Greatest Hits Archives — Page 17 of 162 — Alternative Radio

The End of Capitalism
David Harvey
In its long history, Capitalism has undergone many booms and busts. It is, simply put, an economic system in which a relatively large group of people, workers, sell their labor and production to a small group of people, the owners, for a wage. It generates a lot of money for the few and some for others […]
Making America Healthy Again
Stephen Bezruchka
The U.S. pays more for health care than any other country yet has shamefully poor results. People are paying through the nose for their hospital stays, surgeries and prescription drugs. An MRI in the U.S. costs five times what it costs in Australia. Instead of quality affordable health care we are building absurdly expensive F-35s, […]
There Are Plenty of Opportunities
Noam Chomsky
In the immortal words of Howard Beale, the TV anchor played by Peter Finch, in the classic film Network, “Things are bad, they’re worse than bad. I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore. Things have got to change.” If you are feeling that way you’re not alone. In facing […]
Medical Marijuana
Martin Lee
Marijuana, cannabis, weed, grass, by one name or the other you‘ve heard about it and may have even tried it. An Irish physician, William O’Shaughnessy introduced the therapeutic use of marijuana to Western medicine in the 1830s. He gave it to patients to help treat muscle spasms and stomach cramps. Marijuana as a medicine became common […]
The Shock Doctrine
Naomi Klein
Catastrophes from Katrina to Iraq from Afghanistan to the Asian Tsunami clear the way for corporations to move in and operate in newly privatized zones, pushing local government overboard. Kind of like shock and awe economics. Privatize, privatize, privatize is intoned like a mantra by the economic high priests of neoliberalism. The belief in the […]
The Wrong People at the Top
Brian Klaas
Power. What is it? Political theorist Robert Dahl gave one example. He said, “A has power over B to the extent that he can get B to do something that he would not otherwise do.” Why is it that often that those who are on top are the wrong people? The high rollers and the […]
State Spying & Other Matters
Noam Chomsky
Chomsky puts the Edward Snowden revelations in the context of historical government spying. “If technology,” he says, “or other means of control and domination are available, then power systems are going to use them.” Chomsky relates the continuities between Bush and Obama in foreign and domestic policies. He examines Obama’s assault on civil liberties and […]
Polarization Can Kill Democracy
Steven Levitsky
It’s axiomatic that political discourse in the U.S. is becoming more and more extreme. There’s even talk of a coup. In textbook coups, martial law is declared. The internet and phones go dead. The opposition is jailed or killed. This is how we think of authoritarian regimes beginning. Yet Steven Levitsky says, “Democracies may die […]
Causes and Consequences of the Ukraine War
John Mearsheimer
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered the most dangerous international conflict in decades with ominous implications. It has already resulted in much death, destruction and displacement in Ukraine. A disruption in food supplies may lead to famine in West Asia, Latin America and Africa. And there is a possibility of the war escalating into […]
Why Privacy Matters
Glenn Greenwald
In democratic societies, some things have long been considered sacrosanct. Such as the right to privacy. Not anymore. It is violated on a routine and systematic basis. States scream: national security or terrorism to justify their expansion of surveillance. In terms of the sheer scope of spying the USA puts the old USSR to shame. […]
The Future of Humanity
David Korten
We are at a dangerous moment in human history. Philosopher and thinker David Korten says, “We stand at a crossroads between two possible futures. In one future, we continue on the path of separation and likely bring the human chapter of creation’s journey to an untimely end. In the other future, we find our rightful […]
How Capitalism Works
Yanis Varoufakis
The latest phase of Capitalism, neoliberalism, has left a train wreck in its wake. It’s produced a new Gilded Age. The gap between theoretical Capitalism and its actual workings is jaw dropping. The chasm is a far cry from the courses in economics taught in colleges and universities. We are told the system relies on […]

x

Top