Mike Konczal has a post about the updated Piketty-Saez data on the distribution of income in the United States. According to the Piketty-Saez estimates, the top 1% of income-earners captured 93% of income gains in 2010. In more simple terms, 93% of the extra income generated by economic growth in 2010 went to the top… Continue reading The 1% captured 93% of income gains in 2010
Author: Matt Bruenig
Reviving the Strike and the ethics of labor commodification
In Reviving the Strike, Joe Burns argues that for organized labor to regain the power it once had, labor unions must revive the production-halting strike. During labor’s heyday, unions regularly and repeatedly utilized the tactic of production-halting strikes to win major gains for workers across the country. In the latter part of the 20th century… Continue reading Reviving the Strike and the ethics of labor commodification
A problem with one facet of identity politics
Formalized identity politics grew out of the insufficiency of left politics in the middle of the 20th century. At the time and in subsequent years, proponents of identity politics (identitarians) raised a series of devastatingly precise criticisms that have fundamentally changed the way the left operates. The left’s almost uniform focus on class oppression has… Continue reading A problem with one facet of identity politics
Doug Henwood on the United Stated educational system
In the United States, education is deeply stratified, leading to a very significant achievement gap between rich and poor students, as well as white students and students of color (although the latter gap is shrinking). Responding to this problem, a whole set of well-funded Education Reformers have put forward a platform that includes the widespread… Continue reading Doug Henwood on the United Stated educational system
Affirmative action in the news again
The Washington Post and the New York Times are out with stories about the Supreme Court’s decision to revisit the issue of affirmative action in college admissions. Just nine years ago, the court ruled that schools could take race into account during admissions when attempting to achieve a diverse student body. The affirmative action debates… Continue reading Affirmative action in the news again