CURRENT EVENTS May 22 - July 5

[tonman]

You say you don’t believe a market economy can avoid concentrating power in the hands of the wealthy. I agree, to a point. That’s exactly why we need democratic intervention to redistribute that power. It’s not about a perfect world where no one ever has influence; it’s about building a system where concentrated wealth doesn’t dictate the terms of life for everyone else. That’s not utopia. That’s a fight we’ve waged before with labor laws, progressive taxation, and antitrust enforcement. We can do it again.

You argue we shouldn’t legislate a “wealth glass ceiling” but instead create a society where the wealthy choose to help. But that’s a moral wish, not a policy. We’ve tried that. It’s the logic behind trickle-down philanthropy, tax breaks for donations, and the Gates Foundation world. It hasn’t worked. It can’t work because it still leaves essential decisions in the hands of people whose power comes from hoarding, not sharing.

I get the discomfort with “us vs. them.” But that language only feels harsh if you assume the current system is neutral. It’s not. It already takes sides, just not ours. When just three people have more wealth than half the country, and they use that wealth to kill housing bills, weaken labor protections, and shape elections, that’s not just a moral problem, it’s structural one. I don’t think it’s divisive to name that; it’s honest.

So yes: I want a society that fosters generosity and solidarity. I don’t think we get there by hoping billionaires become more virtuous. I think we get there by making hoarding impossible in the first place.

Will not work. It's wealth inequality. No one is saying there can't be millionaires and billionaires. Just saying that you shouldn't take away from the lower earners just to make it easier for the rich to get richer.

What happens when there is another housing bubble burst? You think those rich folks are going to still be virtuous?
A society is only as strong as its poorest members.

 

[nycfan]

 

[nycfan]

 

[Bobfripp]

Well, she did capture his orangey glowering face in all its narcissistic glory

 

[Bobfripp]

Lumping millionaires and billionaires together erases the scale of the problem. That’s why no one says millionaires shouldn’t exist. A millionaire might own a small business and a nice house. A billionaire owns industries, shapes markets, and can buy legislation. The difference isn’t just a few zeros, it’s systemic power.

THIS!

 

[nycfan]

 

[nycfan]

 

[hedge]

I’m saying that in the system we’ve inherited, democracy is the moral and political currency. And if that’s the standard, then billionaire dominance is a direct contradiction.

Capitalism is also the system we've inherited and billionaire dominance is certainly not a direct contradiction to that. Quite the contrary, actually. I suspect that you have some ideas on capitalism. I also suspect that they wouldn't go over very well with most participants in our current culture and society, regardless of their political leanings. I do very much enjoy reading your thoughts on all these matter, though...

 

[superrific]

A billionaire owns industries, shapes markets, and can buy legislation. The difference isn’t just a few zeros, it’s systemic power.

These days you need 5B for that, at least.

 

[nycfan]

 

[theel4life]

I fucking hate this piece of shit like I have never hated another human being. I pray he burns in hell.

 

[nycfan]

 

[UNCatTech]

He attributes almost everything to a lot of people.

He should name names and stop with the bullshit a lot of people. We know it's just the voices in his head.

 

[nycfan]

Wut?

 

[UNCatTech]

Wut?

You know, I had a good point, but that second gif...

 

[Zoo_View]

LOL.

How many BILLIONS would it cost to modernize Alcatraz?

Will employees get paid for the transit time on a ferry?

 

[nycfan]

 

[nycfan]

“The Trump administration has declined to release nearly $7 billion in federal funding that helps pay for after-school and summer programs, support for students learning English, teacher training and other services.

The money was expected to be released by Tuesday. But in an email on Monday, the Education Department notified state education agencies that the money would not be available.

The administration offered little explanation, saying only that the funds were under review. It gave no timeline for when, or if, the money would be released, saying instead that it was “committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the president’s priorities.”

The frozen funds are unrelated to the millions of dollars in cuts included in the domestic policy bill that squeaked through the Senate on Tuesday.…”

 

[sringwal]

I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

 

[HeelInTheOzarks]

My wife was just offered a job dependent on these funds a few days ago - running a large after-school program. We are wondering if they are going to call back and rescind or put it on hold. Super cool he’s just impounding funds because that project 2025 prick thinks it’s fun.