I believe that the new “Democratic Socialist” members of the US Congress have their hearts in the right place, but not their heads. Like them, I too believe that our federal government should do more and spend more to help make the lives of our citizens better just like our traditional allies do. However, there has never been a truly “socialist” economy in the history of the world which was ever able to produce enough wealth to meet the basic needs of its citizens. It has never worked. So, it is foolish to call yourself a socialist. You are just giving conservatives a new insult to call you.
A lot has been said about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s proposal to tax the INCOME of those earning over $10 million/year by 70%. The problem with this is that we need to start seriously taxing accumulated WEALTH because that is where we can get enough revenue to pass a Canadian-style national health insurance program to cover and greatly help about 95% of Americans. I propose a “National Wealth Tax” of 10% on all individuals with a net-wealth and net-worth of $10 million and higher. This will generate many, many times more revenue than what Ocasio-Cortez is proposing.
It is possible that we might have a much more equal and a truly “socialist” society one day, but that day is at least 1,000-2,000 years away. We will all have to evolve and transform spiritually, emotionally, and mentally into much more loving, caring, giving, empathetic, compassionate, and altruistic human beings before we are ready for that. Right now, we are too individualistic, too materialistic, too selfish, too self-centered, too self-absorbed, too “full of ourselves,” and too much into believing that we are “all that” for it to work.
Because, as the philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wisely observed, humankind is presently at the spiritual, emotional, and mental level of a 12-year-old child. Sometimes I think that it is more like a 7-year-old child. And I include myself in that because I fall short of being the kind of human being that I can be and should be every day of my life.
Stewart B. Epstein, Rochester, N.Y.
It is a known fact that has historical significance and has essentially proven to be a “truism” of sorts: the concentration of a power of few diminishes and threatens the lives of the many. The recent acknowledgement of China’s facsimile of all his nation’s people, Xi Jinping, making himself the lifetime president, shall result in a dictatorial regime similar to the Oligarchy run by Putin in the Soviet Union. The fairly recent spread of authoritarian leaders throughout the globe is and should be a frightening situation that threatens humanity and civilization itself.
Our own nation is an example of the concerted efforts over the past half-century-plus of our wealthiest corporations and politically connected who have corrupted every governmental entity via buying the decision making process (politicians). Our wealthiest top 1% have assets/wealth equivalent, to our entire middle class and poorest amongst us (95%). We’ve ceased being a democracy when our wealthiest and corrupted affluent deemed it was essential to negate every single advancement fought for and attained post World War II (since 1945) to the mid-1970s that benefited an entire nation’s populace with increased standards for all its citizenry (from the richest to our poorest). We’ve ceased being a nation of “caring and sharing” to an out-of-control absolute unequivocal plutocracy en route, under the present administration, to becoming an absolute, unequivocal oligarchy, just like Putin’s regime.
Throughout the annals of human history forward with societal reprobates, such as Hannibal, Genghis Khan, and Attila the Hun, and inclusive within modern history, there is a multitude of equal “scum” (scurrilous, corrupted, unabashed, malfeasants) — Stalin, Pol Pot, Hitler and the Putins and Trumps of the world that pillage their nations in an equally treacherous manner with the control of power that threatens an entire middle class and the very least amongst us.
The aforementioned list throughout human history has and continues to be (2018) predominantly males. If that predominant power structure of “male governance” does not change, neither shall all the negative character traits, initiated, instigated, propagated, and perpetuated by them change as well, until there exists “by demand” the equally weighted “Voices and Votes with parity (50% male, 50% female) in the governance and oversight of all tax funded entitles throughout the entire nation expeditiously.
One need only look at the statistical information regarding all crimes and corruption within the United States and the overwhelming numbers show it’s predominantly male perpetrated
Frank C. Rohlig, Milford, Conn.
Is the multitude of bad decisions and FUBAR (fouled up beyond all repair) government we have experienced in the past two years all attributable to President Trump — hardly. It is the product of all GOP politicos who have sworn fealty to Trump and stand mute as he and the republican party systemically erase America’s middle class.
That the GOP could care less about our country is evidenced by the shutting down of our government and causing hardships for several million people along with putting our economy in a tailspin.
