The only thing worse than a country full of have nots is a country full of used to haves. Thank you for speaking directly to the extraction that’s at the heart of the problem. In my world, it hits from all sides. I’m a developer, what we call in VT a houser. The banks aren’t set up to favor middle market housing development. Investors therefore are sometimes hesitant unless you’re building luxury condos at scale for tourists. The electeds favor the non-profit housing developers, who use HUD funds and build at $600k per unit where I build at $80k. Or sometimes they don’t build at all though continue to spend funds. People who clearly have the income to buy can’t because saving for the down is impossible. And the citizens, simply angry at the carnage, vote no on everything including that which would solve their problems. Bad space to be in, but we have no other choice but to fight through it. Whether you in TN or us here in VT. Let’s save OUR country.
I just paid up to get into the comments and you are right there to prove the this is a valuable forum. I'm glad I finally paid up. I'm a Leftist Coaster in Altadena. I thought I was retired, but my plans are about done with engineering and ready for permits. The fire took everything. All my tools are gone, but I have a good contractor and plan to just watch this time.
I am actually old enough to know that what you speak is true. I was born in 1955. For most of my youth my father worked to pay our house off and mom stayed at home and took care of us and the house; and they managed to fund two cars and put some back for my bother and my college education. Plus, they saved for that rainy day!!! This was all possible because of Democrat polices enacted like the GI bill and many more that actually helped the masses and not jist the few. I can remember the top tax bracket was 90%. My dad was not, of course, in that bracket; but he did pay close to 60% on his earnings and he never grumbled that "freeloaders" were taking "HIS" money. He realized that he had been blessed by so many things and the least he could do is pay it forward. Almost ALL of America believed in this at the time. However, and here lies the biggest problem; people of color were generally locked out of any kind of government or "social" assistance. Once they had fought for their equality and won; a lot of people who had been rather giving of their monies now decided that they weren't going to give one red cent of it if even a few pennies went to people they did not see as deserving; ie, white and Christian. We can, and MUST, change the trajectory we are on; it is unsustainable for the most of us; but we must also come to grips with the underlying problems within our social structure that has dried up the spigot of charity and denied us the ability do do really big things that would help the masses and not just the already wealthy. Until we come to terms with both our past and our present, we are doomed to a future of more of the same and the wealthy will get wealthier and most of the rest of us will be begging for a quick and painless death. We can change and it will take a "all hands on deck" mentality; but to do so, we will all have to include how we look at each other and maybe finally gain the equality we thought had been settled almost 60 years ago. Without that first, and major, step; nothing will ever change.
There are actually some countries where they pay higher taxes and have a better redistribution of wealth where families can still live like that (minus the traditional family structure). Having women in the workforce was also supported by corporations to support the economy but with the advent of AI the powers at be (Elon Musk et al) would like to see white women back in the kitchen producing white babies- much like the women of your mother's generation worked to support the war effort but were encouraged to get married, have children and care for the home. I fear my childrens' generation is being brainwashed online with this "trad wife" ideal to further the objectives of white, male, cultural dominance.
Workers in China have much lower wages than Americans, but because the CPC has created such rich infrastructure, they can live much better lives than their well-paid American brothers and sisters.
Yes, public investments into societal goods (infrastructure, education, library, health care, etc.) benefit everyone and raise the bar for all. Corporations would rather divert this money into their own pockets and buy public assets for pennies on the dollar. It is rather short-sighted since they need consumers to buy their mass produced shoddy products and services.
I woiuld point out that American oligarchs are fond of the old Roman, "divide and conquer", strategy. It is very likely that the impetus for withholding services to minorities was impelled by predatory rich people who knew that was the best way to get rid of government and their taxes.
I love that you mentioned elites stealing our inheritance and then renting it back to us, excellent metaphor. You're building steam buddy boy when do we leave the depot?!
Every article like this should have a link to a proposed candidate pledge that would allow candidates and voters to sign on to this cohort. A crowd funded super PAC that supports the candidates that take the pledge would be a good step 2. Just put it out there and see if it catches on!
Grover Norquist has been wildly successful for decades getting Republicans to pledge not to raise taxes. I hope you’ll be honest about the revenue necessary to invest in public works again. Republicans have made taxes toxic with wildly false narratives and terminology that persists as bedrock: small government, keep your hard-earned money, make people work to “earn” safety net benefits, pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Small government is a government that does nothing for you. We need to get profit OUT of education, public transit, healthcare, public media, and other public benefits.
