OMNI
US OLIGARCHY ANTHOLOGY #1
Compiled by Dick Bennett for a Culture of Peace, Justice, and
Equality
January 20, 2025
What’s at Stake: This is the first OMNI anthology to be
entitled “oligarchy,” but the reality of inordinate power of a few unelected individuals
and corporations ruling the US government is familiar under a variety of labels. See my anthologies, including on Capitalism, Climate
Crisis, Cold War, Citizens United, Control of Information, Culture of
War, Democracy, Economic Inequality, Fascism, Gaza, Gerrymandering, Imperialism,
Israel, Military-Industrial-Congressional-Presidential Complex, NATO, Neocon, Right
Wing, Ukraine War, Unions, Wars. Resistance is also already familiar, to
name a few topics: Common Dreams, Consortium News, Critical
Thinking, Merchants of Death Tribunal, Move to Amend, Peacemakers, Public
Citizen.
CONTENTS
Signs of the US Oligarchy
AP. Biden’s
Farewell Address. What Is an Oligarchy?
Thom Hartmann. The Hidden History of American Oligarchy:
Reclaiming Our Democracy from the Ruling Class.
2021.
Oxfam. Carbon
emissions of richest 1%.
Margaret Kimberley. “Joe Biden’s Terrible Legacy.”
Kathleen Wallace. “The Oligarchs Quit Listening Long Ago.”
Ben Norton.
“U.S. Government
Bailout of Silicon Valley and Banks is $300B gift to Rich Oligarchs.”
Morgan Artyukhina. “Corporations and billionaires are bankrolling Trump’s
Inauguration.”
Ben Norton. “AMLO [President
Andrés Manuel López Obrador] says Mexico is More Democratic than Oligarch-run
USA.”
Tamara Pearson. “The Horrific Scam
that Water Billionaires are Running on Poor Countries.”
Prabhat Patnaik. “Economic Response to U.S. imperialism.”
Rachel
Hu and Chris Garaffa. “To What Extent
Was January 6 a Ruling Class Conspiracy?”
Cormac Mills Ritchard.
“Billionaires Go Bunkers.”
Resistance
Reverse Citizens United and Affirm We the People.
Billionaire Minimum Tax Act.
Protecting Electoral Democracy:
Stop Gerrymandering.
Defending Secretaries of State.
Rivera Sun. The Dandelion
Insurrection.
TEXTS (10)
“Biden
Says US Risks Becoming an ‘Oligarchy? ‘ What does the term mean?” By JOSH BOAK, AP. Updated 3:49 PM CST, January 16, 2025. WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe
Biden in
his Wednesday farewell speech to the nation warned that American democracy was sliding into an “oligarchy” of tech billionaires. But what exactly is
an oligarchy?
What is an oligarchy? In short, an oligarchy is an elite few who control the government’s
actions. By using the pointedly
negative term “oligarchy,” Biden equated this moment — when the world’s
wealthiest men are feting President-elect Donald Trump — with some of history’s more brutal
regimes. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to cohost a Trump inaugural
reception with wealthy Republican donors next week. Amazon Prime Video, which
was founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, got exclusive licensing rights to stream and
theatrically release first lady Melania Trump ‘s new documentary. Meta,
Amazon and OpenAI CEO Sam
Altman last month donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. And
billionaire Elon
Musk’s super PAC spent around $200 million to help elect Trump.
But Biden made a complicated assertion as both
Republicans and Democrats have relied on Silicon Valley fortunes to boost their
political ambitions.
What are the term’s
origins?Like many words in
politics, oligarchy originates from Ancient Greek and quite literally means
that few command. But unlike an aristocracy, an oligarchy is more closely tied
to wealth than nobility and family lineage.
The philosopher Aristotle wrote in his book “Politics” that “democracy
is safer and more free from civil strife than oligarchy; for in oligarchies two
kinds of strife spring up, faction between different members of the oligarchy
and also faction between the oligarchs and the people.”
