Daily News Digest November 15, 2022
Images of the Day:
Women Flex Their Political Muscle
Since World War I, ‘the war to end all wars’, there have been perpetual wars for perpetual peace, this Laura Gray’s cartoon from the front page of The Militant August 18, 1945, Under the Banner Headline: “There Is No Peace”, is Still True for Today’s World!
Capitalism as a Failed System: World Capilalism Has Been Aware of the Comming Catastrophe of Global Warming Over 5 Decades Ago and Did Nothing!: Under Capitalism — Human Lives Don’t Matter Capitalism Does Not, and Never Has, Worked for the Masses! In Its Death Agony, Capitalism Is Traveling About The World Like The Four Horsemen of the The Apocalypse, Spreading Racism, War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. The very future of Humanity Is Now At stake!
During This Economic Crisis, Capitalism’s Three-Point Political Program: 1.Austerity,2. Scapegoat Blacks, Minorities, and ‘Illegal’ Immigrants for Unemployment, and 3. The Iron Heel! For Decades, Blacks Have Been Subjected to The Iron Heel! Currently, the US Capitalist Class is Divided Over When — Not If, to Apply It to Everyone!
Due to Years of Austerity, Cuts to Public Health Care, And An Anti-Science and Profiteering President, The United States Now Leads the World In Coronavirus Cases and Deaths in the World!
Always Remember: That President Obama, With a Majority Democrat Legislature Supported the Wall Street Bailout and Remember, That he Established, in writing, the United States Capitalist Austerity Program. — The Race to the Bottom/Pauperization of the 99%!
Democracy?: As the Capitalist Robber Barons Steal from the 99%, Only the 1% Voted For Austerity! The 99% Should Decide On Austerity — Not Just The 1%, Who Profit From Austerity!! Under Austerity, All of the World Will Eventually Be Pauperized, Humbled, and Desecrated Like Greece and Puerto Rico.! Socialism Means True Democracy, that the 99% Will Rule, Not the Few! —
Quotes of the Day:
Pricing Pollution: . . . It is therefore worth stepping back from the particulars of the recent climate-change debate to consider the broader problem of how best to reduce environmental degradation. At its core, the problem comes down to applying market pressures in an arena in which property rights do not operate as they do in the rest of our economy — and in which markets therefore often need some help to function properly. Under these circumstances, some version of a pollution tax or cap-and-trade system is likely to be the best way to attain environmental benefits while minimizing the costs to American producers and consumers. It is also the form of environmental regulation best able to keep direct intervention by the government at a minimum. Given the alternatives, friends of markets and limited government would be wise to move beyond the negative associations caused by the recent debate and give market-based environmental regulation another look. — Brookings
Videos of the Day:
Why Does It Always Come Down to Georgia?
United States:
The United States is not a Democracy (A government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly)! Only the 1%, through their ownership of the Republicrats and who profit from war and the war budget, vote for War and the war budget — A policy, which Gore Vidal called a Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace. — The 99% Should Decide On War — Not Just The 1% Who Profit From War! Under a Democracy, The 99% would have the right to vote on the policy of Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace! The United States takes from the poor and gives to the Rich. Rax the Rich! — They Can Afford To Pay!
We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.” ― Louis Brandeis
2022 US Midterms: Turmoil, Polarisation, and the Need For a Workers’ Alternative Bourgeois elections offer an incomplete but illuminating snapshot of society’s mood at a given moment. In the context of growing instability and polarisation, we should expect competing crosscurrents of consciousness to be expressed at the ballot box. This is especially true when the working class is under attack and no viable class-independent alternative is available. CNN summarised the national mood on Tuesday with the headline: “A dispirited nation worn down by crisis votes at the polls today.”
If Americans Have Lost Faith in the Election Process, Does the Outcome Really Mean Anything? Over the past six years, in particular, confidence in our election process has plummeted. Half the country said that they expected voter fraud in the midterm elections. Only 20% of those polled said they were “very confident” about our elections. Much of this has to do with our politicians and our media, who cast doubt on close elections before they even happen. They cry foul before the fouls occur. They scream at the top of their lungs that if they lose, somebody cheated. And despite popular mainstream opinion, it can’t all be blamed on right-wing voters. —Remember 2016?—Remember during the 2020 election when Mrs. Clinton refused to concede to Mr. Trump on election night? To this day, she still swears that the election wasn’t fair, repeatedly calling Trump an “illegitimate president” and saying, “There was a widespread understanding that this election [in 2016] was not on the level. We still don’t know what really happened.”
Ongoing Native American Genocidse Supreme Court Considers Dismantling Native Sovereignty in Haaland v. Brackeen The Supreme Court is deciding whether to overturn four decades of legal precedent on Indigenous rights. Anywhere colonizers have invaded, Indigenous children have been separated from their communities. Whether through boarding or residential schools, child protective services, or outright murder, the theft of Indigenous children destroys tribal nations — which is what’s at stake in the U.S. Supreme Court case Haaland v. Brackeen heard Wednesday. The case will determine the fate of the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), which was passed with the aim of halting cultural genocide by requiring, among other things, that if a state court determines that certain Native children must be removed from their homes, a Native family or tribal member be given priority placement and tribes have the right to be involved in the process.
