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Written by Socialist Appeal
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Thursday, 19 February 2009 |
 Late on Thursday, February 19, we received this report on the NYU occupation from Tom Trottier, a WIL member and trade union member in New York City. |
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Written by John Peterson
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Friday, 23 January 2009 |
 American workers are faced with an economic and social crisis on a scale not seen in decades. One after another, the pillars of American capitalism are crumbling around them: all the major banks and financial services companies; all the major auto makers; the dream of home ownership and a secure retirement; the aura of invincibility of U.S. military might; the promise of a tomorrow better than today. In short, the bedrock upon which U.S. capitalism has justified its continued exploitative existence has turned to quicksand. This is the backdrop for Obama's inaugural speech. |
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Written by Socialist Appeal
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Thursday, 22 January 2009 |
 With both the Democrats and the Republicans being unable to solve problems workers face due to their organic connections with the interests of big corporations, the state of the economy is causing millions of people for an alternative to the status quo. In the city of St. Louis, Elston K. McCowan, a long time union organizer and SEIU member, is running for mayor and offers an alternative at the polls. |
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Written by Josh Lucker
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Thursday, 15 January 2009 |
 Even before taking office, we can draw certain conclusions as to the sort of administration we can expect from Obama, based on his cabinet selections. Barack Obama was elected on the promise of “change.” Socialist Appeal has explained that this is nothing more than an empty vessel that honest supporters have used to fill with their own content, with what they want to see in him. Now a concrete picture of what can be expected is emerging. So do any of his cabinet selections actually represent anything that could seriously be called “change”? |
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Written by Graeme Anfinson
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Wednesday, 14 January 2009 |
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 Sometimes the business press gives us a breath of fresh air. Less than a week after Obama’s electoral win, and when “change” was still the battle cry of many of his supporters, the Wall Street Journal ran a piece entitled “Obama builds ties to Chicago School.”
As many are no doubt aware, the “Chicago School” refers to the notorious Chicago School of Economics, a school, or perhaps more accurately a school of thought, known for touting free markets, so-called “free trade,” and for being fiercely opposed to any democratic oversight of market activities. |
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Written by Thomas Anderson
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Wednesday, 12 November 2008 |
 Anger continues to boil over about the nearly one trillion dollar bailout of the banking industry. It's no surprise, then, that there is a growing ear for populism of the far-right. Many working people are very confused about where the system "went wrong" and are looking for someone to "fix it." Third party figures of the right, such as Bob Barr, Chuck Baldwin and Ron Paul, claim to have the solutions. |
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Written by Adam Richmond
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Sunday, 14 September 2008 |
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 In June 2008, the first legal marriages between same sex couples were performed in accordance with a California Supreme Court ruling a month earlier. These ceremonies were held in jubilant triumph and celebration, marking a forward advance in civil rights...
This victory, however, is quite fragile and under attack. In November 2008, Proposition 8, which aims to repeal same sex marriage, will be on the ballot in California. The success of Prop. 8 would be a set back for everyone who fights for equal rights for all. |
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Written by Shamus Cooke (SEIU 503)
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Tuesday, 09 September 2008 |
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 Are the Democrats making a radical turn to the left? This is the conclusion many have come to after learning about the TRADE Act (Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment Act). A broad array of organizations – including trade unions, fair trade, and environmental groups – are uniting around the Democratic bill that aspires to “renegotiate NAFTA” and possibly revisit and revise many free-trade agreements the U.S. has signed with various countries.
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Written by Socialist Appeal
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Friday, 25 July 2008 |
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 If there was any question as to whose side the “impartial” judicial system is on, the shocking verdict in the Exxon Valdez case by the U.S. Supreme Court should leave no room for doubt.
Back on March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spilled 10.8 million gallons of crude oil into the sea in Prince William Sound in Alaska, an important habitat for salmon, sea otters, seals, and seabirds. The spill eventually covered 11,000 square miles of ocean, the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Not only did the oil destroy the area’s plant and wildlife, but the Native Alaskans who live there had their livelihoods ruined. To this day, the pollution is everywhere. |
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Written by Socialist Appeal
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Monday, 26 May 2008 |
 On the weekend of May 17 and 18, nearly 30 members of the Workers International League gathered in Minneapolis, MN for the WIL National Congress, the most important event in the political life of the organization. Comrades were present present from Portland, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Madison, St. Louis, Nashville, New York, Pittsburgh, Providence, and Washington DC. |
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National 
On January 10th and 11th, over 150 union leaders and representatives from 31 states met in St. Louis, Missouri to discuss and share strategies at the Labor Campaign for Single-Payer Healthcare conference. The WIL fights for a socialist health care system, in which all people are covered for free at the point of service. This means the hospitals, clinics, HMOs, medical machine industry, medical schools, drug companies and the insurance companies would be nationalized under democratic workers’ control.