One perspective shift for people would be to think about the language we use around these issues. When you talk about “redistribution of wealth” people will clutch their pearls and call you a commie. But redistribution of wealth is happening NOW - it’s just happening from the very poor to the very wealthy. When companies make huge profits off the goods and services made by WORKERS, but all of the money goes to the CEO, that is a transfer of wealth. It used to be less overt, but the transfer of wealth from workers to bosses has grown exponentially over past decades.
I also think it would be proper to think and speak of billionaires as hoarders of wealth. Together they are holding trillions of dollars hostage, keeping it out of circulation where society could use it. They are sociopathic hoarders.
Yes!! Such a good point! We need to find other ways of saying the thing that maybe don't trigger the pearl-clutching anti-commies so much. Billionaires as hoarders of wealth... billionaires and corporations as getting welfare (I think that's how Bernie puts it, right?). Would love to get these messages out!
I hate it SO MUCH. On a happier note, I had an unexpected in-person chat with my conservative Christian parents about toxic theology and Trump and billionaires and Christian nationalism yesterday.
It’s one of my most neurodivergent traits - utter fury at the injustice of billionaires.
“You cannot love God and money”
“Fill up the poor, send the rich away”
“Woe to you who are rich, you have your reward”
“Blessed are those who are poor in spirit”
It is so blatantly obvious that this administration is utterly incompatible with the teachings of Jesus. I’m joining you in calling out the antichrist-like behavior wherever I see it. “Living in sin” is now about greed and domination.
I'm howling with you, Christine!! Morally, it IS unthinkable that any society can allot wealth in such gross extremes. The difference in available resources between a homeless person who has a couple bills and change and Elon Musk boggles the mind. Musk could probably glue together dollar bills end to end and WALK to mars on a money bridge (and may he leave today!)! Remember Adam Smith and the invisible hand of the market distributing goods and services in some magical perfectly balanced way? There may be some truth to that at the micro level, but at the macro level, we now see capitalism has a doomsday flaw: the concentration of industry and wealth into fewer and fewer hands until only a few corporations and a few individuals own nearly everything. This was recognized in Teddy Roosevelt's day and caused him and congress to create antitrust mechanisms to control monopolies and bring the system back into a modicum of balance. But the wealthy have subverted that to such an extent that it is seldom enforced anymore. We need a new mechanism that is automatic and relies less on somebody in government choosing enforcement--a throttle that automatically slows down wealth accumulation at some reasonable number. The only thing I can think of is a simple tax code without loopholes that taxes at 100% above a $billion and that also taxes property and investment holdings in the same way we are charged annual property tax for the luxurious privilege of owning a place to live! We must recognize the extreme wealth imbalance caused by the doomsday flaw in capitalism or we are indeed doomed to an ultimate return to feudalism where a few lords hold everything and the rest of us serfs hold next to nothing.
(side note -- one of the chants at the Tesla protest was, "Send Musk to Mars!" I heartily agree!!)
Gosh, bringing me back to my AP microeconomics class! Yes, if only life were so simple! But greedy corporations and monopolies sure like to ruin everything...
Tax at 100% above 1 billion, yes! And close the loopholes! There are WAYS to do this but we haven't found the political will TO do it!!!
Absolutely.
One perspective shift for people would be to think about the language we use around these issues. When you talk about “redistribution of wealth” people will clutch their pearls and call you a commie. But redistribution of wealth is happening NOW - it’s just happening from the very poor to the very wealthy. When companies make huge profits off the goods and services made by WORKERS, but all of the money goes to the CEO, that is a transfer of wealth. It used to be less overt, but the transfer of wealth from workers to bosses has grown exponentially over past decades.
I also think it would be proper to think and speak of billionaires as hoarders of wealth. Together they are holding trillions of dollars hostage, keeping it out of circulation where society could use it. They are sociopathic hoarders.
Thanks for this!
Yes!! Such a good point! We need to find other ways of saying the thing that maybe don't trigger the pearl-clutching anti-commies so much. Billionaires as hoarders of wealth... billionaires and corporations as getting welfare (I think that's how Bernie puts it, right?). Would love to get these messages out!
HEAR HEAR, Britt!!! Very well said!
Sociopathic hoarders!! Yes!
I hate it SO MUCH. On a happier note, I had an unexpected in-person chat with my conservative Christian parents about toxic theology and Trump and billionaires and Christian nationalism yesterday.
Ah! I want to hear more!! Maybe you'll post about it to the paid subscribers soon :)
I’m going to write about it RIGHT NOW.
I need to pay so I can read all that 🫖 😆
If you can’t afford it, let me know and I’ll send it to you. 🩵
This is the kind of fire and brimstone preaching I’m here for! 🔥💗
👏🏽 👏🏽 👏🏽
A-MEN (...a...WO-men??!?), brother!!!
Joining you for this holy howling!
It’s one of my most neurodivergent traits - utter fury at the injustice of billionaires.
“You cannot love God and money”
“Fill up the poor, send the rich away”
“Woe to you who are rich, you have your reward”
“Blessed are those who are poor in spirit”
It is so blatantly obvious that this administration is utterly incompatible with the teachings of Jesus. I’m joining you in calling out the antichrist-like behavior wherever I see it. “Living in sin” is now about greed and domination.
Yes! And the fury is so intense it -- and the other big-scale injustices we're watching unfold -- feel like an actual physical pain!
I so want to have a total reframe of the "living in sin" notion! How to be more vocal about this; make the holy howling heard somehow??
Also churches should be taxed plus the parsonages.
I'm howling with you, Christine!! Morally, it IS unthinkable that any society can allot wealth in such gross extremes. The difference in available resources between a homeless person who has a couple bills and change and Elon Musk boggles the mind. Musk could probably glue together dollar bills end to end and WALK to mars on a money bridge (and may he leave today!)! Remember Adam Smith and the invisible hand of the market distributing goods and services in some magical perfectly balanced way? There may be some truth to that at the micro level, but at the macro level, we now see capitalism has a doomsday flaw: the concentration of industry and wealth into fewer and fewer hands until only a few corporations and a few individuals own nearly everything. This was recognized in Teddy Roosevelt's day and caused him and congress to create antitrust mechanisms to control monopolies and bring the system back into a modicum of balance. But the wealthy have subverted that to such an extent that it is seldom enforced anymore. We need a new mechanism that is automatic and relies less on somebody in government choosing enforcement--a throttle that automatically slows down wealth accumulation at some reasonable number. The only thing I can think of is a simple tax code without loopholes that taxes at 100% above a $billion and that also taxes property and investment holdings in the same way we are charged annual property tax for the luxurious privilege of owning a place to live! We must recognize the extreme wealth imbalance caused by the doomsday flaw in capitalism or we are indeed doomed to an ultimate return to feudalism where a few lords hold everything and the rest of us serfs hold next to nothing.
Preach it, brother!!
(side note -- one of the chants at the Tesla protest was, "Send Musk to Mars!" I heartily agree!!)
Gosh, bringing me back to my AP microeconomics class! Yes, if only life were so simple! But greedy corporations and monopolies sure like to ruin everything...
Tax at 100% above 1 billion, yes! And close the loopholes! There are WAYS to do this but we haven't found the political will TO do it!!!
Amen!! 🙌