Reed/Inhofe Amendment Would Open Floodgates for War Profiteers And possibly signals a major ground war against Russia. If the powerful leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senators Jack Reed (D) and Jim Inhofe (R), have their way, Congress will soon invoke wartime emergency powers to build up even greater stockpiles of Pentagon weapons. The amendment is supposedly designed to facilitate replenishing the weapons the United States has sent to Ukraine, but a look at the wish list contemplated in this amendment reveals a different story.
“Subpoenas” Served on U.S. Weapons Manufacturers What is it like to be so ashamed of the company for whom you work that you cannot bring yourself to admit you work there? Ashamed of the products they manufacture, the innocent people those products kill, the hundreds of billions of dollars of public taxpayer money squandered in a gluttonous pursuit of profits? This is life as seen on November 10th, 2022, at Raytheon Technologies in Arlington, VA. Members and supporters of the Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal, a public tribunal, served “subpoenas” on four United States weapons manufacturers charging them with War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity, Theft, and Bribery. The other three corporations served that same day were Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and General Atomics. These four corporations are representative of the modern-day piracy that is the U.S. war industry, a corporate capture of U.S. foreign policy, the Congress, the Departments of Defense and State, and the U.S. economic system.
Environment: Ecosocialism or Ecocide!:
Biden COP27 Pledges Called a ‘Band-Aid on Damage That Threatens Our Collective Future’ “If President Biden is serious about the U.S. doing its part to ‘avert climate hell,’ he would deliver a plan to end the era of fossil fuels,” said one campaigner.
‘Capital’s Attack On Nature Endangers Humanity’‘Capital’s attack on nature endangers humanity’ Brazilian peasant leader: Build a global movement to save humanity and our common home! The Attack On Nature is Putting Humanity A Risk! Today, humanity is at risk because of senseless social inequality, attacks on the environment, and an unsustainable consumption pattern in rich countries that is imposed on us by capitalism and its profit-seeking mentality. Part1 What are the dilemmas facing humanity?:
Civil Rights/ Black Liberation:
Inequality-Fighting Ballot Initiatives Won Big in the Midterms Americans are sick and tired of seeing CEO pay and billionaire wealth in the stratosphere while working families are struggling with soaring costs. This election day, voters in several states used direct democracy to do something about it. They voted to hike taxes on the wealthy, raise wages and build union power, help ordinary people afford basic necessities, and tackle the problem of big money in politics.
Labor:
63% Of Americans Are Living Paycheck to Paycheck — Including Nearly Half of Six-Figure Earners
- With persistent inflation eroding wage gains, the number of Americans living paycheck to paycheck is near a historic high, according to a recent report.
- Almost half of those earning more than $100,000 say they are just getting by.
As rising prices continue to outpace wage gains, families are finding less cushion in their monthly budget. As of September, 63% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent LendingClub report — near the 64% historic high hit in March. A year ago, the number of adults who felt strained was closer to 57%. “Consumers are not able to keep up with the pace that inflation is increasing,” said Anuj Nayar, LendingClub’s financial health officer.
66% of American Workers Are Worse Off Financially Than a Year Ago Due to Inflation, Report Finds Rising costs have chipped away at most Americans’ standard of living. As inflation pressures continue, two-thirds of working adults said they are worse off financially than they were a year ago, according to a recent report by Salary Finance. To make ends meet, many are dipping into their cash reserves or going into debt. Nearly three-quarters, or 72%, of consumers have less in savings than last year, a jump from 55% who said the same in February, the report found. And 29% said they have wiped out their savings entirely. The report is based on a survey of 500 adults in August.
The Working Class Lost the $2 Billion Powerball Lottery The staggering $2.04 billion lottery jackpot sold in Los Angeles County made headlines this week, with the ticket holder now holding the title of first lottery billionaire. 11.2 million additional ticket holders across the country also won cash prizes of various amounts. The seller of the winning ticket, 75-year-old Joseph Chahayed, told media that he would split the money among 11 grandkids. The New York Times reports that California public schools will receive $156 million in funds as a result of this big lottery win. While we don’t know personal details about the $2 billion jackpot winner, most media coverage of the Powerball comes across as a feel-good story that encourages regular people to dream of joining the billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg who dominate our news cycle (and our political system).
Economy:
FRED: Federal Government; Consumer Credit, Student Loans 
Warren Gunnels:Boomer: “But Why Can’t The Slackers Pay for College & Pay Off Their Loans As We Did?”
