“The official unemployment hides the number of people who have given up looking for work.  The increase in manufacturing has mostly been a jobless one.” by Billy Wharton from the Socialist Webzine   A recent New York Times article “A Tale of Two Continents: The US Chose a Better Path to Recovery” trumpets the idea that “there can be little doubt that the American government handled the... 

April 4, 20125:00 pmto6:00 pm    In the seventh session of our Brooklyn College Socialist Shorts, we will be having a discussion with the SP-USA chair, Billy Wharton.  Bring a friend, pull up a chair, and join the discussion! Read Billy Wharton’s article on the NYPD shock doctrine here. Wednesday, Apr. 4th 2012, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm Starbucks off of Brooklyn College 33 Hillel Pl, Brooklyn,... 

March 16, 2012toMarch 18, 2012    Join the SPUSA panels and events at the Left Forum:   Runnin’ Red: An Insider’s Look at Being a Socialist Candidate In U.S. Elections Date: Saturday, 03/17/2012 Time: 12:00pm - 01:50pm Room: E300 Abstract: The inherent obstacles and challenges of waging a Third Party campaign in the United States are well-documented. From ballot-access... 

“The fact that the landlord was the only person interested in the fate of the family is a stunning, yet increasingly familiar, example of the social isolation many people experience today.” by Billy Wharton  from The Socialist Webzine  Sitting down to create a life plan is a time for, people, especially young people, to demonstrate their hopes for the future.  For the young the possibilities... 

“Yes, that’s right, think Cavemen Facebook. Without, of course, all the annoying Pokes, incessant updates and endless Farmville requests.” by Billy Wharton from The Socialist Webzine  Socialists are gaining allies in their efforts to transform capitalist society. The latest are a bit more odd then most. They were probably quite smelly. They lived in caves. And they had only very recently acquired... 

“Taken together, Ron Paul’s notion of economic liberty is an only slightly disguised version of the hyper-neoliberal ideas that have been circulating since the 1980s.” by Billy Wharton from The Socialist Webzine  You’ve seen them skulking around a variety of left-wing protests. First it was the anti-war movement. Then came Occupy. They usually have a funny look in their eye, their clothes... 

by Billy Wharton As thousands of protesters marched through Downtown Manhattan yesterday, I had a difficult task – explain why Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf was such a threat to GED students in New York City. The connection was not so straightforward, but May 12th was a day in which the parts of the City that normally operate in isolation were brought into comparison and conflict with each other. The... 

by Billy Wharton New statistics issued by the New York Police Department (NYPD) place the city at the top of the list of civil rights violators in the U.S. The department’s controversial policy of “Stop and Frisk,” or UF-250, produced more than 600,000 police stops in 2010. Police claim this policy has resulted in a drop in crime, while civil rights advocates see it as a tool for racial profiling... 

by Billy Wharton from Counterpunch Street politics arrived on September 11th this year. Every year since 2001, the focus of the day had been placed on the ceremonial commemoration of those killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center. This year, dueling demonstrations for and against the construction of the Park 51 Islamic Cultural Center turned Downtown Manhattan into a contested political zone.... 

SCREENING OF THE COCA-COLA CASE THIS SUNDAY – FOR MORE INFO, CLICK HERE!   by Billy Wharton from Counterpunch “Sailing round the world in a dirty gondola,” Bob Dylan sang in 1971, “Oh, to be back in the land of Coca-Cola !” After forty years of corporate globalization, Dylan would be hard pressed to find a place that isn’t the land of Coca-Cola . Multinationals have torn up the... 

by Billy Wharton from Counterpunch and the SACSIF Eight and half hours is long time for any movie, much less a political documentary. However, Connie Field’s Have You Heard from Johannesburg has a serious ambition – to tell the complete story of the South African anti-apartheid movement from an international perspective. The result of this desire is a seven-segment documentary grouped into three... 

by Billy Wharton Americans desperately need healthcare. The need is so desperate that many are buying into a “something is better than nothing” philosophy to support a healthcare bill that actively works against their own interests. The bill that Barack Obama plans to sign into law is being dubbed a “reform,” but what it actually amounts to is a corporate restructuring that will solidify the... 

Socialist Party USA Left Forum Panel Where capitalism fails to meet the needs of people, spaces are created for activists to organize alternatives that fulfill needs by empowering individuals and communities. In New York City, activists have worked to create community centers, create community supported agriculture and have struggled to create a city that meets the needs of the poor and working class.... 

by Billy Wharton The librarians at the Pelham Bay Park branch of the New York Public Library are really trying hard. When the regular volunteer at toddler story time couldn’t show up today, a librarian jumped in. When the budget cuts went through and library hours were reduced, they accommodated an early start for the parents of toddlers. And, when dozens of people burst through the doors at the...