Anti-Poverty Programs Work, and the Pandemic Is Proof
A new analysis from the Economic Policy Institute shows what the Left has always argued: that our best tool in the fight against poverty is redistributive social spending.
488 Articles by: Luke Savage
Luke Savage is a columnist at Jacobin. He is the author of The Dead Center: Reflections on Liberalism and Democracy After the End of History.
Canadians Deserve to Vote on Breaking With the Monarchy
New polling suggests that a majority of Canadians want a vote on maintaining their country’s link to the British Crown. Imagine that: a long-overdue, democratic debate on cutting ties with a wildly undemocratic institution.
There’s Never Been a Better Moment to Disempower the Supreme Court
For the first time in living memory, the Supreme Court is facing a crisis of popular legitimacy. Let’s make the most of it.
Canada’s New Right-Wing Conservative Leader Is Saying What the Party Faithful Believe
In the contest for leadership of Canada’s Conservative Party, MP Pierre Poilievre has won a resounding victory, sparking fears of a slide into Trumpism. But Poilievre’s leadership represents continuity with the party’s past more than a break with it.
Canada’s Elites Are Toasting the Monarchy. Most Canadians Couldn’t Care Less.
In Canada, most citizens are indifferent to the British Crown — making the official Canadian spectacle of mass mourning for Queen Elizabeth II feel particularly ridiculous.
In 1937, Canadian Autoworkers Took on General Motors — and Won
For 16 days in 1937, thousands of workers at Oshawa’s General Motors plant in Ontario went on strike, stood firm against brutal efforts to crush them, and helped bring industrial unionism to Canada. Today, their heroism is seldom remembered.
Creeping Corporate Medicine Is Undermining Canadian Health Care
Canada’s health system is both more efficient and more equitable than its US counterpart. But its achievements have been undermined by years of government underinvestment, leading to the growth of outsourcing to private clinics.
Russia’s Oligarchs Are Stashing Their Wealth Abroad — Just Like America’s
The techniques Russian billionaires use to avoid taxes and hide their wealth are the same ones American billionaires use. In fact, they often execute them with the help of the same Western companies.
Wall Street Bonuses Are Out of Control
As workers struggled throughout the pandemic, Wall Street bonuses hit a nearly 15-year high.
To Understand the DC Political Swamp, Look No Further Than Its Consultant Class
Democrats pledge to fight corporate interests while on the campaign trail, yet those interests are deeply embedded in the party’s networks and institutions. The political consulting industry is at the core of this conflict.
Aleksandr Dugin Is the Reactionary Prophet of Russian Ultranationalism
Most have never heard of Aleksandr Dugin or his obscure Traditionalist philosophy. But both have quietly become important influences on Russian politics over the past few decades.
Jordan Peterson’s “Postmodern Neomarxism” Is Pure Hokum
Jordan Peterson’s recent musings on what he calls “postmodern neomarxism” — enriched by hours of careful research on Wikipedia — are a reminder that when it comes to intellectuals, the reactionary right isn’t sending its best.
Canada’s Liberals Are Letting the Wealthy Write Their Own Tax Policy
Justin Trudeau’s government loves to tout its commitment to combating inequality. Now it’s pushing a special tax break for private jets.
Oil Company Profits Have Surged. It’s Time to Tax the Windfall.
Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a chorus of voices is trying to convince ordinary consumers that paying higher gas prices is some kind of patriotic act. Big Oil doesn’t need the extra profits — it needs to have those profits taxed away.
Employers Are Running Unchecked Workplace Dictatorships Across America
Under free and democratic conditions, millions of American workers would probably join a union tomorrow. Thanks to laws heavily slanted toward bosses, unionization votes resemble the sham elections of tin-pot dictatorships.
Canada’s Freedom Convoy Exposed the Sham of “Pro-Worker” Conservatism
For right-wing advocates of so-called pro-worker conservatism, the Canada trucker protest known as the Freedom Convoy should have been a breakthrough. But the entire idea that conservatives care about the interests of working-class people is a mirage.
The Republican Party Is Waging a War Against Personal Freedom and Free Expression
Conservatives at the state level have adopted slogans like “individual freedom” and “choice” — to brazenly and hypocritically push measures that punish people for discussing banned topics or expressing the wrong opinions.
Biden’s State of the Union Was a Paean to Liberalism’s Complacent Status Quo
In his first State of the Union address, Joe Biden commendably stuck to most of the progressive policy stances he campaigned on in 2020 — but steered clear of identifying or pointing fingers at those culpable for the injustices he claims to want to remedy.
Despite Amazon’s Propaganda, Local Alabamans Overwhelmingly Support the Bessemer Union Drive
New polling finds that a near supermajority of black residents in Jefferson Country, Alabama, back the worker-led effort to unionize the massive facility in Bessemer.
Poverty Is a Choice — That the US Government Is Making
The child poverty rate has exploded, with over 3.7 million children sinking below the poverty line thanks to the expiration of Joe Biden’s Child Tax Credit program. The disaster proves that poverty in a rich country is a choice its government makes.