Grover Norquist did not understand taxation, nor do most people. Governments, as we have seen in the 2008 financial bailouts and the COVID pandemic, have the power to simply create money, only constrained by real resources. Taxes serve to remove any excess money from the economy. By not taxing, the government has allowed vast fortunes to accrue, income inequality to rise, and corporations to lose their way.
Think of corporations. Faced with taxable surplus income, they could either invest in their people and facilities or fund R&D—all of which are tax deductible. But if they have no tax burden to worry about, they can pay huge CEO salaries, pay dividends, and buy back stock with 'financial engineering'. Just like Boeing.
Believe me, I'm no fan of Grover Norquist!! In Arizona, 70% of corporations pay the $50 minimum per year. We have a regressive "flat tax" that depresses revenue and unfairly burdens lower income levels. AZ also passed a constitutional amendment in 1992 that requires a 2/3 majority in both chambers to raise revenue via taxes. The only way to balance the budget is to continually reduce investment in every damn thing Arizonans depend on. State governments don't have the power to create money and most can't carry debt. BTW I try not to call taxes a "burden," possibly something like public obligation or investment could help reframe anti-tax orthodoxy.
I’ve been teaching this in my history classes for 25 years. Thank you for getting the word out. The rich have been determined to destroy the America created by the New Deal and all knowledge of it. The media has been happy to collude.
There was a time when journalists, as well as radio and TV announcers, were all working class. They had to be closely minded by CIA types. Now, the same roles are filled by sons and daughters of the owning class or who aspire to wealth and they tout the Establishment line with no need for external minding.
You nailed it all the way, start to finish. I was there and saw what you describe here happen in real time; and it made me frustrated, angry and sad. I was there when we had "Camelot" and nothing seemed impossible; a flower child, to the core. These dark days are soul crushing. If only everyone in the country were able to read what you have written here! This one convinced me--I'm upgrading to a paid subscription because your voice needs to be heard.
As a builder and a teacher of the trades, I ask myself what I am leading my students to upon graduation.
They are often asking questions about the outrageous cost of everything, and whether they’ll be able to land the good jobs right out of school (so they can attempt to afford some version of the “American dream”).
I know I have few to no good answers for them, other than supporting “radical” change I every way they can.
Thank you for all you continue to bring to the surface in your writings (and through your research). You make it a bit easier for me to go out there week after week and do my best to prepare our youth for a sure to be challenging future.
Exactly! We need to look forward and not backward to the old leaders. The world has moved to the digital age, like it or not. To address today's and tomorrow's issues we need tomorrow's leaders today.
How about we finally elevate Bernie to a position of consequence and have AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Elissa Slotkin, Tim Walz and their like join on? I'd like to see Rachel Maddow in there!
She is great at challenging the Republicans but give the Democrats too much of a break. A real journalist would tell the story no matter which party but she supports the Democratic Oligarchy.
It's like we are on a train that D47 is driving off the cliff and the liberals want us to move the train back up the track when Obama or Biden was driving. They don't get it that it's the same track that goes off the cliff. We need to get on another track.
When are you going to announce a new Party? Or a strategy to lead to a new Party? Or, to start us onto a new path, a candidate pledge, as suggested by Fractal Guy?
I wish there was enough anger from the populace to throw the centrist to the curb but the lack of civic education has almost guaranteed that won't happen. The culture wars have been stressed to point that people would rather be angry at anyone not just like them has replaced what's good for our nation. Welcome to Corporate America.
If we still have elections in 2026, it's time for voters to start boycotting any and all candidates who take money from lobbyists and corporate interests. They will never work for us, regardless of whether they call themselves Democrats, Republicans, Independents, etc. Just refuse to vote for those people and if that can catch fire, corporate funding will become a liability for candidates.
The only thing worse than a country full of have nots is a country full of used to haves. Thank you for speaking directly to the extraction that’s at the heart of the problem. In my world, it hits from all sides. I’m a developer, what we call in VT a houser. The banks aren’t set up to favor middle market housing development. Investors therefore are sometimes hesitant unless you’re building luxury condos at scale for tourists. The electeds favor the non-profit housing developers, who use HUD funds and build at $600k per unit where I build at $80k. Or sometimes they don’t build at all though continue to spend funds. People who clearly have the income to buy can’t because saving for the down is impossible. And the citizens, simply angry at the carnage, vote no on everything including that which would solve their problems. Bad space to be in, but we have no other choice but to fight through it. Whether you in TN or us here in VT. Let’s save OUR country.
