What does Workers World say?

FIFTY YEARS. Workers World begins its 50th year of publication with this issue.

That’s 50 years of experience that we can use for going into the new year.

What will happen in the coming year cannot be predicted, but we know how it is starting.

The last year was the deadliest yet in the U.S. wars on the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan. Maybe less deadly but not less criminal were the covert U.S. wars, particularly against the peoples of Venezuela and Cuba.

There’s also a war at home against immigrants and the Black community.

It was a deadly year for Black America, as could be seen most graphically in New Orleans. Immigrant communities were battered with military-style raids on homes and workplaces ending in prison, deportation and dismemberment of families.

The economy appears to be heading into a recession. Recession is a mild word for the brutal reality. A recession means that workers are losing their jobs through shutdowns, losing homes in foreclosures and going hungry. Health declines because there’s no affordable care available. Recessions are when labor unions are most needed to defend workers’ rights, so the unions are under the most severe attack.

A recession is an unnatural disaster, something unknown in all history until the rise of capitalism. There’s no natural law saying it has to happen. The only reason there’s a recession is that, to capitalists, their profits are the only thing that matters at the end of the day. Human needs are sacrificed on the altar of big business and Wall Street.

Over the years, during the constant ups and downs of the capitalist economic cycle, the circulation of Workers World newspaper has always risen during recessions. People know that Marx understood capitalism and that only the Marxists can explain what’s going on.

During the coming year, which will be filled with the grandiose speeches and promises of Democratic and Republican politicians running for president, Workers World can be depended on to get to the root of the issues and cut through the politicians’ smoke and mirrors.

Ultimately the problem is not either Republicans or Democrats. The problem is capitalism, and if you don’t understand that you won’t be able to find the solution. The solution can be found in the class struggle against exploitation, racist oppression and imperialist war.

Workers World will show the anti-capitalist solution every time. That’s what we’ve done for 50 years.

Workers World is widely respected both in the U.S. and around the world for its consistent Marxist reporting and analysis. It is common in many political discussions for the question to come up, “What does Workers World say?” We know because we get asked that all the time.

We’ve been able to do this for 50 years, without advertising or rich sponsors, because of a widespread grassroots base of supporters who give contributions to keep us going.

Please join our supporters and give your contribution to Workers World.