Portside

Stereotypes about German history and about the German Democratic Republic distort history. Simplifications of the past inhibit our ability to understand the nature of fascism and anti-fascism, to understand the complexities of socialism.

Attacking allies does not move immigration reform forward. And, an argument from a position of moral correctness does not change policy. We need to be on the morally correct side but that is not enough to change policy because political and economic power largely controls this country. We have a political oligarchy- our government is dominated by corporations. We need to understand neoliberal capitalism, then, work to change it.

There is no silver bullet in this fight for economic justice. Not one public official, nor one economist, nor one President will solve our mess. A return to democratic principles and a deepening of participatory process is what it will take to uplift the working class.

Hundreds of current and former drivers are suing a FedEx subsidiary, seeking back pay for overtime worked and for paycheck deductions.

The confidential memo from a former pollster for President Obama contained a blunt warning for Democrats. Written this month with an eye toward Election Day, it predicted “crushing Democratic losses across the country” if the party did not do more to get black voters to the polls.

Ebola is a problem that will not be solved, because it isn’t profitable to do so.

Voters in fifteen states—many with tight races—will face new restrictions at the polling booth for the first time in November.

Losing the sense of smell predicts likelihood of death within five years, according to new research.

Despite the warning signs all around us, the Departments of the Treasury and Transportation appear to be running headlong into a crash - and not just the kind of crash that takes place on a highway. The Obama administration appears to have bought into Public Private Partnerships spinning straw into gold.

An expansive lawsuit against the Kern County school district in the heart of California's Central Valley alleges widespread disparities in the discipline meted out to Latino and African-American students. The lawsuit accuses California's second largest school district with "rampant racial and ethnic disparities" in suspensions and expulsions. The Kern High School District's student body is 62 percent Latino and six percent African-American.