What are some examples
of oligarchies?Multiple countries have
been labeled oligarchies by academics. After the break-up of the Soviet
Union in 1991, former state assets
and other institutions came under the control of increasingly wealthy
businessmen who became known as billionaire oligarchs. The mix of profits and politics that began
under then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin gave way to crackdowns by President
Vladimir Putin, who has his own
favored oligarchs and pledged to let them keep their fortunes so long as they
are loyal to him. With its legacy of
colonialism and powerful families, the Philippines has been accused of being an
oligarchy, with its former President Rodrigo Duterte claiming to have dismantled the system. Critics said he simply gave preferences to a
different set of oligarchs. Apartheid-era
South Africa was also seen by some academics as having a white racial
oligarchy.Even before Biden’s speech, the rising wealth gap in the United
States — as well as in China — raised concerns about whether the
world’s two largest economies were becoming oligarchies. Associated Press writers Lindsey Bahr and
Dan Merica contributed. JOSH BOAK covers the White House
and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013.
[Biden’s farewell criticism of oligarchic
control of the US parallels Pres. Eisenhower’s farewell criticism of the
military-industrial complex’s control.
Ike received and Biden is receiving considerable praise for speaking out
the truth about these extraordinary dangers to representative government, especially
in conjunction, but one is less enthusiastic when recalling their long delay in
denouncing what was widely known, until the last minute, until they were saying
goodbye, until they no longer could do anything meaningful to correct the evils
they finally acknowledged, and until they could not be punished politically for
telling the truth. –Dick]
Thom Hartmann.
The Hidden History of American
Oligarchy: Reclaiming Our Democracy from the Ruling Class. 2021.
Here’s the publisher’s description:
Thom Hartmann,
the most popular progressive radio host in America and a New York Times
bestselling author, looks at the history of the battle against oligarchy in
America--and how we can win the latest round.
Billionaire oligarchs want to own our republic, and they're nearly there thanks
to legislation and Supreme Court decisions that they have essentially bought.
They put Trump and his political allies into office and support a vast network of think tanks,
publications, and social media that every day push our nation closer and closer
to police-state tyranny.
The United States was born in a struggle against the oligarchs of the British
aristocracy, and ever since then the history of America has been one of dynamic
tension between democracy and oligarchy. And much like the shock of the 1929
crash woke America up to glaring inequality and the ongoing theft of democracy
by that generation's oligarchs, the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has laid bare how extensively oligarchs have looted our
nation's economic system, gutted governmental institutions, and stolen the wealth
of the former middle class.
Thom Hartmann traces the history of this struggle against oligarchy from
America's founding to the United States' war with the feudal Confederacy to
President Franklin Roosevelt's struggle against "economic royalists,"
who wanted to block the New Deal. In each of those cases, the oligarchs lost
the battle. But with increasing right-wing control of the media, unlimited
campaign contributions, and a conservative takeover of the judicial system,
we're at a crisis point.
Now is the time for action, before we flip into tyranny. We've beaten
the oligarchs before, and we can do it again. Hartmann
lays out practical measures we can take to break up media monopolies, limit
the influence of money in politics, reclaim the wealth stolen over decades by
the oligarchy, and build a movement that will return control of America to We
the People.
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Thanks, Dick, for this information. Belated
Easter greetings!
I will get this book. Since the time of the
muckrakers in the late 19th and early 20th century, there have been exposes of
this oligarchic trend. The question is how to organize, how to pressure
Congress and state legislatures to close the loopholes and stop this oligarchic
corruption. How to elect progressive legislators is the most urgent need. Next to information/knowledge, we need
know-how to organize and mobilize communities...
Stay safe,
Sonny San Juan
Carbon
emissions of richest 1% increase hunger, poverty, deaths
Research by Oxfam found that the world’s 50
richest billionaires produce on average more carbon emissions in under three
hours than the average British person does in their entire lifetime.
