"INCREASE TAXES ON US," 1% Businessmen Say Our System Is Broken: Patriotic Millionaires
'We are businessmen in the 1%. It's time to increase taxes on us.' A group of wealthy Americans from all walks of life across red, blue and purple states are united under the idea that our system is fundamentally broken. The Guardian, Oct. 2, 2019.
Inequality in America is out of control. From 1989 to 2018, the top 1% of Americans increased their cumulative wealth by an astounding $21tn, while the bottom 50% of the country saw their share decrease by $900bn. If you believe the prevailing philosophy of US conservative ideology, the handful of individuals in the 1% are entitled to every bit of their wealth and power because they deployed their capital wisely. As businessmen in the 1%, living in a conservative state, we confront this philosophy every day, and frankly, were sick of it.
The Republican partys embrace of the Ive-done-it-all-on-my-own mentality is extraordinarily delusional, harmful, and counterproductive. Collective goods like a sound infrastructure system, a strong K-12 and higher education systems, and rule of law are critical ingredients to building both individual and societal economic prosperity.
Until more of our wealthy contemporaries recognize their responsibility to strengthen these collective goods, there is little hope of addressing our growing inequality before it destroys us.
Thats why we joined the Patriotic Millionaires, a group of wealthy Americans from all walks of life across deep red, deep blue and purple states, who are united under the idea that our system the same one that created the opportunity for businessmen like us to succeed is fundamentally broken, hijacked by the ultra-wealthy.
Many of our peers are confounded by this assertion, in light of the benefits we have reaped. But its precisely due to our privileged vantage point that we feel a duty to speak out about the injustices we see. Neither of us succeeded on our own. Our business benefited immensely from our countrys and states infrastructure, which we did not create. For example, we had the advantage of an affordable and outstanding public education system at the University of Utah, and of a complex and thorough system of laws and rules that we learned to successfully navigate.
Yes, the right combination of smart decisions, hard work and talent are essential ingredients of success, but theyre of limited value if the opportunities arent there to begin with. Today, for much of our country, there are more barriers blocking opportunity than there are pathways leading to it. The tax cuts passed by Congress in December 2017 accelerated the concentration of wealth at the very top, at the expense of our rapidly deteriorating institutions and infrastructure that once allowed Americans to climb the ladder of opportunity.
As members of the Patriotic Millionaires, we are organizing to ensure that wealthy Americans including corporate America pay more taxes (so that our institutions and infrastructure are available to all people living in this country) and that there is a national minimum wage (so that everyone in this country who is willing and able to work can live a reasonable life). Conscious capitalism, a term that is often used cavalierly, needs to be reclaimed from the corporate marketing spin masters who merely want to rebrand while continuing to abuse the existing system.
About 200 CEO members of the Business Roundtable appear to recognize that if capitalism in America is to survive, it must undergo radical, transformative change...
More, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/02/patriotic-millionaires-who-want-to-pay-more-taxes
*Patriotic Millionaires Website: https://patrioticmillionaires.org/
brush
(53,792 posts)MsLeopard
(1,265 posts)Lets hope we have a Democratic sweep in 2020, and maybe #PresidentPelosi before then. Sweep 2020 and we can perhaps finally turn this top heavy ship around.
But we need paper ballots desperately.
AZ8theist
(5,477 posts)Why don't these Oligarchs put their money where there mouth is??
STOP funding right wing and Repuke PACS. STOP. ZERO$$$$. NOW!!
THEN..............take that money and give it to every Democratic candidate you can find. Set up a $3B PAC for Elizabeth Warrren or Bernie or Joe or WHOEVER the democratic candidate is...
Spend another $Billion on state wide races for Dems...
Spend $1-2B on negative Doturd ads.. (hint: They write themselves..)
Then, and ONLY THEN, will I actually believe these scumbags are sincere.