Category: Articles

Faced With a Climate Catastrophe, What Will We Do?

April 22, Earth Day, is a day to celebrate the natural world for its wonder and beauty, and the life that it provides for all living species. The activists, who created Earth Day 49 years ago, knew that if we destroy our planet, we will destroy ourselves. For decades scientists at the best universities and […]

Their great debate is ending? The fight goes on!

Macron’s “great debate” is never ending. There was Macron’s visit in Corsica, that many elected officials boycotted. There is Edouard Philippe’s “summary” of the debates today, during which he speaks of “fiscal exasperation” but won’t go as far as reinstating the tax on wealth. And mid-April there will be the first government’s announcements, which could […]

Tax Day – Who Works and Who Keeps the Money

April 15 is approaching and that means it is a dreadful time of year for most workers. For most of us filing a tax return is nothing but a headache, a time when we see how much money was taken from us. Some of us hate filing taxes so much we will even wait until […]

An atmosphere of general discontent

Macron’s so-called great debate is about to end. And even if he is extending it a bit more, despite being described as “exhausted” and “close to burn-out,” he will soon publicise his “conclusions” … But while he dreams of “new measures to wow the crowds,” the yellow jackets, mobilised for four months, have continued to […]

Homelessness – Putting Profits Before People

Homelessness has become so common in the U.S. that many people see it as normal. An estimated 3.5 million people will be homeless at some point during this year, about 1.35 million of whom are children. A new study found that one in ten people ages 18 to 25 had experienced homelessness last year. On […]

End of the world, end of the month, same battle!

After two months of a “great debate” shaped as a presidential one man show, Macron and his government got a reality call this weekend from mass demonstrations. Back urgently from his ski holiday, the president tried a new manoeuvre: to oppose the “hateful crowd” of yellow jackets to the peaceful ecologists who want to protect […]

Algeria: against social unrest, Bouteflika’s clan real fake retreat

Algeria’s president, Bouteflika, announced he wouldn’t run for a fifth term… This clearly shows panic in front of the huge popular movement that has taken to the streets for three weeks. But the people who run the country in Bouteflika’s shadow pushed back the presidential election until after a national conference that will lead to […]

The Liberation of Women Will Mean the Liberation of Us All

In response to the ongoing attacks on women by Donald Trump and other men in power, the #Metoo movement organized ongoing protests against the harassment, discrimination and violence that women face in the U.S. But to get rid of this sexist cancer it is important to understand where the oppression of women comes from and […]

The Fight for Education in Oakland – A Beginning

On March 3, Oakland teachers ratified a contract with the Oakland School District. Their union leaders claimed that the contract was a victory for students and teachers, with significant gains in class size, teachers’ wages, school closures and staffing levels for support staff. But when the details of the contract were made public, this was […]

Social anger in Algeria

Despite the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators all over Algeria for two weeks, against Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s running for a fifth term as president, his candidacy is maintained. Spokesmen for the Algerian president (as he cannot speak anymore) announced he promises not to complete his fifth term and to organise a new presidential election for which […]

Venezuela: who benefits from the crisis?

Last weekend, humanitarian aid was blocked at the border between Venezuela and Colombia. With the support of Donald Trump, as well as Emmanuel Macron, Juan Guaido proclaimed himself president in place of Nicolas Maduro. Is this conservative up-and-comer a defender of democracy? His story does not hold water. For a month, the US, EU, and […]

Oakland Teachers Strike to Defend Public Education

Oakland schools are under attack and teachers, students and parents are fighting back. The Oakland Unified School District claims that it doesn’t have enough money to provide even the most basic education for the young people of Oakland. Those who oversee the 86 schools that 37.000 young people attend, are responsible for the current situation […]

An Attack on Education is an Attack on Us All!

Oakland schools are under attack and teachers, students and parents are fighting back. The Oakland Unified School District claims that it doesn’t have enough money to provide even the most basic education for the young people of Oakland. Those who oversee the 86 schools that 37.000 young people attend, are responsible for the current situation […]

U.S. Government – Hands Off Venezuela

With his typical arrogant attitude, Donald Trump announced his support for Venezuelan National Assembly President Juan Guaidó, a leader of the Venezuelan opposition who has declared himself the President of Venezuela against the recently elected government of Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela has been a thorn in the side of U.S. imperialism since 1998 when Hugo Chavez […]

Taking matters into our own hands!

This weekend was the three-month anniversary of the yellow jackets fight with Macron and his government. Once again, large demonstrations disproved all those in the government and the media who keep repeating that the movement is dying down. Well, it isn’t. The determination of the yellow jacket remains, so deep is the anger against the […]

Seattle General Strike, 1919 – When Workers Shut it Down

We, the working class, have a rich history of struggle, even if it’s not what they teach in school. This month we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Seattle General Strike, a strike that showed the power of the working class when we act together. During World War I the Seattle docks were booming. Twenty-six […]

Black History Month—What Should We Celebrate?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Black unemployment rate fell to 5.9 percent in November, tying a record low hit in May 2018. What do these numbers mean? First, there is unemployment because this society doesn’t provide enough jobs. Secondly, these statistics don’t count the millions of people who have given up […]

The great debate is a dead end: Strike, blockade, fighting is the way forward!

