Also, internet and cable monopolies. Xfinity is out of control with their prices and monopoly. Local communities should be able to provide internet service.
Agreed. Internet providers are the lowest of the low hanging fruit. Can you imagine how much political capital would accure to politicians who would cut your monthly Internet bill in 1/2?
What is we campaign to provide free public utilities for the services that have come to be essential to participate in society and the economy, especially since the pandemic lock down? Free public internet, Wi-Fi, cell phone service. They made owning a smartphone or computer essential when they forced us to work and school from home. Add free education pre-school through post HS training, free health care that includes prescriptions, eye and dental, and free public transit.
And "are you going to vote to raise taxes on the wealthy and companies back to their average 1946-1981 levels, ie somewhere around 80% for individuals and 50% for corporations, a capital gains rate of 25-30%, and lower depreciation deductions back to 15%?"
These essays, when completed, need to be published as a pamphlet, or magazine of some sort and gotten in the hands of all progressive minded candidates running for office in the US today. In reality, ALL DEMOCRATIC candidates ( for starters) need to have this analysis, this data, this information. It’s not simply representing a world view. It’s giving people the tools to fundamentally address a way forward today.
This is spot-on. WE need to realize WE can take control of how our tax dollars are spent. WE are the investors. Democracy is not a spectator sport. Let's elect people who will stand up for us and make these things happen. WE need to unrig our economy. Millionaires and billionaires won't do it for us. Getting money out of our political system is the keystone.
Dear Corbin: Here's a suggestion. Any investor or business entity who wants to privatize any government service or function must first produce a study proving that they can do the job cheaper, faster, and with better outcomes or quality than the government achieved. I'm sick and tired of privatizers asserting such benefits without a shred of proof. They've been swindling us the whole time.
I couldn't agree more. I just wrote a piece that aligns with this --https://cylviahayes.substack.com/p/our-broken-and-brutal-economy. I've been writing, speaking, teaching on this subject for 40 years now. Polling suggests Americans tend to view the economy as a force of nature or act of God that's too big to change. But it is actually a set of human-made systems and constructs. We shape it all the time and we can, given enough serious action and resistance to the "riggers" redesign it. Thanks for working on this meta issue.
Agreed about utilities…isn’t one legal way of bringing back some balance reviving antitrust? Monopolies should be recognized as directly opposed to competition but also as a direct result of such. That’s why we need guardrails…..imho
Well, at least you provided a solution, but since your solution includes getting our elected officials to do something for us, I think that that horse died before it got out of the barn.
Does seem impractical and hopeless sometimes, doesn't it? However, we could perhaps channel Animal House to our eternal benefit: "I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part!"
This is a blueprint. Republicans spent years building Project 2025 and had most of it implemented in less than a year. We need the righteous version of that. What we'll coalesce around as a party and enact in rapid succession (if we can get Dem leadership that understands we're all on fire).
The average person is starting to tune in and demand real change. If we can survive and take America back (two big ifs), we need to rebuild America from the ground up. This is about us seeing clearly everything that is screwed and making a plan.
Step one right now is to call your senators (if Dem) every single day and ask them to challenge Chuck Schumer's leadership of the Dems, via a change to the Democratic Caucus Rules. We need someone in who will actually fight back, and pull people together to make the plan.
Term limits are crucial to a vibrant, resilient government. When most of the focus is on getting re-elected, not much attention is paid to the actual job.
I think the horse could come back to life IF enough people got behind this and really pushed their "elected" officials to either do something or get primaried.
By the way, from what I've read, there are a number of Republican congressmen who are NOT running for office in the next election.
I've been saying it for awhile: No one individual (financed by our tax dollars!) should own and control two-thirds of the world's satellites, and have the power to shut off communication to countries (Ukraine) fighting for their freedom (among other insidious behaviors). Talk about dangerous! SpaceX should be NASA -- pure and simple. The whole "privatization" scheme was a corporate/billionaire con from the get-go to steal wealth from taxpayers (while paying no taxes themselves.)
NASA is a research agency, not a rocket factory. Trying to turn it into a commercial business is a terrible idea. Shades of "Restart UCLA as a commercial entity that competes directly with Kaplan to teach SAT prep"
They have always lied. It's just becoming more obvious. Except on a local level, the political system has locked us totally out, tho we're led to believe otherwise (i.e. vote and do your part for democracy-what a joke). As Corbin seems to be appropriately positioning, it's time to put our own lives and those who we affect so as to live autentically regardless of the existing dying dinosaur of a corrupt system. It will be them who will eventually have to follow US.
Also, internet and cable monopolies. Xfinity is out of control with their prices and monopoly. Local communities should be able to provide internet service.
Agreed. Internet providers are the lowest of the low hanging fruit. Can you imagine how much political capital would accure to politicians who would cut your monthly Internet bill in 1/2?
What is we campaign to provide free public utilities for the services that have come to be essential to participate in society and the economy, especially since the pandemic lock down? Free public internet, Wi-Fi, cell phone service. They made owning a smartphone or computer essential when they forced us to work and school from home. Add free education pre-school through post HS training, free health care that includes prescriptions, eye and dental, and free public transit.
