Show Notes
Sean and Andy are joined by historian Daniel Wortel-London to discuss his recent book The Menace of Prosperity: New York City and the Struggle for Economic Development 1865-1981 out now from University of Chicago Press. Without the taxes and jobs generated by wealthy firms and households, we are told, our communities cannot survive. But what if the costs of elite-driven growth outweighed its benefits? What if the wealthy were not the fiscal saviors of American cities, but their assassins? What if relying on the rich to “take care of everyone else” was neither politically nor financially sustainable? And what would all this mean for how our communities should develop economically? His history is particularly timely as the Mamdani administration tries, within the bounds of political economy, to open up what Daniel calls the 'fiscal imaginary' of what is possible on a municipal level.
Song: Mobb Deep - Shook Ones Part II
More from This Wreckage
Sean and Varn continue to discuss the current energy crisis, broadening out from current events to talk about the context and ramifications: US blob's energy war against BRICS, European industrial collapse and bankruptcy of the Atlanticist center, bond market chaos and more. This is an extended preview of a much longer episode. To access the full episode and tons of other bonus content become a patron at www.patreon.com/thiswreckage
Joshua Frank, an investigative journalist and editor at Counterpunch, talks to us about his new book Bad Energy: The AI Hucksters, Rogue Lithium Extractors, and Wind Industrialists Who Are Selling Off Our Future! Support the show at http://patreon.com/thiswreckage for the FUN HALF! in which we give our takes on the climate satire that's driving X dead-enders insane: DIGGER! More from Joshua Frank at Counterpunch Jasper Bernes piece mentioned: https://communemag.com/between-the-devil-and-the-green-new-deal/ Thea Riofrancos piece mentioned: https://viewpointmag.com/2019/05/16/plan-mood-battlefield-reflections-on-the-green-new-deal/ Song: Juice WRLD - Bad Energy
Get the Zine at https://www.patreon.com/ParaPowerMapping
Our French correspondent, Henry JK Wallis calls in to talk about the student riots throughout France. For the full episdoe, support the show at http://patreon.com/thiswreckage
The "RED ENGINEER" Nick Chavez returns to the Wreckage to discuss his Heatwave Magazine contribution, The Black Box of Production. The essay explains how technical expertise is divided within the capitalist production process, and how it must be redistributed and transformed during revolution for the construction of communism. Support our show at http://patreon.com/c/thiswreckage Read the essay at Heatwavemag.info: https://heatwavemag.info/magazine/issue03/black-box-of-production/ Subscribe to Heatwave! https://www.patreon.com/HeatwaveMag Check out FOREST AND FACTORY: https://www.endnotes.org.uk/palabre/forest-and-factory and our episode on it: https://www.patreon.com/thiswreckage/posts/e236-forest-and-96073396 Song: The Beths - Expert in a Dying Field