[Peace-discuss] News from Neptune #419 notes

[David Green]

http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/letters-the-editor/2019-04-20/letter-the-editor-life-good-those-1-percent-households.html


My letter published last Saturday:

Discussion of Illinois’ budget/taxation issues excludes the context
necessary to understand four decades of increased wealth and income
inequality, and the concurrent lowering of overall (federal, state, local)
tax rates for the wealthy. Historical income and wealth data reflect
federal policies, promoted by the 1%, which have dramatically increased
their national wealth and income shares while garnering virtually all gains
resulting from increased worker productivity.

Through political manipulation by both parties and their funders, the
richest 1% of households has increased its share of national wealth by 20%
since 1980, to over 40%. For Illinois one percenters, this means an
additional $440 billion, or $7 million per 1% household: those with average
assets of $14 million.

Similarly, the yearly national income share of the wealthiest 1% has
increased by 7%, to 18%. In Illinois, this means that households with
incomes over $400,000, averaging over $1 million, have in recent years
collectively appropriated at least $50 billion annually from the working
class.

Meanwhile, overall (federal, state, local) tax rates for the rich have
decreased from 45% to 35% of income, saving $14 billion annually for the
Illinois 1%.

The money needed to fully fund the state budget and pensions is a pittance
in these contexts. But propagandists from the Illinois Policy Institute and
Chamber of Commerce, lobbying for the greed of the 1%, will continue to
offer excuses that don’t rise to the level of “the dog ate my homework.”
And Jim Dey will continue to parrot those excuses, *ad nauseum*.

On Fri, May 3, 2019 at 5:55 PM J.B. Nicholson via Peace-discuss <
peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net> wrote:

> News from Neptune #419
> A "Another Coup Coup" edition
> Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBElODqEZFk
>
> A list of links to references made on the show.
>
> Dexter Filkins on "John Bolton on the Warpath"
> https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/05/06/john-bolton-on-the-warpath
>
> Pepe Escobar
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepe_Escobar -- includes links to his many
> articles for multiple publications (RT, Counterpunch, The Real News,
> TomDispatch, etc.)
>
> "Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?" book
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can%27t_Anybody_Here_Play_This_Game%3F
>
> Max Fischer on "What Makes a Coup Succeed? Confidence, Consensus and a
> Sense of Inevitability"
> https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/02/world/americas/venezuela-coup.html
>
> Jon Queally on "Biden Sides With Trump, Bolton, and Pompeo in Backing Coup
> Effort in Venezuela"
>
> https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/05/01/biden-sides-trump-bolton-and-pompeo-backing-coup-effort-venezuela
>
> Paul Krugman on "The Trouble With Joe and Bernie"
> https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/02/opinion/sanders-biden-2020.html
>
> David Brooks on "The Revolt of the Democratic Elites"
> https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/02/opinion/biden-bernie-democrats.html
>
> Related: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVeXom6HzIQ -- Jimmy Dore on
> Bernie Sanders' recent Fox News "Town Hall meeting" where the host asked
> the audience about supporting a Sanders-style Medicare for All instead of
> their private work-supplied healthcare. The audience was in widespread
> agreement; Medicare for All is worth switching to.
>
> Matt Bruenig on "Universal Health Care Might Cost You Less Than You Think"
> https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/29/opinion/medicare-for-all-cost.html
>
> Dr. Dean Baker on "Medicare for All Act: Testimony Before House Rules
> Committee" (Testimony by Dr. Dean Baker, Senior Economist, Center for
> Economic and Policy Research to the House of Representatives, Rules
> Committee, April 30, 2019.)
>
> https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/05/03/medicare-for-all-act-testimony-before-house-rules-committee/
>
> Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on "legitimacy" of "Maduro regime"
>
> https://www.foxnews.com/politics/aoc-punts-on-venezuela-says-shell-defer-to-caucus-leadership
>
> https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/05/democrats-split-in-responses-to-venezuela-crisis/
>
> Jeffrey St. Clair in "Roaming Charges: Biden in Plain Sight"
>
> https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/05/03/roaming-charges-biden-in-plain-sight/
>
> Impeachable offenses
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment#Impeachable_offenses
>
> Glenn Greenwald vs. James Risen on what treason means
> Transcript:
>
> https://theintercept.com/2018/02/21/intercepted-podcast-russiamania-glenn-greenwald-vs-james-risen/
> Video:
>
> https://theintercept.com/2018/02/21/video-glenn-greenwald-and-james-risen-debate-the-trumprussia-investigation/
>
> War of Aggression
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_aggression
>
> New York Times Editorial Board on "A Rising Tide of Anti-Semitism"
> https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/30/opinion/cartoon-nytimes.html
>
> Philip Weiss on "I was wrong about anti-Semitism going away"
> https://mondoweiss.net/2019/04/wrong-about-semitism/
>
> Aaron Maté on Russiagate
> https://twitter.com/aaronjmate/status/1124136736563638272
>
> C. G. Estabrook
>
> http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/letters-the-editor/2019-04-23/letter-the-editor-us-waging-war-all-over-the-globe.html
>
> [Sadly, the News-Gazette doesn't make it easy to find particular letters
> to
> the editor. Please do add a link to David Green's recent letter to the
> editor if you know the URL for that letter.]
>
> -J
> _______________________________________________
> Peace-discuss mailing list
> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss
>
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