I do think once it starts, it would snowball very quickly. The most important message is, I believe, that the problem hasn’t been an increase in ‘welfare ´ - which has not increased, but lost ground because of inflation etc - but the ceasing of high rates of taxation for the rich (individuals and corporations). Indeed, they don’t even pay the normal taxation rates, which is grotesque! And yet to make their money they use far more of the collective resources than everybody else. You did SUCH a good job on that, but everyone needs to keep repeating it until it sticks.
There’s also a background story here of the headlong rush into exploiting fossil fuels. Like human slavery, the eternal passion of the rich for getting something for nothing…
Let's not forget corporate welfare like tax incentives, loopholes and subsidies. And let's not forget billion-dollar bailouts when they're on the verge of going bankrupt.
I think you're so right about the narrative. I like the Billionaires Welfare Bill as a narrative. Musk is a giant recipient of corporate welfare and needs to be hammered on that every day. Especially since his product is crappy. How much welfare is he getting for blowing up rocket ships? As far as the literacy goes. When my daughter was young we didn't have much money but she always had books. When those little book buys came around in her elementary classes I would have to limit her to 3 to 5 little books. Then I discovered that she would read any book with an animal in it. So in 2nd to 5th grade she was not just reading The Red Pony and Where The Red Fern Grows (a real tear jerker, my son & I read it aloud together & I could barely get through my part of the reading, I was crying so hard) but I was getting her Stephen King's Cujo and Pet Cemetery. She had an 11th grade reading comprehension level in 5th grade. Find what your kid likes to read and encourage it (I know that's not easy in this time of computers, social media and gaming, etc.)
This is such an important contribution and I think you hit the nail on the head with books. The love of my life led the way with books for our kids and they have never looked back.
Thank you so much. Reading these articles I feel a realignment with the facts. I got into a disagreement with a fellow the other day, who spewed make-believe non-sense at me to support his hero, Donald Trump. Following my despair at this onslaught, my neighbor offered, that he believed Trump was doing a good job. This morning I read more about Palintir and the intricate webbing of Trump, Doge and Peter Thiel's objectives for the future, and I am frightened for this world and the people on it, not just Americans.
The avarice and greed, the decades of corruption on top all the ideology and misinformation has wormed its way to the very core of our country, and it is eating us from the inside out. And so, there I stand on the street with someone who's trying to convince me; I'm a baseless radical, and it's people like me who are responcible for ruining the country. I'm so exhausted, I can barely walk, let alone argue with a Trump minion.
Apparently most Americans are stupid cause they put that criminal demon back in office and he used an illegal immigrant named Elon musk (bet he doesn’t even know the pledge of allegiance) to dismantle our country, so yes. Americans are idiots
Finally. Someone saying it plain: the only welfare Republicans seem to support is corporate.
As a small business owner, I can’t tell you how sick I am of watching these over-wealthy execs get treated like business geniuses when their entire success is built on government contracts, tax loopholes, and backroom deals. They’re so entangled with our government you can’t even tell where the business ends and the bureaucracy begins — and we’re footing the bill for all of it.
When profits dip? They don’t adjust. They don’t improve. They just whine louder until another round of subsidies rolls in. They’ve built entire companies on the assumption that the public will always pick up the slack for their incompetence.
And what do you know? It’s still never enough.
Now they’re blaming us — our healthcare, our needs — like we set the prices and we’re the problem. So what’s their solution? Cut food assistance. Gut healthcare for trans people. Punish the vulnerable — all while handing even more tax breaks to billionaires who lie, cheat, and game the system.
It’s not just greed. It’s rot. And it’s absurd.
They lie, cheat, and call it strategy. I call it a national disgrace.
They walk around like they are the economy — but they’re just parasites with PR firms.
What would happen if we all stopped paying taxes?
What would happen if we stopped buying their crap?
We fund it. We fuel it. We are the reason any of this works — and that means we hold the power to stop it.
They want us distracted, divided, and discouraged — because if we ever really linked arms and said "enough," the whole thing would fall apart.
