As a history teacher, I like to teach the history of the last 800 years as a power struggle among four basic groups: The monarchs, the religious leaders, the nobility, and the people (everyone else). When I ask my students in which of those groups they believe power in America is concentrated today, they tend to look confused. They know instinctively that "the people" don't have it. They know we don't have a monarch. Some start to say "religious leaders," but they kind of know that while religious leaders have a lot of influence, they're not the real shot callers. Most of them are a bit shocked to realize that America has a "nobility" that really has all the power. That nobility might be better at marketing themselves today than the 2nd Estate was in late 18th century France, for example, but it's the same bunch. An entitled class of snobs who believes that YOUR only purpose for existing is to work day and night to fuel THEIR lifestyle, ensuring they retain their "privileges of nobility." In a way, they're virtually no different from the old Lords and Ladies of feudal Europe, except the "fiefs" we serfs work for them have changed from farms to big box stores and restaurant chains, and instead of being loyal to a monarch, they install a president who works for THEM. They've never allowed _democracy_ to exist in America, but they have done a lot to push the _perception_ that we have it. And that's really how they won the power struggle, by convincing us that WE did.
We need more teachers like you and we need to begin this conversation and empathize critical thinking skills in elementary school! Thank you so much for being a true educator!
Americans think of the, *historically prosperous, 1940's & 50's* when they reminisce about America's "greatness." Do you know the top-marginal tax rates for the richest during those, historically prosperous, decades? *Historical U.S. Highest Marginal Income Tax Rates* _"The top income tax rate reached above _*_90%_*_ from 1944 through 1963, peaking in 1944 when top taxpayers paid an income tax rate of _*_94%_*_ on their taxable income."_ SOURCE: Tax Policy Center - online 9-Feb-22 The average working citizens of other 1st-world nations, often pity ours. *McDonald’s Workers in Denmark Pity Us* _“Danes love America,” Hummelgaard told me. “But there’s no admiration for the level of inequality in America, for the lack of job security, for the lack of health security, for all those things that...create a good society.”_ SOURCE: NY TIMES, by By Nicholas Kristof - May 8, 2020 _"Democracy has become a business plan, with a bottom line for every human activity, every dream, every decency, every hope. The main parliamentary parties are now devoted to the same economic policies - socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor - and the same foreign policy of servility to endless war. This is not democracy. It is to politics what McDonald's is to food."_ *- John Pilger* (journalist, writer, scholar and documentary filmmaker) Is it just coincidence that ALL the happiest nations on Earth, are also nations with some of the highest tax rates on Earth, with free medical care, ample paid time off & FAR superior education systems? *The Happiest Countries in the World* _"Finland leads the ranking of the world's happiest countries for the sixth year in a row, according to the 2023 World Happiness Report... score (7.80)...Denmark in second place (7.59), Iceland in third (7.53), Sweden in sixth (7.40) and Norway in seventh (7.32)"_ SOURCE: World Economic Forum, by Anna Fleck - Mar 23, 2023 _“When it can be said by any country in the world, my poor are happy, neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them, my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars, the aged are not in want, the taxes are not oppressive, the rational world is my friend because I am the friend of happiness. When these things can be said, then may that country boast its constitution and government.”_ *- Thomas Paine, Rights of Man* _"We need to question this notion that capital only belongs to the owners when we can't achieve anything without workers. _*_We're doing capitalism wrong,_*_ and were going to kill ourselves in the process unless we rethink it."_ *-Abigail Disney* (Disney Heir, documentary film producer, philanthropist, and social activist)
@@xjarheadjohnson It would be interesting to read the history of economic fascism in America from the late 18th century to the present. How in the world did the worshipers of Mammon allow a tax rate above 90% post-WWII is a mystery to me. They certainly made great "corrections" these past 50 years.
they dont see that whatever the class labels of the day, boiled down, its about the Privileged Haves vs the Less Fortunate and Discriminated Against Have Nots?
Mr. President, Please consider inviting Robert Reich to partner with you at the podium re: economics and how you are working to enforce anti-trust to help citizens survive the robber barons' price fixing. cc: Robert Reich
He already has the support of we who understand . Just like he doesn't reach out to folks concerned about environmental+ social justice. Unfortunately the battle is for votes from the challenged philosophically. We need him in the cabinate teaching for the long run
Incredible that those who worked so many years for Social Security and Medicare benefits are enthusiastically willing to have them taken away by the wealthiest and Corporations.
Don’t the corporations realize that if he won, they’d all be bankrupt within 2 years. Money would be worthless. No one could afford to buy anything, it wouldn’t surprise me if the internet would be over. Between him and the 4 or 5 dictators he’d join, they’d ruin science and technology quickly. The world will be a hellscape. Corporations should be as afraid of republicanism as the rest of us
Brainwashed by capitalists who employed them. When you fear losing your livelihood, when you work for a patriarchal, toxic workplace all your life, sometimes multiple generations working for the same employer, you become indoctrinated to believe the mantra they mouth at you every day, month after month, year after year.
Don’t worry Corporations have record profits and stock buy backs , why would they care about helping their workers ? Let’s just take away any pensions , full time workers , health benefits because you’re not full time , because we won’t give you hours that would cover that !!
Even worse, there are families where both parents work full time jobs and are homeless. Any person who works a full time job should make enough to support a family of four in reasonable comfort. Any company that can not do this does not deserve to exist.
The more I learn about the every day person's side of history, the more I'm convinced that the US was always biased to the rich, land owners at the expense of the poor. The only difference now is that social media exists and it can be used to spread information and disinformation far easier than before.
It's a start. But it will take a lot more than that. FDR taxes the rich. But 30 years later, the rich learned how to use their wealth to subvert democracy.
Interestingly, that during the entire time that republican voters claim to miss was when the wealthiest Americans never paid less then a 70% tax rate, and the rich were all still doing just fine back then.
Facts are Largest Wealth transfer in history was COVID, maga churches.. a career in wealth management 20 yrs when I saw what Trump did to repeal the Frank Dodd Act, banks get bailouts on the American people while they create larger Monopolizing Truist turds to fill their own pockets. Follow the money, find the corruption and know the intentions behind the curtains.
The rich, by definition, are always doing just fine. The problem is that they constantly convince themselves (and a shockingly large number of poor people) that they need an increasingly larger percentage of the pie.
I lasted 11 minutes before my anger exceeded my mental threshold. It is because these hosts are so pleasant that I was able to last that long. Great work guys. Let’s channel our anger into participation in taking back what is ours through political action.