Their analysis also shows that the past three decades of
consumption emissions of this wealthy group have caused global economic output
to fall by $2.9tn and crop losses equivalent to the caloric needs of 14.5
million people a year. The wealthiest
1% – who tend to live climate-insulated, air-conditioned lives, mostly in the
Global North – produce as much carbon pollution as the 5 billion people who
make up the poorest and most vulnerable two-thirds of the human population, who
predominantly live in poorer countries in the Global South. Pub. in OMNI newsletter 1-17-25.
“Joe Biden’s Terrible Legacy” by Margaret Kimberley. Mronline.org (1-18-25).
The moniker “Genocide Joe” is well
deserved and one that Joe Biden can never live down, along with any other names
that describe the damage he brought to the country and to the world. His legacy
is that in every position he held, he was a happy servant for imperialist and
neo-liberal interests, like all of his white house predecessors.
KATHLEEN WALLACE. “The Oligarchs Quit Listening Long Ago.”
FEBRUARY
9, 2024.
Not feeling heard? Almost as if there is no
representation for your deeply held beliefs and concerns? That’s probably
because in the America of 2024, there really isn’t anyone in power who is
listening. There has always been a disconnect between the rulers and the
masses, an iron fist being utilized to keep the rabble in check, but
tragi-comically, many Americans, especially those in more protected
demographics over the years, have earnestly believed that their beliefs and
goals were being considered by those elected officials they put in office. It’s
clearly a more recent phenomenon that much of the population is learning that
the needs of the average citizen are of little concern to those in power. The
tribal affiliations of party have kept the hordes at bay, ensuring that
pitchforks are never turned on the powerful, but instead are used against
others in similar situations. Average Americans fight over social issues
designed to tweak the amygdala for fear hits, narrowing the ability to see and
react to a broader reality.
Many factors have been at play to dissolve
what small voice the average citizen had in the America of decades past, but
perhaps Jimmy Carter said it best in 2015 when he called the United
States “an oligarchy with unlimited political bribery”. He was referring to the
horrific Citizens United Supreme Court ruling in 2010. When an
individual who occupied the highest level of power in this nation utters a
statement like that, it’s clearly not your imagination that the will of the
people is not seeping past corporate edifice. . . .
We are now getting used to this lack of
representation, but we should never cede the common sense that tells you it’s
bizarre, sickening, and not remotely how a society should operate. If leaders
are not there to represent the goals of the citizens, what purpose do they
have? They are nothing but organized crime heads protecting the “unlimited
political bribery” Carter spoke of.
And this lack of voice the majority of
individuals have in the United States is only becoming more pronounced. In 2023
(third quarter stats), the individuals in the lowest 50% income bracket had
only 2.6% of the wealth. Those income and wealth disparity numbers are
absolutely incredible and untenable. Anti-wage growth boogeymen have been
bandied about as threats for inflation, when it is clear that rampant corporate
greed is the root cause of that predicament. The fact that so many cannot keep
their heads above water with one, two, hell maybe more jobs is an indictment of
our whole capitalist experiment. It is nothing but inherent instability with
leaders not listening to citizens and continuing to make their lives more
difficult. All this while fueling lateral hostilities–it just can’t end well.
Having no power to enact change creates a
stifling and tragic life; it can make one feel like nothing more than a
farmed-out commodity. I’d say all Americans not in the top 5% know they have
little to no control of their government in a tangible manner. This would
explain the record depression Americans are suffering from. I’d even go so far
as to say that this lack of control in the populace was a huge key in some of
the more unhinged conspiracy theory developments over the last several years.
At least thinking you are privy to some secret knowledge gives a sense of
purpose and volition. The actual situation, that is, a conspiracy very much in
front of your face, not hidden in adrenochrome fever fantasies is simply more
difficult to comprehend. Most want a reality that has an evil few that can be
taken down, more comic book narrative, than to know that the entire foundation
is antithetical to human progress and life—well that’s a whole new level of
angst.
