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
Author: Matt Bruenig
Unemployment is a structural problem in capitalism
Chris Dillow of Stumbling and Mumbling pulled the curtain back on the nature of unemployment under capitalism: capitalism requires that there be not just unemployment but that the unemployed be unhappy. I say so for three reasons: 1. Capitalism requires an excess supply of labour in order to bid down wage growth and industrial militancy.… Continue reading Unemployment is a structural problem in capitalism
A problem with laissez-faire political equilibriums
Broadly speaking, there are two ways to come at theories of economic justice and economic viability. There are normative approaches that focus on moral arguments, and there are “scientific” approaches that focus on the flaws within economic systems. I tend to favor the first approach, but at times relying on the latter approach can be… Continue reading A problem with laissez-faire political equilibriums
The contraceptive debate and our dysfunctional healthcare system
I have another article over at Oklahomans for Reproductive Justice: Implementing a universal healthcare system — such as the single-payer system used in Canada — would remove employers from the healthcare game altogether. Under such a system, individuals would be covered directly as individuals, not as employees. This would get religious employers out of the… Continue reading The contraceptive debate and our dysfunctional healthcare system
Confusion about old-age entitlement programs
The Sunday edition of the New York Times ran a long piece on social safety net programs. There are a lot of gems in it, and I would recommend reading the whole thing. With that said, I was troubled by one aspect of the article. In parts of the piece, the author talks about financing… Continue reading Confusion about old-age entitlement programs