Break with the Two Parties of War and Big Business - Vote Nader! By Philip Locker    Aug 28, 2008 In sharp contrast to Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, Nader is running an insurgent campaign for President as an independent to challenge the corporate stranglehold over U.S. society.

Is a Nader Vote a Wasted Vote? By Philip Locker    Aug 28, 2008 The best way to gain the maximum concessions from the political establishment is to build the strongest challenge to them. A strong vote for Nader could bring real pressure to bear on whichever corporate candidate is elected to deliver concessions or else risk a further erosion of their base to left-wing political challengers.

Beyond the Rhetoric - Would Obama Really Bring Change? By Dan DiMaggio    Aug 26, 2008 Barack Obama has tapped into this anger and the widespread desire for change, presenting himself as a challenger to the Washington establishment. Obama’s campaign has politicized millions of workers, youth, and African-Americans who are understandably excited by the prospect of electing the first black president. But will he bring the change he promises?

Which Candidate Represents You Best? By Justice    Aug 26, 2008

The Olympics, Big Business, and Dictatorship By chinaworker.info    Aug 25, 2008 Rather than the Olympic movement’s self-professed ideals of "internationalism" and "fair play", the Games are about two at first sight contradictory forces: nationalistic flag-waving and capitalist globalization.

AFSCME Adopts Socialist Demands on the Housing Crisis By Steve Edwards, President, AFSCME Local 2858    Aug 18, 2008 Members and supporters of Socialist Alternative at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees’ (AFSCME) International Convention, in San Francisco, last week, submitted and passed a resolution on the US mortgage crisis.

Rising Prices By Ted Virdone    Aug 14, 2008 Thirty-five years ago, the price of a barrel of oil quadrupled. A generation of activists empowered by the civil rights and antiwar movements took to the streets demanding that employers raise wages to keep up with inflation and that the government take action to keep prices in line.

China: The Green Olympics? By Vincent Kolo and Chen Lizhi, chinaworker.info    Aug 5, 2008 China faces the most terrifying ecological crisis in the world. There are no parallels in peacetime for such monumental degradation of a country’s natural resources, water and land.

Military Threat to Iran Stepped Up By Judy Beishon    Jul 22, 2008 Speculation is once again rife on whether Israel or the U.S. will launch air strikes on Iran.

The Fall of Fannie and Freddie By Lynn Walsh    Jul 18, 2008 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, twin pillars of U.S. housing finance, have been plunged into crisis. Only three months after the meltdown and bailout of Bear Stearns, the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve have once again been forced to intervene with emergency measures to forestall a potential crash in the global finance system.

G8 Fails on Climate Change By Ken Douglas    Jul 17, 2008 The world faces the horrifying prospect of major climate change with its potential for catastrophic impact on food production and living conditions across the world. Yet, the political leaders of the major capitalist economies failed to agree on any meaningful action on this question at the recent G8 meeting in Japan.

"Fannie" and "Freddie" Crisis Causes Global Shockwaves By Vincent Kolo    Jul 15, 2008 World stock markets are again reeling, this time on rumors that the two largest financial institutions in the world are technically insolvent. Their collapse would represent a financial earthquake, dwarfing previous financial shocks such as the March collapse of Bear Stearns.

Crisis-tinged G8 Holds Summit in Japan By Vincent Kolo, chinaworker.info    Jul 10, 2008 The G8 (Group of Eight) kicked off its three-day meeting in Toyako on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on July 7, with world leaders bunkered in what the Independent (UK) described as a “fortress”. This G8 summit takes place as the capitalist system is sliding into its most serious global crisis for six decades.

Oil Price Shock - The Chaos of Capitalism By Lynn Walsh    Jun 17, 2008 Why do soaring oil price rises have such a devastating effect? What lies behind the price surge? What effect will pricey oil and speculation have on the global economy?