This is the best analysis of the American society, political, financial and equality problems your country is facing since at least the 1980. Please advise the Democrats, run for President yourself, or bring the unhealthy number of ever growing independents who cannot make any change to the rotten system, bring them to join forces, so that you can save your society and democracy before it will be too late. Worried from north of the border 🇨🇦 good luck USA
Just another hard hit truth, the rich keep getting richer and the poorer getting poorer, how many times have you heard that in music!! 🎶 the message is there, even if people can’t read they understand they now what’s it’s like to see people have money and they struggle to put food on the table and ask why or humble themselves just to get by. I agree we need a team of hard hitters to go against this team of cheaters!!! Time to muscle up, the question is who will build that team and who will be the players?
The United States leads the world in 3 categories. Number of incarcerated citizens per capita. Number of adults (7 out of 10) who believe angels are real. And defense spending. Where the US spends more than the next 10 countries combined. Nine of which are our allies.
In all humility: It is so sad , yet it is true. How do you - then - effectively convey this message to whom? Does the exercise of politics not comprise the will to lead ? Are such politicians rare in the Democratic party? Does it have to be the "Democrats" ? Do they have to "come out" with the fact that people must be governed FOR THE PEOPLE ? Is it just a matter of branding? How did the Afro-Americans gather spirit and pride and possibly many other minorities ? They certainly did not hide behind the facade provided by the oppressors. About SEVENTY years ago the USA overcame McCarthy , but ... not entirely?? Does working for the people still make us susceptible to slander of unknown proportions ? There will have to be persons willing to declare themselves if they want to be taken seriously - and this they need, if they want to govern.
Oh, this is an excellent piece, neatly summarising the economic truth. And not just for the US… thank you.
Is not the message very simple: « Tax the Rich »? I was pleased to see that on many of the signs on No Kings….
No question the answer is to tax the rich, the problem is how and that is extremely complex and difficult in a global economy.
I do have some thoughts, but they are not fully formed because they need international cooperation
I do think once it starts, it would snowball very quickly. The most important message is, I believe, that the problem hasn’t been an increase in ‘welfare ´ - which has not increased, but lost ground because of inflation etc - but the ceasing of high rates of taxation for the rich (individuals and corporations). Indeed, they don’t even pay the normal taxation rates, which is grotesque! And yet to make their money they use far more of the collective resources than everybody else. You did SUCH a good job on that, but everyone needs to keep repeating it until it sticks.
There’s also a background story here of the headlong rush into exploiting fossil fuels. Like human slavery, the eternal passion of the rich for getting something for nothing…
Let's not forget corporate welfare like tax incentives, loopholes and subsidies. And let's not forget billion-dollar bailouts when they're on the verge of going bankrupt.
I think you're so right about the narrative. I like the Billionaires Welfare Bill as a narrative. Musk is a giant recipient of corporate welfare and needs to be hammered on that every day. Especially since his product is crappy. How much welfare is he getting for blowing up rocket ships? As far as the literacy goes. When my daughter was young we didn't have much money but she always had books. When those little book buys came around in her elementary classes I would have to limit her to 3 to 5 little books. Then I discovered that she would read any book with an animal in it. So in 2nd to 5th grade she was not just reading The Red Pony and Where The Red Fern Grows (a real tear jerker, my son & I read it aloud together & I could barely get through my part of the reading, I was crying so hard) but I was getting her Stephen King's Cujo and Pet Cemetery. She had an 11th grade reading comprehension level in 5th grade. Find what your kid likes to read and encourage it (I know that's not easy in this time of computers, social media and gaming, etc.)
This is such an important contribution and I think you hit the nail on the head with books. The love of my life led the way with books for our kids and they have never looked back.
He is not wrong. Nobody wrecks families, lives, businesses, governments, conquers the art of lying and cheating, better than tRump
Best and most through explication of our situation I have seen.