@@tommackay7433 I don't like to tell people what to do or how to advocate for themselves. But if you want some suggestions here are a few. Volunteer to be a poll worker. Go down to the Democratic Party headquarters and do some door knocking, because Donald Trump Is a disaster that will destroy democracy if he is elected in November, not necessarily because you love the Democratic Party. Get active on local school board issues to assure that children can learn about the hstory of slavery and how immigrants built our nation's railroads. Join an organization that reflects your values of social justice and equality. Work to help the people who are deliberately left out of paths to success by bigots, the kleptocratic rich and narrow minded fanatics. Work at a food bank. Donate blood to a blood bank. Foster parent a child. Walk a sick person's dog for free. Join a union. Support a striker.. Do anything constructive and work for the common good without demanding payment or praise. Do not try to convert others to your religion, but instead honor theirs or accept that some have none at all and that's o.k. Start being part of the solution for everyone instead of thinking about only yourself. Help build instead of destroy. Build a Habitat for Humanity home. If you are a doctor volunteer at a free clinic and if you are an electrician volunteer to help wire a Habitat home. Get creative. Find out what your community needs and who can help you. Pick up trash on the beach. Get off the sofa and work for the common good. We can change our lives and the lives of our neighbors and of people we do not know if we join together in community and diversity instead of trying to force everyone to be just exactly like you. DO SOMETHING!
Good Morning everyone who is here and loves to support Reich I am on a fixed income, so not enough money to go around for all the people I would like to donate to. Thank goodness you are still teaching the masses Robert!
Indeed, likes and subscribes helps a lot in pushing the algorithm to the top and eventually more youtube junkies will tune in. Commenting and replies will do the same. In four hours this video was viewed almost 10k times but only has 272 comments. Some of the popular youtubers I've been watching reach this level within the first hour.
"Most men with nothing would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich rather that face the reality of being poor." This is what keeps MAGA going.
FDR warned that the country could not be only for the rich, or everyone would go down. When so many are near the poverty line and do not have $400 in case of emergencies, what does that tell us.
Yes because in the 30s and 40s you were still able to openly discuss the contradictions of capitalism that lead it to to collapse when it is not strongly restrained. FDR was firmly capitalist. He said his greatest achievement was saving capitalism from capitalists. But the contradictions cannot be contained indefinitely. Neoliberals learned how to destroy the New Deal and Keynesianism. We have to come up with something new to replace capitalism.
@@michaelrch Agree, but even in the 1930's and 40's FDR had to fight Republicans all the way just to get Social Security, not to speak of Universal Healthcare, which received the strongest opposition from the American Medical Association, and failed.
@@pototo1 the trouble is that, on economics and the structures of power, the Dems are now well to the right of where the Republicans were before neoliberalism took hold. They started going right under Clinton and they never really stopped... We need a very hard correction. And we need new tools because the ones FDR used won't stick this time.
Yes, the millionaires carefully choose politicians like Trump who are so foolish that they neither know nor care what the millionaires are up to. Millionaires seem to be cunning but not intelligent and certainly not responsible or wise.
I dont have an issue with people having wealth. The issue is the concerted effort to keep wealth in the top 1%. It is not enough for them to have insane luxury, they seem to need the rest of us in profound poverty.
The corporations have made the poor , worse off. Remember when people would get pensions and health care from corporations. Now they won’t hire full time workers , because they don’t want to give them any benefits . That why people are working 2 to 3 jobs!
We have proof of this in The New Deal. As soon as it was destroyed in 1981, we got this instead.. 1940-1980 Median wage growth rose 260%. 1981-2020 Median wage growth rose 5.4%. Clearly only BS trickles down.
When the rich by their fourth mega yacht from the poolog a societies wealth that means that society will not grow and benefit from the abilities and resourcefulness and intelligence of other society members who now don't have the means for education, funds to start a new business, invention as societies wealth has been sucked up by a handful of members of society. They would have to all be Einsteins or Mother to make up the deficit and we know for sure they are not.
It's more than dynastic wealth, it's dynastic politics that's a problem, and it has always been a problem. How many elected officials are related to each other, even today? How is it that the greatest general in the Confederacy was also married to George Washington's step-granddaughter? How is it that the son-in-law of the 12th POTUS was the president of the confederacy? How does the grandson of one president become a president himself? How many presidents, vice-presidents, senators, representatives, supreme court justices, generals, admirals, etc... have ancestors on the Mayflower, or they went to the same schools (oftentimes staying in the same dorms or belonging to the same fraternities, etc...)? The American Aristocracy is as real as any European nobility, but they've managed to convince everybody in this country that all you need is a can-do attitude and you can be just as successful as they are, even though they have a 400-year head start. Throw in a bunch of corporate executives who went to the same schools as these connected people and you see how and why the rest of us are just screwed. George Carlin had it right when he said that it's a club, and you ain't allowed in it.
Thank you Robert and Heather. These podcasts are one of the highlights of my week…so informative and firmly grounded in equality. So very much appreciated.
It’s time for people to protest this greed. CEO pay needs to be regulated. No stock options for CEOs. Food prices need to be leveled off. Gasoline prices need to be leveled off. No subsidies from the government for oil, etc. Congress is a greedy mess. Term limits for the Supreme Court, Congress, etc. Our government was not set up for full time lifers to serve up power and greed. It was to be an honor to serve all the people. Not the sick mess of greed that exists now.
Americans think of the, *historically prosperous, 1940's & 50's* when they reminisce about America's "greatness." Do you know the top-marginal tax rates for the richest during those, historically prosperous, decades? *Historical U.S. Highest Marginal Income Tax Rates* _"The top income tax rate reached above _*_90%_*_ from 1944 through 1963, peaking in 1944 when top taxpayers paid an income tax rate of _*_94%_*_ on their taxable income."_ SOURCE: Tax Policy Center - online 9-Feb-22 The average working citizens of other 1st-world nations, often pity ours. *McDonald’s Workers in Denmark Pity Us* _“Danes love America,” Hummelgaard told me. “But there’s no admiration for the level of inequality in America, for the lack of job security, for the lack of health security, for all those things that...create a good society.”_ SOURCE: NY TIMES, by By Nicholas Kristof - May 8, 2020 _"Democracy has become a business plan, with a bottom line for every human activity, every dream, every decency, every hope. The main parliamentary parties are now devoted to the same economic policies - socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor - and the same foreign policy of servility to endless war. This is not democracy. It is to politics what McDonald's is to food."_ *- John Pilger* (journalist, writer, scholar and documentary filmmaker) Is it just coincidence that ALL the happiest nations on Earth, are also nations with some of the highest tax rates on Earth, with free medical care, ample paid time off & FAR superior education systems? *The Happiest Countries in the World* _"Finland leads the ranking of the world's happiest countries for the sixth year in a row, according to the 2023 World Happiness Report... score (7.80)...Denmark in second place (7.59), Iceland in third (7.53), Sweden in sixth (7.40) and Norway in seventh (7.32)"_ SOURCE: World Economic Forum, by Anna Fleck - Mar 23, 2023 _“When it can be said by any country in the world, my poor are happy, neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them, my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars, the aged are not in want, the taxes are not oppressive, the rational world is my friend because I am the friend of happiness. When these things can be said, then may that country boast its constitution and government.”_ *- Thomas Paine, Rights of Man* _"We need to question this notion that capital only belongs to the owners when we can't achieve anything without workers. _*_We're doing capitalism wrong,_*_ and were going to kill ourselves in the process unless we rethink it."_ *-Abigail Disney* (Disney Heir, documentary film producer, philanthropist, and social activist)
Being a student of history, especially US and foreign history, the loss of a middle class will perpetuate the loss of democracy and increase authoritarianism in America. I do like capitalism, but it must be regulated. Thanks to Robert and Heather for their podcasts!
