Speaking of badges of honor, Adam Smith wrote that taxation was a badge not a burden. Yes, the father of capitalism wanted the Elon Musks of the world to pay very high taxes. We might admire the entrepreneur for his vision, energy, and creativity, But, as Smith knew, capitalism over-rewards (Exhibit A: Mark Zuckerberg), and unbridled capitalism destroys itself by destroying the free market. Taxes curb the power of the wealthy, and can be used for things that most entrepreneurs have no interest in, such as roads and bridges, i.e., infrastructure.
We used to have a prosperous Smithian capitalism in this country, with high taxes, until the path to the New Gilded Age was laid by that lickspittle Milton Friedman and his sidekick, Ronald Reagan. So, if you really want MAGA, you must RAISE taxes for goodness sake.
It's not socialism, it's capitalism. Bring on the wealth tax and everything will fall into place.
This is slightly off topic, but I’m going to digress anyway. Remember in 2021, in the depth of COVID-19, when New York City, and other caring places Nationwide held a vigil every evening honoring “essential workers”? Well, those essential workers are still out there doing their jobs and they are still essential. This about one group of those essential workers, the delivery persons. Do you think Louis De Joy, Carol Tome, Frederick W, Smith or any of the aristocrats heading large corporations would step out of their air- conditioned, offices for one day to drive in an unairconditioned truck for 8 to 16 hours (in one day)? And yet, delivery drivers for USPS, UPS, FedEx, and numerous others demand exactly that. It’s not just the heat, I live in California, not only are we anticipating a long hot summer, we’re also anticipating a worsening fire season. The clouds of carbon filled smoke drift easterly (the winds blow from the west) so all the States between here and the Rocky Mountains are also inundated with choking smoke from the fires in California, Oregon, and Washington.
My Grandson worked one summer for USPS until his asthma grew so bad, he had to quit. My Granddaughter is a driver for UPS, she still is. Both delivered products to all of us, my granddaughter continues to do so. There are documented cases of heat stroke among these drivers and deaths due to heat stroke. If the unions are aware of this, they are doing nothing, if they aren’t aware they should be. I advised my Granddaughter to attend union meetings and if she works too late to attend, talk to the shop steward and demand action. Put it in writing.
But that will drive up the cost of delivering, you say. Why? Even if it cost $2000 per truck (and I think that is high) what is the life of the driver worth? A month’s worth of fine Scotch? A couple of boxes of cigars? The weekly fee at the Country Club? Surely the ultra-wealthy could afford that little dab?
I am in the age group I refer to as End Of Lifers. I quit driving 5 years ago when I considered myself an unsafe driver. Now retired, I find even walking is difficult. All my shopping is online, I am totally dependent on the essential workers who deliver my purchases. I could probably absorb a 10% increase in delivery fees. I usually tip 20% anyway. I think this is a union issue and If I were still on the Board of Directors of the two unions to which I belonged I’d start making demands. But if the unions can’t or won’t demand it, it should come under the umbrella of health care and perhaps some conscientious politician could write a bill enforcing the necessary expense on the delivery agencies.
No, I am not anti-union. When I became a teacher the first thing I asked at orientation, was how do I join the union? I later was elected to the Board of Directors for thar t union and remained so until I retired from teaching. I then went to work for a California County. Again, I immediately joined that union, was soon elected to the Board of Directors, and again re-elected until I retired. I was also part of the negotiating teams and the political action committees. I just recognize that as important as they are, unions have some flaws, they are only as good as the leadership.
Jun 7, 2022·edited Jun 7, 2022Liked by Robert Reich
Musk's image of a socially and environmentally conscious individual has faded. The chic nature of purchasing one of his EVs, for example, will dissipate before his treatment and condemnation of American workers, his enrollment in the Republican party and, should he acquire Twitter (which, I believe, he is trying to walk away from) and then allow former president Trump back, will repel those consumers. I, for one, will never buy a Tesla EV.
I’m a team player and have always paid every dime of taxes I owned. I love the idea of making America stronger. I ran a small business and by investing back into the business I created a bigger pie not just a bigger slice. Everyone benefited and yes it’s that simple. Honesty is the best policy. I respect everything you wrote and totally agree
Unions are going to face enormous pushback. The Starbucks in Ithaca, NY, a very profitable store, closed up shop after employees voted to unionize. Amazon is learning how to stop unions from forming in its warehouses. With unregulated capitalism as a main goal and a key issue in the fights between parties winning the right of workers to unionize might be a prolonged and painful crusade, but one that it is worthwhile to undertake.
One hundred million followers on Twitter may not translate into 100 million votes but Americans do seem to like sheer audacity, ego, and wealth over dedicated public service these days. I keep hoping that Elon Musk will turn into a real boy one day.
