Randy Steinhauer
Randy Steinhauer (a.k.a. “Radical Randy”) is an Edmonton activist and author of The Edmonton Social Justice/Activist Contact & Resource Handbook.
Recent post stories by Randy Steinhauer
Marketing a Myth: the Selling of Neoliberalism
The economic transformation of the 1960s and 70s didn't happen by accident. At that time, it looked as if the movements for social justice had led to an ever-increasing share of the economic pie for ordinary workers, but the '80s witnessed a massive structural economic shift to the right in favour of entrenched wealth and power. The rise of neoliberal market-fundamentalist economics in the past few decades is usually presented as an inescapable economic reality. In fact, it was the result of a well-financed, well-organized assault on the public by wealthy elites and their political and media allies.Born to fail: Neoliberalism and the meltdown
The recent global meltdown revealed the new economic order to be a financial house of cards. This should come as no great shock since the justification underpinning it is itself built on an intellectual house of cards. The only really surprising thing about the crash is that it took so long to happen. The market collapse was not an anomaly but rather a natural consequence—an inevitability contained within the contradictions and absurd premises of the neoliberal capitalism the world's governments have blindly pursued for the last several decades.Global boomerang: The price of greed
Many have considered the crowning achievement of so-called “free-market” neoliberal economics to be the global integration of trade and investment, presented as the best hope for raising the standard of living for the impoverished masses around the world. Nowhere has this been more obvious than in the push for “free-trade” agreements and open investment by international financial institutions.Lefty Liberals?
Conservative biases have confused our use of the term
Barack Obama’s choice of Wall Street insiders for financial advice and his plans for an Afghanistan troop surge should remind us not to conflate "liberal" with "left-wing progressive."Free Market Farce
Our economic system is supposedly underpinned by economist Adam Smith's supply- and-demand principles. The modern incarnation of this philosophy is the corporation, which is relentlessly promoted by our political, economic, and media elites as the embodiment of the free market.The con of the neo-cons
North America's conservatives manipulate voters by stirring up emotional debates about values, religion
How do they do it? How do right-wing conservative parties, whose only major objective is the pursuit of policies that benefit the corporations and the wealthy, get elected? The 9/11 attacks certainly electorally aided the former U.S. President George Bush, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper used fear to sell the ongoing Afghanistan occupation. But by far, the favourite solution for politicians in both countries has been to climb on board the "values" bandwagon.Modern Islamic Fundamentalism
A closer look at a neglected history
To onlookers from outside, it appears as unjustified rage. But by examining recent history, we see that there are many reasons behind the recent growth of militancy in the Islamic world.Hot economy, lukewarm wages
True to Alberta's labour history, workers continue to be undervalued in spite of the boom
During the last two decades of the 20th century, worker productivity doubled. Meanwhile people have seen their real wages stagnate or decline in real terms since the mid-70s. A Canada-wide study, The Rich and the Rest of Us: The Changing Face of Canada's Growing Gap, examined Canadian incomes over the past three decades. It found that everyone except the upper 10 per cent of the population has been working longer hours while most of the economic gains have gone to this top group. The lowest half of the population showed a drop in their share of total income.Search the Post
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