The Reverend Dr. King would have said something like: 'Oh, my friends, our aim must be not to defeat Mr. Bernard Arnault and his family, not to defeat Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, Larry Ellison or Elon Musk. Our aim must be to defeat the evil that’s in them [the evil that is in the systems supporting exorbitant income gaps]. But our aim must be to win the friendship of Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, Larry Ellison and Elon Musk. We must come to the point of seeing that our ultimate aim is to live with all men as brothers and sisters under God, and not be their enemies....'
In 1957, Dr. King laid out four lessons for overcoming oppression. http://www.edchange.org/
We need to apply Dr. King's lessons in bringing about systemic change. We will not succeed if we simple-mindedly taxing the rich, nor by following the Democrats' formula, nor by defensively hiding from change like Conservatives!
1. Let us overcome identity politics (also called partisan politics). In identity politics a win for the others is seen as a loss for me. Scrap identity politics! Individual equity and reaching for individual potential should be universal aims, not equality among identity groups. We will never reach equality for all identity groups. The battles between identity groups simply means that society is endlessly pivoting instead of improving the settings and the lives of people. Meanwhile, for a person to reach one's potential can be achieved, can be achieved each time a person reaches a personal goal and then looks to see what else one can accomplish.
2. Corporations are not citizens, they are owned internationally. We do not allow foreign citizens to advertise and campaign on ballot measures and elections. Those are meant solely for the nation's citizens. Stop the corporations from influencing our votes too. Drive out their money! Their money is directing our nation to do the bidding of corporate investors. Our governments, our legislatures and agencies need to bound to the best interests of the citizens.
3. Achieve an annual income cap, possibly at $15 million per person. With a 100% tax on all earnings after the first $15 million per year, we can change the incentives throughout the economy. No one will want to pay such a tax. What employers had ear-marked for excessive income can be kept by businesses. Then businesses can efficiently use that money in smart ways, smarter than governments can do with money. And if no one pays the tax on earnings above the income cap, then governments will not get those funds.
4. Human Rights can be strengthened in a Civil Society where the exercise of Civil Liberties are encouraged. Thomas Jefferson was wrong to suggest "All . . . are endowed by their Creator with certain, inalienable rights . . . . " God did not give out rights during the lifetimes of Yosef (interpreter of dreams) or of Moses or of Jesus or of Mohammed or of Martin Luther. God did not change and God did not give out rights in the 1770s. People demanded respect from monarchies, and when citizens demonstrated they could be responsible when exercising their Civil Liberties, then Human Rights evolved. Those Rights evolved out of civil societies where civil liberties can be exercised. That is why human rights are in doubt in Myanmar, and Russia and Yemen and North Korea. God is not forsaking those societies. They have not achieved civility, so human rights are in doubt.
WE NEED SYSTEMIC CHANGE like these principles would usher into our nations. Let us tear apart the dominate partisan politics that aim to advance their own parties more than advancing the best interests of their citizens, allow #RegulateGreed to redirect the economies, and #Aim4Equity, individual equity in all that our governments do for citizens.
