At the very heart of our capitalist economic system is something grotesque: labor exploitation. That’s immoral — and we need some form of workplace democracy to undo it.
Source: The Solution to Labor Exploitation Is Workplace Democracy
Category: Democracy Now
One party is racing to fix an ailing electoral system. The other is doing everything in its power to shut voters out of it
Will Democrats End the Filibuster to pass HR 1 and Save Democracy? – Rolling Stone
The “For the People Act” Would Make America a Democracy
Without such a law empowering democracy, it’s unlikely any of that will ever happen. And the Democratic majority in the House will almost certainly be extinguished in the 2022 midterms, blocking the bill for the foreseeable future. It’s difficult to believe, based on its lamentable history of squabbling and in-fighting, that the Democratic Party will manage to hang together and pass a significant bill that’s both in their own obvious self-interest and in that of the country. But stranger things have happened, such as the fact that the For the People Act has gotten this far in the first place.
The “For the People Act” Would Make America a Democracy
We cannot allow the wealthiest individuals and corporations to flood our elections with cash through complex webs of super PACs and dark money groups that put special interests above the will of the American people.”
‘A Big Deal’: Lawmakers Reintroduce Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United | Common Dreams News
The Pandemic Has Exposed the Free Market’s Fundamental Flaws. We Need a Democratically Planned Economy. By Hadas Thier As COVID-19 cases skyrocket again, hospitals remain understaffed and PPE and ventilators are still in short supply. We can’t leave people’s basic needs up to the whims of profit-seeking actors — we need democratic planning.
The Pandemic Has Exposed the Free Market’s Fundamental Flaws. We Need a Democratically Planned Economy.
![Supporters of Mahathir Mohamad are seen outside the National Palace, a day after the general election in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 10, 2018 [File: Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters]](https://peterimrich.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/46e36333f8a74934bc188184ada8ff00_18.jpg "Malaysia and Indonesia are bucking the global trend on democracy")
Much of the world may be having its doubts about democracy. Even in the Asia Pacific’s veteran democracy Australia, a recent poll showed that a third of the population favoured an authoritarian or “strongman” type leader. But in the Muslim Malay world, it looks like democracy is here to stay.
Source: Malaysia and Indonesia are bucking the global trend on democracy | Indonesia | Al Jazeera
“The $30 million the octogenarian casino billionaire is spending on the midterms may sound like a lot, but it’s actually a drop in the bucket compared to what Adelson’s heirs will gain thanks to the estate tax cut provisions of Trump tax bill alone,” Yglesias points out, referencing claims that in just the first few months of 2018, Adelson banked $670 million thanks to the GOP’s recent tax code overhaul.
“Throw in the benefits of the other tax cut provisions and Adelson’s interest in maintaining a business-friendly National Labor Relations Board and the investment is very small and sensible,” Yglesias concluded. “The same goes for even richer people like the Koch brothers, who are planning to spend even larger sums in the midterms.”
via Latest Sign of ‘Broken’ Democracy as Billionaire Sheldon Adelson Drops $30 Million on GOP Super PAC
Will I ever get a visa to Trump’s ‘shithole’?
via US to Renew Internet Surveillance Program Exposed by Snowden | Informed Comment
Ava DuVernay’s recent Netflix documentary, “13th,” just picked up three Critics’ Choice Awards and is on the Oscar shortlist for best documentary. The film chronicles how the U.S. criminal justice system has been driven by racism from the days of slavery to today’s era of mass incarceration. The film is named for the constitutional amendment that abolished slavery with the exception of punishment for crime. Ava DuVernay’s previous work includes the hit 2014 film “Selma,” which told the story of the campaign led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others to draw the nation’s attention to the struggle for equal voting rights by marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in March of 1965. With “Selma,” DuVernay became the first African-American female director to have a film nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards.
Source: Ava DuVernay’s Documentary “13th” About Mass Incarceration Shortlisted for an Oscar | Democracy Now!
The Vermont senator has spent his life fighting for progressive causes. As the world braces for a Trump presidency, Sanders shows no signs of slowing down.
Source: How the Media Iced Out Bernie Sanders and Helped Donald Trump Win – Truthdig
A North Dakota prosecutor alleged that Amy Goodman participated in a riot. The judge wasn’t buying it.
Source: Judge Throws Out Charges Against Journalist Who Covered Dakota Access Pipeline | Mother Jones
This Monday afternoon, as the sun hits its peak over Mandan, North Dakota, the award-winning journalist, and host of Democracy Now!, Amy Goodman will walk into the Morton County–Mandan Combined Law Enforcement and Corrections Center and turn herself in to the local authorities.
Democracy Now host charged with misdemeanor in North Dakota after exposing the use of attack dogs and pepper spray VIDEO
Morton County, North Dakota, has issued an arrest warrant for Amy Goodman. The charge: criminal trespass, a misdemeanor offense.
Source: North Dakota v. Amy Goodman: Arrest Warrant Issued After Pipeline Coverage | Democracy Now!
Don’t miss Amy Goodman’s new commentary posted on AJ+ about the media and the 2016 election.
Source: Amy Goodman on AJ+: How the Media Ruins Elections | Democracy Now!
The Intercept series “The Drone Papers” exposes the inner workings of how the drone war is waged, from how targets are identified to who decides to kill. They expose a number of flaws, including that strikes have resulted in large part from electronic communications data, or “signals intelligence,” that officials acknowledge is unreliable. We speak to Intercept reporter Cora Currier, whose article “The Kill Chain,” reveals how the U.S. identifies and selects assassination targets, from the collection of data and human intelligence all the way to President Obama’s desk.
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/5/27/julian_assange_despite_congressional_standoff_nsa
In an hourlong discussion on “Democracy Now!” WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says that the NSA can continue to spy on Americans in spite of legislation coming out of Congress and that the Trans-Pacific Partnership is about corporate control.
Assange also discusses the security lapses revealed by a British nuclear submariner, Europe’s secret plan for refugee boats from Libya and the U.S. case against him.
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/5/27/julian_assange_on_the_trans_pacific
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/5/27/julian_assange_british_nuclear_sub_whistleblower
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/5/27/wikileaks_julian_assange_on_europes_secret
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/5/27/as_julian_assange_faces_swedish_legal