Lisbon Treaty "No" Vote Delivers Major Shock for Political and Big Business Establishment By Kevin McLoughlin    Jun 15, 2008 The rejection of the Lisbon Treaty (the renamed EU Constitution) by voters in Ireland last Thursday was a major shock for the political and business establishment in Ireland. The Socialist Party (CWI in Ireland) played a major role in the campaign for a "No" vote.

The Struggle for LGBT Rights By Kate Devlin    Jun 15, 2008 The California Supreme Court’s recent decision to over-turn the state law that banned same-sex marriage is another step forward in the struggle for sexual minorities to win full civil rights.

Students Vs. Military Recruiters By Peter Karns, Como Park High St. Paul, Minnesota    Jun 15, 2008 In Minneapolis public schools next fall, military recruiters won’t be able to operate without facing challenges to their lies by antiwar activists.

Will Obama Win? By The Socialist, Socialist Party England and Wales    Jun 12, 2008 After the final state primaries, Barack Obama has effectively secured the Democratic nomination for the presidential election in November. His grand themes have been optimism and change. He has promised to "create a new kind of politics", to "transform this country", and "create a kingdom right here on earth". Will Obama deliver on the massive expectations he has aroused?

Obama declares victory, and shifts to the right By Ty Moore    Jun 12, 2008 Obama has aroused enormous expectations. But, despite the radical imagery and rhetorical posturing, Obama remains a centrist, corporate-sponsored Democrat.

Mobilize Against the Republican National Convention By Dan DiMaggio    Jun 9, 2008 The Republican National Convention (RNC) will descend on St. Paul, Minnesota from September 1-4. Activists in the Twin Cities and around the country are gearing up for what will be among the largest demonstrations in the state’s history.

Downturn Means More Hardship for Workers By Tony Wilsdon    Jun 9, 2008 The onset of the recession of the U.S. economy has been ac­companied by rising prices of oil, raw materials, food and other commodities, partly because of the weakness of the dollar against other currencies. Not only has this hit workers really hard, since wages are not rising to keep up with prices, but it creates more economic uncertainty because of the increase in inflation.

The Great Depression By Teddy Shibabaw, Minneapolis/OPEIU Local 12,personal capacity    Jun 8, 2008 Like the 1990s, the 1920s were a time of an unprecedented profit bonanza for Wall Street and the capitalist class. Then as now, this wealth never made it to most workers, who faced state repression and corporate terrorism when they fought for better wages and conditions. Millions of unskilled or semi-skilled workers in industry wanted to organize but were blocked by the conservative and narrow craft-based unionism of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) leadership. Nevertheless, those struggles produced an experienced core of radical workers that would lead the victorious strikes and movements of the 1930s.

Time to Fight Back By Katie Quarles    Jun 8, 2008 A movement needs to be built to fight for a living wage of at least $12.50 an hour or a guaranteed income of $500 per week for all, to fight foreclo­sures, for a free single-payer universal healthcare system, to extend unemployment ben­efits and to provide relief to all who need help.

Truckers on the Move By Jeff Booth, Member AFSCME Local 3650    Jun 5, 2008 Recent trucker protests are another sign of deepening economic crisis. $4 a gallon and more for diesel fuel sparked a wave of long-haul truckers’ protests beginning in April and still continuing. New Jersey, Washington D.C., New York, Maine and other areas have seen trucker slowdowns, shut downs, horn-blaring convoys, marches and other acts of resistance.

How Not to Organize a Union By Steve Edwards, President, AFSCME Local 2858, and member of Chicago Labor Against the War    Jun 5, 2008 The fastest-growing and most widely publicized union in the country has been building its dues base by making confidential agreements with employers that exclude the members. It is the opposite of union democracy: instead of members electing their leaders, these leaders work with employers to choose their members - and determine what rights and benefits they’ll have before they ever get the chance to join.

Ballot Access By Patrick Ayers    Jun 4, 2008 In many states, tens of thousands of signatures need to be collected in a matter of weeks. In Texas, 75,000 are needed in 75 days, and only signatures from registered voters who did not vote in the primary count. Each state creates their own unique barriers, and most have been designed to prevent working people from gaining an electoral voice.