The yellow jackets have warmed up the general atmosphere. That’s why February 5th was such a success, organised by several union confederations, and which a large number of yellow jackets have joined. Many were on their first strike, employees of micro-sized companies, non-profit organisations, or domestic assistance. This successful action day is a first step […]

All together against Macron and the bosses

There is really no way to bring the yellow jackets back into the fold. After Macron’s small meeting to sell his (electoral) program, his partisans attempted a “red scarf” operation, demonstrating and chanting pro-police slogans, to re-establish “republican order.” Not enough to change the situation. In the meantime, Macron was talking about weapons sales in […]

Social Justice at the Super Bowl?

Next weekend more than 100 million people in the U.S. are expected to watch the Super Bowl match-up between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta. In preparation, the NFL has funded the painting of dozens of public murals to honor Atlanta’s rich history in the Civil Rights Movement and to show […]

Let’s all be in yellow!

Macron, with his usual arrogance, has encouraged workers to find again the “meaning of effort” and to be “engaged at work”. It is notorious that cleaning ladies, nursing assistants, workers – all the people who have been mobilised for two months because they are fed up with working for peanuts – are all sitting back […]

Workers Must be on the Same Side!

Last week across California, 3600 mental health clinicians and 400 support staff in the National Union of Health Care Workers (NUHW) went out on strike against Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser refuses to hire enough mental health clinicians to meet the needs of patients. Kaiser has continued to increase its profits for years. Last year Kaiser made […]

All Workers Must Stand Together!

Year after year Kaiser has continued to increase its membership and its profits. Last year Kaiser made $3.8 billion in profits. It has $29 billion in reserves. Its CEO Bernard Tyson makes $10 million per year along with 25 other executives who make over $1 million per year. Despite all of this, Kaiser wants to […]

We Are All Yellow Jackets … And This is Just the Beginning!

December 11, 2018 Published in the Étincelle Workplace Newsletter — Translated from French L’Étincelle is a fraction of the New Anticapitalist Party (NPA). So, what do we get from Macron’s attempt to kiss and make up? To begin with, a long threatening preamble: he will give “the most rigorous instructions for the return to peace […]

How Dare They Take Our Lives, Our Jobs and Our Homes!

The recent Camp Fire in Northern California caused 88 deaths, and hundreds are still missing and unaccounted for. It burned down over 12,000 homes and 150,000 acres of land. It destroyed a whole town and sent the equivalent of a week’s worth of California vehicle emissions into the air. Smoke filled the air throughout northern […]

When will they wear red vests?

What if we were witnessing the beginning of a general social fight against the rich, a fight between workers and capitalists? A fight that does not leave any room to the right and far-right politicians? On Saturday 17th, many people have expressed their anger. Perhaps sometimes in muddled or contradictory ways. Nevertheless, the invisible members […]

Wildfires Put the System on Trial – GUILTY!

The 150,000-acre Camp Fire that burned the town of Paradise to the ground was not caused by careless campers. The fire was named because its origin was at Camp Creek Road. All evidence for the cause of the fire points to California’s arsonist in chief – PG&E! For the second time in a little over […]

A Nation of Immigrants – One Working Class

The U.S. is supposedly a nation of immigrants – people who chose to come here. The real history is quite different. Yes, the majority of people who populate the U.S. were immigrants or descended from immigrants. But there were millions of people living here before the European invasion. Estimates say there were 12 million people […]

Migrant Caravan: Survival is Not a Crime

The caravan of a few thousand Central American refugees traveling to the U.S.-Mexico border is a desperate journey of survival. People are walking and sometimes riding on trucks to the border, more than 1000 miles away, to apply for asylum. This may be the largest single caravan of migrants to the U.S. in recent history, […]

UPS Teamsters—Voting No is Not Enough!

Teamsters Union members who work for UPS recently voted to reject a proposed contract. But the top officials of the Teamsters Union said that the voters actually approved the contract. The vote was 46 percent approving and 54 percent turning it down. But the union leadership said that fewer than 50 percent of the eligible […]

Uber and Lyft: 21st Century Technology, 18th Century Conditions

Six New York taxi drivers have committed suicide in the last year. Taxi drivers are now having to work ridiculously long 12-14 hour shifts just to survive. One driver, Doug Shifter, blamed his suicide on having to drive 100-120 hours almost every week. Before shooting himself outside City Hall, he wrote a Facebook post blaming […]

Marriot Workers on Strike

Seven thousand hotel workers across the U.S. are on strike against Marriott, the world’s largest hotel chain. Its sales last year totaled $23 billion. But workers haven’t seen this money in their paychecks or benefits – all they’ve seen is more work. Many are working two or three jobs to make ends meet. Rising housing […]

Don’t raise the tax on gas: Tax capital gains and raise wages!

More and more road “blockades” are expected on November 17th against the increase in gas prices. Originally put forth by small transportation company owners, greatly amplified by social networks, this call has resonated far beyond its initiators. Many in factories and offices have embraced it to express they are fed up with the constant decrease […]

Kamran Nayeri: The Crisis of Civilization and How to Resolve It

Revolutionary University October 2018 An Introduction to Ecocentric Socialism The world is in the midst of profound social and planetary crises, which threaten humanity and much of life on Earth: Catastrophic climate change, the Sixth Extinction, and nuclear holocaust. Why are they surfacing now? What are the root causes of these crises? How can humanity […]

Against high prices, wages need to be raised!

For weeks, there has been an increase in calls on social networks to block roads and roundabouts on November 17th. This action against the increase in gas prices is popular for good reasons: the government and the bosses are waging attacks to empty workers’ pockets. To fight against poverty, without playing into the hands of […]

Trump’s Attack on Refugees is a Crime!

At Trump’s rallies to build support for Republican candidates, he used images of men, women and children fleeing life-and-death situations to build fear and hatred. He refers to the people in the “March of the Migrant” as “criminals.” Trump claims they threaten the U.S. with an “invasion”! He has called for 5,200 active-duty troops to […]

Where is Brazil going?

Jair Bolsonaro was elected Brazil’s president on Sunday 28th October. This former army officer has been an unknown, second-rate politician for close to 30 years. He recently enjoyed an abrupt rise over a few months, despite his hateful, racist, homophobic and misogynistic speeches, and thanks to nationalist propaganda and illusory promises of bringing back “order […]

The dance of the criminals

  Since journalist Jamal Kashoggi disappeared while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, on October 2nd, the European governments have progressively started to display a fake outrage. As information were gradually revealed by the Turkish government, the hemming and hawing of the Saudi Kingdom’s Western godfathers became clear: a hypocritical and repulsive smokescreen. Act 1, […]

This System Is A Crisis For The Working Class

It has been ten years since the 2008 economic crisis – when tens of millions of workers in the U.S. lost their jobs and millions of families were kicked out of their homes. The government’s response was to give an estimated $12.8 trillion to bail out corporations and the financial institutions that helped cause this […]

Ten years after the 2008 financial crisis, everything is done for the 1%

  Just when we hear that the unemployment fund is back in the black, the government and the bosses plan to reduce the amount and duration of benefits. They also tell us that retirement funds are compromised, and with Macron’s new pension system based on points the periods of unemployment and low wages will count […]

Mexico, 1968: Hunger and Misery are the Agitators, Not Us

Fifty years ago, at the beginning of October, events took place at the Olympic Games that shook the sports world and beyond. Some U.S. athletes on the team staged a protest, but unlike today, they didn’t take a knee. The first and third place winners of the 200-meter race appeared shoeless on the winners’ podium […]

Struggles Make History — Don’t Wait For the Politicians

The elections are approaching and people are asking, what can we get from these elections? Some people are turning their hopes towards the politicians who are running, especially those from the Democratic Party. It’s not surprising because we are told this is how change is made in history – by important politicians. The Democrats pretend, […]

Ten Years Later: Still a Crisis for the Working Class

It has been ten years since the 2008 economic crisis – when tens of millions of workers in the U.S. lost their jobs and millions of families were kicked out of their homes. The government’s response to this crash is well known – they gave an estimated $12.8 trillion to bail out corporations and the […]

Prisons of Poverty

In the play A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles Dickens, the greedy capitalist Ebenezer Scrooge explains the purpose of prison: a dumping ground for the poor and unemployed. When he is asked about what should be done to the poor, he answers: “Are there no prisons? …Those who are badly off must go there.” Then […]

Fighting Capitalism is Back in China

China’s claim to be a socialist country – where the poor and working class are in power – is a joke. The People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949 by the Chinese Communist Party, paying lip-service to socialist ideas and goals, but really laying the foundations for a powerful capitalist economy. With more billionaires […]

Together, let’s make them hear our anger

  Last week, some retired workers called out Macron about their small pensions. He found nothing better than to say “the country would be better off if people stopped complaining.” Of course, this latest provocation was not aimed at the bosses and their union, who have transformed the presidential residence into a complaining office, to […]

Macron, the champion of disguise

  Macron made a show at the UN general assembly. In this festival of heads of states, he acted like a leader of the fight for the environment and against inequalities… He got an ovation and an earth champion prize… the climate prize even! Just a few days after his popular environment minister, Nicolas Hulot, […]

The Supreme Court – Not About Justice for Us

Last week the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on allegations that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually attacked Dr. Christine Blasey Ford when they were in high school. Prior to the hearing three other women accused him of sexual attacks. Their claims were ignored. The hearing took place in a highly charged atmosphere – […]

To fight unemployment… cry against the unemployed?

The government unveiled the outlines of the coming reform of unemployment benefits. “Everything is open for negotiation” says the Minister for Labour… as long as this results in an additional €3-4 billion in savings within three years. All possible reforms will mean a decrease in benefits for the unemployed. Just “cross the street”? According to […]