Blog

Billionaires Could Fight Back, But They Consider Higher Taxes Worse Than Authoritarianism

Posted by leftoflansing on November 24, 2019November 24, 2019

Paul Krugman posted this interesting thread today:

The Ukraine story is one of extortion and bribery: Trump threatened a vulnerable nation by withholding aid, using the threat to extract help against his domestic rivals. What’s not being widely noted is that the same thing is happening to U.S. corporations 1/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) November 23, 2019

A thinking, logical person knows how Trump made obvious attempts to extort and bribe Ukraine. I have admit, though, I didn’t give Krugman’s assertions any thought.

Even as the impeachment hearings were going on, Trump made a bizarre appearance at an Apple plant, making a series of false claims about both Apple and his own policies. And Tim Cook just stood by silently 2/ https://t.co/IzqaWYDc3W

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) November 23, 2019

I wondered why “Tim Apple” didn’t correct The Occupant, but now it makes sense.

As Krugman astutely notes, the administration is using tariff “exclusions” for whichever corporations it deems deserve it. There’s no other reason why the exclusions are handed-out on The Occupant’s whims.

It’s not solid economic policy, for sure, but maybe this helps explain why billionaires and corporations are conspicuously sitting in the corner while America’s tearing apart at the seams.

That’s how much the billionaire class cares more about tax cuts than it does our democracy.

Oh, where is the Tea Party when you need them?

—Pat