Category: Op/Ed
The energy and food crisis is far worse than most Americans realize
Whenever there’s an energy crisis, it can quickly become an everything crisis. by Richard Heinberg May 18, 20212 Everyone who owns a gasoline-burning car has noticed that fuel prices have shot up in recent weeks. And…
Welfare is no substitute for a child tax credit
Some in Congress say the child tax credit isn’t needed because Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is a success. Our reporting found it’s marked by repeated failures. by Eli Hager, ProPublica Those in Congress…
Build Back Better or build more bombs? The choice Is clear
Perennial claims about precision “smart bombs” by the Pentagon and its boosters have been proven false again and again around the world, by the corpses of civilians—dehumanized as “collateral damage”—killed by U.S. weaponry. by Amy Goodman, Denis…
Our long neoliberal nightmare: Congress should not begrudge $3.5 trillion reconciliation package for the people
To set themselves apart from Republicans, Democrats must demonstrate the political will to choose the common good over allegiance to corporate wealth. by Michele Swenson Thursday, October 14, 2021 A half century of neoliberal economic policy…
2021-2030: The Renewal Decade
Protecting and regenerating the viability of our blue-green home is the essential work of the next few years. Everyone is needed and we each have a role to play. by Diana Donlon June 5, 2021 On…
Seeing the Pentagon Papers in a new light
We know the government lied about Vietnam. But should the reporter who published the Pentagon Papers have lied to his source? by Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica February 3, 2021 On Jan. 7, The New York Times…
Death threats and intimidation of public officials signal Trump’s autocratic legacy
by Shelley Inglis, University of Dayton Thursday, January 26, 2021 As the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump approaches, federal officials are investigating threats to attack or kill members of Congress. This comes in the…
On Wounded Knee: We fight to mend the Hoop
“There was no honor in these murders,” says Manny Iron Hawk, whose grandmother survived the massacre at age 12 by hiding in a ravine. by Abby Zimet, Further columnist Wednesday, December 30, 2020 On this date…
Hey, America, you want a true Conservative Party?
We’ve already got one: it’s called the Democrats. by Mike Lofgren Tuesday, December 29, 2020 I used to be cautious about making predictions. This is partly because history is a complex, open system and predictions almost…
Christians as dangerous good Samaritans
Honest Christians must unapologetically assert that Jesus’s message is totally at odds with society’s dominant culture. by Gary Olson Lately, I’ve been musing about religion and politics. And more specifically, the thought that keeps recurring to…
Imagine, Still, John Lennon remembered
by Abby Zimet, Further columnist Tuesday, December 8, 2020 On December 8, 1980, a crazy man with a gun shot and killed John Lennon outside his New York City apartment; this week marks 40 years here,…
How renewable energy could power your state
Some parts of the United States could easily generate 10 times their energy needs, according to a new report. by Tara Lohan, The Revelator November 20, 2020 How much of U.S. energy demand could be met…
You can’t eat civility: a message to Joe Biden and the Democrats
Politeness will not solve the problems facing the country. Democrats must put forth and fight for bold solutions that will materially improve the lives of working people. by Joe Sanberg Monday, November 16, 2020 Like many…
After Boosting Low-Income Voter Turnout, Poor People’s Campaign Mobilizes for Covid Relief
People did not turn out in record numbers in the midst of a pandemic to vote for a return to normal. They want policy change based on a moral agenda. by Sarah Anderson, Margot Rathke Tuesday,…
Time for Democrats to betray the donor class—not the people
A great many people did not vote for Joe Biden, they voted against Trump. We have to recognize how narrow this win was. by Naomi Klein Tuesday, November 10, 2020 These have been a harrowing few…
Desideratum: Heading Off the Prospects of a Dark and Tumultuous Future
We can no longer afford to wait as climate changes, economic systems malfunction, and enflamed social divisiveness bear down on humanity with unprecedented, irreversible consequences. by Luisa Deprez, John Dorrer Tuesday, October 13, 2020 ”This time,…
Trump, Plato, and the Wizard of Oz
Trump desperately needs to avoid another withering exposure that another debate would cement. That is why, true to the coward that he is, he’s hiding from it. by Robert Freeman Tuesday, October 13 One of the…
Social Security’s Cost of Living Adjustment is inadequate.
Democrats Have a Plan to Fix That. After lifetimes of work, Americans have earned their Social Security. It is well past time they get a raise. by Nancy J. Altman Social Security is the primary income…
How taxpayers funded “consulting fees” for Ivanka Trump
The president reduced his tax bill by writing off large payments to his daughter. He calls it “smart” — tax lawyers call it criminal. By Sam Pizzigati | Sunday, October 11 The warmest and fuzziest phrase…
The Pentagon took money for Covid-19 relief and bought… More weapons
Make no mistake: The Trump administration’s heartlessness and militarism are costing lives. by Phyllis Bennis Thursday, October 1 As the pandemic continues to claim lives across the country, new information keeps coming out about how the…
Why is Bank of America still open to funding the destruction of our homelands in the Arctic?
We stand together, the Iñupiat and the Gwich’in, in calling on Bank of America to listen to Indigenous people, protect our homelands, and stay out of the Arctic Refuge. by Bernadette Demientieff, Siqiñiq Maupin Monday, September…
Defund or defend? In the fight over fossil fuel investments, who’s winning?
Despite divestment victories, big banks and asset managers continue driving climate change through their lending practices. by Christine MacDonald Monday, September 21 “CalSTRS is using our teachers’ money to invest in the destruction of our own…
Ruth Bader Ginsburg helped shape the modern era of women’s rights – even before she went on the Supreme Court
by Jonathan Entin, Case Western Reserve University Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday, the Supreme Court announced. Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement that “Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature.”…
This Labor Day, Social Security’s future hangs in the balance
Trump is devastating the nation, and not only by his incompetent handling of the pandemic. He threatens the economic security of America’s families by defunding, and apparently planning to destroy, Social Security. by Nancy J. Altman…
