Most Democrats either don’t want a minimum wage increase or are too afraid of bucking their party’s donor class. Continue reading
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Category Archives: Commentary
We need democracy, not billionaire philanthropy
Instead of funding only the projects that a single billionaire esteems worthy, democracy demands something different: input.
Bill Gates has a new book about climate change. Continue reading
Imagining Palestine: On Barghouti, Darwish, Kanafani and the language of exile
For Palestinians, exile is not simply the physical act of being removed from their homes and their inability to return. It is not a casual topic pertaining to politics and international law, either. Nor is it an ethereal notion, a sentiment, a poetic verse. It is all of this combined. Continue reading
Freedom Rider: No human rights in Texas
The people of Texas suffer unnecessarily from bad weather because their state puts oligarchs first and does not recognize the human right to health and safety. Continue reading
The freedom to freeze
Texas’s prevailing social Darwinism was expressed most succinctly last week by the mayor of Colorado City, who accused his constituents—trapped in near sub-zero temperatures and complaining about lack of heat, electricity, and drinkable water—of being the “lazy” products of a “socialist government,” adding “I’m sick and tired of people looking for a damn handout!” and predicting “only the strong will survive and the weak will perish.” Continue reading
Congress must pass the For the People Act
Republicans and Democratic voters agree: We need to make sure leaders actually represent “we the people.”
More than 230 years ago, the founders of the United States enshrined their vision for our democracy in the preamble to the Constitution. Its opening line begins with a powerful aspiration and mandate for our government to serve “we, the people.” Continue reading
Conservative Democrat Joe Manchin playing a dangerous game
The press is talking about how a conservative Democratic senator from West Virginia is now allegedly one of the most powerful movers and shakers in the nation’s capital. Continue reading
Unrigging the GOP’s minority rule
The Republican Party is shrinking. It’s lost the popular vote in seven of the past eight Presidential elections. Since Trump’s attempted coup, more Americans are abandoning it every day. Continue reading
The blame game
Duplicity and contempt for the rule of law define longstanding US policy on the world stage. Continue reading
Joe Biden and “open borders”: As if
On February 9, more than 50 Republican members of the US House of Representatives sent President Joe Biden a letter decrying his “open border” policies. Of all the hyberbolic claims I’ve read regarding the Biden administration since Inauguration Day, that one takes the cake. In neither word nor action has the new president come within a country mile of supporting “open borders” in principle or in policy. Continue reading
Is trouble in Texas symptomatic of America’s unravelling?
Chicago where I live experiences severe cold, snow, and occasional heavy amounts in winter. Continue reading
Texas deep freeze points out the absurdity of libertarianism
As Texas was plunged into a fourth day of Arctic temperatures, the cries went out from the uber-wealthy suburbs of Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. “Where’s my power?” “I have no water!” “I can’t buy gas and food!” As Texans looked to their Republican libertarian governor, Greg Abbott, they only received a lesson on the evils of green energy. Blaming the power failures caused by the deep freeze—another warning indicator about the increasingly dire effects of global climate change—Abbott, backed by Republican U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw from Houston, cited frozen wind generators as the main culprit. In reality, a place where libertarians have never existed and never will, the wind turbines failed because Texas’s toothless regulators refused to ensure that they were winterized. Similar temperatures do not affect wind turbines in northern climes or even Antarctica because they have been engineered to withstand sub-freezing temperatures. Texas resorted to using helicopters to “de-ice” wind turbines. Continue reading
They don’t work to kill all dissent; they just keep it from going mainstream
One of the most consequential collective delusions circulating in our society is the belief that our society is free. Our society is exactly free enough to create the illusion that we have freedom; from that line onwards it’s just totalitarianism veiled in propaganda. Continue reading
Education won’t stop conspiracy theories
Formal education is often a mark of privilege, not intelligence.
Conspiracy theories like QAnon are outlandish, dangerous, and often absurd. So why do people believe them? Continue reading
Bibi, Pfizer and the election
Israel’s biggest news outlet Ynet reported Friday that in the country voluntarily making itself Pfizer’s testing ground, “75.4% of those diagnosed yesterday were under 39. Only 5.5% were over 60. “The number of critical patients dropped to 858—the lowest since January 4. However, this number is more than double that in mid-December, just before Israel started its ‘pioneering’ experiment in mass vaccination. Ynet also reported that “In Israel 59.9% of critical patients are over 60 years old. 18.2% are aged 50 to 59. In addition, 10.8% are aged 40 to 49 and 7.5% are in their 30s. As of today, more than a third of critical patients are between 30 to 59 years old.” Continue reading
Overhaul the USDA
For decades, the agriculture department has been indifferent to struggling rural communities. That has to change.