So what are the politicians doing right now if
not our bidding? Stoking nativist hostilities for one, proposing standalone
Israeli government giveaways to the tune of 17.6 billion (because entering into
a ten-year, 38 billion gift package in 2016 just wasn’t enough). For reference,
Housing and Urban Development estimates it would take 20 billion to end
homelessness in this nation, so we do have some things we could be doing with
that pocket change. But anyway….our dear President Biden has been working on a few
items “for us”. This week he shook his fist at the sky on the White House lawn
in regard to airlines charging families a fee to sit together. That man has his
finger on the pulse of the nation, doesn’t he? This after an earlier proposal
to ban “junk fees” from concert tickets and hotel rooms. He said “these junk
fees may not matter much to the wealthy, but they sure matter to working folks
in homes like the one I grew up in.” I can’t speak to the trauma of the Biden
household when Ticketmaster added a service fee on the Jenny Lind tour, but I’m
sure it was a hardship.
It’s almost as if they aren’t even trying to
fool the public that they are working on anything to make life better (or at
the very least stop funding frank barbarism). But there is something of a
freedom in dropping pretense. Where we go with that knowledge is the looming
question.
Kathleen Wallace writes out of the US Midwest. Her
writing is collected on her Substack page.
“U.S. Government Bailout of Silicon Valley and Banks is
$300B gift to Rich Oligarchs.”
Editor. Mronline.org (4-2-23).
By Ben Norton (Posted Mar
21, 2023). Originally published: Geopolitical Economy Report on March 19, 2023 (more
by Geopolitical
Economy Report).
Capitalism, Empire, Imperialism, Political EconomyAmericas, United StatesNewswireSilicon Valley Bank.
The U.S. government
printed $300 billion in a week to save collapsing banks and bail out Silicon
Valley oligarchs and venture capital firms, paying them all of their uninsured
deposits. Meanwhile, some of the very
same Silicon Valley tycoons who benefited from this bailout have tried to
cynically rebrand themselves as subversive populists, claiming they are
fighting against the big Wall Street banks with which they have closely
collaborated. . . . MORE
Morgan
Artyukhina. “Corporations and billionaires are
bankrolling Trump’s Inauguration.” Editor.
mronline.org (1-19-25).
Their message is clear: When Trump takes the
presidential oath of office on Jan. 20, his job is to work for them.
Originally published: Liberation News on January 15, 2025 by
(more by Liberation News). (Posted Jan 18, 2025). Capitalism, Empire, Imperialism, StrategyAmericas, United StatesNewswireElon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, President Elect Donald
Trump, U.S. Presidential
Inauguration.
Some of the richest
people in the country have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Donald
Trump’s presidential inaugural committee. It’s a reminder to Trump, as he
begins his second presidential term, who is the real power behind the throne.
Coronating a capitalist executive
According to recent media reports, the
presidential inaugural committee, which is set up to finance and coordinate the
varied balls, dinners, and general pomp and circumstance of the presidential
inauguration, has swollen to more than a record $170 million and is expected to
hit $200 million. This colossal amount of money is nearly twice what Trump
collected for his first presidential inauguration in 2017, which was itself
nearly twice what his predecessor, Barack Obama, collected ahead of his 2009
inauguration: $53 million.
The money has come
from some of the wealthiest people in the country, many of whom have coughed up
millions of dollars each. . . . MORE
Ben Norton. “AMLO [President Andrés Manuel López Obrador] says Mexico
is More Democratic than Oligarch-run USA, Condemns State Dep’t ‘Meddling’
against Electoral Reform.” Editor. Mronline.org (3-11-23).
By
Posted Mar 10, 2023). Originally published: Geopolitical Economy
Report on March 8, 2023 (more
by Geopolitical Economy Report).
Democracy, Ideology, Philosophy, State RepressionAmericas, Mexico, United StatesNewswireEnrique Peña Nieto, Felipe
Calderón, INE, PAN, President Andrés Manuel López
Obrador (AMLO), PRI.
Responding to State Department criticism of Mexico’s
popular electoral reform, President AMLO denounced U.S. “meddling”, support for
coups, and the Monroe Doctrine. He said, “There is more democracy today in
Mexico than in the United States… because here the people govern, and there the
oligarchy govern”.
