On Friday, February 11th, recently-elected Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) announced that he is prepared to use National Guard troops as part of his plan to rob public workers of their right to have a union. According to the Governor, the National Guard will be put on alert “in preparation of any problems that could result in a disruption of state services.” But public sector unions and students in Wisconsin have responded in a big way, flooding the state Capitol building with over 30,000 protesters, and with students taking action at five high schools. See also a recent leaflet from Socialist

Amid mostly worrying news on the economy, one bright spot has emerged over the past two months. Ford, GM and Chrysler, the long-troubled “Big Three” auto makers, have seen big increases in profits and are adding new jobs, investing in, and expanding plants. The business media credits the “fresh thinking” of new management for the turnaround. But auto workers know better after more than 5 years of massive concessions and layoffs. So, we’re left to wonder: if there was “shared sacrifice” during hard times, shouldn’t there be shared gain when things improve?

According to a study published in the academic journal Health Affairs, the United States now ranks 49th in the world in overall life expectancy, a dramatic fall from just a few years ago. In 1999, the US ranked 24th.

The ruling class has always been telling us that we need to make cuts in order to eliminate the national deficit.  They have talked about cutting taxes and government spending in order to accomplish this.  In addition to this, they are in favor of cutting "entitlements" such as Social Security and raising the retirement age, thereby making the working class pay for their crisis.

On October 2nd, some 175,000 union members, activists, students and others converged on the National Mall in Washington, DC to demand jobs, funding for health care, education and public services. The One Nation rally was the first national demonstration organized by the AFL-CIO union federation since 1981.

In the recent midterm elections, the Republicans made a dramatic comeback after their electoral routing just two years ago. They gained several governorships, seats in the Senate, and took full control of the US House of Representatives. How was this possible?

In spite of all the promises about “change” when he was elected, Barack Obama has not improved the lot of working people in the USA. On the contrary, things have got a lot worse. What the workers of the USA need is their own political voice, their own party. We publish here last week’s statement by the Campaign for a Mass Party of Labor which explains the need for such a party.

The past few years have been life-changing for the American working class. Attacks on our quality of life by the bosses and their government have been non-stop.

One could easily be forgiven for thinking the Baby Boomers appeared out of nowhere. The way it’s presented in the media, it would seem they just suddenly appeared -- near retirement, of course -- with their hands cupped firmly open, waiting to be paid. They’re going to break Social Security! Ever since I can remember, this has been the spin. Because “big government” can’t do anything right, all the money you paid in is hopelessly lost. This is a fundamental, and cynical, misunderstanding of Social Security. It’s a distortion of both what it is and how it works -- and convenient cover for those who want to dismantle and privatize it.

Nine years ago the whole was shocked by the dramatic suicide attacks on the Twin Towers in New York. That event was subsequently used as an excuse to increase massively spending on arms, to invade Afghanistan and Iraq and step up military operations in other parts of the world, all encapsulated in the idea of the “war on terror”. Today the world, far from being a safer place, has become more unstable, more dangerous. This is a clear symptom of the sickness that afflicts capitalism in its senile phase.

Ever since we founded of the Workers International League and published the first issue of Socialist Appeal, the need for a mass party of labor has figured prominently in our program and work. The objective need for such a party has been explained in countless editorials and articles. The lack of independent political representation for the US working class is an urgent problem and contradiction, which can only be resolved if the labor movement breaks with the parties of big business and forms a party of, by, and for the working class majority.

Happy Labor Day! We're proud to announce the launch of the Campaign for a Mass Party of Labor (CMPL). Over the next few weeks we will be unrolling the campaign, adding to the website, holding local launch meetings in cities across the country, and above all, spreading the word about the need to break with the big business parties and build a mass labor party. We invite you to learn more about, join, and work with us to help build the CMPL. Read more about the CMPL and ...

Recently, TV and talk radio have been obsessed with stopping the construction of an “Islamic Center and Mosque” which will be located two blocks away from where the World Trade Center used to be. The right wing, including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and NY Republican Gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio, have seized on this issue, attempting to gain political support...What Gingrich, Lazio, Reid and other right-wing commentators are practicing is a well known method known as “divide and rule.”

For over a year, President Obama and Congressional Democrats have been threatening to “terrorize” the financial sector by creating new stipulations that would redefine how it operates. However, despite the Democrats’ attempts to claim otherwise, the finance reform bill passed by the Senate on May 20th leaves a number of loopholes open for Wall Street Banks to continue their shady lending behaviors and speculative schemes – the same kind of speculation that led to the financial meltdown in the first place.

New York Governor Patterson was trying to get the state work force to accept a one-day-per-week furlough. This would have meant a 20% cut in pay! The unions went to court and the furlough plan was stopped. Now, Patterson threatens 10,000 state workers with lay-offs on January 1, 2011. This is on top of many education and service cuts. The Metropolitan Transit Authority is laying off 475 station agents and plans to lay-off 500 subway conductors and bus drivers. Many local governments in NY State are also making deep cuts.