And "are you going to vote to raise taxes on the wealthy and companies back to their average 1946-1981 levels, ie somewhere around 80% for individuals and 50% for corporations, a capital gains rate of 25-30%, and lower depreciation deductions back to 15%?"
Yessssss!!!! Say it LOUDER for the people in the back!!!! 👏👏👏
These essays, when completed, need to be published as a pamphlet, or magazine of some sort and gotten in the hands of all progressive minded candidates running for office in the US today. In reality, ALL DEMOCRATIC candidates ( for starters) need to have this analysis, this data, this information. It’s not simply representing a world view. It’s giving people the tools to fundamentally address a way forward today.
The foundational four. Clearest, most concise stack yet, Corbin. Well done!
This is spot-on. WE need to realize WE can take control of how our tax dollars are spent. WE are the investors. Democracy is not a spectator sport. Let's elect people who will stand up for us and make these things happen. WE need to unrig our economy. Millionaires and billionaires won't do it for us. Getting money out of our political system is the keystone.
Best pre-christmas gift ever. An actual plan, finally!
Dear Corbin: Here's a suggestion. Any investor or business entity who wants to privatize any government service or function must first produce a study proving that they can do the job cheaper, faster, and with better outcomes or quality than the government achieved. I'm sick and tired of privatizers asserting such benefits without a shred of proof. They've been swindling us the whole time.
I couldn't agree more. I just wrote a piece that aligns with this --https://cylviahayes.substack.com/p/our-broken-and-brutal-economy. I've been writing, speaking, teaching on this subject for 40 years now. Polling suggests Americans tend to view the economy as a force of nature or act of God that's too big to change. But it is actually a set of human-made systems and constructs. We shape it all the time and we can, given enough serious action and resistance to the "riggers" redesign it. Thanks for working on this meta issue.
Thank you thank you Corbin. Four questions for politicians excellent. And right it’s not socialism it’s capital sanity
Agreed about utilities…isn’t one legal way of bringing back some balance reviving antitrust? Monopolies should be recognized as directly opposed to competition but also as a direct result of such. That’s why we need guardrails…..imho
Well, at least you provided a solution, but since your solution includes getting our elected officials to do something for us, I think that that horse died before it got out of the barn.
Does seem impractical and hopeless sometimes, doesn't it? However, we could perhaps channel Animal House to our eternal benefit: "I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part!"
Giving up in cynicism is what fascists want. We're going to learn and plan and fight. Out of spite if nothing else.
We are already getting plenty of futile and stupid gestures from the Executive branch of the government.
This is a blueprint. Republicans spent years building Project 2025 and had most of it implemented in less than a year. We need the righteous version of that. What we'll coalesce around as a party and enact in rapid succession (if we can get Dem leadership that understands we're all on fire).
The average person is starting to tune in and demand real change. If we can survive and take America back (two big ifs), we need to rebuild America from the ground up. This is about us seeing clearly everything that is screwed and making a plan.
Step one right now is to call your senators (if Dem) every single day and ask them to challenge Chuck Schumer's leadership of the Dems, via a change to the Democratic Caucus Rules. We need someone in who will actually fight back, and pull people together to make the plan.
https://prospect.org/2025/11/11/one-weird-trick-to-get-rid-of-chuck-schumer/
Term limits are crucial to a vibrant, resilient government. When most of the focus is on getting re-elected, not much attention is paid to the actual job.
Yes!
Your idea is all based on getting the defunct Democratic Party to do something for us instead of working for themselves.
More wishful thinking
I think the horse could come back to life IF enough people got behind this and really pushed their "elected" officials to either do something or get primaried.
By the way, from what I've read, there are a number of Republican congressmen who are NOT running for office in the next election.
No. You can't get a dead horse to do anything, and wishful thinking isn't going to help either.
Why don't we start afresh?
I'm aware of the whole end result of a dead horse!
Starting afresh is likely the only way forward. This guy has some really good ideas as to how to "un-rig" this disaster. Worth reading.
https://www.americasundoing.com/p/thanksgiving-table-conversations?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=57821&post_id=179909552&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=b9ign&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
I've been saying it for awhile: No one individual (financed by our tax dollars!) should own and control two-thirds of the world's satellites, and have the power to shut off communication to countries (Ukraine) fighting for their freedom (among other insidious behaviors). Talk about dangerous! SpaceX should be NASA -- pure and simple. The whole "privatization" scheme was a corporate/billionaire con from the get-go to steal wealth from taxpayers (while paying no taxes themselves.)
NASA is a research agency, not a rocket factory. Trying to turn it into a commercial business is a terrible idea. Shades of "Restart UCLA as a commercial entity that competes directly with Kaplan to teach SAT prep"
Now that's a plan for a world I'd actually like to live in, thank you!
They have always lied. It's just becoming more obvious. Except on a local level, the political system has locked us totally out, tho we're led to believe otherwise (i.e. vote and do your part for democracy-what a joke). As Corbin seems to be appropriately positioning, it's time to put our own lives and those who we affect so as to live autentically regardless of the existing dying dinosaur of a corrupt system. It will be them who will eventually have to follow US.