Tamara Pearson. “The
horrific Scam that Water billionaires are Running on Poor Countries.” Counter Punch (March 21, 2022). Editor.
Mronline.org (4-14-22).
Mega corporations like Coca-Cola,
Pepsi, and Danone are making around 494 times what they spend by bottling water
in Mexico and selling it back to locals who have no choice but to buy it.
Environment, Imperialism, Inequality, StrategyGlobal, MexicoNewswireCoca-Cola, Danone, Pepsi. In exchange for taking Mexico’s water,
Mexicans give water bottling corporations US$66 billion a year. Coca Cola, Pepsi,
Danone, Nestle, Bimbo, and other bottling and junk food companies extract
over 133 billion liters of water, and then dump
at least 119 billion liters of contaminated water back into water basins and
aquifers.
Inequality in access to water. Mexico is a dry country, and water is limited.
. . . MORE
Prabhat
Patnaik. “Economic Response to
U.S. imperialism.”
U.S. imperialism in short believes
that it can do whatever it likes, that it is a law unto itself.
Originally published: Peoples Democracy on January 19, 2025 (more
by Peoples
Democracy).
Capitalism, Democracy, Empire, ImperialismAmericas, United StatesNewswireBRICS
THE imperialist
countries led by the U.S. have been imposing unilateral sanctions that do not
have any backing from the United Nations against countries that dare to defy
their diktat. . . . {Does
not mention oligarchy, but investigates a few of its features.}
Rachel Hu and Chris Garaffa. “To What Extent Was January 6 a Ruling Class Conspiracy?” CovertAction
Bulletin. July 6, 2022. https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/07/06/covertaction-bulletin-to-what-extent-was-january-6-a-ruling-class-conspiracy/
The
January 6 hearings and this term’s Supreme Court decisions are exposing the
right-wing nature of the U.S. state and its institutions. January 6 was plotted
in the open and with the apparent support of the highest levels of government,
and many questions remain unanswered: why were the Capitol Police so
outnumbered? Who donated the massive amounts of money required to mobilize in
the days and weeks before? And more. We
are joined by anthropologist Rae Jereza, whose work focuses on social media,
content moderation and the far right.
“Billionaires go bunkers.”
Originally published: Red Flag on March 17, 2024 by Cormac Mills Ritchard (more by Red
Flag) | (Posted Mar
19, 2024). Environment, Inequality, Movements, StrategyGlobalNewswire
. . .Rewind back to
the present day. “Honestly”, former president of the American Chamber of
Commerce in Latvia J.C. Cole explains to Douglas Rushkoff, author of Survival of the Richest, “I am less concerned about gangs with guns
than the woman at the end of the driveway holding a baby and asking for food. I
don’t want to be in that moral dilemma”. You might live out the apocalypse in
style, but will you be able to feel good about it?
This is where Cole’s
niche comes in. He’s one of the many entrepreneurs marketing bunkers and
militarised retreats for the wealthy, but with a spin—he’ll give you a good
conscience while the world burns. As Rushkoff explains, “for US$3 million,
investors not only get a maximum security compound”, but also a stake in a
network of local farm franchises that would do their best to “ensure there are
as few hungry children at the gate as possible”.
Strangely, Cole hasn’t
yet managed to convince anyone to invest. Perhaps he underestimates how willing
his target market would be to use their guns and guard dogs to deal with any
desperate people who might appear in their driveways, rather than bothering
with farming franchises or anything else that might help those people survive.
Around the world,
private islands, secluded valleys and remote pastures are disappearing behind
the walls of luxury compounds. By buying them, the super rich hope to insulate
themselves—not only from blast, heat and radiation, but from the consequences of
their actions. And as all the biggest bunker-builders know, the best insulation
isn’t the kind of “communitarian spirit” Rushkoff attributes to Cole’s venture.
It’s bullets and fire. . . .
Another project of
Corbi’s was Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani’s US$4.8 billion Mumbai residence. The skyscraper features an artificial snow room, allowing
Ambani to enjoy a winter wonderland even as his company—owner of the largest
oil refinery in the world—helps strip the snow from Kashmir and the Himalayas.
