The Coronavirus and the Future of Main Street
By Lloyd Alter Our Main Streets and High Streets have been in trouble for decades, thanks to the onslaught of malls, then Walmart and the big box stores, then Amazon and online shopping. It wasn’t…
Here’s What a ‘Feminist Economic Recovery Plan’ Looks Like
By Frances Nguyen A universal basic income. Special emergency funds for marginalized groups, including undocumented immigrant women, domestic workers, women with disabilities and sex-trafficking survivors. Waived co-payments for covid-19 tests and treatment, including for incarcerated…
Participatory Community Engagement at Risk
By Nathan Boucher, DrPH On February 3rd of this year, Raleigh City Council voted to disband the city’s 18 longstanding Citizen Advisory Councils (CAC), eroding public trust in government. This has now been compounded by…
Out of the Coronavirus Crisis Can Come Efficient Historic Changes for Justice
By Ralph Nader Many of us have heard that the Chinese character for “crisis” is also the character for “opportunity.” During the coronavirus crisis, we have a duty to apply political solutions and emerge much…
When the Invisible Hand Gives You the Finger
By Dorothee Benz Since the days of Adam Smith, capitalists have been arguing that unfettered markets are the best way to organize the economy. Smith famously said that the rich are “led by an invisible…
What Wall Street doesn’t want you to know about its grip on emergency rooms
By Eileen Appelbaum and Rosemary Batt Doctor Ming Lin is the first emergency room doctor to be fired for going public with his concerns about poor hospital emergency room safety practices and shortages of medical…
How Do You Stop Politicians from Rigging the Ballot? This Woman Knows
By Ashley Spencer For many years Michigan was divided evenly along party lines – a checkerboard of red and blue every election. Then, in 2011, Michigan’s Republican party legally rigged the system. Charged with drawing…
Beyond the Economic Chaos of Coronavirus Is a Global War Economy
By William I. Robinson What does a virus have to do with war and repression? The coronavirus has disrupted global supply networks and spread panic throughout the world’s stock markets. The pandemic will pass, not…
How Civic Technology Can Help Stop a Pandemic
Taiwan’s Initial Success Is a Model for the Rest of the World By Jaron Lanier and E. Glen Weyl The spread of the novel coronavirus and the resulting COVID-19 pandemic have provided a powerful test…
Government Debts as Class Swindles
The richest sectors of modern capitalism avoid or replace taxes levied on them with interest-bearing loans to the same government. Read the story at Common Dreams.