Americans think of the, *historically prosperous, 1940's & 50's* when they reminisce about America's "greatness." Do you know the top-marginal tax rates for the richest during those, historically prosperous, decades? *Historical U.S. Highest Marginal Income Tax Rates* _"The top income tax rate reached above _*_90%_*_ from 1944 through 1963, peaking in 1944 when top taxpayers paid an income tax rate of _*_94%_*_ on their taxable income."_ SOURCE: Tax Policy Center - online 9-Feb-22 The average working citizens of other 1st-world nations, often pity ours. *McDonald’s Workers in Denmark Pity Us* _“Danes love America,” Hummelgaard told me. “But there’s no admiration for the level of inequality in America, for the lack of job security, for the lack of health security, for all those things that...create a good society.”_ SOURCE: NY TIMES, by By Nicholas Kristof - May 8, 2020 _"Democracy has become a business plan, with a bottom line for every human activity, every dream, every decency, every hope. The main parliamentary parties are now devoted to the same economic policies - socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor - and the same foreign policy of servility to endless war. This is not democracy. It is to politics what McDonald's is to food."_ *- John Pilger* (journalist, writer, scholar and documentary filmmaker) Is it just coincidence that ALL the happiest nations on Earth, are also nations with some of the highest tax rates on Earth, with free medical care, ample paid time off & FAR superior education systems? *The Happiest Countries in the World* _"Finland leads the ranking of the world's happiest countries for the sixth year in a row, according to the 2023 World Happiness Report... score (7.80)...Denmark in second place (7.59), Iceland in third (7.53), Sweden in sixth (7.40) and Norway in seventh (7.32)"_ SOURCE: World Economic Forum, by Anna Fleck - Mar 23, 2023 _“When it can be said by any country in the world, my poor are happy, neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them, my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars, the aged are not in want, the taxes are not oppressive, the rational world is my friend because I am the friend of happiness. When these things can be said, then may that country boast its constitution and government.”_ *- Thomas Paine, Rights of Man* _"We need to question this notion that capital only belongs to the owners when we can't achieve anything without workers. _*_We're doing capitalism wrong,_*_ and were going to kill ourselves in the process unless we rethink it."_ *-Abigail Disney* (Disney Heir, documentary film producer, philanthropist, and social activist)
We were promised getting trickled down on, but instead, we get property valuations that keep us from home ownership. We will always follow and support them, even when they're screwing us. That empty promise of us possibly getting rich too is just irresistable.
This is one of the most profoundly important conversations to be found on the internet. So many people are unaware of the reality of our nation's situation. Thank you Robert and Heather.
By continuing to seek Horizontal power and opposing Hierarchical power. It all starts within each of us making the decision to become an anti-bigot. Bigotry exists to prevent Solidarity. Bigotry is anti-Freedom, and the tool of division the wealthy elite have used for thousands of years to divide and oppress the masses. Without bigotry it would be impossible for the very few to oppress the very many. Good news is, anti-bigotry is natural evolution.
@@JebusHypocristosX IIRC, 93% is the heighest the top income tax bracket ever was, and losing that made a massive difference. We also shouldn't permit private money in public elections.
Thank you! Amazing knowledge that needs to be shared to educate all American voters. 50 billionaires donated 600 million dollars to the Republican campaign... It's not about the well-being of anything but their pockets. 813 billionaires in America with over 5 trillion, while hard at work in the hot fields and manufacturing plants working at the Walmarts and other corporations that don't pay a living wage so they need government assistance to survive. Facts Period.
Yes, dynastic wealth IS Destroying democracy. Part of the problem is how our inheritance taxes work (or don't work correctly). We need graduated taxes, and higher taxes for the largest wealthy families. If you're bequeathing more than $100 million, it should be taxed at at least 50% -- because that is pure income for those receiving it. Even if that money was "already" taxed earlier (under/during the decedent's life), this money is now new income for their heirs. BILLIONS are tied up in dynastic wealth, and soon it'll be TRILLIONS. It's another red flag that democracy is failing.
Indifference and cruelty were a feature of European aristocracy before they lost their heads and it looks like the neo aristocracy in the US is following suit. They are indifferent to what is happening to the majority of the country.
Bottom line,....tax the rich, FAIRLY !!! If they are going to gouge us, pay us for our devotion. Abandon all tax loopholes (clever versions) for the regulation of FAIR taxation !!!
To be fair, this country was always a Representative Democracy. What never existed can't really die. We need to keep seeking Horizontal power like Direct Democracy, and opposing Hierarchical power like the Authoritarianism the R's are trying to force on us all.
Thank you, Robert and Heather. I've been enjoying your fun and educational programs. Glad Robert pointed out and informed us of the real nature of the rising stock market, and who is actually benefitting most. Keep up your good work and for putting the word out there. 😉👍
George Washington warned about partisan politics and that it could end our democracy! That's what we're living through right now! That's why I've always been an independent!🇺🇲👍
13:00 This is an excellent framing of the stupid. The poor will follow anyone who claims that anyone can be rich than live with the prospect that they will always be poor. Which is funny, because proper laws would make them wealthier than that promise.
The Republican dominated Supreme Court gave corporations the right to donate unlimited amounts of dark money in a case called Citizens United. Those justices that made this ruling have lifetime appointments. We're in a pickle for sure. A Constitutional amendment could override the court but that takes a super majority and ratification by the states.
It's not capitalism, it;s the deregulated abomination that we've got that's an issue It would still be a capitalist society if there were a near 100% tax on income of any sort beyond a given point, and a UBI at the bottom to ensure that everybody has at least a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs and food in their mouth, and not much more.
Without including Social Good, Humanism, and social responsibility, America's Constitution democratizes tyranny. Money dominates, conquers and oppresses.
Don't forget: the turn from 19th to 20th century being another "gilded age" did indeed present major problems for Democracy at the time. There was literal armed conflict between rich and poor people, being so bad that is where the roots of our modern labor movement came from.
Taxes. We shouldn’t allow rich people to donate to campaign funds. They want to not pay taxes. Then we can’t retire and have to pay more than millionaires. It’s crazy unfair I am paying so rich people don’t have to. It angers me. If it angers you, vote blue. Then petition to end lobbying.
Why do the poor pay higher prices in everyting like insurance utility bills just everything. I am on fixed income and rely on the prices for FOOD. These 83 people just are ugly -their behavior makes me sick. This is how the country people overthrew the rich in China. They gor fed up big time. Laos Cambobia you can only push people so far.
@SmallSpoonBrigade, now you know theres a difference start w that bodily autonomy thing? project 2025? Dems need to reign in the spending for sure. 4BILLION to Isreal yearly? Oil company subsidies?
Without immigrants in the US, your food and many other essentials would be unaffordable. Obviously, you have no idea how hard they work for pay that Americans would not consider.