The right kind of bunker can insulate you not only from guilt, but from the
warming world you have created.
Last December WIRED published
an in-depth investigation into the construction of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s
huge compound in Hawaii. Replete with tree houses, an estate 80 percent the
size of Sydney’s CBD and a bunker twice the size of the average Australian
home, the compound is likely to cost over A$400 million. Following WIRED’s
reportage, interest has spiked in these colossal projects, the Daily Mail asking,
What do they know? World’s billionaires are
building bunkers and assembling fortresses outside their mansions.
FIGHTING BACK
See Hartmann above: “Hartmann lays
out practical measures we can take to break up media monopolies, limit the influence
of money in politics, reclaim the wealth stolen over decades by the oligarchy,
and build a movement that will return control of America to We the People.”
Campaigns to Reverse Citizens United and
to Affirm the We the People Amendment.
Reverse the Citizens United Supreme
Court Ruling and affirm the We the People Amendment. Thanks to your continued efforts, we’ve
made incredible progress on H.J.R 54, the We the People Amendment. As of today, we’ve reached 89
cosponsors + our lead sponsor, Rep. Pramila Jayapal!
“It’s Time to Act: Demand Your Representative
Support the #WeThePeopleAmendment!”
Move to Amend Dick
--
As Congress convened
on January 3, 2025, and Inauguration Day unfolds today, January
20, we are reminded of the glaring divide in this country. The inauguration,
while presented as a moment of unity and power, is ultimately a sham—a
spectacle where corporate interests and billionaires remain in
control, pushing policies that serve the wealthiest few rather than the needs
of the many.
For 15 years, the Citizens
United v. FEC decision has allowed corporate money to flood our
elections, drowning out the voices of everyday people. In 2024, $20
billion was spent—largely by a handful of billionaires and corporate
PACs—shaping an election cycle that was anything but free and fair. This is not
a democracy in the truest sense, but rather a system where the rich and
powerful dominate, and the rest of us are left behind. . . . .The We the People Amendment is
that path forward, a critical measure to end corporate personhood and strip
corporations of their undue influence. Rep. Pramila Jayapal is
set to reintroduce the We the People Amendment in the 119th
Congress, and now more than ever, we must raise our voices in support.
How
You Can Help: Use One Click Politics to
demand your representative co-sponsor the We the People Amendment once
it is reintroduced. Your voice is crucial to creating the groundswell of
support needed [Click this link].
Billionaire Minimum Income Tax Act.
“The Ultra-Rich need to pay what they owe this country.” Patriotic Millionaires info@patrioticmillionaires.org 7-28-22 [Who are they?]
Dick,
In the first two years of the coronavirus pandemic while
more than 1,000,000 Americans were dying, the country’s billionaires grew their
wealth (and frankly their power) by $2.1 trillion dollars --
that’s 70%![1] While most
Americans are tightening the purse strings and feeling the daily pain of record
high inflation -- basically a tax on the poor and middle class -- billionaires
like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are both watching their riches increase and
paying almost no taxes.
In
fact, Bezos and Musk -- two of the richest and most powerful people in the
world -- pay a lower tax rate than almost every other working American. YOU pay
taxes on every single paycheck, every dollar of wages that you earn, THEY can
earn millions year after year and NEVER PAY A DIME OF WHAT THEY OWE. Thanks to this double-standard, America’s
700+ billionaires pay an average of just 8 percent in taxes on their total
income. And thanks to this ultra-low tax rate, the uber-rich are able to
accumulate more and more money to meddle in our elections and rig the economy
in their favor.
Today,
Reps. Steve Cohen (TN) and Don Beyer (VA) are introducing the Billionaire
Minimum Income Tax Act, based on a plan recently proposed by President
Biden. This tax would force America’s ultra rich -- the richest 0.01%
-- to pay taxes every year just like regular working people.
They
owe this country a lot more, but 20% is a good start.