I just paid up to get into the comments and you are right there to prove the this is a valuable forum. I'm glad I finally paid up. I'm a Leftist Coaster in Altadena. I thought I was retired, but my plans are about done with engineering and ready for permits. The fire took everything. All my tools are gone, but I have a good contractor and plan to just watch this time.
Yes! We've become an extraction economy. Kyla Scanlon had a good post on this https://open.substack.com/pub/kyla/p/how-ai-healthcare-and-labubu-became?r=1egl3q&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false We need to get back to building things, to creating a regenerative economy that provides jobs and a better standard of living for all.
AND self respect.
I am actually old enough to know that what you speak is true. I was born in 1955. For most of my youth my father worked to pay our house off and mom stayed at home and took care of us and the house; and they managed to fund two cars and put some back for my bother and my college education. Plus, they saved for that rainy day!!! This was all possible because of Democrat polices enacted like the GI bill and many more that actually helped the masses and not jist the few. I can remember the top tax bracket was 90%. My dad was not, of course, in that bracket; but he did pay close to 60% on his earnings and he never grumbled that "freeloaders" were taking "HIS" money. He realized that he had been blessed by so many things and the least he could do is pay it forward. Almost ALL of America believed in this at the time. However, and here lies the biggest problem; people of color were generally locked out of any kind of government or "social" assistance. Once they had fought for their equality and won; a lot of people who had been rather giving of their monies now decided that they weren't going to give one red cent of it if even a few pennies went to people they did not see as deserving; ie, white and Christian. We can, and MUST, change the trajectory we are on; it is unsustainable for the most of us; but we must also come to grips with the underlying problems within our social structure that has dried up the spigot of charity and denied us the ability do do really big things that would help the masses and not just the already wealthy. Until we come to terms with both our past and our present, we are doomed to a future of more of the same and the wealthy will get wealthier and most of the rest of us will be begging for a quick and painless death. We can change and it will take a "all hands on deck" mentality; but to do so, we will all have to include how we look at each other and maybe finally gain the equality we thought had been settled almost 60 years ago. Without that first, and major, step; nothing will ever change.
There are actually some countries where they pay higher taxes and have a better redistribution of wealth where families can still live like that (minus the traditional family structure). Having women in the workforce was also supported by corporations to support the economy but with the advent of AI the powers at be (Elon Musk et al) would like to see white women back in the kitchen producing white babies- much like the women of your mother's generation worked to support the war effort but were encouraged to get married, have children and care for the home. I fear my childrens' generation is being brainwashed online with this "trad wife" ideal to further the objectives of white, male, cultural dominance.
Workers in China have much lower wages than Americans, but because the CPC has created such rich infrastructure, they can live much better lives than their well-paid American brothers and sisters.
Yes, public investments into societal goods (infrastructure, education, library, health care, etc.) benefit everyone and raise the bar for all. Corporations would rather divert this money into their own pockets and buy public assets for pennies on the dollar. It is rather short-sighted since they need consumers to buy their mass produced shoddy products and services.
I was also born in 1955! Very nice comment, Linda!
I woiuld point out that American oligarchs are fond of the old Roman, "divide and conquer", strategy. It is very likely that the impetus for withholding services to minorities was impelled by predatory rich people who knew that was the best way to get rid of government and their taxes.
I love that you mentioned elites stealing our inheritance and then renting it back to us, excellent metaphor. You're building steam buddy boy when do we leave the depot?!
Every article like this should have a link to a proposed candidate pledge that would allow candidates and voters to sign on to this cohort. A crowd funded super PAC that supports the candidates that take the pledge would be a good step 2. Just put it out there and see if it catches on!
At the end of Corbin’s post on Sunday he said ‘I will be coming out with an idea for how to go forward together soon.’
https://open.substack.com/pub/americasundoing/p/is-this-rock-bottom
I figured he must have something in the works!
Grover Norquist has been wildly successful for decades getting Republicans to pledge not to raise taxes. I hope you’ll be honest about the revenue necessary to invest in public works again. Republicans have made taxes toxic with wildly false narratives and terminology that persists as bedrock: small government, keep your hard-earned money, make people work to “earn” safety net benefits, pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Small government is a government that does nothing for you. We need to get profit OUT of education, public transit, healthcare, public media, and other public benefits.
