Martin Luther King, Jr.: All Labor Has Dignity
Martin Luther King, Jr., Beacon Press: In his introduction to the newly published anthology of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speeches and writings, Cornel West notes the book unearths a radical King whose legacy can no longer be sanitized. He was “anti-imperial, anti-colonial, anti-racist” and embodied “democratic socialist sentiments.”
Maya Schenwar, TomDispatch: The “American Gulag,” is a vast carceral archipelago into which millions of human beings are simply deep-sixed. The urge to reform such a system should be applauded, but as with so many “reforms” in our era, the latest “alternative” forms of confinement may only be extending and expanding the prison system into other parts of American life.
Democrats Take on Wall Street With Financial Transactions Tax
Dean Baker, Truthout: The House Democratic Party leadership remarkably proposed a financial transactions tax. The proposal is part of a larger package which includes a substantial tax credit for workers, and also a limit on the tax deductibility of high CEO pay.
Five Corporations You’ve Never Heard of Are Making Millions From Mass Incarceration
James Kilgore, Truthout: From construction to monitoring devices, some corporations are making off like bandits with profits from mass incarceration. Here are five of the worst offenders.
Uncovering a World War II Prisoner Exchange Program Through Interned Immigrants’ Stories
Eleanor J. Bader, Truthout: From 1942 to 1948, thousands of Japanese, German and Italian immigrants living in the United States were held in a Texas internment camp. All were suspected of disloyalty to Allied forces, and although none were tried or convicted of any crimes, some were repatriated to their countries of origin.
The Van Hollen Plan Takes on Soaring CEO Pay: A Debate We Need to Have
Susan Holmberg, The Next New Deal: The economic proposals in Rep. Chris Van Hollen’s action plan “to grow the paychecks of all, not just the wealth of a few” will reinforce the progressive economic messaging championed by Senator Elizabeth Warren and conceivably embolden more Democrats to finally take command of our economic debate in advance of the 2016 presidential election.
EPA Report Finds Pesticide Poses Risk to Workers, Spurs Calls for Ban
Brian Bienkowski, Environmental Health News: The insecticide chlorpyrifos, used on corn and other US crops, poses health risks to workers who mix and apply it and also can contaminate drinking water, according to a new EPA report.
Alexandra Bradbury, Labor Notes: The notion held by many labor unions that the Senate is “killing” jobs by voting against the Keystone XL pipeline is misguided. We need to increase wages and lower the cost of living, so workers do not have to work themselves to death.
One Thing Schools Should Do to Boost Students’ Intellectual Growth
Marion Brady, The Washington Post: Much that affects student performance, like poverty, disability and education of parents, can’t be fixed by education policy. A fundamental performance-limiting problem that can be fixed in school but has never been adequately addressed is this: information overload.
On the News With Thom Hartmann: Democrats May Tax Wall Street and Give Main Street a Break, and More
Thom Hartmann, The Thom Hartmann Program: In today‘s On the News segment: Democratic lawmakers have put forth a progressive tax plan that would tax Wall Street to give Main Street a little relief; the 2014 election saw massive increases in outside spending and so-called dark money; and more.
Watch the Video and Read the Transcript
BuzzFlash
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Black Conservatives Mangle and Defame the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The Hope and Burden of the Civil Rights Movement
Read the Article at Colorlines
Richest 1% Likely to Control Half of Global Wealth by 2016, Study Finds
Read the Article at The New York Times
Obama Will Focus on Wealth Inequality – Not Just Income
Read the Article at The Atlantic
“Black Lives Matter” Aspires to Reclaim the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
Read the Article at Mother Jones
White Oklahoma ‘Survivalist’ Walks Free After Shooting Black Police Chief Four Times
Read the Article at Crooks and Liars
On Gay Marriage, Supreme Court to Weigh Equal Rights and States’ Rights
Read the Article at the Los Angeles Times
The State of Felony Disenfranchisement in America
Spirit In Action 