Quakers are inherently grass-roots. It comes from the belief that metaphysical truth is revealed to any and all of us if we but listen. There is that of God in each of us, and, as communities, we are called to speak up when human events conflict with our values. One of the ways we express our collective sensibilities about important matters is to agree on a “minute” recorded at Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business. Here is one such expression of unity and commitment from my Newtown Friends Meeting:
The Hidden Hand That Makes Billionaires Possible
We are all in this together, even Elon.
There’s a myth we tell ourselves in America—that the wealthiest among us are entirely self-made, that their success comes purely from their own hard work, intelligence, and risk-taking. You hear it all the time, often from the billionaires themselves. They built their companies “from scratch.” They “earned every penny.” And when the subject of taxation comes up, they argue that it’s unfair for the government to “confiscate” the wealth they created and give it to those who haven’t worked as hard.
It’s a compelling story. But it’s also incomplete.
Elon Musk didn’t build Tesla and SpaceX in a vacuum. Jeff Bezos didn’t create Amazon out of thin air. Even the late Steve Jobs, the genius behind Apple, didn’t succeed in isolation. Every billionaire, every entrepreneur, every corporate empire stands on a foundation of public investments, social systems, and infrastructure that made their success possible.
The Roads, Wires, and Networks They Didn’t Build
Start with the basics. Without roads, bridges, airports, and railways, businesses couldn’t transport goods. Without an educated workforce, companies couldn’t hire skilled employees. Without a functioning legal system to enforce contracts and protect intellectual property, innovation would be too risky.
But let’s go even deeper.
The internet—without which companies like PayPal, Amazon, and Google wouldn’t even exist—was created with government funding. It started as ARPANET, a project of the U.S. Department of Defense. The same goes for GPS, touchscreen technology, and countless other breakthroughs that companies later turned into billion-dollar industries.
Elon Musk, now the world’s richest man, got his start with PayPal, an online payment platform that was only possible because of the internet and a stable financial system backed by government regulations and consumer protections. His later ventures, Tesla and SpaceX, have received billions in government subsidies, research grants, and contracts. And yet, he rails against the very taxes that support the system that made his success possible.
The Myth of the Self-Made Man
The idea that billionaires “did it all themselves” ignores the millions of people whose labor keeps their companies running and the social programs that keep their customers able to buy products. Amazon’s entire business model depends on reliable roads, an educated workforce, and customers with disposable income. Walmart thrives in towns with a strong middle class. Tesla cars aren’t selling in countries with extreme poverty.
If the economy collapses, so does their wealth. That’s why government stimulus programs—so often criticized as “handouts” for regular people—are quietly welcomed by big business when things go south. During the 2008 financial crisis, banks got massive bailouts to keep them afloat. During the COVID-19 pandemic, government relief checks kept people spending, which in turn kept businesses from sinking.
The True Purpose of Taxes
When billionaires and corporations push for tax cuts, they frame it as a moral issue. They argue that it’s unfair to take what they’ve “earned” and give it to the undeserving. But taxation isn’t about punishing success—it’s about maintaining the system that allows success to happen in the first place.
Progressive taxation funds the infrastructure, education, healthcare, and social stability that create the conditions for prosperity. When done right, it prevents economic stagnation, reduces poverty, and ensures that opportunity is available to more than just the lucky few.
If taxes were really the enemy of success, why do countries with strong public investments—like Denmark, Sweden, and Germany—continue to rank among the world’s most competitive economies? Why do billionaires still flourish in places with high taxes and strong safety nets?
Investing in the Future
No one is saying billionaires shouldn’t be rewarded for their vision, leadership, or innovation. But let’s stop pretending that they did it alone. They benefited from the roads they didn’t pave, the schools they didn’t fund, and the technology they didn’t invent. They thrived in an economy kept stable by government protections and social investments.
And when they argue that taxes are unfair, maybe we should ask: unfair to whom?
A society that supports its people—through education, infrastructure, healthcare, and fair wages—is not just good for the poor. It’s good for the wealthy, too. Because without it, there would be no wealth to accumulate.
