. All the disgusting, depraved details are surfacing. Now the “public” is learning what the majority of us already knew – that men of power have been sexually abusing and harassing women for generations. (more…)
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Israel Training U.S. Police to Shoot to Kill
Just as Israel has occupied Palestine, they are also infiltrating the United States military, police and surveillance forces. (more…)
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Capitalism Failing in Brazil: 7,500 Families Homeless
Under any system but capitalism, where people live is a non- issue. Either people built their own homes, or in the case of socialism, homes are provided, although they may be very modest. But under the logic of capitalism people do no have a place to live because it is not profitable for the capitalists who own the land. So while 7,500 families have no place to live in Brazil, there are plenty of hotels for tourists and foreign ambassadors. Mind you, Brazil is the poster child for capitalism in South America. Capitalism is failing everywhere.Read in Al JazeeraImage by Tommaso Protti/Al Jazeera
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Role of Central Banks’ “Free Money” Policy in Creating Financial Bubbles
In a “real” economy, whether capitalist or socialist, the role of a central bank is to stabilize national banks and reign them in. But under financial capitalism, the role of central banks is to provide financial capitalists with free money so financial capitalists can continue with their speculation. Jack Rasmus argues that from the United States, to Europe to Japan as these practices continue, the result will be a financial recession by late 2018.Read at Jack RasmusImage from Terra Daily
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Is Your Money Really Safe in Banks? Italian Bank Masked Losses For Years
It’s interesting to think of how economic propaganda works. On the one hand, banks are presented to the public as the essence of safe institutions. On the other hand, putting your money under the mattress goes with signs of stupidity. But this story of the Bank of Italy might make you want to consider getting off the financial grid.Read in Bloomberg NewsImage from Trading Weeks
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Economic Democracy: Pros and Cons of Participatory Economics
This article nicely summarizes the pros and cons of Michael Albert’s and Robin Hahnel’s “participatory economics” project.