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Clearly war is still hell, since every day 22 U.S. veterans take their lives, and the suicide rate for active duty soldiers is more than 50 percent higher than for civilians. But politicians and military commanders just slap a “hero” label on those returning from battle or leaving the service.…
This political resolution, written on behalf of the Freedom Socialist Party National Committee and incorporating changes by the FSP membership, was adopted at the party’s May 2014 convention. It is an inspiring call to arms for ecosocialism as the solution for capitalist injuries to workers and the planet. Contents I.…
Scarcely a day goes by when public workers are not blamed for the nation’s economic woes. But how could your local hard-working teacher, librarian, or garbage collector be such a menace to society? To the corporate fat cats, the menace lies in their unionization rate of 35.9 percent—far above the…
Leading up to the January 1 fiscal cliff deadline, advocates for workers, the poor, and the elderly were eyeing nervously the compromises offered by the president. On the table were onerous options like raising the eligibility age for Social Security and Medicare, or reducing cost of living adjustments for retirees.…
A recent graduate approaches a community college employee with whom he has worked in the past as an intern, maintaining the school ventilation system. He is looking for a full-time job, but nobody in the heating and air conditioning business is hiring anyone but the most experienced technicians. Now he…
As in every state, workers in Washington have been taking it on the chin as bosses resolve the economic crisis at their expense. This made for an angry and at times rebellious mood among union delegates to the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) Convention in early August. It also made…
On a bitterly cold Sunday evening in December, a heavy snow blanketed the pup tents that tightly packed the parking lot of University Congregational United Church of Christ in Seattle’s University District. That wasn’t entirely a bad thing. As one of the 90 or so working-class folks who call these…
Public workers are fed up with watching the crucial services they provide slashed to free up money for the war machine. And like everyone else, they are chafing under the relentless pressure of skyrocketing food and fuel prices, job losses, and stagnant wages. So members in several local unions quickly…
When I was growing up, I did a lot of things with my dad. But one thing I did not like to do with him was watch war movies. Not a pleasant experience, because at some point he would feel compelled to tell me, again, how awful war is. And wars…
