CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

California’s Wealth Tax: A Chance to Express Your Opinion on Billionaires

Comerica Bank Building, Ventura Boulevard, LA. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair.

A coalition of progressive groups, led by the huge union SEIU-UHW, managed to get a one-time 5 percent wealth tax on the ballot this fall. The tax would apply to the assets over $1 billion held by the state’s 200 or so billionaires. This is a great opportunity for the people of California to tell billionaires what they think of them.

Over the last half-century, billionaires have become increasingly aggressive in stealing from the rest of us, as well as being more open in expressing their contempt for ordinary people who work for a living. It’s not uncommon to see billionaires like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk opining on issues like the need to deny the vote to inferior people, as in non-billionaires. And Elon Musk is, of course, best known for his boosterism of neo-Nazi political parties around the world.

In addition to pushing their hateful views on politics and society, the billionaire gang has also been using their wealth to increasingly dominate politics. Musk was the most open on this topic, spending almost $300 million to keep Donald Trump out of jail put Donald Trump in the White House. He promises to again be a big spender for Republicans in the midterms, as do many others in the billionaire club.

The billionaire crew has also been........

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