Cindy Sheehan for Congress By Will Soto    Jun 4, 2008 It’s easy to get sick of the empty rhetoric and media circus that surrounds the ongoing horse-race between the main big business candidates. But in the 2008 elections, the independent campaign of prominent anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan stands out.

Why Big Business Backs the Democrats By Ty Moore    Jun 4, 2008 The Republicans have traditionally been the preferred party of big business, but in moments of political crisis corporate America has frequently turned to the Democrats to pull them through. With the Republicans imploding under the impact of Bush’s toxically unpopular policies, the more farsighted capitalist strategists are looking to the Democrats to channel public outrage safely into the ballot box.

Bush’s Reign Coming to an End By Bryan Koulouris    Jun 4, 2008 Considering the history of racism in this country, from slavery to Jim Crow to mass unemployment, mass imprisonment and police brutality, a Black President would be a massive change. But will his policies improve conditions for working people?

Skyrocketing Food and Gas Prices Hit Working People By Mary Smith - Tacoma, WA, Secretary    May 30, 2008 The economic downturn has led to record numbers of foreclosures, an increase in bankruptcies, mounting debt, soaring fuel and grocery prices that have, in many cases, doubled.

The Politics of Race By Eljeer Hawkins, Harlem, New York    May 30, 2008 Barack Obama denounced his former pastor of 20 years, retired Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Speaking at a press conference in response to Rev. Wright’s National press club speech Barack Obama said that Wright’s “comments were not only divisive and destructive… They certainly don’t portray accurately my values and beliefs”

ILWU West Coast longshore strike By Mike Ladd    May 30, 2008 Chanting "No Peace - No Work" and "Money for Jobs and Education, Not War," over a thousand union members, anti-war and immigrant rights activists participated in the historic ILWU's (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) 8-hour stop work action to protest against the U.S lead occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Why the Radical Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Matters Today By Eljeer Hawkins, Harlem, New York    May 23, 2008 In his 13 years of political work, Dr King’s radicalism was largely rooted in the interests, needs, and aspirations of the black working class and the poor. This was reflected in his determination to alleviate the economic, social, and political misery faced by working people and the poor with a programmatic call for a total “redistribution of wealth,” guaranteed annual income, the need to nationalize some industries, and a “revolution of values.”

1968 Year of Revolution By Peter Taaffe    May 6, 2008 A tumultuous year when the floodtide of mass revolt swept over the narrow confines of capitalism and threatened the very foundations of the system.

World food crisis By Robert Bechert    May 2, 2008 Around the world, strikes, demonstrations and protests have erupted as millions upon millions of workers, peasants and poor face the horror of rapidly rising food prices.

The Olympic protests and nationalism By chinaworker.info    May 2, 2008 In a dazzling pre-Olympic balancing act, the Chinese regime has announced talks with the ‘evil’ Dalai Lama side

May Day 2008 By socialistworld.net    May 1, 2008 The Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI) sends warm socialist greetings to workers and youth across the world on May Day, International Workers’ Day, 2008. Socialist Alternative is the US section of the CWI.

Rebirth of Keynesianism? By Peter Taaffe    Apr 21, 2008 A review of the latest book by economist and commentator Paul Krugman, ‘Conscience of a Liberal’

Politically Minded By Joshua H. Koritz    Apr 4, 2008 Justice's Joshua H. Kortiz interviews hip-hop artist, Son of Nun (SON), a former Baltimore City School teacher and current MC who performs class-conscious, revolutionary hip-hop

Iraq: Five Years On — Invasion and Occupation By Peter Haden, Socialist Party (CWI Ireland)    Mar 28, 2008 As the fifth anniversary of the fateful decision to launch the invasion of Iraq passes, the claims by the US administration that the 2007 troop surge has succeeded in quelling the insurgency and checking the slide to sectarian break up - claims that were being made loudly at the start of this year - are becoming fainter by the day.

