Fred Magdoff and Michael D. Yates. The ABCs of the Economic Crisis: What Working People Need to Know. Monthly Review Press, 2009. Books that start out with quotes from Shakespeare’s Macbeth make me nervous. Like many of my fellow workers, I have attended far more rock concerts — or pro wrestling matches — than […]
Author Archive | Chris Townsend
It’s Time for All of Us to Make a Contribution to MRZine
My friends, it’s that time of year again. Time once again for you, and me, to make a financial contribution to MRZine. It costs real money to keep this project going and growing. Your financial support is vital if MRZine is to continue carrying the Monthly Review message to the entire world via the internet. […]
Self-Guided Tour of a Rank-and-File Union in Action
“Business unionism” is by far the predominant trend in the United States labor movement, and it has held this dominant position for at least the past 50 years. It is a form of labor unionism which essentially sees as its basic mission the sale of the labor power of its members to employers on (sometimes) […]
A Blood Pressure Lowering Guide to the Democratic Party and Democrats
Many folks on the Left, and in our labor movement, are afflicted with frequent bouts of anguish and outrage as we observe the action or inaction of some Democrat in office — or running for office. Those on the Left who claim to be recovered — or never afflicted — by this disease often seem […]
Planet of the Yates
CHEAP MOTELS AND A HOT PLATE: An Economist’s Travelogue by Michael D. YatesBOOK TOURBUY THIS BOOK I read Mike Yates’ new book Cheap Motels and a Hot Plate while overnighting in several low-end hotels on assignment for my union. I finished it as I laid in one of them just 200 yards down the road […]
Trade Unions Respond to U.S. Attack on Japanese Workers
As productive industry in the United States is systematically dismantled and sent to low-wage production zones all over the world, the number of products and services actually exported by our country continues to dwindle. Our mind-boggling and staggering trade deficit for 2006 was $763 billion dollars, the fifth consecutive year of record-breaking deficits. Be clear […]
Losing the “Influencers”
In the jargon of military recruiters, “influencers” is the term used to refer to the family members, close friends, and peers of those young women and men who are considering enlistment in the U.S. armed forces. It’s the circle of people in the daily home, school, work, religious, and social life of the potential inductee […]
Waste, Fraud, and Abuse: Another Day at the Pentagon
When I was a teenager apprenticing at being a trade unionist and a left winger both, two of my favorite books were Labor’s Untold Story and History of the Great American Fortunes. I recommend them to any readers desiring a review of our own history as working people here in the United States. Both are […]
I Just Sent a Check to MRZine — and Why You Should, Too
I just got out my checkbook and wrote a check to MRZine. Mine was for $100. That’s twice as much as I gave last year at this time. And I want you to do the same thing. Make the check for more than that if you are able to. Or, if writing checks is not […]
Election Eve 2006: Democrats Stir, Labor Takes Two More Torpedoes
The instant messaging antics that claimed the career of Florida Republican Representative Mark Foley have also served to remind the national Democratic Party that we are but a few weeks away from our national elections. Declining Republican electoral fortunes were hobbled further by the Foley fiasco, adding to the growing list of reasons why voters […]
Washington’s Other Crime Wave
The Roman historian Tacitus made the observation that the more corrupt the Roman Senate became, the more laws that it passed. After 13 years observing the White House and United States Congress as the United Electrical Workers Union (UE) Washington Representative, I’ll update Tacitus. The more corrupt Washington, D.C. becomes, the less and less it […]
Will Democrats Regain Control of the U.S. House of Representatives on Election Day?
With several months to go until the election, you may already be tired of the seemingly endless speculation in the media about the Democrats’ chances to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives. While there is some small discussion among working people about this possibility, for most, the November 7th elections are a long […]
The State of Bush: A Man Obsessed
The Bush “State of the Union” speech said more about the speaker than the issues. Working people from coast to coast issued a collective groan as the wildly popular American Idol program ended, and the annual State of the Union program began. Millions and millions of viewers found the remote and tuned out, in search […]
What’s Ahead in 2006 on the Political Action Front?
It won’t be a very happy New Year for working people in 2006 . . . at least until November. For working people, the coming year promises to be loaded with danger on the political action front. Many political battles remain unfinished from 2005, with President Bush and his Republican Congressional majority determined to continue […]
Why I Wrote Another Check for MRZine — and Why You Should, Too
Unless you did it already, it’s time for you to send a check to support MRZine — just like I am doing for the second time this month. I’m not sending a gigantic amount, because that check would bounce and you shouldn’t do that sort of thing to people you like. So I sent $25 […]
Disgrace of the Week: Senate Republicans Stop Minimum Wage Increase
It will be hard to find a Capitol Hill vote any more shameful than this one. . . . Click on the graphs to enlarge them. Real Value of the Federal Minimum Wage, 1950-2004 Annual Minimum Wage Earnings in 2003 Dollars and the Poverty Level for Family of Three Source: Economic Policy Institute Senate Republicans […]
CAFTA Math
CAFTA 15 NAME (Click on the name for contact information.) DISTRICT Melissa Bean IL (8th District) Top Industries/Top Contributors Jim Cooper TN (5th District) Top Industries/Top Contributors Henry Cuellar TX (28th District) Top Industries/Top Contributors Norm Dicks WA (6th District) Top Industries/Top Contributors Rubén Hinojosa TX (15th District) Top Industries/Top Contributors William Jefferson LA (2nd […]
