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Written by Socialist Appeal
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Saturday, 28 November 2009 |
 The Workers International League will be holding a day-long Marxist School at Mayday Books in the West Bank in Minneapolis on December 13, 2009. It is free and open to the public. Come for the whole day or pick the sessions you are most interested in or able to attend. We will be discussing "Why do we need a Mass Party of Labor?," "Marxism and the State," and "20 Years Since the Collapse of the Berlin Wall: An Introduction to Ted Grant's Writings on Stalinism." |
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Written by Graeme Anfinson
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Monday, 23 November 2009 |
 While George W. Bush’s attempt at privatizing Social Security famously failed, private industry has largely been successful at shifting their group pension plans into individual private accounts. In fact, for many people, traditional defined benefit employer-sponsored pensions are something they are not even familiar with. Most of us are used to 401(k), IRA, or other defined contribution plans, if we even have such a plan. These individual accounts... are almost always invested in the volatile stock market. |
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Written by By Paul J. Poposky
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Saturday, 14 November 2009 |
 A recent report by the Pew Center on the States reveals that in 2007 a record 7.3 million Americans -- 1 in every 31 adults -- served time in jail, prison, on probation or parole. This according to Justice Department and Census Bureau statistics. The report found that the United States, which has 5 percent of the world population, has 25% of all the world’s prison inmates, based on comparative studies. The U.S. -- the “land of the free” -- locks away far more of its own citizens than Russia and China or any of the tyrannies that the U.S. props up around the world; and the problem is only getting worse! |
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Written by Tom Trottier
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Thursday, 05 November 2009 |
 Off-year elections were held in a number of places around the country on November 3, 2009. In NJ and Virginia, the incumbent party, the Democrats, were thrown out of the governorship. Democrats will be challenged by the membership. Workers will see that we need a political alternative to fight both the Republicans, who are the open enemy of the working class, and the Democrats, who claim to be friends but are every bit as controlled by big business. As this debate unfolds, the possibility to establish a mass labor party will become a reality |
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Written by Socialist Appeal
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Sunday, 25 October 2009 |
 The 3rd Northeast Marxist School took place in NYC on Saturday, October 24, 2009. The school was presented by the New School's Marxist Society. There were twenty-two people in attendance, which was an increase from last year, and more than $140 was raised toward the WIL's Fighting Fund. There were participants from New England, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. |
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Written by Mark Rahman
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Thursday, 08 October 2009 |
 When Bill Maher, the comedian turned political commmentator, was recently asked on CNN if he thought Sarah Palin has a future as a presidential candidate he opined, “I don’t know about a presidential candidate, but I would never put anything past this stupid country.” When angry callers asked Maher to clarify what he meant by his statement they were met with the curt response: “I don’t need to clarify, it is!”
Sadly Maher’s sentiment finds echoes among many who identify themselves as “liberal” and “progressive.” Paradoxically it is a view that is utterly reactionary, unscientific, and elitist to its core. After all, like everyone else in the mainstream media, Bill is no Marxist. As he once put it, “Of course Capitalism is good, I am not a Communist.” |
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Written by Paul J. Poposky
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Sunday, 27 September 2009 |
 In an August 12 Wall Street Journal op-ed titled “The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare,” John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Markets, joined former 2008 Republican presidential candidate and congressman from Texas Ron Paul in calling for a “free market” solution to health care reform based on “personal responsibility,” “choice,” and “freedom.” In his editorial, Mackey calls for the de-regulation of the insurance industry and argues against supporters of health care for all as a human right. |
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Written by Tom Trottier
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Thursday, 10 September 2009 |
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There are many workers who voted for the Democrats because they hoped they would bring about reforms such as universal health care, job creation, stronger unions and an end to the wars in the Middle East. Many are already disappointed as the Democrats basically continue Bush’s policies, with a few cosmetic changes. Many workers would like there to be an alternative to the political parties of big business. The WIL would like to address a few questions that often come up in discussions regarding our call for the unions to break with the Democrats and build a mass labor party. |
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Written by Paul Poposky
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Thursday, 06 August 2009 |
 On Wednesday, July 15th the United States Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted 13-10 to approve the Affordable Health Choices Act (AHCA). Sadly this is yet another occasion which demands we take a very close look at the fine print. |
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Written by Karl Belin
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Wednesday, 22 July 2009 |
 When Barack Obama was still a candidate in the Democratic primaries, he promised a new era if he were elected. Among his promises for “change,” he said his future administration would be one of the most transparent in history: “an unprecedented level of openness in government.” Well, we’re still waiting, and will most likely be left waiting for a very, very long time. |
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National 
The first semiannual Left-Wing School of the Greater St. Louis/Metro-aast saw attendance and participation from local students, educators, concerned citizens, and Left activists which exceeded expectations. The School featured a diverse array of speakers from the Workers International League-International Marxist Tendency (WIL-IMT), the Autonomy Alliance, the Gay-Straight Alliance at SIUE, and the Metroeast Progressive Movement (MPM), as well as college professors and representatives of a local workers’ collective.