The Post-Partisan Emporium

  Who are the “Elite”? Todd Hayen People are always correcting me when I use the term “elite” to describe that group of “people” (or maybe lizards) who are calling the shots and who created the “agenda” and want the rest of us (useless eaters) either under their thumb or dead. The people who correct me claim these people (or lizards) are not “elite” which falsely implies “better,” “advanced,” or “special.” They don’t want to give these people (or lizards) any credit they do not deserve. I get it. The clear and indisputable official definition of “elite” is:  “A group or class of persons considered to be superior to others because of their intelligence, social standing, or wealth.” But who is doing the “considering”—them, or us, the “non-elite”? However, it is an easy word to use to describe a group, just like “sheep” and “shrew” are easy to use. It’s not necessarily wholly accurate, but everyone knows what I am referring to when I use these terms. I get the same sort of critic...

Criticisms of pro-market policies, such as lower corporate taxes and deregulation, are often rooted in a form of discrimination rarely acknowledged: upward classism. This prejudice against people of higher socio-economic status misrepresents the contributions of “the rich” and distorts discussions about public policy. While these policies are castigated as benefiting the wealthy, they have demonstrable benefits for broader economic growth and living standards. For example, research by Suárez Serrato and Zidar—“Who Benefits from State Corporate Tax Cuts?”— reveals   that reducing corporate taxes encourages business expansion, resulting in job creation and improved local economies. Similarly, Gordon and Young, in another paper,   emphasize   that efficient tax systems, including lower corporate rates, are essential for sustaining long-term economic growth. Far from being self-serving, pro-market policies are foundational to fostering an environment in which businesses and, ...

  Reparations for the Common People Paying a long overdue dividend DONALD JEFFRIES I wrote the book  Survival of the Richest: How the Corruption of the Marketplace and the Disparity of Wealth Created the Greatest Conspiracy of All.  It received more critical praise than any of my books, from the likes of Arthur Blaustein, a former Chair of the National Advisory Council on Economic Opportunity. Look at the book’s Amazon page. It has a long list of impressive blurbs under the “Editorial Reviews” section. These were people I largely have never communicated with. It was heady stuff for a community college dropout like me. Naomi Wolf compared it to the late Barbara Ehrenreich’s excellent  Nickel and Dimed.  Naomi went on the write the Foreword to the paperback version. Needless to say, I was extremely honored. But the book just never sold well. Even Naomi’s name on the paperback didn’t seem to help. There was a huge distinction between the critical praise and the dis...

  Billionaire Larry Fink of BlackRock, Which Grabbed Fed Bailouts in 2020-2021, Lectures Struggling Seniors on Making More Sacrifices By  Pam Martens and  Russ Martens : March 27, 2024 ~ Laurence (Larry) Fink, Chairman and CEO, BlackRock Yesterday, billionaire Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of the giant investment manager BlackRock, released his  annual letter to shareholders . In it, Fink revives the same ole trope that billionaires Kenneth Langone and Stanley Druckenmiller were taking on a road show in 2013. Back then the billionaire propaganda was called: “ General Theft: How Entitlement Spending is Stealing Opportunity from America’s Youth .” Every time there is talk of raising taxes on the super-rich, some of whom pay less in taxes than plumbers and teachers through a  tricked-up tax dodge known as “carried interest ,” the billionaires launch a concerted effort to scapegoat struggling seniors living on an average monthly Social Security retirement benefit of ...

  Trump, Shapiro and the War on Social Security The death of "Entitlements" DONALD JEFFRIES Ben Shapiro, the smarmy young elitist who co-founded conservative platform The Daily Wire, took a break from fondling the Wailing Wall the other day. Next to enthusiastically shilling for Israel, his key issue seems to be eliminating Social Security. You know, the primary income most retired people rely on. Shapiro came out with both guns blazing, firing away at….American senior citizens. He called retirement itself a “stupid idea” and said it was “insane” that the retirement age hasn’t been raised. This has long been a Stupid Party staple- just keep raising the retirement age. That way there will be less of the old, useless eaters to pay. Shapiro inaccurately referred to the fact that Americans are living longer, when actually the life expectancy rate in this country has been falling for the past several years. That’s because of our crack Medical Industrial Complex, and our preservati...