It's Time to Heed King's Call for the Abolition of Poverty

Monday, January 21, 2019 Fearless, honest reporting has never been more needed. Support Truthout's nonprofit journalism today. [Donate Now →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [It's Time to Heed King's Call for the Abolition of Poverty]( William C. Anderson, Truthout Martin Luther King Jr. issued a call to abolish poverty. The abolition of poverty will not simply happen overnight. We have to bring it about in our everyday lives. It’s not going to be given to us by liberal politicians or charitable billionaires who are part of the problem themselves. Abolishing oppressive forces means undermining them to create our own realities. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [New York City Could Pave Way for More Paid Leave in US]( Dean Baker, Truthout Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed an ordinance this month that would make New York City the first city in the country to mandate paid time off for its workers. His proposal would guarantee almost all the city's workers at least two weeks a year of paid leave. Currently, the average work year in the United States is more than 25 percent longer than in Germany, France, and other Northern European countries. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [The US Celebrates King's Nonviolence But Not His Antiwar Politics]( Nicholas Powers, Truthout Martin Luther King Jr.'s anti-Vietnam war speech, "A Time to Break the Silence," is more relevant today than ever. The ruling class has enlisted King's memory as a symbol of nonviolence even as they have waged expensive, unnecessary wars. Since 9/11, the war on terror has cost nearly $5.6 trillion even as the US poverty rate has gone from 12 percent in 2001, to 15 percent after 2008's Wall Street Crash, back to 12.3 percent today. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [26 Billionaires Own as Much as World's 3.8 Billion Poorest People]( Jake Johnson, Truthout A report published by Oxfam late Sunday found that the world's richest people saw their fortunes soar by $2.5 billion per day last year. According to the report, the number of billionaires has doubled since the global financial crisis of 2008. In contrast to the soaring fortunes of the global financial elite, the wealth of the world's poorest fell by $500 million each day in 2018. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Fighting for Black Lives in Schools and Unions]( Danny Katch, Socialist Worker Black Lives Matter at School week of action is set for February 4-8. The initiative began as a grassroots effort for a single day of action in Seattle and has now expanded to over 20 cities. In this interview, educator and activist Jesse Hagopian says we must challenge anti-Black racism in schools and incorporate the Black Struggle into the union struggle. [Read the Interview →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Henry Giroux: Trump's Enabling of Violence and Hate Is a Form of State Terrorism]( Joy LaClaire, Forthright Radio Fascism starts with the language of brutality, which normalizes and legitimates hatred, racism and violence, says Henry Giroux. Children and the vulnerable are the victims of Trump's fascist rhetoric and policies and they can only be protected if we reclaim historical memory, learn from the past and redefine the purpose of education to create critical citizens. [Listen to the Audio →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [The Irish Revolution's Overlooked History of Nonviolent Resistance]( David Carroll Cochran, Waging Nonviolence This month marks the 100th anniversary of Dáil Éireann, Ireland's Parliament. Amid the better-known events of a century ago that led to Ireland's independence from its union with Britain, the significance of Dáil Éireann’s founding on January 21, 1919 is often underappreciated. This is unfortunate, since it was a path-breaking event in the emergence of nonviolent civil resistance methods over the last century. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Health Insurers Want You to Try Cheaper Drugs First, But That Can Hurt You]( Sharona Hoffman, The Conversation Step therapy programs, also known as "fail first policies," require patients to try less expensive treatments before insurers agree to pay for more costly alternatives. Thus, insurers can deny coverage for a drug your doctor prescribed because you haven't found other, cheaper medications to be ineffective first. This one-size-fits-all approach to treatment, which is adopted by most insurance policies, must be regulated. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In Case You Missed It --------------------------------------------------------------- [Shutdown Exposes How Many Americans Live Paycheck to Paycheck]( William Rivers Pitt, Truthout The shutdown has exposed something deeply personal and uncomfortable, something most folks don't like to talk about because it is too frightening to contemplate, something they can't see an easy way to fix: A huge majority of people in the US are one missed paycheck away from complete financial calamity. We did not create this situation. We are the grist in someone else's mill. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Enough "Free Trade." We Need Solidarity Economies and Reparations.]( Geoff Gilbert, Truthout In order to build a progressive international political economy that produces material dignity and freedom for all the world's people, we need to engage three distinct yet interrelated projects: better trade agreements, democratic international institutions and global north reparations, and solidarity economies. We can build each project, piece by piece, advancing all three at the same time. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Like what you're reading? Support Truthout's independent news and analysis by making an automatic monthly donation. [Donate Now →]( Connect With Us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Donate]( Truthout is a reader-supported, nonprofit organization; donations are tax-deductible. Truthout is a proud member of the Newspaper Guild/CWA, Local 36047. Please add messenger@truthout.org to ensure you receive our messages. [Subscribe]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy](