Introduction I am dividing the post into two parts, with the first part devoted to more concrete concerns, and the second part to more theoretical concerns. David Bush, in an April 26, 2017 article published on the Socialist Project website (Basic Income and the Left: The Political and Economic Problems), argues that the proposal for … Continue reading Basic Income: A Critique of the Social-Reformist Left’s Assumptions and Analysis: Part One
Tag: toronto
The Socialist Project’s Critique of Doug Ford’s Attack on Local Democracy Falls Short
The following was written almost six years ago; it is still relevant. The Socialist Project has rightly condemned Doug Ford (the new Premier of Ontario, Canada) for his unilateral reduction of the number of Toronto city councilors (in the midst of Toronto elections, no less--indeed, an autocratic act) (see Ford's Attack on Local Democracy in … Continue reading The Socialist Project’s Critique of Doug Ford’s Attack on Local Democracy Falls Short
Workers and Community Members Need to Discuss Their Experiences and Lives Openly
John Dewey, one of the greatest philosophers of education of the twentieth century, argued that we need to take seriously our experiences in this world--because our experiences are really all that we have in this world. He did not mean by this that all experiences are on the same level of accuracy, but he did … Continue reading Workers and Community Members Need to Discuss Their Experiences and Lives Openly
Management Rights, Part Two: Public Sector Collective Agreement, Ontario
Workers in the public sector are used just as much as means for purposes over which they have little or no control (see The Money Circuit of Capital). The left often denies this implicitly by idealizing the public sector over the private sector. Workers in the public sector, however, are employees, and as employees they … Continue reading Management Rights, Part Two: Public Sector Collective Agreement, Ontario
A Case of Silent Indoctrination, Part One: The Manitoba History Curricula and Its Lack of History of Employers and Employees
I submitted a longer essay to the popular Canadian educational journal Our Schools Our Selves for publication. It was never published. The idea for the following has a personal basis: when my daughter was studying grade 11 Canadian history in Manitoba (Manitoba is one of 10 provinces in Canada, with three additional territories), I decided to … Continue reading A Case of Silent Indoctrination, Part One: The Manitoba History Curricula and Its Lack of History of Employers and Employees
Ontario Looks Right–With Some Help From the “Left”
Most of the following was written over six years ago. It is still relevant. Herman Rosenfeld recently wrote an article on the election of the right-wing government of Doug Ford in Ontario, Canada (Ontario Looks Right). I would like to take issue with some of his analysis, specifically in relation to unions (and, to a … Continue reading Ontario Looks Right–With Some Help From the “Left”
A Radical Basic Income as a Radical Reform
Leer este post en español Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) argues against any kind of Basic Income (Basic Income in the Neoliberal Age ). I have argued against their opposition on their own terms in two previous posts. Others, too, argue for a radical basic income as a proposal that breaks the "economic coercion" required … Continue reading A Radical Basic Income as a Radical Reform
The Limitations of the Social-Reformist Left
Leer este post en español Introduction I used to belong to a leftist organization in Toronto. I started, slowly, to realize that it really has little to do with challenging the power of employers as a class despite the rhetoric concerning class issues being a priority. This view was confirmed when a movement for the … Continue reading The Limitations of the Social-Reformist Left
The Abolitionary 