Is full employment possible under capitalism?

  • February 27, 2013

“Is full employment possible under capitalism?” first appeared on PeoplesWorld.org on February 27, 2013. Read it on PeoplesWorld.org.

Editor’s note: The following are remarks given by Communist Party USA chair Sam Webb at a Feb. 25 University of Georgia debate sponsored by Phi Kappa Literary Society. The debate topic was “Is full employment possible under capitalism?” Webb debated Greg Morin from the Libertarian Party of Georgia. See video at end of article.

Billed as “The Debate That Never Happened,” UGA’s Phi Kappa Literary Society decided to recreate an attempted 1963 debate between CPUSA’s Arnold Johnson and UGA economist David Wright. That attempt had been squelched by a unanimous vote of the Faculty Committee on Student Affairs. The society was accused of attempting to “incite riot.” In the spirit of free speech, the society hosted this debate during its 50th anniversary.

Thank you, and thanks to Phi Kappa Literary Society for the invitation to participate in this debate on this beautiful campus and in this historic chapel. Thanks also to Speak Progress.

The debate question – “Is full employment possible under capitalism” – is by no means an academic one.

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Obama, Coalition politics, and the struggle for reforms

  • February 14, 2013

“Obama, Coalition politics, and the struggle for reforms” first appeared on PeoplesWorld.org on February 14, 2013. Read it on PeoplesWorld.org.

President Obama’s State of the Union speech reveals once again that president is a democratic reformer (on domestic issues) in the mold of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson.

And the fact that the president has a disposition toward reform is of great significance – not only to the millions who are struggling to mitigate the worst effects of 30 years of right-wing extremism and capitalist globalization, but also to people who desire social change of a radical nature.

Here’s why.

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Is the right-wing era over? Not yet

  • January 11, 2013

“Is the right-wing era over? Not yet” first appeared on PeoplesWorld.org on January 11, 2013. Read it on PeoplesWorld.org.

Is the era of right-wing ascendancy over? I would argue that it is a bit premature to reach that conclusion.

Now don’t get me wrong. Right-wing extremism isn’t the same animal that it was a decade or two ago. Its “glory days” are behind it. The outcome of the elections last year – not to mention the divisions in the Republican Party that are cropping up now around the fiscal cliff and the president’s nomination of Chuck Hagel as defense secretary – reflect a political movement that is no longer in a commanding position politically and ideologically.

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Keynote to National Conference: Connecting the dots from here to socialism

  • April 24, 2012

“Keynote to National Conference: Connecting the dots from here to socialism” first appeared on CPUSA.org/PoliticalAffairs.net on April 24, 2012. Read it on PoliticalAffairs.net.

I also want to welcome you to our annual conference.

I also want to extend a special welcome to Comrade Ana Maria Prestes Rabelo of the Communist Party of Brazil. Comrade Ana, who is a member of the Central Committee and International Department, will be with us all weekend.

We look forward to her presentation later today, which I’m sure will give us a picture of a party that skillfully works in a very complex situation.

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Stand Up For Workers’ Rights, Jobs and Peace

  • April 22, 2011

“Stand Up For Workers’ Rights, Jobs and Peace” first appeared on  PoliticalAffairs.net on April 22, 2011. Read it on PoliticalAffairs.net.

Wisconsin: ground zero

Not in our lifetime have we witnessed such a deep going assault on the rights and conditions of the American people.

But neither have we seen such a broad surge of struggle of labor and its allies against this assault.

The enemy was joined in Wisconsin. What the Republican governor assumed would be a minor battle turned into a stunning display of people’s power and solidarity. It was truly awesome.

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