Global Capitalism: May 2016 Monthly Update

 

Crises Deepen: Shifting Socialisms, Exploding Debt, Strange Elections

Co-sponsored by Democracy at Work, Left Forum, and Judson Memorial Church

These programs begin with 30 minutes of short updates on important economic events of the last month. Then Prof. Wolff analyzes several major economic issues. For the month of May, these will include:

1. “Democratic Socialism” declining fast in Europe, rising in US: why?
2. Shared lessons of govt debt crises in Detroit, Puerto Rico, and beyond
3. Presidential candidates’ economic “programs”: what they are and what they mean for the US 

Our goal: to develop all participants’ understanding and ability to explain current economic events and trends to others. When time permits, we open the floor to questions and comments.

If you primarily access the videos of the monthly updates posted here on YouTube, we ask you to join our attendees who contribute at least $10 at each event to help defray costs of producing, video-taping, and distributing these videos. Contributions to Democracy at Work are tax deductible (we gladly provide receipts at the event or can mail one of requested). For those able to contribute more than $10, our special thanks.


Showing 5 comments

  • Eric White
    followed this page 2016-08-26 19:44:18 -0400
  • Marc Hudgens
    commented 2016-05-15 18:13:58 -0400
    The MLB’s Miami Marlins and their stadium situation is common across all sports but especially the professional ones. In the NFL it is a very common understanding how much these pro football teams (not the players) are destructive to the cities they nest in. The recent move of the Rams from St. Louis (back) to Los Angeles is a big example regardless of the fact that LA has historically had problems keeping an NFL team. And the Oakland Raiders’ alleged plans to leave for Las Vegas, which has never had an NFL team, is an upcoming example that perhaps Prof. Wolff might want to follow. What rather surprises me is how Detroit, being the city that it is, still has a team from all three major American professional sports (NFL, MLB, NBA). I’m sure at least one of those teams is making Detroit’s situation much worse than it should be.

    I appreciated Prof. Wolff’s explanation of hedge funds. Most of the time when someone attempts to teach you about them, it’s largely in the Wall Street gibberish one would similarly find in having a doctor explain a disease that has seventeen letters and no less than five syllables. How Wolff explained it, in simple terms, is how everyone needs to be taught it. It’s another form of casino capitalism with someone else’s money.

    At some point, I think we’ll get to the dire point that there will only be two options that politicians will have when trying to get more money for public services. One is they’ll, at some point if FDR is any example, have to wrest it from the rich. Or two, just let the country/state/municipality collapse. While FDR had to be pushed by the Communist/Socialist/Union forces to get the rich to pay up, there are no such forces today. This is when a modern coalition among the Greens, all socialist parties especially including the Socialist Alternatives, Independents led by perhaps Jesse Ventura, perhaps the Libertarians and others might be in order. I would prefer to leave the Constitution Party out of it altogether.
  • Maria Comninou
    commented 2016-05-14 13:05:51 -0400
  • Martin Screeton
    commented 2016-05-13 00:23:56 -0400
    Excellent update as usual… I found this article very insightful and matching Professor Wolff’s Analysis of the Republicans…. http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/05/12/understanding-the-republican-insurgency-the-donald-trump-phenomenon/
  • Martin Screeton
    followed this page 2016-05-13 00:22:13 -0400

Donate to Become a

[email protected]

Monthly Supporter


Customized by

Longleaf Digital