#PoliticalDonations should be allowed *ONLY* from *individual* *citizens* of the country the politician is competing in (*no* companies, #corporations or #politicalactioncommittees should be able to contribute or #influence ). Donations from each individual should be capped to prevent the #superwealthy and #billionaires from having undue influence.
Anything else is a threat to #democracy.
#BernieSanders Says There Is No Choice: 'We Must Defeat the #Oligarchs'
The U.S. Senator from Vermont is asking big questions about how to achieve—even in the face of #Trump's return—an "economy and government that works for all, not just the few."
by Jon Queally, Nov 30, 2024
"With the progressive movement in the United States still grappling with how best to respond to president-elect Donald Trump's victory earlier this month, Sen. Bernie Sanders issued a statement Saturday clarifying his belief that confronting the ruling oligarchy over the 'coming months and years' will be the key battle for anyone who wants to build an economy and political system that puts the interests of everyday #WorkingPeople ahead of those of #SuperWealthy elites.
"The Independent U.S. Senator from Vermont suggested Trump's victory was the direct result of a political economy largely controlled by the nation's richest individuals and powerful #corporations and a situation in which massive wealth inequality has also created an incredible power imbalance.
"'This is what Oligarchy looks like,' Sanders said. 'Today, while 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, three multi-billionaires own more wealth than the bottom half of American society.'
"With a 'greater concentration of ownership than we have seen since the #GildedAge,' Sanders continued, from healthcare and financial services to the food, transportation, and housing sectors—'fewer and fewer giant corporations control what is produced and the prices we pay.'
"Sanders slammed a corporate media system in which corporate consolidation has led to an information and entertainment ecosystem in which an estimated '90% of U.S. media is controlled by just six huge global conglomerates,' and a political system 'increasingly controlled by the #BillionaireClass' that is allowed to inject nearly limitless amounts of money into elections, most of it secretly and without accountability.
"'In the recent elections,' Sanders bemoaned, 'just 150 billionaire families spent nearly $2 billion to get their candidates elected.' Such a reality, he said, must be challenged.
"'Our job in the coming months and years is clear. We must defeat the oligarchs and create an economy and government that works for all, not just the few.'
"How can such a defeat of these powerful forces be achieved? Sanders' latest statement did not reveal a prescription, but in a series of recent missives, social media posts, and interviews over the last week, the two-time presidential candidate has said that focusing on building working-class power is the key.
"In a letter to supporters last week, Sanders said the question of 'where do we go from here?' is a 'very serious' one that demands deep scrutiny in the coming weeks and months. And he asked a series of more specific questions that he said must be addressed, including:
• How do we expand our efforts to build a multi-racial, multi-generational working-class movement?
• How do we create a 50 state movement, not politics based on the electoral college and 'battleground' states?
• How do we deal with #CitizensUnited and the ability of billionaires to buy elections?
• How do we recruit more working-class candidates for office at all levels of government?
• Should we be supporting Independent candidates who are prepared to take on both parties?
• How do we better support union organizing?
• How do we put together listening sessions around the country that intentionally seek input from people who did not vote for Democrats in the last election?
• How do we best use social media to build our movement and combat the lies and disinformation coming from the billionaire class and right-wing media?
"In a subsequent interview with The Nation, Sanders it is 'absolutely' necessary to find ways to challenge both the #DemocraticParty and the #RepublicanParty, both of which are dominated by #CorporateInterests and #WealthyDonors.
"'We just cannot sit back and accept candidates who are not prepared to stand up to #BigMoney interests and fight for the working class,' Sanders said. 'We cannot continue to do that. So, in one way or another, we have got to bring forth candidates who [will stand up to Big Money].'"
IRS Expects $50 Billion Return by Closing Loophole Exploited by the #SuperRich
"Thanks to President Biden and Democrats in Congress, a well-funded IRS is closing a loophole to make the rich pay their taxes," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
by Jake Johnson
Jun 17, 2024
"Sen. #ElizabethWarren (D-Mass.) applauded the IRS' step, writing on social media that the Biden administration is "right to end these shell games."
"'The #superwealthy use complex #TaxSchemes to avoid paying what they owe,' Warren wrote. 'Thanks to President [Joe] Biden and Democrats in Congress, a well-funded IRS is closing a loophole to make the rich pay their taxes.'
"IRS funding provided by the #InflationReductionAct—a Democratic measure unanimously opposed by the congressional #GOP—has allowed the agency to more aggressively pursue rich #TaxDodgers whose more complicated returns require greater resources to audit than those of working-class Americans, who were audited at a higher rate than millionaires under the #Trump administration.
"Republican lawmakers are currently trying to slash IRS funding and scrap a free online tax-filing system that the agency launched this year. As The Hill reported earlier this month, House Republicans have proposed cutting IRS funding for fiscal year 2025 by $2.2 billion, specifically targeting enforcement resources.
"The IRS estimated earlier this year that if Republicans don't succeed in rolling back funding increases, the agency could collect roughly $560 billion from big #corporations and rich tax cheats over the next 10 years."
New study finds that renewable energy will cost the super-wealthy, not the rest of us. The study shows that the top 10 per cent of income earners are responsible for 52 per cent of global emissions. Therefore, a sustainable energy transition would require them to bear most of the costs while benefiting most people and the planet.