Flood the Zone
Since the election, I have greatly reduced the time I spend on the media. I rationalize my indifference to political news in various ways, but the effect is to disengage. Advertising-funded media are cowering at the threat of losing subscribers or ratings. They pull their punches or give too much airtime to political theater. I have retreated to reading a few blogs that I have found to be credible: Heather Cox Richardson, Joyce Vance, and Talking Points Memo (TPM).
But I know that I am succumbing to Steve Bannon’s “Flood the Zone With Shit” strategy. If you don’t know what that is and how it affects you, read on. What follows is a ChatGPT generated briefing. Feel free to share it widely.
Freedom!
We love our democracy because we believe it is the best way to govern and secure for ourselves and our kids the blessings of freedom, the common good, and security.
Timothy Snyder is a scholar who has devoted much of his life to understanding both tyranny and freedom. He has lived in eastern European countries long enough to learn the languages and know the people. He has drawn on the experiences of people who were long denied freedom to better understand what exactly the word means. He also has come to recognize that most Americans don’t have a clear understanding of it. We take our freedom for granted. Like the air we breath, we don’t think about it until we are deprived of it. Here is an introduction to Snyder’s insights.
I’m reading On Freedom because I want to see what he sees. I think understanding freedom is central to defending against the tyranny threat of the Trump administration.
You probably know of Snyder’s book On Tyranny in which he identifies important lessons of 20th Century history. This little pocket-size book is a guide to how people who wish to be free should think and act. If you are wondering what you as an individual can do, take inspiration from Timothy Snyder.
Here are some links to interviews:
If you have not read On Tyranny watch this:
Twenty Lessons on Fighting Tyranny from the Twentieth Century
Americans are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. Now is a good time to do so. From across the fearful twentieth century, here are twenty lessons about what it takes to oppose tyranny, adapted to the circumstances of today.
Back to Civics!
This article from The View in Time Magazine’s current issue makes a case for a return to teaching basic civics. Democracy depends upon people being free to have differing opinions and learning to arrive at a compromise.
Our children (to say nothing of most adults) are ignorant of how our systems of governance actually work. Predatory opportunists now exploit that ignorance. Isn’t it curious how so many of our biggest national problems could be resolved if people had the goodwill toward each other to listen and seek equitable solutions?
We must learn to wage peace at home and abroad.
Countering Disinformation
I’m not an engineer, but I think like one. I’ve disciplined myself to be analytical and logical and to distinguish between assumptions and known facts.
Humans are not naturally rational. We must train ourselves to consciously construct a theory about the nature of reality, and then test our theory by experimenting and observing. Absent such scientific practices, we instinctively invent stories to explain patterns we observe. These stories need not be accurate representations of reality to serve as an organizational tool or a memory device. We may call these stories “hunches” or “intuition” about what’s beyond our certain knowledge.
Our stories may influence our behavior more readily than our reason. But stories are inherently fluid, and unlike the laws of physics or chemistry, they can be manipulated. People can lock on to a narrative (story) and act upon it without deliberation. Bad actors exploit this human tendency to their advantage and gain, often to the detriment of individual wellbeing and the common good. We get played and duped by persuasive narratives designed to harm–disinformation.
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has come to understand how disinformation and misinformation can overpower factual contrary evidence. People will continue to trust and rely on stories that have been thoroughly debunked by rigorous scientific research to establish a true perception of reality. We need only look at the anti-vaccination movement, the false narratives asserting that global warming is a hoax, or the denial of the risks of smoking tobacco to verify the power of disinformation and misinformation.
Science Rising and UCS have produced training materials that are intended to help science advocates push back more effectively. On Sunday October 16th at 9:45 am, I spoke on the topic using UCS materials as the core of my presentation. The bibliography of all my sources is below.
Video of October 16th Presentation
Here is a video recording of the presentation done on 10/16/22 at Newtown Friends Meeting Adult Firstday School.
Rumors
Some of us think of rumors as the idle speculation of a social gossip–just superficial trash talk, not to be taken seriously. If someone characterizes our conversation as gossip, we are offended.