You must define democracy before you can determine what can destroy democracy! Here’s the definition of democracy: “A Democracy” is a legislative assembly, “Democracy” is how that legislative assembly is formed and how it functions, and, “Consensus Choice” is the legislative process which governs how all those assembled as a democracy reach a majority consensus to assent to matters under consideration by that legislative assembly. Based upon this definition, The Senate is where our democracy is assembled, a discrete democracy of the States as the Union and Established Government Authority! Only the States are members of the Union, only the States are members of Congress, only the States are apportioned representation and suffrage to participate in the legislative processes of Congress, only the States can form a quorum to operate congress as a legislative assembly, and only the States can vote to reach a majority consensus of all the States, and Established Government Authority, in Congress! As Congress is improperly assembled and operated, we no longer have a democracy in the United States and therefore are in a State of Anarchy! And for those who try to say that we are a republic not a democracy, let me inform you that the highest form of Democratic and Republican Government is the same, a Confederated (compound) Republic, which must be assembled in a bicameral legislature, where the States are apportioned proportional suffrage in a popular branch to identify and rank choices, and the States are also assembled in an equal branch with equal suffrage for concurrence on those choices identified by the popular branch, but that is only for making laws which manage how the States interact with each other to form and maintain the Union, but to make the collective decisions of a free and independent State, those decisions are still made by a Confederate assembly of the States as they are assembled in the Senate as the Union to manage how the States “Act” together as the Union when interacting with foreign nations and entities through treaties. Which makes the Senate, our discrete democracy of the States as the Union, our most important governing institution with the power of concurrence over all laws and all treaties. If you don’t understand, or agree with, what I said, please feel free to read Federalist #’s 62-66, “The Senate”, Madison, Jay, and Hamilton respectively c.1788!
21:14 when picking between to rampantly neoliberal capitalist parties, the election clearly ISNT the biggest way to affect change. Militant labor unions and popular movements are the only way out of oligarchy.
Yes, get money out of politics, but how? The courts will only wrist slap. They need existential punishment for spending on politics. Since I love individuals, what I mean by they is corporations.
People keep blaming those they call the poor and uneducated for keeping Trump Where he is. I’ve been saying for a long time, but that isn’t how it really goes but too many people are locked into that narrative. Thanks for this podcast.
The inordinate disparity between rich and poor, a source of acute suffering, keeps the world in a state of instability, virtually on the brink of war. Few societies have dealt effectively with this situation. The solution calls for the combined application of spiritual, moral and practical approaches. A fresh look at the problem is required, entailing consultation with experts from a wide spectrum of disciplines, devoid of economic and ideological polemics, and involving the people directly affected in the decisions that must urgently be made. It is an issue that is bound up not only with the necessity for eliminating extremes of wealth and poverty but also with those spiritual verities the understanding of which can produce a new universal attitude. Fostering such an attitude is itself a major part of the solution. "The Promise of World Peace 1985"
As a history teacher, I like to teach the history of the last 800 years as a power struggle among four basic groups: The monarchs, the religious leaders, the nobility, and the people (everyone else). When I ask my students in which of those groups they believe power in America is concentrated today, they tend to look confused. They know instinctively that "the people" don't have it. They know we don't have a monarch. Some start to say "religious leaders," but they kind of know that while religious leaders have a lot of influence, they're not the real shot callers. Most of them are a bit shocked to realize that America has a "nobility" that really has all the power. That nobility might be better at marketing themselves today than the 2nd Estate was in late 18th century France, for example, but it's the same bunch. An entitled class of snobs who believes that YOUR only purpose for existing is to work day and night to fuel THEIR lifestyle, ensuring they retain their "privileges of nobility." In a way, they're virtually no different from the old Lords and Ladies of feudal Europe, except the "fiefs" we serfs work for them have changed from farms to big box stores and restaurant chains, and instead of being loyal to a monarch, they install a president who works for THEM. They've never allowed _democracy_ to exist in America, but they have done a lot to push the _perception_ that we have it. And that's really how they won the power struggle, by convincing us that WE did.
We need more teachers like you and we need to begin this conversation and empathize critical thinking skills in elementary school! Thank you so much for being a true educator!
Be careful.
Americans think of the, *historically prosperous, 1940's & 50's* when they reminisce about America's "greatness." Do you know the top-marginal tax rates for the richest during those, historically prosperous, decades?
*Historical U.S. Highest Marginal Income Tax Rates*
_"The top income tax rate reached above _*_90%_*_ from 1944 through 1963, peaking in 1944 when top taxpayers paid an income tax rate of _*_94%_*_ on their taxable income."_
SOURCE: Tax Policy Center - online 9-Feb-22
The average working citizens of other 1st-world nations, often pity ours.
*McDonald’s Workers in Denmark Pity Us*
_“Danes love America,” Hummelgaard told me. “But there’s no admiration for the level of inequality in America, for the lack of job security, for the lack of health security, for all those things that...create a good society.”_
SOURCE: NY TIMES, by By Nicholas Kristof - May 8, 2020
_"Democracy has become a business plan, with a bottom line for every human activity, every dream, every decency, every hope. The main parliamentary parties are now devoted to the same economic policies - socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor - and the same foreign policy of servility to endless war. This is not democracy. It is to politics what McDonald's is to food."_
*- John Pilger* (journalist, writer, scholar and documentary filmmaker)
Is it just coincidence that ALL the happiest nations on Earth, are also nations with some of the highest tax rates on Earth, with free medical care, ample paid time off & FAR superior education systems?
*The Happiest Countries in the World*
_"Finland leads the ranking of the world's happiest countries for the sixth year in a row, according to the 2023 World Happiness Report... score (7.80)...Denmark in second place (7.59), Iceland in third (7.53), Sweden in sixth (7.40) and Norway in seventh (7.32)"_
SOURCE: World Economic Forum, by Anna Fleck - Mar 23, 2023
_“When it can be said by any country in the world, my poor are happy, neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them, my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars, the aged are not in want, the taxes are not oppressive, the rational world is my friend because I am the friend of happiness. When these things can be said, then may that country boast its constitution and government.”_
*- Thomas Paine, Rights of Man*
_"We need to question this notion that capital only belongs to the owners when we can't achieve anything without workers. _*_We're doing capitalism wrong,_*_ and were going to kill ourselves in the process unless we rethink it."_
*-Abigail Disney* (Disney Heir, documentary film producer, philanthropist, and social activist)
@@xjarheadjohnson It would be interesting to read the history of economic fascism in America from the late 18th century to the present. How in the world did the worshipers of Mammon allow a tax rate above 90% post-WWII is a mystery to me. They certainly made great "corrections" these past 50 years.
they dont see that whatever the class labels of the day, boiled down, its about the Privileged Haves vs the Less Fortunate and Discriminated Against Have Nots?
