Notices by Robert Reich (rbreich@masto.ai)

What do we do now? | The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPWr_UKxd60&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." –Louis Brandeis

Words spoken many years ago that are just as relevant today.

We must continue the fight to get big money out of politics.

The crypto lobby has spent $129 million to elect industry-friendly candidates over the last three election cycles.

Crypto is now one of the largest campaign contributors since Citizens United — second to Big Oil.

For the sake of democracy, we must get big money out of politics.

Musk is a gigantic wanker

We thank you, Joe https://robertreich.substack.com/p/thank-you-joe-c33?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

Women got the right to vote 204 years ago today. Billionaire Peter Thiel says that's a bad thing, claiming the U.S. has been in decline ever since "the extension of the franchise to women." Thiel spent $15M to elect JD Vance because he believes Vance shares his values.

57 companies are responsible for 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions since 2016.

These companies include fossil fuel giants like Chevron, Shell, and BP, who have been raking in record profits.

The profits of Big Oil should not be more important than the future of our planet.

Boeing's outgoing CEO could get "golden parachute" worth as much as $45 million.

The CEO before him got one worth $62 million on his way out the door in 2019.

America has socialism for the rich, harsh capitalism for everyone else.

When one big corporation controls three of the world's biggest social media apps and the two biggest messaging apps, it risks all kinds of chaos if that company ever has a problem.

This is just one more reason why corporate consolidation is dangerous.

From 1989 to 2019, the richest 1% of families increased their share of total national wealth from 27% to 34%.

At the same time, families in the bottom 50% saw their share drop from 4% to 2%.

When I say trickle-down economics is a hoax, this is what I mean.

https://t.co/v0gKePArRC

Amazon spent $14.2 million on anti-union consultants last year alone. If that's not a clear sign that corporations are terrified of worker power, I don't know what is.

A jury ruled that Trump committed violent sexual assault.

A judge ruled he committed financial fraud.

Now another judge has found (what we all saw for ourselves) that he engaged in an insurrection.

How is it possible that he's still a candidate for president?

"School choice" sounds great, but it's a euphemism for defunding public schools and funneling the money to private, for-profit schools that don't have to accept all students, are not accountable for their curricula, and can use your tax dollars for religious indoctrination. #GOPDebate

It used to be Democrats versus Republicans, liberals versus conservatives, left versus right.

That is over.

It is now democracy versus authoritarianism.

The 2024 election is fast approaching. Know the stakes.

The richest 1% took home nearly twice as much wealth as the rest of the world put together over the past two years.

If that doesn’t convince you wealth inequality is out of control, I don’t know what will.

Jeff Bezos reportedly purchased a $75 million "support yacht" with a helipad to trail his $500 million superyacht.

Meanwhile, Amazon doesn't want workers to organize for better pay and safer working conditions.

This is what oligarchy looks like.

Socialism is a scare word they've hurled at every advance the people have made. Socialism is what they called public power, social security, deposit insurance, and independent labor organizations. Socialism is their name for anything that helps all people.

—Harry Truman, 1952

The Republican Party is no longer committed to democracy. It is rapidly becoming the American fascist party.

What happened last week in Tennessee offers a chilling example. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/what-happens-when-supermajorities

Forced birth in a country with:

—No universal healthcare
—No universal childcare
—No paid family & medical leave
—One of the highest rates of maternal mortality among rich nations

This isn't about "life." It's about control.