“Every Billionaire Is a Policy Failure” —a phrase popularized by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
^^^^ 100% accurate.
Mother Jones January / February 2024 has an excellent spread called 'American Oligarchy'. There were 600 billionaires in the United States in 2016. In 2022, there are now 1,000...... more than any other country on the planet, nearly 3 times as many compared to the second in position which is China at roughly 300 billionaires.
It should not be lost on anyone how the billionaire club has grown substantially since Trump took office in 2016 with his tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations......and then during the Covid with massive price gouging, huge margins, large corporate bonuses, and mergers & acquisitions that have put a stranglehold on competitive pricing, because who needs to be competitively priced when only five large corporations own nearly all of the grocery store chains.
Billionaires and a free society are in direct conflict with each other. After reading the Panama and Paradise papers and following articles written by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, I have concluded that no one becomes a billionaire without sacrificing the safety, health and financial security of their employees along with destroying and depleting our planet’s precious, finite resources. Wealth hoarders are parasites who stifle innovation and creativity.
Totally correct. Just look at Boeing as a perfect example of that, planes falling apart in mid-air...... and their basically non-existent Quality Control Department because they wanted to save money, more profits to the bottom line, increase stock price.....it's always about increasing the stock price and lining the pockets of the executives who raid the stock value thru company buybacks. They could be the most negligent and derelict CEO, but they all have parachute packages.
Even though he owns The Post I’m surprised he didn’t follow every other unchecked arrogant ass and go to the WSJ Opinion section to defend his egocentric decisions. I’m kidding, of course, because we all know Musk’s baseless claim of buying Twitter for 1st Amendment protections was garbage and his posts are the true floating garbage with his useless three word hmmmm style quotes. I’m glad for the future of media, should we remain this lucky, because I’ve found independent sources, like yours, to be of far greater value for intent, integrity and sincerity in transparency of information and trustworthiness to your readers! I hope that becomes our new legacy media of the future for the betterment of all who want independence, truth and have a genuine thirst to actually learn! Thank you, Chris!
Elon Musk and Donald Trump lack business brains, Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong lack spines, Rupert Murdoch lacks a heart … practical trades for billions?
Jeff Bezos also has approximately 200,000 robots picking orders in his Amazon distribution centers around the world - they cost an average of $3 per hour. This greedy bastards goal is to have ONLY robots as pickers in the distribution centers, no humans picking orders. Not sure where all these thousands of people will go work, they certainly won't have any money to buy shit from Amazon.
FUCK Jeff Bezos. He squeezed so much out of this country, he doesn't care about it - he'll just go live in one of his palatial homes in some other country.
Zuckerberg no different. And why haven't Jaime Dimon and Warren Buffet (both Democrats) not come forward to endorse Harris? Because they value money over freedom and democracy.
I might be willing to entertain the discussion that automation does have advantages - but those advantages (cost savings) never trickle down to the other human employees that are still employed there nor do they trickle down to the consumer in lower prices. They are almost always taken by the corporation as profits, bonuses for executives, etc. If we are going to continue to automate, then it must be done in a respectful and responsible manner that brings value to the consumer and the people living in the communities- that is what I don't see from it.
We will not come through this in tact even if, pray God, Harris wins (unless it is landslide). We’ll be at the same place we are now with a more prepared stop the steal extremists, financed by the world’s richest man.
Shouldn’t there be an investigation of Musk receiving billions through his contracts with the DOD while financially backing Trump’s campaign and trashing Harris? Isn’t there a problem when his Starlink is supposedly aiding Ukraine while he’s having conversations with Putin? Isn’t there a problem when the DOD is so heavily dependent on Musk? Can the world get any more upside down?
No apologies are needed to the likes of Bezos, the Space Nazi Musk, etc. They certainly can't be trusted. The billionaires should not be controlling policy. When Kamala wins. And hopefully by some miracle Dems take control of both Congress and Senate, maybe we can clean up the Supreme Court among many things.
Here's a legal question for you, though I will preface this as a hypothetical, because I don't know if actual evidence exists to support the base assertion.
Regarding Elon Musk: If it can be shown that he was, in fact, in violation of his student visa when he started his first company in this country, working illegally under our laws -- Can the US revoke his US Citizenship and expel him from the country on the same grounds he wants to use to expel current working undocumented immigrants? Is there a statute of limitations at play there?
“Every Billionaire Is a Policy Failure” —a phrase popularized by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
^^^^ 100% accurate.
Mother Jones January / February 2024 has an excellent spread called 'American Oligarchy'. There were 600 billionaires in the United States in 2016. In 2022, there are now 1,000...... more than any other country on the planet, nearly 3 times as many compared to the second in position which is China at roughly 300 billionaires.