Mr. President, Please consider inviting Robert Reich to partner with you at the podium re: economics and how you are working to enforce anti-trust to help citizens survive the robber barons' price fixing. cc: Robert Reich
He already has the support of we who understand . Just like he doesn't reach out to folks concerned about environmental+ social justice. Unfortunately the battle is for votes from the challenged philosophically. We need him in the cabinate teaching for the long run
Yes. PLEASE.
Would Biden pay any attention to a member of Bill Clinton's admin? I'm not so sure.
@@Steve-cs7pqHow do you even know he doesn't? We are simply not going to hear about every meeting or conversation he has.
@@yvonneplant9434But you ARE going to hear about every gaffe he makes.
Incredible that those who worked so many years for Social Security and Medicare benefits are enthusiastically willing to have them taken away by the wealthiest and Corporations.
That's because bigotry in all of it's many forms is solely based on unfounded biases and unwarranted fears.
Aka; delusions and cowardice.
Don’t the corporations realize that if he won, they’d all be bankrupt within 2 years. Money would be worthless. No one could afford to buy anything, it wouldn’t surprise me if the internet would be over. Between him and the 4 or 5 dictators he’d join, they’d ruin science and technology quickly. The world will be a hellscape. Corporations should be as afraid of republicanism as the rest of us
Brainwashed by capitalists who employed them. When you fear losing your livelihood, when you work for a patriarchal, toxic workplace all your life, sometimes multiple generations working for the same employer, you become indoctrinated to believe the mantra they mouth at you every day, month after month, year after year.
I don't know a single senior who is doing any such thing. And,yes, I'm a senior.
@@yvonneplant9434 I do.
Walmart employees needing government benefits? Corporate behavior unchecked.
That is corporate welfare, taxpayers subsidizing their workforce.
Don’t worry Corporations have record profits and stock buy backs , why would they care about helping their workers ? Let’s just take away any pensions , full time workers , health benefits because you’re not full time , because we won’t give you hours that would cover that !!
Even worse, there are families where both parents work full time jobs and are homeless.
Any person who works a full time job should make enough to support a family of four in reasonable comfort. Any company that can not do this does not deserve to exist.
It is awful! Not even half of eligible voters vote in your country! That is not really a democracy! Also people should be encouraged to vote!
I knew that a long time ago. What we are doing in essence is subsidize businesses like Walmart.
The economy should be measured by the wealth of the poorest Workers...
The more I learn about the every day person's side of history, the more I'm convinced that the US was always biased to the rich, land owners at the expense of the poor. The only difference now is that social media exists and it can be used to spread information and disinformation far easier than before.
TAX THE RICH 🇺🇸
In the name of the People, by the People, for the People.
It's a start. But it will take a lot more than that. FDR taxes the rich. But 30 years later, the rich learned how to use their wealth to subvert democracy.
Interestingly, that during the entire time that republican voters claim to miss was when the wealthiest Americans never paid less then a 70% tax rate, and the rich were all still doing just fine back then.
Facts are Largest Wealth transfer in history was COVID, maga churches.. a career in wealth management 20 yrs when I saw what Trump did to repeal the Frank Dodd Act, banks get bailouts on the American people while they create larger Monopolizing Truist turds to fill their own pockets. Follow the money, find the corruption and know the intentions behind the curtains.
The rich, by definition, are always doing just fine. The problem is that they constantly convince themselves (and a shockingly large number of poor people) that they need an increasingly larger percentage of the pie.
@@seanmcdonald4686 What the poor want is based on need-based justice
18:20
It's called the corporate oligarchy.
Until we get them out of our government (lobbying), they will be our rulers.
In no way shape or form that CEOs work 300x harder than the average worker.
I lasted 11 minutes before my anger exceeded my mental threshold. It is because these hosts are so pleasant that I was able to last that long. Great work guys. Let’s channel our anger into participation in taking back what is ours through political action.
We all need exercise so get off the sofa and do some actual work toward changing things. Be active!
Glad I'm not the only one. a
What does that mean?
@@tommackay7433 it's upsetting listening to all the ways we get fk'd in this country
@@tommackay7433 I don't like to tell people what to do or how to advocate for themselves. But if you want some suggestions here are a few. Volunteer to be a poll worker. Go down to the Democratic Party headquarters and do some door knocking, because Donald Trump Is a disaster that will destroy democracy if he is elected in November, not necessarily because you love the Democratic Party. Get active on local school board issues to assure that children can learn about the hstory of slavery and how immigrants built our nation's railroads. Join an organization that reflects your values of social justice and equality. Work to help the people who are deliberately left out of paths to success by bigots, the kleptocratic rich and narrow minded fanatics. Work at a food bank. Donate blood to a blood bank. Foster parent a child. Walk a sick person's dog for free. Join a union. Support a striker.. Do anything constructive and work for the common good without demanding payment or praise. Do not try to convert others to your religion, but instead honor theirs or accept that some have none at all and that's o.k. Start being part of the solution for everyone instead of thinking about only yourself. Help build instead of destroy. Build a Habitat for Humanity home. If you are a doctor volunteer at a free clinic and if you are an electrician volunteer to help wire a Habitat home. Get creative. Find out what your community needs and who can help you. Pick up trash on the beach. Get off the sofa and work for the common good. We can change our lives and the lives of our neighbors and of people we do not know if we join together in community and diversity instead of trying to force everyone to be just exactly like you. DO SOMETHING!
Good Morning everyone who is here and loves to support Reich I am on a fixed income, so not enough money to go around for all the people I would like to donate to. Thank goodness you are still teaching the masses Robert!
Just watching, commenting, pressing the ‘Like button’ 👍 and sharing these videos would be a big help.
I'll make a little donation on your behalf then :)
Indeed, likes and subscribes helps a lot in pushing the algorithm to the top and eventually more youtube junkies will tune in. Commenting and replies will do the same. In four hours this video was viewed almost 10k times but only has 272 comments. Some of the popular youtubers I've been watching reach this level within the first hour.
Keep the truth coming
The inflation that is created by government is not helping you.
Mr Reich - an American treasure. Thank you. And thank you Heather for your wonderful input. Both of you are great.
"Most men with nothing would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich rather that face the reality of being poor." This is what keeps MAGA going.
Spot on. 👍
Is that a quote from someone famous?
. They think they are one lotto ticket away from their yacht lifestyle.
As if having a cocaine and alcohol fueled orgy on a yacht leads to happiness
The temporarily inconvenienced billionaires of America.
FDR warned that the country could not be only for the rich, or everyone would go down. When so many are near the poverty line and do not have $400 in case of emergencies, what does that tell us.
Yes because in the 30s and 40s you were still able to openly discuss the contradictions of capitalism that lead it to to collapse when it is not strongly restrained.
FDR was firmly capitalist. He said his greatest achievement was saving capitalism from capitalists.
But the contradictions cannot be contained indefinitely.
Neoliberals learned how to destroy the New Deal and Keynesianism.
We have to come up with something new to replace capitalism.
@@michaelrch Agree, but even in the 1930's and 40's FDR had to fight Republicans all the way just to get Social Security, not to speak of Universal Healthcare, which received the strongest opposition from the American Medical Association, and failed.
