Economic Crisis and the Question of Capitalism
On the precipice of what will likely be the worst economic crisis in modern history, the question not being asked is: why capitalism? To date, temporary government payments— tilted largely toward the rich, have sustained some parts of the pre-pandemic economy through a state of suspended animation that ended in fits and starts with reopening. More
Why Government Mostly Helps People Who Need It the Least…Even During a Crisis
In January 2020, the NASDAQ stock market’s index stood just under 10,000. In the March crash, it fell to 7,000. As of July 10, 2020, it hit 10,600. The U.S. government’s economic policies produced a “recovery” for the rich who own the vast bulk of stocks. Their holdings are worth more now than before COVID-19 hit us. The other major benchmarks for securities, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Standard and Poor 500, show similarly dramatic, slightly smaller recoveries. More
Of Toddlers, Wolves, and Public Lands Ranchers
As I sit here thinking about wolves, my child is now peacefully sleeping in his room. I know he will awake tomorrow and much of his toddler fury will have subsided, creating a time for us to interact with each other positively. I can’t help but think of the parallels between some bad-acting livestock producers, grazing on public lands across the West, and my raging pre-bedtime toddler. The evening meltdown ritual is full of entitlement, irrational beliefs, and a lot of whining. It is now in these precious hours of silence that I understand why these tantrums are so familiar. I hear the same chorus from stock growers all week while working on carnivore coexistence. More
Exclusively in the New Print Issue of CounterPunch
Jeffrey St. Clair on the police state in Black America; Laura Carlsen on How COVID-19 is Advancing Trump’s White Supremacy Agenda; TJ Coles on How Big Pharma Has Exploited the Crisis; Dan Glazebrook on the Malthusian Responses to the Pandemic; Stan Cox on the Contradictions of the Green New Deal; Jennifer Matsui on the Coming Medical Surveillance State; Daniel Raventos and Julie Wark on the Camps of Lesbos; Maximilian Werner on the West’s War on Predators; Chris Floyd on Dylan’s Stunning Reemergence; Pete Dolack on the New Misery Index; Lee Ballinger on the Criminalization of Rap Music; John Davis on the Disruptive Force of COVID-19; and John LaForge on What Juries Aren’t Permitted to Hear About Nuclear Weapons.