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Letters from our readers

On “The bombing of Gaddafi’s compound

 

 

We need to oppose the imperialistic actions of the Franco-British criminal alliance and also work with Libyan workers’ groups to bring about a revolutionary change within Libya. The perspective for the revolutionary forces within North Africa remains extremely favourable. The mutual crisis of world imperialism and global capitalism opens up great possibilities for the building of mass parties.

 

Terry M
22 March 2011

On “Libya war divides NATO”

 

German companies have now signed up to the South Stream project to ship gas from Russia. The gas from North Stream (sourced in Russia) goes directly to Germany. NATO’s role in keeping Europe as an American protectorate is obvious, but neither the French government nor the American possess any real sanctions that they can apply to the government of Germany.

Before this latest imperial adventure, I read a piece in the New York Times (global addition) marking out Germany as the new hegemon in Europe as American influence shrinks. And it is a consequence of logic (and not only political/economic orientation) that the new hegemon can only distinguish itself from the old by different actions (Is different does different). In modern German history every conflict in which Germany has faced Russia has ended in disaster for the German state, a fact that the current German government is hardly likely to ignore.

 

Chris
Ireland
24 March 2011

On “Obama in Chile: No apology for 1973 coup

 

Thank you Bill, on behalf of myself and everyone else for the reminder, although 1973 is not long ago. Considering the repressive history of the US and utter refusal of successive presidents and their accomplices to apologise for their crimes; the culture of denial to bare facts is the media’s main priority, to rewrite history, for in the words of Harold Pinter, “It never happened, even if it did, it never happened.”

 

Philip T
Germany
24 March 2011

On “Census reveals staggering decline of Detroit

 

I highly doubt that there are 700,000 people left in Detroit. I live seven blocks from the Grosse Pointe/Detroit border. I drive through parts of Detroit every day, east side and west side. There are more empty lots and burned down/falling down houses than houses standing.

 

I grew up in Detroit in the 1960s when we still had a population. As of now, there might be a half of million people left. Maybe. That is generous. It’s our version of a tsunami. Depressing.

 

Sue
24 March 2011

On “California teachers unions back regressive tax proposal

 

Great article! You clearly expose the anti-working class budget-cutting policies of the Democratic Party supported by the unions, and demonstrate the betrayal and lies of the teachers union (CTA) in falsely claiming that Brown’s regressive taxes would “protect public education from more cuts.”

 

Your comment that with a progressive income tax on the super-rich, “it would take less than a three percent tax on the wealth of all Californian millionaires to cover the state’s deficit,” offers a graphic example of the need for social equality to solve the state budget deficit. Of course, it will only be implemented by a struggle against all the old labor and political organizations that have repressed our social rights, and the coming to power of a worker’s government in the US dedicated to genuine democracy and socialism.

 

BG
California
23 March 2011

 

On “Telecom giants AT&T and T-Mobile to merge

 

The only way for capitalism to move forward is by consolidation and amassing a larger amount of collective capital. But it is still not big enough for any company to invest in research of a sufficient scale; at least this is what I think the objective crisis is.

 

If all telecom companies were absorbed into AT&T, then it would have no competition from another provider. The only issue it will have is to match its profit rate to the average profit rate of all industries. And it will be much easier for them to do this as they are the single provider.

 

However, so far, this type of situation has not happened in capitalism, has it? So, my limited knowledge has it that the government steps in to stop such large mergers. But perhaps, they can’t afford to any more.

 

In any case, even if there was a single telecommunication company, they may not be able to increase research to a high degree if their profit rate cannot match the average profit rate of all industries.

 

What such reflection continues to show is the unsustainability of capitalism and the need to create services on a rational basis of human need, and not the profit rate.

 

Best,
Thushara
24 March 2011

 

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