@@pototo1 the trouble is that, on economics and the structures of power, the Dems are now well to the right of where the Republicans were before neoliberalism took hold. They started going right under Clinton and they never really stopped...
We need a very hard correction.
And we need new tools because the ones FDR used won't stick this time.
Reagan SUCKED, Nixon SUCKED, this is what the school books should read.
Yes, the millionaires carefully choose politicians like Trump who are so foolish that they neither know nor care what the millionaires are up to. Millionaires seem to be cunning but not intelligent and certainly not responsible or wise.
TRUMP sucks.
Basically.....
Exactly! 💯
Reagan should have been impeached he was dealing drugs and weapons do finances own little illegal war so you didn't have to go through Congress
I dont have an issue with people having wealth. The issue is the concerted effort to keep wealth in the top 1%. It is not enough for them to have insane luxury, they seem to need the rest of us in profound poverty.
Sure seems that way.
You don't get it. They don't care about you.
The corporations have made the poor , worse off. Remember when people would get pensions and health care from corporations. Now they won’t hire full time workers , because they don’t want to give them any benefits . That why people are working 2 to 3 jobs!
No. No one matters like something that you step on
The money just becomes another game to them. They get disconnected from what that money means to average people and their lives.
The joke is… if wealth were more equitably distributed.. the economy would be exponentially more robust.
We have proof of this in The New Deal. As soon as it was destroyed in 1981, we got this instead..
1940-1980 Median wage growth rose 260%. 1981-2020 Median wage growth rose 5.4%.
Clearly only BS trickles down.
They just seem to not care.
They are above the economy. That’s not their problem, it’s ours.
When the rich by their fourth mega yacht from the poolog a societies wealth that means that society will not grow and benefit from the abilities and resourcefulness and intelligence of other society members who now don't have the means for education, funds to start a new business, invention as societies wealth has been sucked up by a handful of members of society. They would have to all be Einsteins or Mother to make up the deficit and we know for sure they are not.
Mother Theresa
It's more than dynastic wealth, it's dynastic politics that's a problem, and it has always been a problem. How many elected officials are related to each other, even today? How is it that the greatest general in the Confederacy was also married to George Washington's step-granddaughter? How is it that the son-in-law of the 12th POTUS was the president of the confederacy? How does the grandson of one president become a president himself? How many presidents, vice-presidents, senators, representatives, supreme court justices, generals, admirals, etc... have ancestors on the Mayflower, or they went to the same schools (oftentimes staying in the same dorms or belonging to the same fraternities, etc...)? The American Aristocracy is as real as any European nobility, but they've managed to convince everybody in this country that all you need is a can-do attitude and you can be just as successful as they are, even though they have a 400-year head start. Throw in a bunch of corporate executives who went to the same schools as these connected people and you see how and why the rest of us are just screwed. George Carlin had it right when he said that it's a club, and you ain't allowed in it.
You are still teaching this stuff. Thank you Robert ❤
I recommend Robert Reich as the Nation's economic czar.
Let’s turn billionaires into millionaires.
Hear that, Bernie?
Amen
90% tax......
I could live just on a million dollars - why not them ?
France tried living off the rich and it backfired.
Don't be greedy.
I’ve been trying to have friends shop anywhere outside Tesla, Starbucks, and Amazon
I admire the CEOs who take the same wages as their employees.
Thank you Robert and Heather. These podcasts are one of the highlights of my week…so informative and firmly grounded in equality. So very much appreciated.
Robert Reich is brilliant and explains his thoughts so well!
It’s time for people to protest this greed. CEO pay needs to be regulated. No stock options for CEOs. Food prices need to be leveled off. Gasoline prices need to be leveled off. No subsidies from the government for oil, etc. Congress is a greedy mess. Term limits for the Supreme Court, Congress, etc. Our government was not set up for full time lifers to serve up power and greed. It was to be an honor to serve all the people. Not the sick mess of greed that exists now.
Americans think of the, *historically prosperous, 1940's & 50's* when they reminisce about America's "greatness." Do you know the top-marginal tax rates for the richest during those, historically prosperous, decades?
*Historical U.S. Highest Marginal Income Tax Rates*
_"The top income tax rate reached above _*_90%_*_ from 1944 through 1963, peaking in 1944 when top taxpayers paid an income tax rate of _*_94%_*_ on their taxable income."_
SOURCE: Tax Policy Center - online 9-Feb-22
The average working citizens of other 1st-world nations, often pity ours.
*McDonald’s Workers in Denmark Pity Us*
_“Danes love America,” Hummelgaard told me. “But there’s no admiration for the level of inequality in America, for the lack of job security, for the lack of health security, for all those things that...create a good society.”_
SOURCE: NY TIMES, by By Nicholas Kristof - May 8, 2020
_"Democracy has become a business plan, with a bottom line for every human activity, every dream, every decency, every hope. The main parliamentary parties are now devoted to the same economic policies - socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor - and the same foreign policy of servility to endless war. This is not democracy. It is to politics what McDonald's is to food."_
*- John Pilger* (journalist, writer, scholar and documentary filmmaker)
Is it just coincidence that ALL the happiest nations on Earth, are also nations with some of the highest tax rates on Earth, with free medical care, ample paid time off & FAR superior education systems?
*The Happiest Countries in the World*
_"Finland leads the ranking of the world's happiest countries for the sixth year in a row, according to the 2023 World Happiness Report... score (7.80)...Denmark in second place (7.59), Iceland in third (7.53), Sweden in sixth (7.40) and Norway in seventh (7.32)"_
SOURCE: World Economic Forum, by Anna Fleck - Mar 23, 2023
_“When it can be said by any country in the world, my poor are happy, neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them, my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars, the aged are not in want, the taxes are not oppressive, the rational world is my friend because I am the friend of happiness. When these things can be said, then may that country boast its constitution and government.”_
*- Thomas Paine, Rights of Man*
_"We need to question this notion that capital only belongs to the owners when we can't achieve anything without workers. _*_We're doing capitalism wrong,_*_ and were going to kill ourselves in the process unless we rethink it."_
*-Abigail Disney* (Disney Heir, documentary film producer, philanthropist, and social activist)
The age of robber barons has come again.
terrible!
It never ended just the ebb and flow of economics and governance.
Come again implies that it ever left
Full credit to the USA for having the best democracy money can buy.
True, unfortunately, but orher countries aren't far behind......😢
"Capitalism, having defeated communism, now seems poised to do the same to democracy."
Capitalism's Goal: To Monopolise.
Communists Goal:
Money~Power... Only at the Top,
Just Like Capitalism!
Cre8 Wealth for CEO's & Stockholders
Thank you Heather and Robert
Citizens United was decided incorrectly Alito!
Being a student of history, especially US and foreign history, the loss of a middle class will perpetuate the loss of democracy and increase authoritarianism in America. I do like capitalism, but it must be regulated. Thanks to Robert and Heather for their podcasts!
Americans think of the, *historically prosperous, 1940's & 50's* when they reminisce about America's "greatness." Do you know the top-marginal tax rates for the richest during those, historically prosperous, decades?
