Capitalism

We need to overhaul our economy to meet the challenges of the 2020s

Mathew Lawrence, Red Pepper, November 21, 2017

British capitalism is deeply dysfunctional. We have the richest region in Europe – inner London – but most British regions are now poorer than the European average. The UK’s productivity performance has been abject for a decade. We are in the middle of the longest stagnation in earnings for 150 years. Young people today are set to be poorer than their parents and poverty rates are rising. The environmental impacts of our economy are damaging and unsustainable.

The Climate Crisis? It’s Capitalism, Stupid

Benjamin Y. Fong, New York Times, November 20, 2017

Even casual readers of the news know that the earth is probably going to look very different in 2100, and not in a good way.

Raj Patel on How to Break Away from Capitalism

Chris Winters, Yes! Magazine, October 28, 2017

Capitalism has been the world’s dominant economic system for more than 700 years. And as it brings the planet to new crises, author Raj Patel believes it’s important to imagine what might replace it.

But reform won’t happen unless we understand capitalism’s appeal and historical rise, says Patel, a food justice activist and professor at the University of Texas at Austin. It’s remarkably resilient and can be traced to a process he calls “cheapness.”

What Whales Have to Teach Humans About Capitalism

Laura Bridgeman, Common Dreams, October 23, 2017

The International Whaling Commission meets every four years to decide the future of the whales. That is, it decides which nation will kill how many, and for what reasons (commercial, subsistence, “research”). Stakeholders from around the world are engaged, from whaling and non-whaling nations alike.

Pruitt Threatens to 'Purge' Scientists Who Refuse to Be Fossil Fuel Puppets

Jake Johnson, Common Dreams, October 19, 2017

In what climate researchers and activists are denouncing as a blatant call to "purge" the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of experts who refuse to toe the fossil fuel industry line, EPA chief Scott Pruitt told the conservative Heritage Foundation on Tuesday that he is planning to rid his agency's advisory boards of scientists who have received federal grants, arguing that such funding compromises the "independence" of their

Washington Set Puerto Rico Up for Disaster

Hector Figueroa, New York Times, September 28, 2017

It’s been more than a week since I’ve had any word in New York from my 93-year-old father in Puerto Rico. He lives in Coamo, a town in the path of the worst storm to hit the island since 1928. My experience has been shared by millions of Puerto Ricans in the diaspora since Hurricane Maria wreaked its havoc on Sept. 20.

Harvey’s silver lining: A boost for the economy

Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, September 23, 2017

(Harvey killed a lot of people and ruined a lot of lives, but it's great for capitalism as the article below from the Business Section of the L.A. Times explains. What a system! DK)

Floodwaters in and around Houston severely damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of cars and trucks, many of which will be replaced. Those new and used vehicle sales will benefit automakers and the economy, providing a glint of silver lining amid terrible tragedy.

How capitalism is killing the environment

Sam Norton, dailyorange.com, September 21, 2017

In recent months, we’ve seen a slew of environmental catastrophes. From Southeast Asia to North Africa to North America, disasters that took place once in hundreds of years are now happening with stunning regularity and at great cost to human life.

At this point, we know humans are driving this slow-moving climate disaster. More than 97 percent of research on the topic is in agreement, with a recent study finding the remaining 3 percent of research to be fundamentally flawed.

Capitalism: The Nightmare

Paul Street, truthdig.com, September 21, 2017

The neoliberal, arch-capitalist era we inhabit is chock-full of statistics and stories that ought to send chills down the spines of any caring, morally sentient human. Nearly three-fourths (71 percent) of the world’s population is poor, living on $10 a day or less, and 11 percent (767 million people, including 385 million children) live in what the World Bank calls “extreme poverty” (less than a $1.90 a day).

Murdoch-Owned Media's Radical Climate Denial in the Face of Disaster

FAIR, Faireness and Accuracy in Reporting, September 16, 2017

A recent survey by progressive watchdog Public Citizen (9/12/17) on the media’s coverage of hurricanes Harvey and Irma confirms what’s long been known: Corporate media are indifferent to the causal relationship between climate change and extreme weather, and by far the worst offenders are the Rupert Murdoch–owned Fox News, Wall Street Journal and New York Post.

Capitalism

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