Are the Democrats handling the wall crisis in good order? Hardly. They continually claim our government cannot afford the $5 billion cost to build the wall. Meanwhile, America is gifting five Middle-East countries $49 billion in military aid to keep their borders secure. Why is it that we have unlimited dollars for military aid for foreign countries and limited dollars for our infrastructure.
America’s economy is at best fragile and we surely don’t need a political “face saver” war over a $5 billion dollar expenditure. So, why don’t Speaker Pelosi and President Trump build his wall with funds from the Horn of Plenty called “military aid to foreign countries?”
Ed Hodges, Appleton, Wis.
The establishment politicians of both major parties, placed in power by the political donor class, and cemented there by the Citizens United decision of the Supreme Court, unrelenting attacks our democracy as they defy the popular will of the people with continued impunity. The signs of their tyranny are everywhere: gerrymandering, voter suppression, income inequality, the Electoral College, and “dark money” which legalizes corruption. A great majority (>60%) of voters favor a more progressive tax on the wealthy, Medicare for all, and the popular election of presidents, while most Americans favor immigration reform, infrastructure overhaul, affordable housing, publicly funded education, and a clean environment.
That our elected lawmakers can, with impunity, respond only to their big donors and NOT to their constituents, proves the people are without power promised by our Constitution. The Citizens United decision by SCOTUS has commodified political power to the detriment of democracy.
Unequal wealth distribution stifles economic growth, by making hoarders of those at the tip top of the pyramid. Rather than expanding their businesses (WHY invest in increasing production, when demand is lacking, from fewer customers with scarcer disposable income to spend?) While flattened wages, (declining for decades counting inflation) lock the bottom 99% into inescapable poverty, and all its attendant evils, including spiraling debt. Today, the top 1% owns 50% of the world, (in the USA, the top one tenth of 1% owns 90%); never has income inequality ever been more extreme. While a Constitutional amendment would be needed to overturn bad decisions by SCOTUS; and protect universal voting rights; many laws could help redress other impediments to empowering the people.
Publically funded campaigns, coupled with a minimum wage, that was a living wage tied to the number of dependents a wage earner supports, AND a maximum wage that was a multiple of the AVERAGE wage in the country would give top earners an incentive to raise all wages.
A more progressive marginal tax rate, such as we had during our country’s greatest rate of economic growth, (the 1950s and 1960s) could be used to invigorate the social safety net, so that our society would again be one where we all took care of one another, because we are ALL Americans.
Getting money entirely out of politics is a goal as vital to democracy as an independent media and judiciary; and would be well served, by compensating all those fairly elected ONLY as much as their constituents allow (subject to the minimum and maximum wages amounts described above); so that public servants would have NO DOUBT as to whom they were elected to serve.
Andrew Martin, Morrisville, Pa.
“AND THAT’S ALL OF IT!” This is the muttering of the Koch Brothers and it echoes the attitude of the 1%. Now that progressive Democrats have entertained the idea of asking the rich to pay their fair share, or at least some of it—which they haven’t been paying since Reagan—the 1% are all over the news complaining that raising their taxes will destroy our economy.
HORSEFEATHERS! The top earners have, in the past, been taxed at 90% and the economy hummed. The progressive suggested rate of 70% on income over $10 million will, in the aggregate, be far less than 70%. No, you can’t continue to Have It All.
Lee Knohl, Evanston, Ill.
So the big guy wants a wall! By chance I happen to be reading a charming little book about the history of Havana. Even back in the 1500s and later years, they were constantly being invaded by pirates — French, Spanish, British — all, it seems, cleverly hid their loot in quiet midway Havana until a better, safer time to transport it to the homeland. So the beleaguered Habaneros decided to build a wall, and a wall they did build — but it wasn’t enough — and, decade after decade, pirates continued their raids, more walls, and more walls, and when the cupboard was bare, villagers were slaughtered, buildings leveled, everything destroyed — so they built more walls and more walls, even with slaves from Africa. But never in the entire history of that period were they ever able to really secure their vulnerable city.
So the big guy wants a wall? Good Luck.
Corrine Sutila, Los Angeles, Calif.
From The Progressive Populist, March 1, 2019
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