*Historical U.S. Highest Marginal Income Tax Rates*
_"The top income tax rate reached above _*_90%_*_ from 1944 through 1963, peaking in 1944 when top taxpayers paid an income tax rate of _*_94%_*_ on their taxable income."_
SOURCE: Tax Policy Center - online 9-Feb-22
The average working citizens of other 1st-world nations, often pity ours.
*McDonald’s Workers in Denmark Pity Us*
_“Danes love America,” Hummelgaard told me. “But there’s no admiration for the level of inequality in America, for the lack of job security, for the lack of health security, for all those things that...create a good society.”_
SOURCE: NY TIMES, by By Nicholas Kristof - May 8, 2020
_"Democracy has become a business plan, with a bottom line for every human activity, every dream, every decency, every hope. The main parliamentary parties are now devoted to the same economic policies - socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor - and the same foreign policy of servility to endless war. This is not democracy. It is to politics what McDonald's is to food."_
*- John Pilger* (journalist, writer, scholar and documentary filmmaker)
Is it just coincidence that ALL the happiest nations on Earth, are also nations with some of the highest tax rates on Earth, with free medical care, ample paid time off & FAR superior education systems?
*The Happiest Countries in the World*
_"Finland leads the ranking of the world's happiest countries for the sixth year in a row, according to the 2023 World Happiness Report... score (7.80)...Denmark in second place (7.59), Iceland in third (7.53), Sweden in sixth (7.40) and Norway in seventh (7.32)"_
SOURCE: World Economic Forum, by Anna Fleck - Mar 23, 2023
_“When it can be said by any country in the world, my poor are happy, neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them, my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars, the aged are not in want, the taxes are not oppressive, the rational world is my friend because I am the friend of happiness. When these things can be said, then may that country boast its constitution and government.”_
*- Thomas Paine, Rights of Man*
_"We need to question this notion that capital only belongs to the owners when we can't achieve anything without workers. _*_We're doing capitalism wrong,_*_ and were going to kill ourselves in the process unless we rethink it."_
*-Abigail Disney* (Disney Heir, documentary film producer, philanthropist, and social activist)
We were promised getting trickled down on, but instead, we get property valuations that keep us from home ownership. We will always follow and support them, even when they're screwing us. That empty promise of us possibly getting rich too is just irresistable.
by 'trickle-down' what the greedy billionaires really meant is that you'll all be pissed upon
To the right!!😂😭😳😱
Both sides do all this. We need a true Democracy!
Not more Red team Blue team crap!
That is total BS.Both sides are NOT the same anymore
This is one of the most profoundly important conversations to be found on the internet. So many people are unaware of the reality of our nation's situation. Thank you Robert and Heather.
America was based on aristocracy. the question is, how do we dethrone our oligarchical, capitalist, criminal overlords?
By continuing to seek Horizontal power and opposing Hierarchical power. It all starts within each of us making the decision to become an anti-bigot. Bigotry exists to prevent Solidarity. Bigotry is anti-Freedom, and the tool of division the wealthy elite have used for thousands of years to divide and oppress the masses. Without bigotry it would be impossible for the very few to oppress the very many. Good news is, anti-bigotry is natural evolution.
Revolution. Same as it ever was.
Well, France had a great idea.
The Modern Version, is Submarines.
Reformation or Revolution
This is something that can bring together the rest of us regardless of political party
Thanks to the both of you!
Thank you
These 800 need to be in the 48% tax bracket
They need to be in the 90% tax bracket.
90% inc. tax rate should apply to the top 1%. Close the loop holes.
the 800 need to be in the 100% tax bracket over $100,000,000/yr
Yep
@@JebusHypocristosX IIRC, 93% is the heighest the top income tax bracket ever was, and losing that made a massive difference. We also shouldn't permit private money in public elections.
I think the "flaunting of wealth is so tacky and demeaning to the poplus ! It is damaging the feelings of accomplishment of the working folks !!
Thank you! Amazing knowledge that needs to be shared to educate all American voters. 50 billionaires donated 600 million dollars to the Republican campaign... It's not about the well-being of anything but their pockets. 813 billionaires in America with over 5 trillion, while hard at work in the hot fields and manufacturing plants working at the Walmarts and other corporations that don't pay a living wage so they need government assistance to survive. Facts Period.
Thank you! I always learn something when I listen to you all.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you for what you do!
Thanks to both of you!
Excellent episode
Thank you both
💙💙👍👍💙💙
Robert Reich, you are incredible. Heather, you are amazing. thank you both for coming together and educating me and the rest of your viewers.
I've listened to this now on 4th time...Go RR!
Yes, dynastic wealth IS Destroying democracy. Part of the problem is how our inheritance taxes work (or don't work correctly). We need graduated taxes, and higher taxes for the largest wealthy families. If you're bequeathing more than $100 million, it should be taxed at at least 50% -- because that is pure income for those receiving it. Even if that money was "already" taxed earlier (under/during the decedent's life), this money is now new income for their heirs.
BILLIONS are tied up in dynastic wealth, and soon it'll be TRILLIONS. It's another red flag that democracy is failing.
Indifference and cruelty were a feature of European aristocracy before they lost their heads and it looks like the neo aristocracy in the US is following suit. They are indifferent to what is happening to the majority of the country.
Bottom line,....tax the rich, FAIRLY !!! If they are going to gouge us, pay us for our devotion. Abandon all tax loopholes (clever versions) for the regulation of FAIR taxation !!!
I remember when giving a teacher a gift was unethical, but now enough money and you can buy the government. Democracy is dead.💀
To be fair, this country was always a Representative Democracy. What never existed can't really die.
We need to keep seeking Horizontal power like Direct Democracy, and opposing Hierarchical power like the Authoritarianism the R's are trying to force on us all.
We just need to keep TALKING TO EACH OTHER!
Thanks for all you're sharing.🤔 always informative.also enlightening
🇨🇦🤗
Thankyou
Thank you, Robert and Heather. I've been enjoying your fun and educational programs. Glad Robert pointed out and informed us of the real nature of the rising stock market, and who is actually benefitting most. Keep up your good work and for putting the word out there. 😉👍
George Washington warned about partisan politics and that it could end our democracy! That's what we're living through right now! That's why I've always been an independent!🇺🇲👍
Have you read the platform of the Independent ? I’m registered Undeclared. I prefer that.
Excellent podcast as always. Thanks to Robert and Heather!
Thank you professor! You are opening minds.
Love you guys Robert, keep it up!
Thank you! This was so informative. A bit depressing, but informative. I wish every voter would listen to you.
Yes! The simple answer is yes Sir it is.
Be kind and do good work.
You are getting the message out, especially in this conversation format. Brilliant!
Hi Heather and Bob- thank you so much for this fascinating and scary all at the same time💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Excellent.
13:00
This is an excellent framing of the stupid.
The poor will follow anyone who claims that anyone can be rich than live with the prospect that they will always be poor. Which is funny, because proper laws would make them wealthier than that promise.