Tibet erupts! By Vincent Kolo, Hong Kong    Mar 28, 2008 Thousands of paramilitary police and soldiers have been deployed in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, after the most serious protests against Chinese rule for nearly 20 years. More than 80 people have been killed and hundreds injured according to exile Tibetan groups, while official Chinese and Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) sources put the fatalities so far at 16, including three Tibetan youths who "died by jumping from a roof". The protests began more than one week ago and culminated in serious rioting in the Tibetan capital on Friday, 14 March, with more than 300 houses and shops burned according to official sources. This week, on Sunday and Monday, protests spread to Tibetan regions of the neighbouring provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu, and even a sitdown action by around a hundred Tibetan students in a park in the Haidian district of the Chinese capital, Beijing.

ATU 587 Transit Workers Fight for a Strong Contract By Greg Beiter, ATU 587 Shop Steward, Seattle, WA    Mar 25, 2008 Rank-and-file activists in Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 in King County, WA are leading a struggle for a better contract.

Recession Looms: A Workers' Program to Fight the Bosses' Attacks By Tony Wilsdon    Mar 24, 2008 With working-class families reeling under the impact of the housing bubble bursting, rising prices, and layoffs, workers and the labor movement need a clear program that defends our interests. Here is a workers' program to fight the bosses' attacks.

Economy in Freefall By Katie Quarles    Mar 21, 2008 Almost every day, some bad news on the economy hits the headlines: market volatility, hedge funds near collapse, rising oil and food prices, investors losing confidence and moving to less risky forms of investment such as gold. The question is now no longer “Will the sub-prime crisis trigger a broader downturn?,” but rather “How deep and long will the downturn be?” as it becomes clear this will be a serious recession.

Building on Nader's 2008 Challenge By Ty Moore    Mar 20, 2008 With Nader running as an independent in 2008, many supporters will be wondering what will come out of the campaign after November. Socialist Alternative would welcome using the 2008 elections to open a serious discussion among Greens, left-wing union activists, socialists, and fresh layers of workers and youth around the idea of launching a new broad left-wing party. We would urge Nader and Gonzalez to use their campaign to popularize this idea.

Break With the Two Parties of Big Business! Build Nader's Antiwar, Anti-Corporate Campaign By Philip Locker    Mar 20, 2008 On February 24, Ralph Nader declared he was running for President to challenge the corporate stranglehold over U.S. politics. Ordinary American have been “shut out of their government by two major parties that, in varying degrees, have turned Washington into corporate-occupied territory,” Nader said. Socialist Alternative is supporting Nader’s antiwar, pro-worker campaign, as we did in 2000 and 2004.

Is a Nader Vote a Wasted Vote? The Case Against Lesser-Evilism By Philip Locker    Mar 20, 2008 Responses to popular questions about whether a Nader vote is a wasted vote and the case against lesser-evilism.

Building the Strongest Left Challenge: Nader, McKinney and the Greens By Bryan Koulouris    Mar 20, 2008 With the stock market teetering on the brink of disaster and home foreclosures reaching record highs, working people need real solutions, not the empty promises of the Democratic and Republican parties. We need a clear break from both mainstream parties as a step towards political independence of working people. Nader’s campaign can be used to break people from the two-headed corporate warmongering monster that rules our country.

We Need a Party of Working People By Bryan Koulouris    Mar 20, 2008 Corporate America has two parties; we need our own. We need a party with thousands of activists that doesn’t just organize for elections, but also organizes actions to win victories.

Iraq, Afghanistan: The Bitter Fruits of War and Occupation By Niall Mulholland    Mar 14, 2008 Five long, bloody years of war and occupation, led by US imperialism, has left Iraq as a dangerous, violent and divided society, despite promises of stability and democracy. Niall Mulholland looks at the gruesome results of Western 'intervention'.

Why We're Protesting on the 5th Anniversary of the Iraq War By Dan DiMaggio    Mar 14, 2008 Because nearly 4,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed and, according to some estimates, over 1 million Iraqis, in a war for control of oil supplies opposed by the vast majority of Iraqis and Americans...Because if we don’t hit the streets, the media and politicians can just ignore us...

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