Independent Media Institute
A Minimum Wage? A Fake Debate
By Richard D. Wolff Capitalism’s “conservative” defenders yet again oppose raising the minimum wage. They fought raising it in the past much as they tried to prevent the Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) that first mandated a U.S. minimum wage. The major argument opponents have used is this: setting or… »
GOP Offers Preview of Brutal Climate Policies in Texas
As freezing temperatures and mass power outages plague the state of Texas, Republicans blame renewable energy—and Texans. By Sonali Kolhatkar As Texas battles a severe snowstorm and mass power outages this winter, Tim Boyd, the now-former Republican mayor of Colorado City, revealed his party’s plan for the deadly… »
Will Andrés Arauz Be the Next President of Ecuador?
By Vijay Prashad and Pilar Troya In Ecuador’s presidential election held on February 7, 2021, Andrés Arauz won the largest number of votes but could not prevail in the first round against 15 other candidates; he won 32.71 percent of the vote, short of the 40 percent needed to… »
How One Rural Community Creatively Solved Keeping Its Residents Well Fed During a Pandemic
The people of Comox Valley broke many molds to keep people fed through COVID-19 and got its government’s attention on food security. By April M. Short Hunger and food insecurity have increased worldwide since COVID-19 took hold. In December 2020, the United Nations warned of the threat of… »
Why Amazon Is Fighting So Hard to Stop Warehouse Workers From Unionizing
Workers at one of Amazon’s warehouses are deciding whether or not to join a union. Amazon’s union-busting efforts indicate just how important the vote is. By Sonali Kolhatkar Thousands of warehouse workers at an Amazon plant in Bessemer, Alabama, are at the center of a potentially game-changing union… »
Understanding the Complicated Politics and Geopolitics of the Coup Myanmar
By Vijay Prashad On February 1, 2021, Myanmar’s military—known as the Tatmadaw—invoked Article 417 of the 2008 constitution, dismissed State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, and arrested her and other members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Condemnation of the coup was swift, although there would be reason… »
It’s Easy to Fix Inequality: Tax the Rich
There is no better time than now to address the ridiculous levels of wealth and income inequality in the United States. It can be done with ease through aggressive taxation of the wealthiest handfuls of individuals. By Sonali Kolhatkar As Democrats and Republicans jostle over the particulars of… »
The So-Called Moderna Vaccine Is a Publicly Funded Miracle
By Alex Lawson – Economy for All The so-called “Moderna” vaccine is a miracle of science. It is nearly 100 percent effective at preventing serious illness and death. By vaccinating the world, we can end the COVID-19 pandemic and save millions of lives. The only problem? We don’t have… »
How Community Solar Power Projects Support Homeless Housing and Fight the Extractive Fuel Industry
New Mexico’s efforts to solarize local venues paint a vision for a future of community energy self-sufficiency. By April M. Short Homelessness has been on the rise nationwide due to the economic impacts of COVID-19, and in New Mexico it was already climbing prior to the pandemic. New Mexico experienced… »
US Economy Excels at One Thing: Producing Massive Inequality
To solve the extreme inequality of US capitalism requires systemic change, an end to capitalism pitting employers against employees. By Richard D. Wolff To grasp the sheer magnitude of US economic inequality in recent years, consider its two major stock market indices: the Standard and Poor (S&P) 500 and Nasdaq. »