I like Joe Biden as President more than I thought I would. However I am worried about his poll numbers and his age. Perhaps he should hint at who he might make his heir apparent just in case. Too bad America did not vote in the Congress he needed. He is unable to show how well his policies might work for middle-class Americans.
As for returning to the presidency the man who was raised to be a fascist, the man who made an oath to protect a constitution he had most likely never read, a man who should be on trial for sedition, it is a possibility that both shows how a democracy functions and how it can bring about its own demise. We are all fighting to prevent this from happening but without the support of our justice system we are still having trouble trying to win an advantage.
perhaps most frightening (for me) is that the NYTimes -- a newspaper-of-record that i once read daily & admired & wished to write for -- is now in political turmoil so that few people understand what is happening there or where the newspaper's editors stand on the issues each week. where can the public turn to get consistently excellent independent journalism that is not aimed at satisfying a filthy-rich man's ego? there are few choices available.
Thank you for stating that a rich corporate person should be judged by the way he treats his workers. His uncaring attitude toward workplace safety, resulting in the ravages of COVID, is inexcusable.
Completely agree. Elon Musk is a selfish dick who wasted a lot of money and fuel shooting himself into space. He should have stayed there.
Being famous and rich has nothing whatsoever to do with the ability to govern wisely. People seem to have lost the ability to make the distinction. Voting for Oz is like voting for Elvis or the Beatles for Senate.
Long ago we chose not to have a monarchy so we didn’t have to put up with any particular genetic toss of the dice in charge of our lives.
We seem to be substituting wealth instead of
a royal gene pool as the determining factor for choosing leaders and getting the same dismal outcome as a result.
The advice from the NYT is ridiculous and speaks poorly of its editor. He needs to stay in his lane and check his hero worship at the door to his office.
Don't refer to them as Republican MAGA candidates - they are MAGGOT Republicans who only know how to destroy and cause decay in our society. Maybe someone fed up with Musk will shove an AR-15 up his ass soon. Am SO tired of those with big mouths, tiny dicks and no conscience always taking center stage.
A hearty thumbs up to you, Michael Hutchinson! I used to teach chapters from The Wealth of Nations, a work that true capitalists should be familiar with before they destroy themselves (and everyone else, by the way!). On another note, it's hilarious to me that Dr. Oz has anyone in the Maga crowd supporting him. I don't know what his personal religious preference is, but for sure his name is Islamic in origin. "Mehmet," his first name, is a variation of "Mohammed." Of course, the Maga crowd is too ill-informed to know this!!! They'd rather concentrate on a "true" Muslim, like Barack Hussein Obama!
Another superb and sobering commentary on the vanishing American democratic republic by brilliant Professor Reich.
It is shameful that The New York Times is so intimidated by Elon Musk’s immense wealth and huge number of Twitter fans that the Times has abandoned responsible journalism reporting standards. The New York Times barely mentioned Musk’s dismal record of mistreating Tesla employees and engaging in illegal labor practices. Case in point: In September 2019, California administrative judge Anita Tracy ruled that Tesla had violated U.S. labor laws 12 different ways.
The atrocious steady decline in the quality of US news reporting and the overall US media throughout the years is partly responsible for the continued “dumbing down” of the American electorate. Of course the failure of America’s public schools to educate students about their civic rights and privileges and the basic history of U.S. governmental branches is also responsible for US citizens’ abysmal ignorance about the US government and the US election system.
A citizenry that lacks critical analytical skills and knows nothing or very little about its country’s governmental structure and important election system is easily susceptible to the dangerous and crazy ideas of a seemingly personable lunatic like Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Musk is a self proclaimed narcissist with asbergers syndrome which sadly makes him very smart and has created great success materially. But he lacks the empathy and social conscience/social intelligence that is key to true leaders like Biden. Unfortunately material success has great currency over spiritual values today. To my young high school graduates and college grandchildren keep the prize of humility, compassion and empathy healthy in your passions and dreams.
Bravo for these comments! and shame on Andrew Ross Sorkin for peddling his rubbish. We need to live by the basic values of Joe Biden (and Robert Reich) and not those of egomaniac narcissists like Elon Musk.
I agree with your assessment of the dangers to Amercan democracy, Dr. Reich! But how do you convince the powerful in America not to "cut off" the "cancer" they think the rest of us are?
The problem with America runs deeper than your profound analysis! As it stems from what shapes and forms our understandings of what the problems are!
Sorkin and company just lost this reader. Really now. Cozy up to Elon Musk is a. not possible and b. could never be genuine. He is a manipulator only self interested with zero public good in mind. Biden is a grown up with principles no matter what the scorecard of popularity says. Content is what matters. Principled content.
