Capitalism in every form and at all times necessarily supports a rich, parasitic minority that accumulates wealth at the expense of the vast majority. Recent data published in the New York Times, however, show that the divide between the richest Americans

In the early part of this year the New York Times published a series of articles under the heading "Class Matters," looking at various aspects of how class division affects the lives of people in the United States. The articles covered a wide range of top

Filled up the gas tank lately? If so, you've felt the unbelievable rising price of gas.

The bubble in the U.S. housing market may be about to burst. Many serious corporate economists, some of whom were once giddy about speculation in housing, are beginning to sound the alarm.

You can find us throughout malls, fast food joints, retail stores, and phone centers across the country. We're the ones who pour the coffee, flip the burgers, and offer savings on long distance phone service. We are America's youth, and we are increasingly trapped in dead-end jobs that offer low wages and no future.

The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention Act of 2005, passed by Congress and signed by Bush, will toughen bankruptcy laws to make it harder for workers to clear their debt, while increasing the profits of banks and credit card companies, which have made the bill a top priority for years.

Walk into any big chain restaurant around the country and the scene will predictably be the same: fresh-faced workers hustling and bustling around the dining room and kitchen bussing tables, waiting on customers, and cooking food. Aside from the seemingly endless repetitive nature of the business, the most common theme that unites workers in the food service industry is their age.

Commenting on last November's European Social Forum gathering of anti-globalization activists in Paris, George Monbiot, a columnist for the British paper The Gaurdian, acknowledged that the official anti-capitalist movement has "scarcely attempted to tackle the big issue: What should be done about capitalism? With what do we hope to replace it?"

"Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." This is supposedly what the dream of America offers, but does this hold true for the 35.9 million Americans living in poverty today? This is the latest number of people living in poverty, according to the annual U.S. Census Bureau report for 2004. The report also states that in 2003 the number of Americans living in poverty rose by 1.3 million people, to 12.5% of the population.

Most working Americans know we're being ripped off when we pay our taxes, but most of us can't pinpoint just how it's being done.

Greenspan's signal that higher interest rates are on the way marks an ominous turning point. The days of the debt-driven U.S. consumer boom, the locomotive of world growth, are numbered. Together with the surge in oil prices, Greenspan's move is a warning of even deeper crisis in the world capitalist economy. LYNN WALSH writes.

After presiding over the decimation of nearly three million jobs, the first net job loss since the Great Depression in the 1930's, Bush finally received some good economic news in November. The economy seems to be growing more rapidly, with some job creation; according to the Labor Department, official unemployment fell from 6.1% to 6%. That, plus the pickup in corporate profits, provided some optimism on Wall Street about the economy, which made further gains in November.

The recent slowdown in the global capitalist economy has left state and federal governments sinking into a quicksand of budget deficits and crises. The politicians representing big business plan to climb from this pit on the backs of those who can least afford it, including students.

Unemployment in the USA has officially risen to 6.2%, although the real figure is surely much higher. The massive budget cuts and the deterioration of the dot.com industry are major factors in leaving more people out of work. The collapses of WorldCom and Enron, plus the layoffs in the telecommunications field, have also played a part in ruining lives. As is always the case, unemployment figures are higher for people of color, women, and young people.

During the past couple of months, Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Governor George Pataki have tried to close New York's massive city and state budget deficits through an out-and-out assault on working people.