Rumors are a serious and lucrative business these days. They have been weaponized and are tools for social and political manipulation. Rumors are a favorite ploy of those who manipulate because they are cheap and effective. Once seeded, they take on a life of their own, traveling with dazzling speed and persisting for months or years. They bypass most people’s skepticism because they often come from a friend or relative–a person we trust.
Frequently the seed is a photo, a video, or a fake news item that is cleverly crafted to look authentic and launched in a context that lends credibility. It’s easy to be fooled.
We can train ourselves to recognize the seeds of disinformation so that we don’t contribute to the spread. None of us wants to be dismissed as one who gossips. To learn more, check out RumorGuard.
Gun Violence Facts Update
Vox offers these facts about gun violence in the US.
The most important thing to remember is this: violence is a public health and a social problem. Guns just make lethal violence easier and more efficiently deadly.
Who Sent This and Why?
A couple of days ago this photo showed up on my Facebook timeline.
I’m a Navy Vet and, frankly, I’m offended by such disrespect of the US Flag. My first reaction was seething outrage at the two women. When I read the caption, it said something like “take back their welfare checks.” [Read more…] about Who Sent This and Why?
We Still Don’t See It Coming!
Many of the pundits are saying, “nobody saw this coming.” They go on to describe the revolt of the less educated white working-class male, or some other demographic that has been marginalized by globalization, or income inequality.
There is no denying that they are at least partly right. But I know that I personally missed something that’s context for Trump’s win – it’s political gaming of the system that’s been a GOP strategy for decades and was happening big time in this election.
As I was puzzling out loud over the fact that Hillary won the popular vote, and Trump won the Electoral College. Marguerite said, “It’s gerrymandering.” I scoffed at her interpretation. I think of gerrymandering as a way to guarantee seats in the House of Representatives by, in effect, picking your voters by demographic mapping.
However the reality is much subtler. Gerrymandering helps a party that does not have a majority of voters support at the congressional level. The “red” minority (see chart) can get three of the five districts (60%) by clever carving. The “blue” majority can draw districts to give themselves all five (100%).
This simple example illustrates how the US political system can be modeled like any other complicated set of interdependent rules and variables. Consider that each state makes the rules about how it runs its elections. It is the governor and the legislature that also define political boundaries. So if a political party can optimize boundaries to get the most seats in congress, it can lock in some districts without having majority of the votes. In addition, it can target the campaign money on districts where there is no such lock.
Another gambit is voter suppression. Voter ID rules, polling hours, polling locations, number of voting machines, early voting, absentee ballot rules — all the many aspects that are controlled at the state level can be played to the advantage of one party over another.
Those tactics will be reflected in not just the House of Representatives, but also the Electoral College.
The GOP figured out how to game the system long ago. The book “Rat F**ked” explains how it happened. The title is a vulgar expression for political sabotage.
The process is ongoing. When the smart money in the GOP campaign pulled back from supporting Trump, it refocused on supporting GOP candidates for state legislatures and governorship. Already the GOP has a lock on the US House. They are working on voter supression strategies to gain wider control.
If you believe in democracy you should be concerned. But even if you are concerned you may not be able to change it. It will take a super motivated electorate to reverse the many ways our political system is being corrupted.
The Citizens United decision is another element of the strategy. Now that huge amounts of money can be targeted at particular state and even local races, it has become possible to hammer any candidate that opposes your interests. The NRA is perhaps the least subtle. It wants politicians to think that taking a stand on gun regulation is just not worth it. But the tactic can work to defeat a popular candidate who opposes any moneyed interest.
Partisan news networks are another facet. Fox News learned how to game the system and President Elect Donald Trump became a master at playing the system to his advantage. Propaganda does not need to be grounded in truth to have devastating effect.
One of the tragedies of public education is the evident lack of discernment and critical thinking exercised by massive numbers of people. Another is the dumbfounding ignorance of basic civics – most people don’t know how our government works, don’t know who the current leadership is, and don’t understand their role as a citizen and voter.
When most of us are indifferent and ignorant to civic processes, the field is wide open to those who want to game the system at our expense.
God Bless Save America!
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