Alternet's "New Economic Visions" Series

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  • Alternet's "New Economic Visions" Series

    Alternet has a new series on “New Economic Visions” that may be of interest to New Politics readers. Here’s the description from Alternet: 

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  • Mistrusting the poor

    [This is an expanded version of an earlier post, giving it a national perspective.—Betty]     The Massachusetts legislature has decided that the poor can’t be trusted with money, and a legislative commission has considered not allowing recipients of food stamps (now called SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and recipients of welfare (TAFDC) to use cash for any…

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  • Demonizing the Poor

             The Massachusetts legislature has established an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Commission, which is now holding hearings on how people use their EBT (food stamp, aka SNAP) cards. They heard that a Massachusetts resident had used an EBT card in Hawaii. They concluded that there must be some fraud involved, which they…

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  • The Poor Poverty Line

         Government officials tell us how many people are living at or below the poverty line, but they don’t tell us how low the poverty line is. A more appropriate name would be the “near starvation line.” The federal poverty line is based on a formula arrived at in 1963, which set the poverty line at…

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  • Occupy Wall Street and the Democrats

    New York magazine published an article called “2012=1968?”  Author John Heilemann implies that Occupy Wall Street should forge the “working alliance between Democrats and the movement” that Todd Gitlin hopes for. But in my view this alliance would be a suicidal disaster; it would rob the movement of its potential to spark real change.

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  • Occupy Rome

         I am in Rome for a one-week vacation. Yesterday I was traveling on the bus with a friend, just having finished a visit to the beautiful San Giovanni in Laterino church. We were on our way to another church, when I saw out the bus window a large group of people, an array of tents,…

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  • Means-testing Social Security: The kiss of death

         MEANS-TESTING SOCIAL SECURITY is a proposal that some policy-makers are considering. That would be the beginning of the end for the program. When Social Security was first begun, in 1935 during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, some people proposed means-testing it as they means-tested Aid to Dependent Children (now TANF, Temporary Assistance to Needy…

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  • CPD Statements on Syria and Israel

    The Campaign for Peace and Democracy issued two statements on June 9, one on the movement for democracy in Syria and the other on Israel’s brutal response to unarmed demonstrators.   CPD Salutes Syria’s Courageous Democratic Movement June 9, 2011

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  • Hundreds of Bahrainis join call to end US support for Bahrain gov't

    NEW YORK, N.Y., May 24 2011 — In a response that surprised U.S. organizers of a campaign calling on the United States government to repudiate its partnership with the Al Khalifa regime in Bahrain, hundreds of people from Bahrain joined in signing the Campaign for Peace and Democracy’s launching statement “End U.S. Support for Bahrain’s…

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  • End U.S. Support for Bahrain's Repressive Government

    [This sign-on statement organized by the Campaign for Peace and Democracy, “End U.S. Support for Bahrain’s Repressive Government,” will be of interest to many NP readers. Please support the statement by adding your name to the signer list by clicking here.] End U.S. Support for Bahrain’s Repressive Government Statement by the Campaign for Peace and…

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  • CPD Statement on Libya

    The Campaign for Peace and Democracy has issued a statement “We Support the Libyan Democratic Revolution and Oppose Western Military Intervention and Domination.” Please circulate it widely. We Support the Libyan Democratic Revolution and Oppose Western Military Intervention and Domination By Thomas Harrison and Joanne Landy Co-Directors, Campaign for Peace and Democracy April 6, 2011

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  • Nuclear armageddon and the experts

         New Politics readers will be interested in reading Mina Hamilton’s sharp analysis of Japan’s nuclear crisis in her recent article on Dissident Voice. Since the article was published on March 16, Mina has added the following note:

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  • Simple Solutions

    There are three simple solutions to the deficit, Medicare, and the Social Security problems.

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  • CPD statement on Egypt

    The Campaign for Peace and Democracy issued the statement below about the democratic revolution in Egypt. Egypt After Mubarak Statement by the Campaign for Peace and DemocracyFebruary 14, 2011

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  • Schaar on Tunisia

    Stuart Schaar has written an especially astute analysis of events in Tunisia and beyond. His article was published on February 6 in Mumbai, India by the Economic and Political Weekly. Schaar is the co-author of THE MIDDLE EAST AND ISLAMIC WORLD READER. He is professor emeritus of Brooklyn College and is now living in Morocco.

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  • The Media, the Poor, and SSI

             I wrote a letter to the Boston Globe in response to a series of 3 articles that appeared in the Globe describing how parents are desperately trying to get their children on SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and are persuading doctors to prescribe medication so the children will be eligible.

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  • Explaining Poverty

    Stephen Steinberg’s Boston Review article “Poor Reason: Culture still doesn’t explain poverty“ is a breath of fresh air, reminding us that the path toward ending poverty is creating decent jobs for everyone.

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  • Campaign for Peace and Democracy Iran sign-on

    New Politics readers and friends are invited to sign the Campaign for Peace and Democracy statement “End the War Threats and Sanctions Program Against Iran – Support the Struggle for Democracy Inside Iran.” The statement is being circulated widely in the United States and internationally. To sign on or see the evolving list of signers…

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  • Marching with the Socialist Contingent

    Tomorrow, Oct. 2, I will be marching in the Socialist Contingent at the big march in Washington, DC. We will gather at 10am at 12th and Constitution and march with the Peace Table. Join us if you can!

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  • Open Letter of Solidarity with Egyptian Workers from the Campaign for Peace and Democracy, April 30, 2020

    We are writing to extend our heartfelt solidarity and support to you, Egyptian workers, who in recent months have been courageously demanding that your government address your desperate economic conditions. The American press has been shamefully muted about the grim economic and political realities of life for people in Egypt, a key strategic U.S. ally…

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  • Hic Jacet Humptus – with a bow to the late William Buckley

    Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses And all the king’s men Couldn’t put Humpty together again How much can a citizen expect of his state? Before we rush into the breach with solutions that only create more problems, solutions like more welfare, more job-retraining programs,…

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