Driven By The Desire To Exert Ever More Influence
The current shift to authoritarianism in the United States is not about folk with too little, but is being driven by those with too much wealth and power. The thing is that amassing wealth does not make you more amenable to sharing it, rather it has the opposite effect in many. People get very protective about their assets and wish ever greater control over things. A growing number of billionaires are driven by the desire to exert ever more influence and power over masses of people in America. It is disgusting really what we are witnessing in the US at the moment.
Authoritarianism On Steroids In America
Bill Gates said it best when drawing attention to Elon Musk, the richest man in the world attacking the poorest via his DOGE cuts to USAID. Now, we are observing the Trump regime trying to pass through the senate the biggest tax cuts to the super wealthy and the largest decreases in expenditure on social services to poorer Americans. This obscene rearrangement of wealth to benefit the already wealthy is without parallel in US history. The coalition of billionaires and extremists in the Trump administration is without doubt the worst executive the White House has ever seen. How low can the bar be set with Donald Trump? Rich folk are driven by the desire to exert ever more influence over their poorer cousins.
Grifting Trump Style
Meanwhile, the Trump family are grifting billions via schemes and digital currency scams during this presidency already. No rest for the wicked, hey folks? Peddling presidential influence is a lucrative con to be running, especially in the Middle East. The art of the deal is in reality a grift to amass goodies and cash for mob boss Trump. Luxury airliners and other golden gestures of good will toward the President are warmly received in contravention of every protocol ever established about gifts going to politicians. The ugly American has redecorated the oval office in the White House to make it look more like the digs of a despot in eastern Europe. Gold leaf stuck onto stuff in kitsch relief everywhere you look. Trump’s grandpappy made his fortune owning a brothel in the Klondike. Having somewhere warm to insert your extremities would have been worth plenty to those gold miners.
The Rich Driven To Authoritarianism To Protect Their Wealth
Rich Americans are driven by the desire to exert ever more influence over anyone in their way. The ‘haves’ do not care about the ‘have nots’ except to keep them under the thumb.
“Nothing says so much about a superyacht or its owner, writes Evan Osnos, as its LOA. The initials stand for “length over all” – or what one aficionado he interviewed calls “phallic sizing”. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, before he got the idea of sending celebrities like Katy Perry into space, commissioned a $485m yacht called Koru. With its towering masts, the 127 metre-long boat proved too tall to pass beneath Rotterdam’s famous Koningshaven Bridge, and while its manufacturers suggested dismantling the bridge, rather than the yacht, the heroes of that particular story – the Dutch – refused.”
The ultra rich voted for Donald Trump, a convicted felon and known liar, in order to purchase their wealth protection and enhancement. American democracy has been a bad joke for decades. Trump has put that to rest now via his dictatorship. You know JFK, who is remembered as a martyred political saint, was the President who first lowered the top tax rates in the US by quite a margin. Ronald Reagan, of course, continued to gut the tax rate for the super wealthy. It used to be up around 90% and is now down to 37%. That is a huge decrease and tells you the story of the wealth divide in America and how it has been achieved over recent years. The politicians have looked after the wealthy at the expense of the working poor and the middle class. The last time the economic equality in the US looked OK was during Eisenhower’s presidency. Americans are so bloody stupid. They have been gulled and continue to be so. You have to ask yourself how so many, the majority of the people, can be fooled into voting against their own interests again and again? It is a special power, obviously. Hells bells they voted for Donald Trump again.
“The federal income tax has seven tax rates in 2025: 10 percent, 12 percent, 22 percent, 24 percent, 32 percent, 35 percent, and 37 percent. The top marginal income tax rate of 37 percent will hit taxpayers with taxable income Taxable income is the amount of income subject to tax, after deductions and exemptions. For both individuals and corporations, taxable income differs from—and is less than—gross income. above $626,350 for single filers and above $751,600 for married couples filing jointly.”
“Donald Trump has raised taxes on Americans hugely. Trump tariffs biggest tax hike US has seen. 25% tariffs on imported cars. 25% on Canadian and Mexican goods. 20% on Chinese goods. And more to come. These tariffs mean higher prices paid by ordinary Americans. Thus, tariffs are taxes paid by Americans. So much for the GOP being supposedly a political party committed to lower taxes. Get ready for the return of high inflation and prices rising across the board. Joe Biden and the Democrats spent 4 years getting the economy back under control after the ravishes of the global pandemic only to see the Trump wrecking ball stuff it all up again.”
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of Money Matters and America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump.
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