It should not be lost on anyone how the billionaire club has grown substantially since Trump took office in 2016 with his tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations......and then during the Covid with massive price gouging, huge margins, large corporate bonuses, and mergers & acquisitions that have put a stranglehold on competitive pricing, because who needs to be competitively priced when only five large corporations own nearly all of the grocery store chains.
Billionaires and a free society are in direct conflict with each other. After reading the Panama and Paradise papers and following articles written by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, I have concluded that no one becomes a billionaire without sacrificing the safety, health and financial security of their employees along with destroying and depleting our planet’s precious, finite resources. Wealth hoarders are parasites who stifle innovation and creativity.
Totally correct. Just look at Boeing as a perfect example of that, planes falling apart in mid-air...... and their basically non-existent Quality Control Department because they wanted to save money, more profits to the bottom line, increase stock price.....it's always about increasing the stock price and lining the pockets of the executives who raid the stock value thru company buybacks. They could be the most negligent and derelict CEO, but they all have parachute packages.
I watched the Frontline series on the Panama and Pandora papers. Amazing investigative journalism done by reporters in the US and abroad.
I did not see it reported anywhere else. Seemed like an important story to ME, one that every citizen of every nation should have heard.
Even though he owns The Post I’m surprised he didn’t follow every other unchecked arrogant ass and go to the WSJ Opinion section to defend his egocentric decisions. I’m kidding, of course, because we all know Musk’s baseless claim of buying Twitter for 1st Amendment protections was garbage and his posts are the true floating garbage with his useless three word hmmmm style quotes. I’m glad for the future of media, should we remain this lucky, because I’ve found independent sources, like yours, to be of far greater value for intent, integrity and sincerity in transparency of information and trustworthiness to your readers! I hope that becomes our new legacy media of the future for the betterment of all who want independence, truth and have a genuine thirst to actually learn! Thank you, Chris!
Thank you!
Elon Musk and Donald Trump lack business brains, Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong lack spines, Rupert Murdoch lacks a heart … practical trades for billions?
Jeff Bezos also has approximately 200,000 robots picking orders in his Amazon distribution centers around the world - they cost an average of $3 per hour. This greedy bastards goal is to have ONLY robots as pickers in the distribution centers, no humans picking orders. Not sure where all these thousands of people will go work, they certainly won't have any money to buy shit from Amazon.
FUCK Jeff Bezos. He squeezed so much out of this country, he doesn't care about it - he'll just go live in one of his palatial homes in some other country.
Zuckerberg no different. And why haven't Jaime Dimon and Warren Buffet (both Democrats) not come forward to endorse Harris? Because they value money over freedom and democracy.
I might be willing to entertain the discussion that automation does have advantages - but those advantages (cost savings) never trickle down to the other human employees that are still employed there nor do they trickle down to the consumer in lower prices. They are almost always taken by the corporation as profits, bonuses for executives, etc. If we are going to continue to automate, then it must be done in a respectful and responsible manner that brings value to the consumer and the people living in the communities- that is what I don't see from it.
We will not come through this in tact even if, pray God, Harris wins (unless it is landslide). We’ll be at the same place we are now with a more prepared stop the steal extremists, financed by the world’s richest man.
Shouldn’t there be an investigation of Musk receiving billions through his contracts with the DOD while financially backing Trump’s campaign and trashing Harris? Isn’t there a problem when his Starlink is supposedly aiding Ukraine while he’s having conversations with Putin? Isn’t there a problem when the DOD is so heavily dependent on Musk? Can the world get any more upside down?
Unfortunately, yes, it can, on November 5.
I cancelled my WaPo subscription last night. Eff this spoiled man baby.
Both Jefferson and Washington feared an Aristocracy of Corporations.
Whoa... I'm at a loss for more words than simply, thank you Chris Geidner.
Eat the rich.
My thoughts exactly
No apologies are needed to the likes of Bezos, the Space Nazi Musk, etc. They certainly can't be trusted. The billionaires should not be controlling policy. When Kamala wins. And hopefully by some miracle Dems take control of both Congress and Senate, maybe we can clean up the Supreme Court among many things.
Exactly -NoOligarchalRule EndCitizensUnited TaxTheRich OurVotesMustMatter
We must ensure Democratic majority in Congress, then pressure our representatives to end Citizens United, and tax the rich, at 1970s-1980's levels.
Chris,
Excellent words written without fear or favor. Thank you for all you do for your readers and democracy.
Here's a legal question for you, though I will preface this as a hypothetical, because I don't know if actual evidence exists to support the base assertion.
Regarding Elon Musk: If it can be shown that he was, in fact, in violation of his student visa when he started his first company in this country, working illegally under our laws -- Can the US revoke his US Citizenship and expel him from the country on the same grounds he wants to use to expel current working undocumented immigrants? Is there a statute of limitations at play there?