Plutocracy

On Labor Day: Low-Wage Employers say they Have no Money for Raises, but spent $341 Billion on Stock Buybacks

By Sarah Anderson ( Inequality.org ) – In response to strikes and union organizing drives, corporate leaders routinely insist that they simply lack the wherewithal to raise employee pay. And yet top executives seem to have little trouble finding resources for enriching themselves and wealthy shareholders. In 2021 and 2022, S&P 500 corporations spent record […]

Corruption

Clarence Thomas’ 38 Vacations: The Other Billionaires Who Have Treated the Supreme Court Justice to Luxury Travel

ProPublica

By Brett Murphy and Alex Mierjeski | – ( ProPublica) – During his three decades on the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas has enjoyed steady access to a lifestyle most Americans can only imagine. A cadre of industry titans and ultrawealthy executives have treated him to far-flung vacations aboard their yachts, ushered him into the premium […]

Democratic Socialists of America

Progressives Unveil OLIGARCH Act to Combat ‘Existential Threat’ of Extreme Wealth Inequality

Common Dreams

By Jake Johnson | – ( Commondreams) – A group of progressive U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday proposed a wealth tax that would automatically rise during periods of surging inequality and fall once inequality moderates. The tax is at the heart of new legislation called the Oppose Limitless Inequality Growth and Reverse Community Harms (OLIGARCH) Act, […]

Climate Crisis

The Big Money behind the Fight to Ban Environmentally and Socially Conscious Investing

Inequality.org

by Jessica Church ( Inequality.org ) – In a recent Gallup poll, the vast majority of Americans surveyed said they were not even “somewhat familiar” with the term “ESG.” But on Capitol Hill, Republicans have developed a fixation on the issue, holding not one but two intensely partisan hearings on the topic. “Republicans Are Losing […]

Education

For Racial Justice, End Legacy Admissions in Universities, a form of Affirmative Action for the Rich

OtherWords

By Sonali Kolhatkar | ( Otherwords ) – Who will benefit from the Supreme Court’s recent ruling striking down race as a factor in college admissions? Mostly, just wealthy white people. That’s because the ruling refused to touch so-called “legacy admissions.” Colleges are free to continue giving preferential treatment to the children of alumni, donors, […]

African-Americans

The Supreme Court didn’t Protect Color-Blindness but our Opportunity to Labor under a Hereditary Plutocracy

Sam Pizzigati

By Sam Pizzigati | – ( Inequality.org ) – In our United States today, all of us do not have an “equal opportunity” to become rich — or even comfortable. Rich people like things that way. Grand fortunes only grow grander when the richest among us have plenty of exploitable people around to exploit. To […]

Arms Sales

How Contractor CEOs get Rich off Taxpayers

Sam Pizzigati

By Sam Pizzigati | ( Otherwords.org ) – Does anyone have a sweeter deal than military contractor CEOs? The United States spent more last year on defense than the next 10 nations combined. A deal just brokered by the White House and House Republicans increases that amount even further — to $886 billion. Defense contractors […]

Corporations

Plastic Pollution: Campaigners around the World are using the Courts to Clean Up, but Manufacturers are Fighting Back

The Conversation

By Sam Varvastian, Cardiff University | – Plastic pollution has become such major problem that it’s threatening our human rights. That’s the view of two UN special rapporteurs (human rights advisers) who recently issued a joint statement, warning against the “overwhelming toxic tidal wave” of plastic endangering us and the environment “in a myriad of […]

Corruption

Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court

ProPublica

By Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski | – ( ProPublica ) -In early July 2008, Samuel Alito stood on a riverbank in a remote corner of Alaska. The Supreme Court justice was on vacation at a luxury fishing lodge that charged more than $1,000 a day, and after catching a king salmon nearly […]