To Martin McSweeney:
Thank you so much. Reading these articles I feel a realignment with the facts. I got into a disagreement with a fellow the other day, who spewed make-believe non-sense at me to support his hero, Donald Trump. Following my despair at this onslaught, my neighbor offered, that he believed Trump was doing a good job. This morning I read more about Palintir and the intricate webbing of Trump, Doge and Peter Thiel's objectives for the future, and I am frightened for this world and the people on it, not just Americans.
The avarice and greed, the decades of corruption on top all the ideology and misinformation has wormed its way to the very core of our country, and it is eating us from the inside out. And so, there I stand on the street with someone who's trying to convince me; I'm a baseless radical, and it's people like me who are responcible for ruining the country. I'm so exhausted, I can barely walk, let alone argue with a Trump minion.
I’m a proud American veteran but ashamed and disgusted with the so called leaders of the world.
Apparently most Americans are stupid cause they put that criminal demon back in office and he used an illegal immigrant named Elon musk (bet he doesn’t even know the pledge of allegiance) to dismantle our country, so yes. Americans are idiots
Finally. Someone saying it plain: the only welfare Republicans seem to support is corporate.
As a small business owner, I can’t tell you how sick I am of watching these over-wealthy execs get treated like business geniuses when their entire success is built on government contracts, tax loopholes, and backroom deals. They’re so entangled with our government you can’t even tell where the business ends and the bureaucracy begins — and we’re footing the bill for all of it.
When profits dip? They don’t adjust. They don’t improve. They just whine louder until another round of subsidies rolls in. They’ve built entire companies on the assumption that the public will always pick up the slack for their incompetence.
And what do you know? It’s still never enough.
Now they’re blaming us — our healthcare, our needs — like we set the prices and we’re the problem. So what’s their solution? Cut food assistance. Gut healthcare for trans people. Punish the vulnerable — all while handing even more tax breaks to billionaires who lie, cheat, and game the system.
It’s not just greed. It’s rot. And it’s absurd.
They lie, cheat, and call it strategy. I call it a national disgrace.
They walk around like they are the economy — but they’re just parasites with PR firms.
What would happen if we all stopped paying taxes?
What would happen if we stopped buying their crap?
We fund it. We fuel it. We are the reason any of this works — and that means we hold the power to stop it.
They want us distracted, divided, and discouraged — because if we ever really linked arms and said "enough," the whole thing would fall apart.
They’ve forgotten who’s really in charge.
Maybe it’s time we reminded them.
This is the best analysis of the American society, political, financial and equality problems your country is facing since at least the 1980. Please advise the Democrats, run for President yourself, or bring the unhealthy number of ever growing independents who cannot make any change to the rotten system, bring them to join forces, so that you can save your society and democracy before it will be too late. Worried from north of the border 🇨🇦 good luck USA
Just another hard hit truth, the rich keep getting richer and the poorer getting poorer, how many times have you heard that in music!! 🎶 the message is there, even if people can’t read they understand they now what’s it’s like to see people have money and they struggle to put food on the table and ask why or humble themselves just to get by. I agree we need a team of hard hitters to go against this team of cheaters!!! Time to muscle up, the question is who will build that team and who will be the players?
The United States leads the world in 3 categories. Number of incarcerated citizens per capita. Number of adults (7 out of 10) who believe angels are real. And defense spending. Where the US spends more than the next 10 countries combined. Nine of which are our allies.
In all humility: It is so sad , yet it is true. How do you - then - effectively convey this message to whom? Does the exercise of politics not comprise the will to lead ? Are such politicians rare in the Democratic party? Does it have to be the "Democrats" ? Do they have to "come out" with the fact that people must be governed FOR THE PEOPLE ? Is it just a matter of branding? How did the Afro-Americans gather spirit and pride and possibly many other minorities ? They certainly did not hide behind the facade provided by the oppressors. About SEVENTY years ago the USA overcame McCarthy , but ... not entirely?? Does working for the people still make us susceptible to slander of unknown proportions ? There will have to be persons willing to declare themselves if they want to be taken seriously - and this they need, if they want to govern.