IMPERIALIST SICKNESS

ATILIO BORON—That October 18, 2019 was a blow that, in one fell swoop, brought down the deceptive facade of the conservative regime and inaugurated a new stage in the history of Chile. The enormous injustices maintained and deepened during the very slow (and failed) “democratic transition” initiated in 1990 were exposed. The explosive combination of free-market without anesthesia and a democracy lacking in substance and completely delegitimized -thus becoming a rapacious plutocracy- was able to stay afloat thanks to the resignation, demoralization and apathy of the citizenry, skillfully induced by establishment politicians and the media oligarchy, partners of the ruling class. The spell was broken on October 18. The governmental response revealed the bloodthirsty nature of a regime that did not hesitate for an instant to fiercely repress popular protests in order to preserve the intangibility of its irritating privileges.

RUSSELL BENTLEY—Remember who it was that has saved Russia, brought it back from the edge of extinction and made it into a great power and the greatest force for good in the world today. Do not fall for the words of clowns and imposters who offer a false illusion of prosperity without time or work. This is the real world, and there is no free lunch. The current Administration is the best there is, for Russia and the world. In comparison, all other contenders are pygmies at best. Support those who have protected Russia from every attack, with courage, wisdom and skill. Be thankful, be patient, and be realistic. A new and better world is coming, and Russia is leading the way. Those who defend Donbass, defend Russia, and those who defend Russia defend Humanity. As goes Donbass, so goes the world. 

CAITLIN JOHNSTONE—In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mathias Döpfner, CEO of the German publisher Axel Springer, said that Politico staffers will be required to adhere to a set of principles which include “support for a united Europe, Israel’s right to exist and a free-market economy, among others.”

“These values are like a constitution, they apply to every employee of our company,” Mr. Döpfner told WSJ. People with a fundamental problem with any of these principles “should not work for Axel Springer, very clearly,” he said.

I mean, how refreshing is that? How often does a billionaire corporation buy up a media property and just straightforwardly tell you they’re going to be using it to push propaganda?

STEVE GOWANS—Mankiw’s analysis [as befits that of all academic whores—Ed] is risibly superficial. The idea that taxation undermines incentives to work rests on the notion that effort is proportional to its return. Taxes reduce the return on effort and therefore discourage work. If this is true, the opposite is also true: the greater the return, the greater the effort. By this logic, Mankiw ought to advocate a robust increase in the minimum wage, reasoning that the more money people are able to make, the more likely they are to want to work. But he’s not. Instead, Mankiw’s prescriptions invariably favor employers over workers

GLENN GREENWALD—But none of the swooning over this new Facebook heroine nor any of the other media assaults on Facebook have anything remotely to do with a concern over those genuine dangers. Congress has taken no steps to curb the influence of these Silicon Valley giants because Facebook and Google drown the establishment wings of both parties with enormous amounts of cash and pay well-connected lobbyists who are friends and former colleagues of key lawmakers to use their D.C. influence to block reform. With the exception of a few stalwarts, neither party’s ruling wing really has any objection to this monopolistic power as long as it is exercised to advance their own interests.