The Billionaire
Minimum Income Tax would only apply to American households with a net
worth over $100 million and would not affect the 99.99% of households with a
net worth below $100 million. This monumental legislation provides a fix to our
discriminatory tax code that favors income from wealth over work, and helps
slow the out of control growth of wealth inequality that is threatening our
democracy.
We
need more members of Congress supporting and co-sponsoring this bill to fight
drastic inequality and the threat of billionaires buying our elections, both
major issues in the upcoming midterm elections.
The
majority of Americans, across party lines, favor increasing taxes on the
ultra-wealthy. Congress needs to listen to the voters and tax billionaires.
Thank
you for all you do,
Morris Pearl, Chair, Patriotic Millionaires
[1]U.S. Billionaire Wealt Surged by 70 Percent,
or $2.1 Trillion, During Pandemic. - Institute for Policy Studies
PAID FOR
BY PATRIOTIC MILLIONAIRES
Billionaire Minimum Income Tax Act 118th
Congress (2023 ...
Congress.gov https://www.congress.gov ›
bill › house-bill › text
A bill to amend the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to impose a minimum tax on certain wealthy
taxpayers that takes into account unrealized gains.
Billionaire Minimum Income Tax
Congressman Steve Cohen (.gov) https://cohen.house.gov ›
sites › evo-subsites › files
Summary: This bill would
enact President Biden's request for a 20% minimum income tax on the very
wealthiest taxpayers. As outlined in the Administration's ... 2 pages
FACT SHEET: The President's Budget Cuts Taxes
for ...
The
White House (.gov) https://www.whitehouse.gov › 2024/03/11 › fact-sheet-t...
Mar 11,
2024 — Since taking office, President Biden has fought to build a
fairer tax system that rewards
work, not wealth; asks the wealthiest Americans ...
Congressmen Cohen and Beyer Reintroduce the Billionaire
...
Don Beyer (.gov) https://beyer.house.gov › news › documentsingle Nov 29,
2023 — Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-9) and Don Beyer (VA-8) today
reintroduced the Billionaire Minimum Income Tax Act with 60 of
their Congressional ...
Harris Unrealized Capital Gains Tax Proposal
Tax Foundation https://taxfoundation.org › Blog Sep 4,
2024 — Learn more about the VP Kamala Harris unrealized capital
gains tax proposal, otherwise
known as the Harris billionaire minimum tax.
DEFENDING DEMOCRATIC SECRETARIES OF STATE
About ten years ago I read Benjamin Hett’s
book, The Death of Democracy, about how Hitler reached the
Chancellorship by gaining control of one institution at a time legally.
Several years ago I began reading about the Republican campaign—called ALEC—to
gain control of state governments. Later I read an article about one rich
Republican who had dedicated his fortune and time to replacing Democratic Party
Secretaries of State by Republicans. Finally I realized how crucial was that office in sustaining a fair electoral
system. During this past election I received several solicitations from
DASS, the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State. And today
a solicitation from their Exec. Dir., Travis Brimm, reports the good news that
in the last Nov. election every democratic Secretary of State was reelected,
and the flood of unjustified electoral challenges by Republicans had been
reduced. DASS, P.O. Box 96511, Washington, DC 20077.
Brennan
Center for Justice https://www.brennancenter.org › research-reports ›
gerr...
Aug 10,
2021 — Gerrymandering is deeply undemocratic. Every 10
years, states redraw their legislative and congressional district lines
following the census.
“Gerrymandering is a threat to democracy.” PCAF 5-8-21.
With the results of the Census
coming in, we know that some states will add Members in Congress and others
will lose. But the real battle for party
control is driven by the redistricting fights that set the boundaries of each
congressional district. And the new House of Representatives districts are
being drawn by self-interested, partisan state legislatures. We know that extreme partisan gerrymandering
distorts the will of the people, creating absurdly-shaped districts that
protect incumbents and minimize the electoral power of Black, brown, and poor
people. That’s why we’re fighting for H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which requires independent redistricting commissions. Thousands of PCAF activists have written to Congress
demanding H.R. 1, but we need your help to stay in the fight. Can you chip in
today? MORE
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