Our guide in the Historic Park Tour in Boston said, “John Hancock earned his wealth the old fashioned way…. He inherited it!” 😅
Thank you so very much for this really awesome video!!!!
ThankYou!
Yes, next question
Why not simply make a rule that no individual or company can donate more than $5,000 per year to a political party.
The Republican dominated Supreme Court gave corporations the right to donate unlimited amounts of dark money in a case called Citizens United.
Those justices that made this ruling have lifetime appointments. We're in a pickle for sure.
A Constitutional amendment could override the court but that takes a super majority and ratification by the states.
For C corporations stricter limits are already in effect.
i dont have a problem with bog donations- but i want immediiate disclosure
The Supreme Court already declared political donations as an expression of free speech, so it can’t be limited.
@@projoebiochemcorrupt scotus says corporations are people
Thanks once again from the UK. Another fascinating and instructive session.
No capitalism and Wall Street are. Dynastic wealth is the symptom.
It’s called Neofeudalism
amen
These liberals rubes are still in the tank for capitalism. It's so tragic
EXACTLY...
It's not capitalism, it;s the deregulated abomination that we've got that's an issue It would still be a capitalist society if there were a near 100% tax on income of any sort beyond a given point, and a UBI at the bottom to ensure that everybody has at least a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs and food in their mouth, and not much more.
I am quite fond of my dynastic wealth actually.
Short answer is yes
That 1776 clip is on the version that Amazon has on Prime. I watched this just the other day and thought that was one of the musical's best lines.
Love watching you two! 💞
Maybe add a midweek program?
Without including Social Good, Humanism, and social responsibility, America's Constitution democratizes tyranny. Money dominates, conquers and oppresses.
" A government by organized money is more dangerous than a government by mob." ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt
@@JoseLopez-tk4tq Ironically, trump profoundly embodies both.
Don't forget: the turn from 19th to 20th century being another "gilded age" did indeed present major problems for Democracy at the time. There was literal armed conflict between rich and poor people, being so bad that is where the roots of our modern labor movement came from.
Taxes. We shouldn’t allow rich people to donate to campaign funds. They want to not pay taxes. Then we can’t retire and have to pay more than millionaires. It’s crazy unfair I am paying so rich people don’t have to. It angers me. If it angers you, vote blue. Then petition to end lobbying.
Love these deep dive discussions
I wish to start up a podcast like this, talks and coffee (hopefully well crafted) ❤ nice idea
The dynamic duo, and so photogenic! You, too, Heather :)
Why do we keep giving them free money and at the same time they pay no taxes. And way do the poor Republicans vote for this injustice?
The Democrats aren't that much better. They are better, but not by what I would consider an acceptable margin.
Why do the poor pay higher prices in everyting like insurance utility bills just everything. I am on fixed income and rely on the prices for FOOD. These 83 people just are ugly -their behavior makes me sick. This is how the country people overthrew the rich in China. They gor fed up big time. Laos Cambobia you can only push people so far.
@SmallSpoonBrigade, now you know theres a difference start w that bodily autonomy thing? project 2025? Dems need to reign in the spending for sure. 4BILLION to Isreal yearly? Oil company subsidies?
They seem to be fooled by trump
Without immigrants in the US, your food and many other essentials would be unaffordable. Obviously, you have no idea how hard they work for pay that Americans would not consider.
Where’s our modern Teddy Roosevelt?
Thanks for the data and context......will be posting all this on right wing sites where it's needed most!
This is why the country is in shambles
Add gross stupidity to their greed. How can’t they see that their selfishness will bring about their own, and our, eventual downfall?
You must define democracy before you can determine what can destroy democracy!
Here’s the definition of democracy:
“A Democracy” is a legislative assembly, “Democracy” is how that legislative assembly is formed and how it functions, and, “Consensus Choice” is the legislative process which governs how all those assembled as a democracy reach a majority consensus to assent to matters under consideration by that legislative assembly.
Based upon this definition, The Senate is where our democracy is assembled, a discrete democracy of the States as the Union and Established Government Authority! Only the States are members of the Union, only the States are members of Congress, only the States are apportioned representation and suffrage to participate in the legislative processes of Congress, only the States can form a quorum to operate congress as a legislative assembly, and only the States can vote to reach a majority consensus of all the States, and Established Government Authority, in Congress!
As Congress is improperly assembled and operated, we no longer have a democracy in the United States and therefore are in a State of Anarchy!
And for those who try to say that we are a republic not a democracy, let me inform you that the highest form of Democratic and Republican Government is the same, a Confederated (compound) Republic, which must be assembled in a bicameral legislature, where the States are apportioned proportional suffrage in a popular branch to identify and rank choices, and the States are also assembled in an equal branch with equal suffrage for concurrence on those choices identified by the popular branch, but that is only for making laws which manage how the States interact with each other to form and maintain the Union, but to make the collective decisions of a free and independent State, those decisions are still made by a Confederate assembly of the States as they are assembled in the Senate as the Union to manage how the States “Act” together as the Union when interacting with foreign nations and entities through treaties. Which makes the Senate, our discrete democracy of the States as the Union, our most important governing institution with the power of concurrence over all laws and all treaties.
If you don’t understand, or agree with, what I said, please feel free to read Federalist #’s 62-66, “The Senate”, Madison, Jay, and Hamilton respectively c.1788!
No tax is too high for Robert Reich. And no government overreach can go too far.
Rrecently discovered this show., learning a ton and loving it! Thanks for giving us such a great start to weekends!
I wish the program would provide charts to illustrate these vitally important facts! 📈 For greater IMPACT!!!
21:14 when picking between to rampantly neoliberal capitalist parties, the election clearly ISNT the biggest way to affect change. Militant labor unions and popular movements are the only way out of oligarchy.
Yes, get money out of politics, but how? The courts will only wrist slap. They need existential punishment for spending on politics. Since I love individuals, what I mean by they is corporations.
Cannot wait for another episode of these deep dive topics from you two!
We need to make it illegal for politicians to talk to lobbyists period full stop 🛑!!!!!!!!!
Is Dynastic Wealth Destroying Democracy? Absolutely yes.
People keep blaming those they call the poor and uneducated for keeping Trump Where he is. I’ve been saying for a long time, but that isn’t how it really goes but too many people are locked into that narrative. Thanks for this podcast.
I’m still waiting to get trickled on
We got shitted on instead
You are soooooooooo right and it is getting worse, BUT What do we do???
The inordinate disparity between rich and poor, a source of acute suffering, keeps the world in a state of instability, virtually on the brink of war. Few societies have dealt effectively with this situation. The solution calls for the combined application of spiritual, moral and practical approaches. A fresh look at the problem is required, entailing consultation with experts from a wide spectrum of disciplines, devoid of economic and ideological polemics, and involving the people directly affected in the decisions that must urgently be made. It is an issue that is bound up not only with the necessity for eliminating extremes of wealth and poverty but also with those spiritual verities the understanding of which can produce a new universal attitude. Fostering such an attitude is itself a major part of the solution. "The Promise of World Peace 1985"
Love this and you all❤