We can’t just settle for disinfecting the White House after four-years of Trump. A fundamental, structural rebuild is necessary, including on health care, immigration, the environment, civil rights, labor law, and infrastructure. Continue reading
The truth on trial at Trump’s second impeachment
Big stories reveal the good, the bad and the ugly of humankind—and that includes those who report and comment on the news.
While watching Saturday’s events in the U.S. Senate and the gamut of public reaction to them, I thought about the disconnect that takes place between the reality of events and the way they’re perceived from the outside looking in, especially by the media. Continue reading
Freedom Rider: Impeachment theater
Democracy is hanging on by a thread—not due to marauding Trumpsters—but because of bipartisan support for neoliberal policies. Continue reading
Europe will redefine itself despite political shift in the US
Despite the long-awaited political change in Washington as Democratic President Joe Biden has officially become the 46th President of the United States, Europe is unlikely to resume its previously unhindered reliance on its trans-Atlantic partner. Continue reading
No compromising with the GOP cult
I keep hearing that Joe Biden has to govern from the “center.” He has no choice, they say, because he has razor-thin majorities in Congress and the Republican Party has moved to the right. Continue reading
JCPOA on the rocks?
Trump regime hardliners went all-out to destroy the landmark nuclear deal with Iran. Continue reading
Tyranny by propaganda is tyranny by force
For most of recorded history, domination by brute force has been the norm for human civilization. Someone claws their way into a position of power over the other humans, and you obey and respect him or he’ll have his goons attack you. Continue reading
Why I’m still not worried about Biden’s “gun control” proposals
In a column last November, I dismissed worries that the incoming Biden/Harris administration would—or, rather, could—successfully implement a more aggressive victim disarmament (English for the euphemism “gun control”) agenda than previous administrations. Continue reading
On January 5 and 6, democracy won, fascism lost
The United States of America was redefined on January 5 and 6, 2021. Never underestimate the pivotal power of these two dates in our nation’s history. And do not believe that a Senate failure to convict Donald Trump will change any of it. Continue reading
Trump is history. It’s Joe Biden who’s changing America
While most of official Washington has been consumed with the Senate impeachment trial, another part of Washington is preparing the most far-ranging changes in American social policy in a generation. Continue reading
Them, then and now
We’ve already rejected the servant state once. We certainly can once again.
We don’t know exactly why Uma Subramanian wanted to become an engineer. Did she believe her fascination with how things work could help make the world better place? We’ll never know for sure. What we do know: Subramanian, the aerospace engineer turned CEO of the luxury private-jet company Aero, now believes she has truly made humanity an awesome contribution. Continue reading
Trump’s last hurrah?
So Baby Don was “in a good mood” this week, according to reports. Of course he knew he would be acquitted, and he would be able to squawk again about being “totally absolved” in Trumpian manner, the “witch hunt” and blah blah blah. Continue reading
Expose the insurrection financiers
The January 6 assault on our democracy should lead to greater accountability for future political leaders—and their wealthy financial backers.
Throughout his scorching indictment of President Trump, lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin wove in quotes from eminent historic minds, including this one from his late father, Institute for Policy Studies Co-founder Marcus Raskin: “Democracy needs a ground to stand on and that ground is the truth.” Continue reading
The Russian alternative: How Moscow is capitalizing on US retreat in Palestine, Israel
Israeli anxiety was palpable when it was reported that Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was not contacted by the new American president, Joe Biden, for days after the latter’s inauguration. While much is being read into Biden’s decision, including Washington’s lack of enthusiasm to return to the ‘peace process,’ Moscow is generating much attention as a possible alternative to the United States by hosting inner Palestinian dialogue and conversing with leaders of Palestinian political groups. Continue reading
Beating back the far right globally
It’s time to resurrect a global anti-fascist consensus to name, shame, and throw these guys out of the game.
After four years of shock, confusion, and paralysis, the United States is finally taking action against the far right. Continue reading
Freedom Rider: Forced labor in the U.S.
Forced labor of Uyghurs in China is questionable, but there is absolute proof that incarcerated people in this country are forced to work for little or no pay. Continue reading
Where does the buck stop in Texas?
Texas Republicans took money from the utilities they failed to regulate. Now they’re pointing the finger elsewhere for power failures.
Posted on April 13, 2021 by Jim Hightower
There is a weasel word that politicians use whenever something goes wrong on their watch: “unacceptable.” Continue reading →