Speaking of badges of honor, Adam Smith wrote that taxation was a badge not a burden. Yes, the father of capitalism wanted the Elon Musks of the world to pay very high taxes. We might admire the entrepreneur for his vision, energy, and creativity, But, as Smith knew, capitalism over-rewards (Exhibit A: Mark Zuckerberg), and unbridled capitalism destroys itself by destroying the free market. Taxes curb the power of the wealthy, and can be used for things that most entrepreneurs have no interest in, such as roads and bridges, i.e., infrastructure.
We used to have a prosperous Smithian capitalism in this country, with high taxes, until the path to the New Gilded Age was laid by that lickspittle Milton Friedman and his sidekick, Ronald Reagan. So, if you really want MAGA, you must RAISE taxes for goodness sake.
It's not socialism, it's capitalism. Bring on the wealth tax and everything will fall into place.
This is slightly off topic, but I’m going to digress anyway. Remember in 2021, in the depth of COVID-19, when New York City, and other caring places Nationwide held a vigil every evening honoring “essential workers”? Well, those essential workers are still out there doing their jobs and they are still essential. This about one group of those essential workers, the delivery persons. Do you think Louis De Joy, Carol Tome, Frederick W, Smith or any of the aristocrats heading large corporations would step out of their air- conditioned, offices for one day to drive in an unairconditioned truck for 8 to 16 hours (in one day)? And yet, delivery drivers for USPS, UPS, FedEx, and numerous others demand exactly that. It’s not just the heat, I live in California, not only are we anticipating a long hot summer, we’re also anticipating a worsening fire season. The clouds of carbon filled smoke drift easterly (the winds blow from the west) so all the States between here and the Rocky Mountains are also inundated with choking smoke from the fires in California, Oregon, and Washington.
My Grandson worked one summer for USPS until his asthma grew so bad, he had to quit. My Granddaughter is a driver for UPS, she still is. Both delivered products to all of us, my granddaughter continues to do so. There are documented cases of heat stroke among these drivers and deaths due to heat stroke. If the unions are aware of this, they are doing nothing, if they aren’t aware they should be. I advised my Granddaughter to attend union meetings and if she works too late to attend, talk to the shop steward and demand action. Put it in writing.
But that will drive up the cost of delivering, you say. Why? Even if it cost $2000 per truck (and I think that is high) what is the life of the driver worth? A month’s worth of fine Scotch? A couple of boxes of cigars? The weekly fee at the Country Club? Surely the ultra-wealthy could afford that little dab?
I am in the age group I refer to as End Of Lifers. I quit driving 5 years ago when I considered myself an unsafe driver. Now retired, I find even walking is difficult. All my shopping is online, I am totally dependent on the essential workers who deliver my purchases. I could probably absorb a 10% increase in delivery fees. I usually tip 20% anyway. I think this is a union issue and If I were still on the Board of Directors of the two unions to which I belonged I’d start making demands. But if the unions can’t or won’t demand it, it should come under the umbrella of health care and perhaps some conscientious politician could write a bill enforcing the necessary expense on the delivery agencies.
No, I am not anti-union. When I became a teacher the first thing I asked at orientation, was how do I join the union? I later was elected to the Board of Directors for thar t union and remained so until I retired from teaching. I then went to work for a California County. Again, I immediately joined that union, was soon elected to the Board of Directors, and again re-elected until I retired. I was also part of the negotiating teams and the political action committees. I just recognize that as important as they are, unions have some flaws, they are only as good as the leadership.
Musk's image of a socially and environmentally conscious individual has faded. The chic nature of purchasing one of his EVs, for example, will dissipate before his treatment and condemnation of American workers, his enrollment in the Republican party and, should he acquire Twitter (which, I believe, he is trying to walk away from) and then allow former president Trump back, will repel those consumers. I, for one, will never buy a Tesla EV.
I’m a team player and have always paid every dime of taxes I owned. I love the idea of making America stronger. I ran a small business and by investing back into the business I created a bigger pie not just a bigger slice. Everyone benefited and yes it’s that simple. Honesty is the best policy. I respect everything you wrote and totally agree
Unions are going to face enormous pushback. The Starbucks in Ithaca, NY, a very profitable store, closed up shop after employees voted to unionize. Amazon is learning how to stop unions from forming in its warehouses. With unregulated capitalism as a main goal and a key issue in the fights between parties winning the right of workers to unionize might be a prolonged and painful crusade, but one that it is worthwhile to undertake.
One hundred million followers on Twitter may not translate into 100 million votes but Americans do seem to like sheer audacity, ego, and wealth over dedicated public service these days. I keep hoping that Elon Musk will turn into a real boy one day.
