CAPITALIST SYSTEMIC POVERTY

BRUCE LERRO—The Sullivanian Institute was a spin-off organization that broke away in 1957 from the work of Harry Stack Sullivan. Sullivan was sensitive to the social side of psychological dynamics and among other insights blamed the nuclear family for the formation of the ideal capitalist consumer. Both Dr. Jane Pearce and Saul Newton took these criticisms of the nuclear family much further. In 1963, Pearce and Newton coauthored a book called Conditions of Human Growth. In that book they identified the family as socially isolating the individual from developing healthy relationships with friends, especially in adolescence and adulthood. Open-ended friendships, both sexual and otherwise, were the way out of the infantilization of the nuclear family and the road to maturity. For them, friendships are the first potential of experience of love between equals.

MEGHAN CUNIFF—Judge Carter acknowledged the extraordinary nature of his order, writing that his conclusion “advances equal protection jurisprudence, but it is wholly consistent with and flows naturally from analogous federal statutes, rulemakings, and executive actions.” In February 2018, Judge David O. Carter addresses reporters and both sides of a lawsuit regarding homelessness in Orange County. The order requires the city to offer housing within 90 days to all “unaccompanied women and children living in Skid Row,” within 120 days for all families, and within 180 days “to the general population.” It specifies that once shelter is offered, Carter “will let stand” ordinances against homeless encampments consistent with previous appellate court rulings, which could clear the way for consistent sweeps and new city laws barring encampments virtually everywhere.

DARWIN HOLMSTROM—The response of the matrix to its own demise exposes its ultimate failure. The ruling oligarchy being so desperate to regain control of the narrative that it’s resorting to ludicrous attempts to censor social media shows us that the matrix isn’t an omnipotent monolith. There are powerful forces that do conspire to achieve certain goals, but they operate using classic game theory–the competing powerful forces only cooperate as long as it serves their mutual interests; when their goals are achieved, they’ll be at one another’s throats once again.

J. HANKS—Cuba plans to vaccinate all of Havana by the end of May, 60% of the country by August and the entire country by the end of 2021, which will make it one of the world’s first to achieve “herd immunity.” Vaccinations are voluntary, but the government expects broad adoption by the public, who are highly educated and informed on issues regarding public health. This is due to decades of extensive public health campaigns, free national health care, free education and the promotion of science and technology. Cuba’s vaccine industry is currently reorganizing to be able to produce 100 million doses for export.

MICHAEL HUDSON—If China had been crazy enough to have student loans and leave its graduates impoverished instead of providing free universities, China’s central bank could simply write off the student loans. No investors would lose, because the banks are owned by the government. Its position is, “If you’re a factory, we don’t want you to have to close down and unemploy your labor. We’ll just write down the debt. And if your employees are having a really hard time, we’ll just write down their debts, so that they can spend their money on goods and services to help expand our internal market.”

America’s banks are owned by the stockholders and bondholders, who would never let Chase Manhattan or Citibank or Wells Fargo just forgive their various categories of loans. That’s why public banking is so much more efficient from an economy-wide level than private banks. It’s why banking should be a public utility, not privatized.