- Average Weekly Wages: 1973: $873, 2022: $813
- Median Home: 1973: $30,200, 2022: $433,100
- Monthly Rent: 1973: $2022: $2,002
- Tuition and Fees at University of California: 1973: $150, 2022: $13,104
Capitalism in the 21st Century Through the Prism of Value Contemporary capitalism is always evolving. From digital technologies to cryptocurrencies, current trends in political economy are much discussed, but often little understood. So where can we turn for clarity? As Michael Roberts and Guglielmo Carchedi argue, new trends don’t necessarily call for new theory. In Capitalism in the 21st Century, the authors show how Marx’s law of value explains numerous issues in our modern world. In both advanced economies and the periphery, value theory provides a piercing analytical framework through which we can approach topics as varied as labour, profitability, automation and AI, the environment, nature and ecology, the role of China, imperialism and the state. This is an ambitious work that will appeal to both heterodox economists and labour movement activists alike, as it demonstrates the ongoing contemporary relevance of Marxist theory to current trends in political economy.
Big Law Firm, Sullivan & Cromwell, Did Significant Legal Work for Bankrupt Crypto Exchange, FTX According to Reuters, Sullivan & Cromwell has been named as one of the advising law firms to the disgraced crypto exchange, FTX, in its bankruptcy proceedings. Sam Bankman-Fried, the co-founder and CEO of FTX, vaporized the high-profile crypto firm from a $32 billion valuation to smoldering ashes last week.
World:
Pakistan: “Halla Bol” Youth Convention in Karachi – an Important Milestone in the Struggle For Socialist Revolution! On 11 November 2022, the Halla Bol (“Raise Hell”) youth convention was organised by Progressive Youth Alliance Karachi at the Sindh Scouts Club. Hundreds of students, workers and political activists participated in the convention, which represented a declaration of war against unemployment, inflation, sexual harassment, expensive education, national oppression and capitalism.
Another Capitalist Genocides: Palestinian Genocide: Israel’s Religious Terrorists The Threat to Human Rights. No one should be surprised to find Benjamin Netanyahu back as prime minister of Israel, with decisive support from far-right religious extremists. With the recent election, the religious bloc called Religious Zionism put Netanyahu’s Likud party comfortably over the top in the Knesset and now, as a leading member of the governing coalition, it is strongly positioned to pursue its volatile agenda aimed at reclaiming Israel as a Jewish state.
Solidarity With Iranians Starts With Bringing an End to US Sanctions U.S. sanctions on Iran have spread poverty and strengthened the most repressive aspects of the Iranian state. Anywhere colonizers have invaded, Indigenous children have been separated from their communities. Whether through boarding or residential schools, child protective services, or outright murder, the theft of Indigenous children destroys tribal nations — which is what’s at stake in the U.S. Supreme Court case Haaland v. Brackeen heard Wednesday. The case will determine the fate of the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), which was passed with the aim of halting cultural genocide by requiring, among other things, that if a state court determines that certain Native children must be removed from their homes, a Native family or tribal member be given priority placement and tribes have the right to be involved in the process.
Education, Health, and Welfare:
The government of the United States can pass laws in a few days to spend tens of trillions of dollars for war and the bailout of Wall Street and the bankers. Yet, those who ‘:’, pass universal healthcare for themselves, but they cannot spend even one trillion dollars for universal health for those who are ‘governed’! This is what is considered, by the powers to be, a democracy and part of the democratic way. — Roland Sheppard, Let the People Vote on Healthcare
Colorado Voters Pass Universal Free Lunch For Students The new program will help schools pay for meals by raising $100 million a year through tax increases on those making more than $300,000 a year.
Study Confirms Link Between COVID-19 Vaccination and Temporary Increase in Menstrual Cycle Length Large NIH-funded study included participants in North America and Europe. A large international study has confirmed the findings of a previous U.S. study that linked COVID-19 vaccination with an average increase in menstrual cycle length of less than one day. The increase was not associated with any change in the number of days of menses (days of bleeding). Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the new study included data from nearly 20,000 people from Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe and other parts of the world who received any of nine different vaccines. For most study participants, the increase resolved in the cycle following vaccination.
Lancet: Cuban Abdala Vaccine: Effectiveness in Preventing Severe Disease And Death From COVID-19 In Havana, Cuba; A Cohort Study . . . Findings: The study included 1 355 638 persons (Mean age: 49·5 years [SD: 18·2]; 704 932 female [52·0%]; ethnicity data unavailable): 1 324 vaccinated (partially/fully) and 31 433 unvaccinated. Estimated VE against severe illness was 93·3% (95% CI: 92·1-94·3) in partially- vaccinated and 98·2% (95% CI: 97·9-98·5) in fully-vaccinated and against death was 94·1% (95% CI: 92·5-95·4) in partially-vaccinated and 98·7% (95% CI: 98·3-99·0) in fully-vaccinated. VE exceeded 92·0% in all age groups. Daily cases and deaths during the study period corresponded to a VE above 90%, as predicted by models. Interpretation: The Cuban Abdala protein subunit vaccine was highly effective in preventing severe illness and death from COVID-19 under real-life conditions.