I like Joe Biden as President more than I thought I would. However I am worried about his poll numbers and his age. Perhaps he should hint at who he might make his heir apparent just in case. Too bad America did not vote in the Congress he needed. He is unable to show how well his policies might work for middle-class Americans.
As for returning to the presidency the man who was raised to be a fascist, the man who made an oath to protect a constitution he had most likely never read, a man who should be on trial for sedition, it is a possibility that both shows how a democracy functions and how it can bring about its own demise. We are all fighting to prevent this from happening but without the support of our justice system we are still having trouble trying to win an advantage.
perhaps most frightening (for me) is that the NYTimes -- a newspaper-of-record that i once read daily & admired & wished to write for -- is now in political turmoil so that few people understand what is happening there or where the newspaper's editors stand on the issues each week. where can the public turn to get consistently excellent independent journalism that is not aimed at satisfying a filthy-rich man's ego? there are few choices available.
Thank you for stating that a rich corporate person should be judged by the way he treats his workers. His uncaring attitude toward workplace safety, resulting in the ravages of COVID, is inexcusable.
Completely agree. Elon Musk is a selfish dick who wasted a lot of money and fuel shooting himself into space. He should have stayed there.
Being famous and rich has nothing whatsoever to do with the ability to govern wisely. People seem to have lost the ability to make the distinction. Voting for Oz is like voting for Elvis or the Beatles for Senate.
Long ago we chose not to have a monarchy so we didn’t have to put up with any particular genetic toss of the dice in charge of our lives.
We seem to be substituting wealth instead of
a royal gene pool as the determining factor for choosing leaders and getting the same dismal outcome as a result.
The advice from the NYT is ridiculous and speaks poorly of its editor. He needs to stay in his lane and check his hero worship at the door to his office.
Don't refer to them as Republican MAGA candidates - they are MAGGOT Republicans who only know how to destroy and cause decay in our society. Maybe someone fed up with Musk will shove an AR-15 up his ass soon. Am SO tired of those with big mouths, tiny dicks and no conscience always taking center stage.
Laurie Maldague
16 min ago
A hearty thumbs up to you, Michael Hutchinson! I used to teach chapters from The Wealth of Nations, a work that true capitalists should be familiar with before they destroy themselves (and everyone else, by the way!). On another note, it's hilarious to me that Dr. Oz has anyone in the Maga crowd supporting him. I don't know what his personal religious preference is, but for sure his name is Islamic in origin. "Mehmet," his first name, is a variation of "Mohammed." Of course, the Maga crowd is too ill-informed to know this!!! They'd rather concentrate on a "true" Muslim, like Barack Hussein Obama!
Another superb and sobering commentary on the vanishing American democratic republic by brilliant Professor Reich.
It is shameful that The New York Times is so intimidated by Elon Musk’s immense wealth and huge number of Twitter fans that the Times has abandoned responsible journalism reporting standards. The New York Times barely mentioned Musk’s dismal record of mistreating Tesla employees and engaging in illegal labor practices. Case in point: In September 2019, California administrative judge Anita Tracy ruled that Tesla had violated U.S. labor laws 12 different ways.
The atrocious steady decline in the quality of US news reporting and the overall US media throughout the years is partly responsible for the continued “dumbing down” of the American electorate. Of course the failure of America’s public schools to educate students about their civic rights and privileges and the basic history of U.S. governmental branches is also responsible for US citizens’ abysmal ignorance about the US government and the US election system.
A citizenry that lacks critical analytical skills and knows nothing or very little about its country’s governmental structure and important election system is easily susceptible to the dangerous and crazy ideas of a seemingly personable lunatic like Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Musk is a self proclaimed narcissist with asbergers syndrome which sadly makes him very smart and has created great success materially. But he lacks the empathy and social conscience/social intelligence that is key to true leaders like Biden. Unfortunately material success has great currency over spiritual values today. To my young high school graduates and college grandchildren keep the prize of humility, compassion and empathy healthy in your passions and dreams.
Oz is a huckster and a hack. He should have his medical licenses revoked. If he gets elected, he and Rand Paul can discuss 'medicine' like bleedings.
Bravo for these comments! and shame on Andrew Ross Sorkin for peddling his rubbish. We need to live by the basic values of Joe Biden (and Robert Reich) and not those of egomaniac narcissists like Elon Musk.
I agree with your assessment of the dangers to Amercan democracy, Dr. Reich! But how do you convince the powerful in America not to "cut off" the "cancer" they think the rest of us are?
The problem with America runs deeper than your profound analysis! As it stems from what shapes and forms our understandings of what the problems are!
Sorkin and company just lost this reader. Really now. Cozy up to Elon Musk is a. not possible and b. could never be genuine. He is a manipulator only self interested with zero public good in mind. Biden is a grown up with principles no matter what the scorecard of popularity says. Content is what matters. Principled content.