Grover Norquist did not understand taxation, nor do most people. Governments, as we have seen in the 2008 financial bailouts and the COVID pandemic, have the power to simply create money, only constrained by real resources. Taxes serve to remove any excess money from the economy. By not taxing, the government has allowed vast fortunes to accrue, income inequality to rise, and corporations to lose their way.
Think of corporations. Faced with taxable surplus income, they could either invest in their people and facilities or fund R&D—all of which are tax deductible. But if they have no tax burden to worry about, they can pay huge CEO salaries, pay dividends, and buy back stock with 'financial engineering'. Just like Boeing.
Believe me, I'm no fan of Grover Norquist!! In Arizona, 70% of corporations pay the $50 minimum per year. We have a regressive "flat tax" that depresses revenue and unfairly burdens lower income levels. AZ also passed a constitutional amendment in 1992 that requires a 2/3 majority in both chambers to raise revenue via taxes. The only way to balance the budget is to continually reduce investment in every damn thing Arizonans depend on. State governments don't have the power to create money and most can't carry debt. BTW I try not to call taxes a "burden," possibly something like public obligation or investment could help reframe anti-tax orthodoxy.
I’ve been teaching this in my history classes for 25 years. Thank you for getting the word out. The rich have been determined to destroy the America created by the New Deal and all knowledge of it. The media has been happy to collude.
There was a time when journalists, as well as radio and TV announcers, were all working class. They had to be closely minded by CIA types. Now, the same roles are filled by sons and daughters of the owning class or who aspire to wealth and they tout the Establishment line with no need for external minding.
You nailed it all the way, start to finish. I was there and saw what you describe here happen in real time; and it made me frustrated, angry and sad. I was there when we had "Camelot" and nothing seemed impossible; a flower child, to the core. These dark days are soul crushing. If only everyone in the country were able to read what you have written here! This one convinced me--I'm upgrading to a paid subscription because your voice needs to be heard.
Correction: everyone needs to hear your voice. There. Fixed it.
FWIW I restacked this with quotes 4 or 5 times
I wish I could like❤️ it a hundred.
You have an excellent grasp of the nexus of the problem and a possible solution.
I hope people with means to make it work are listening.
As a builder and a teacher of the trades, I ask myself what I am leading my students to upon graduation.
They are often asking questions about the outrageous cost of everything, and whether they’ll be able to land the good jobs right out of school (so they can attempt to afford some version of the “American dream”).
I know I have few to no good answers for them, other than supporting “radical” change I every way they can.
Thank you for all you continue to bring to the surface in your writings (and through your research). You make it a bit easier for me to go out there week after week and do my best to prepare our youth for a sure to be challenging future.
Exactly! We need to look forward and not backward to the old leaders. The world has moved to the digital age, like it or not. To address today's and tomorrow's issues we need tomorrow's leaders today.
How about we finally elevate Bernie to a position of consequence and have AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Elissa Slotkin, Tim Walz and their like join on? I'd like to see Rachel Maddow in there!
I was with you til maddow. She carries water for the Oligarchy
Yeah? Please elaborate....
She is great at challenging the Republicans but give the Democrats too much of a break. A real journalist would tell the story no matter which party but she supports the Democratic Oligarchy.
It's like we are on a train that D47 is driving off the cliff and the liberals want us to move the train back up the track when Obama or Biden was driving. They don't get it that it's the same track that goes off the cliff. We need to get on another track.
I like that analogy. May i borrow it?
Absolutely
When are you going to announce a new Party? Or a strategy to lead to a new Party? Or, to start us onto a new path, a candidate pledge, as suggested by Fractal Guy?
At the end of Corbin’s post on Sunday he said ‘I will be coming out with an idea for how to go forward together soon.’
https://open.substack.com/pub/americasundoing/p/is-this-rock-bottom
I wish there was enough anger from the populace to throw the centrist to the curb but the lack of civic education has almost guaranteed that won't happen. The culture wars have been stressed to point that people would rather be angry at anyone not just like them has replaced what's good for our nation. Welcome to Corporate America.
Good thing Corbin is trying to help educate folks! If people want to support his efforts they can restack his pieces in Notes, comment, and subscribe!
Just did.
Wonderful!
If we still have elections in 2026, it's time for voters to start boycotting any and all candidates who take money from lobbyists and corporate interests. They will never work for us, regardless of whether they call themselves Democrats, Republicans, Independents, etc. Just refuse to vote for those people and if that can catch fire, corporate funding will become a liability for candidates.
I completely agree. However, many of the "liberals" are addicted to the Blue Pill.
Nailed it, Corbin!
Solid analysis. Keep it going!