Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 4h

"Eisenhower explained the 91% tax rate this way: The super rich could avoid the high taxes by investing their money in things that make America stronger. If they wanted to avoid high taxes, they could invest in business expansions and higher employee wages. [...]"

> tax rate = < profit motive.

Eisenhower proved higher tax rates could work

Shakespeare said, there is "many a slip twixt cup and lip" in "Hamlet." It implies that even when the outcome of an event seems certain, things can still go wrong.

apnews.com

Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 4h

www.nationofchange.org/2025/03/05/s...

time.com/5888024/50-t...

Since 1975, $79 trillion has been redistributed from the bottom 90% to the top 1% | NationofChange

www.nationofchange.org

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 4h

They've gutted the middle class, now they are gutting the working class into the working homeless class.

www.liberalcurrents.com/working-home...

Working Homeless in America

Brian Goldstone doesn’t use the abstract language of structural violence, but his story is full of landlords, bureaucrats, and politicians insulated from the pain they inflict by distance, resources, ...

www.liberalcurrents.com

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 4h

www.businessinsider.com/why-labors-g...

Here's why labor's share of GDP has been declining for 40 years

"But labor’s declining share of GDP hasn’t reversed course as macro conditions change; labor’s share keeps dropping."

www.businessinsider.com

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 4h

www.businessinsider.com/how-billiona...

www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ju...

How billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk avoid paying federal income tax while increasing their net worth by billions

American Billionaires are able to skip paying federal income taxes by reducing their income to zero, even as their net worth soars.

www.businessinsider.com

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 4h

You'd be living a 1950's middle class lifestyle right now, but it was stolen so that millionaires could reign as billionaires.

1/10

www.nationofchange.org/2025/03/05/s...

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Reposted by Bill Walter

System Working As Intended @systemnotbroken.bsky.social · 4d

A perfect gem in this collection.

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Reposted by Bill Walter

WIRED @wired.com · 1d

The Trump administration has built its own content mill to justify its law-and-order immigration agenda. www.wired.com/story/trump-...

Trump Wants to Take Over Cities. Influencers Are Giving Him the Fuel to Do It

The Trump administration has built its own content mill to justify its law-and-order immigration agenda.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Bill Walter

Mjkwho @mjkwho.bsky.social · 21h

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 19h

#Psyops

psychcentral.com/blog/narciss...

12 Classic Propaganda Techniques Narcissists Use to Manipulate You

Propaganda is powerful. It can start wars and end governments. Strikingly, in their personal lives narcissists routinely use classic propaganda techniques to confuse and manipulate others.

psychcentral.com

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Reposted by Bill Walter

Cathy 🖤 💀 🧡 @coco.sheshed.rocks · 1d

We all know #Trump is provoking, hoping to call martial law.

#ICE are the foot soldiers doing this MFs dirty work.

#SheShed

"I CO-WROTE TRUMP'S FIRST ANTITERRORISM PLAN IN 2017-18.
HE'S NOT TRYING TO STOP 'LEFT-WING' TERRORISM.
HE IS STAGING IT.
HIS TROOP DEPLOYMENTS ARE A FALSE FLAG - MEANT TO PROVOKE A RESPONSE IN ORDER TO JUSTIFY HARSH CRACKDOWNS.
THIS IS NOW VERY OBVIOUS!"
MILES TAYLOR
FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF AT TRUMP'S DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 1d

The whole point of capitalism, and the crucial thing WE ARE SUPPOSED TO KNOW about it, is that those "business models" should not only fail, they should be illegal.

Capitalism requires every transaction be voluntary and informed. Going around OUR LAWS that PROTECT US is a violation of our consent.

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 1d

1950's America came pretty close.

Capitalism is for people willing to work and honestly earn their own way.

Fascism/oligarchy is for people who think other people's work should pay their way.

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 1d

Fake capitalist oligarchs have been maligning true capitalism and Adam Smith since the beginning.

Why? Because Smith's work details how exploitation is not only morally wrong, it's also counterproductive.

Parasites don't make you stronger, they make you sick.

www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...

American Values and the Disinformation Campaign Against “Capitalism”

We speak of democracy as an ideal. Benjamin Franklin so astutely and enduringly admonished us that our system of self-rule would not self-maintain. It was an ideal, and it was up to us to continuously...

www.dailykos.com

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 1d

“There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning.” - Warren Buffett

time.com/5888024/50-t...

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 1d

bsky.app/profile/bill...

Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · Jun 30

Fascists "solve problems" by eliminating people - through killing and murder and "letting" people die.

"The MAGA Murder Bill will turn our government into a weapon against our people"

bsky.app/profile/anat...

Reposted by Bill Walter

KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘 @kojamf.bsky.social · 3d

“I’m Just a File (Classified Edition)”
Schoolhouse Rock parody by channelpoor

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 1d

"Insurrection act?" The more often you say and repeat the word "insurrection," the more it sounds like there must be an insurrection, somewhere.

#psyops

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/word...

When Correcting a Lie, Don't Repeat It. Do This Instead.

Correcting false claims often backfires. Here's how to fight back against false claims without spreading them further.

www.psychologytoday.com

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Reposted by Bill Walter

George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 @gtconway.bsky.social · 2d

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 1d

www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...

Argentina Bailout Was Done To Help Hedge Fund Billionaire Who Is A Friend Of Teasury Secretary.

I saw this story on Digby’s blog originally, so I decided to share it with you the rest of you folks on Daily Kos. If you were wondering if there were other reasons why Treasury Secretary Bessent crea...

www.dailykos.com

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 1d

"Plenary authority" is a phrase Americans are unfamiliar with — and for good reason. We were founded on a rejection of absolute, unchecked "plenary" power in any hands.

www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...

Stephen Miller Froze on CNN. “Plenary Authority” Slip Exposes Trump’s Authoritarian Agenda

Stephen Miller’s “plenary authority” slip on CNN exposed the MAGA plan for Trump’s authoritarian control. He froze in catatonic fashion after the slip. Stephen Miller Froze on CNN. ...

www.dailykos.com

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 2d

Why suspend it when you can just ignore it?

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Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 2d

Why suspend it when you can just ignore it?

Bill Walter @billwalter.bsky.social · 2d

bsky.app/profile/arab...

Arabella @arabellaspireship.bsky.social · Aug 26

Yes.
Because it’s unthinkable that our own government should not be dedicated to the general wellbeing of its people.
Necropolitics.
Isaac Asimov speculated on Necropolitics in his short story
The Winnowing.

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Reposted by Bill Walter

Christine Galea @chrisgalea.bsky.social · 2d

The fact that Elon musk, Peter Thiel, and Steve Bannon all being in the Epstein files dropped out of the news way too fast www.bbc.com/news/article...

Elon Musk and Prince Andrew named in new Epstein files

The documents by the estate of convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein were released by Congressional Democrats.

www.bbc.com

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