No, You're Not Crazy. Everything IS More Expensive. This Is Why.

Stop data brokers from exposing your personal information. Go to my sponsor aura.com/leeja to get a 14-day free trial and see how much of yours is being sold! | Everything costs more, inflation is rampant, and monopolies are largely to blame. Despite the fact that we have effective anti-trust laws on the books, they haven't been enforced in over 4 decades, allowing for the conglomeration of all major industries in the United States. This means that everything here is more expensive than it is in other similar countries. That's a problem. This is how anti-trust laws will save us all.
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[@CarlosIowa]

"314 Million Americans are playing The Game of Life. 22 Million Americans are playing Monopoly. Guess which game the US Congress is supporting." Thank you for your research and presentation.

[@tw8464]

The "trickle down" mafia

[@jasong8283]

Nice perception

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

Always remember corporatists invented progressivism. Be responsible for your own sht. Gov will never help you.

[@RSAgility]

@@MilwaukeeF40CThey'll help... themselves to your land, home, crops, etc...

[@altrag]

@@MilwaukeeF40C > Always remember corporatists invented progressivism Citation needed. Badly. That looks like some utter nonsense top to bottom. > Be responsible for your own sht And what do you do when "your own sht" is imposed by someone else? You think you're single-handedly going to stop Walmart if they come to your town and undercut your business by 20%? All you're bringing to the table is "your own sht". They're bringing a security team. And probably the cops and the DA to boot. Good luck. > Gov will never help you So have you never read the constitution, don't understand the constitution, or just outright don't believe in the constitution? Government is "of the people". If you choose to make government the problem, then government is the problem. If you choose to make government the solution, then government is the solution. Elect candidates that are willing to stand up to big business, and they will do that for you. Elect candidates that spend their time writing mean Xeets about minorities, and they will do that for you. The choice is yours.

[@robertbeste]

I've said it before.... I'll say it a million times. The Citizens United decision was the final nail in our democracy's coffin. After proclaiming money as "speech" and corporations as "people", there is NO way to get the money out of politics. Welcome back to the time of ladies and lords, people. We just don't call them that anymore. We call them "CEOs".

[@HasnaaAlaa]

The supreme court is the most undemocratic institution ever

[@Sugarnaut]

So right!!!

[@mrnelsonius5631]

One thing Marx was right on the money about is that capitalism would inevitably progress into a Neo-feudal arrangement. We’re entering that late stage and it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Too many people are hung up on nonsense to even see the writing on the wall, let alone try to do something about it.

[@nuance9000]

And it was unelected judges who declared this ruling (and many other unpopular rulings)(and many more to come... Those unelected, lifetime appointed judges, who only get elected when it's politically convenient, aka the Biden rule; a Republican invention😂)

[@OneAdam12Adam]

Citizens United = pure evil = corporations

[@Robert_McGarry_Poems]

11% more homeless. 45% in poverty or out of work. 60% live below the comfort line. (Edited)

[@Robert_McGarry_Poems]

But that's enough to keep a hegemony.

[@MandarinaPink]

And people wonder why crime is so bad. smh

[@optioningthabears861]

I take home 3 grand a week and feel poor

[@GolemRising]

@@optioningthabears861 Jesus, where are you living that a 6 figure salary makes you feel poor?

[@idle-hands]

@@GolemRising probably california

[@seattlebeard]

As someone who lived through the entire Reagan administration as an adult, I have to say you got all this right. The only reason I'm not homeless is because at the age of 35 I finally got a low paid Union job and stuck it out for 25 years. I'm retired now, and without that pension I'd be screwed.

[@jSchmiez]

Be happy your generation still had pensions. That option was taken from my generation, unless you're a cop. There is no reason for work loyalty anymore. Not when you can make more by quitting.

[@RefreshingShamrock]

My friend worked as a bus driver for 17 years, a union job. Protest after protest year after year, and even when they made national news for holding one of the longest protests in US history hardly anything changed for the better. In fact, working conditions continued to deteriorate afterwards. She was 3 years from retirement but was forced to resign because she was being exposed to fentanyl on the job and was getting sick. Many drivers were getting sick but they couldn't speak out or they'd be fired or ignored by the supervisors. They literally aren't allowed to call the police even if the entire bus is gassed with illegal drug fumes. They can only pull over and let it air out. Even our city's mayor denys the bus system is dangerous, despite the ADA and community colleges warning people who take public transport about the drug exposure and violence. So yes, unions are nice because they allow certain bus drivers who should be in prison for their negligence to instead recieve zero punishment, but they aren't always going to stop companies from abusing you.

[@wanderer85295]

​@@RefreshingShamrockI call b.s. on this whole fairy tale you wove here. Its transparently bunk . Every but of it wreaks of propaganda divised to change perception using fear and rage. Even your screen name gives you away as a bot a troll or just plain old jackhole

[@WD00777]

Nah there were other ways to do succeed hah

[@T.H.E.O.R.Y.]

Which city was this in?​@@RefreshingShamrock

[@sarahs2800]

If we treated the Forbes list like the FBI’s most wanted list, we’d all be better off

[@CTJENN]

Very true and witty comment!

[@crowonthepowerlines]

Finally, a merger I can support with a clean conscience.

[@michaelmunoz7913]

Here Here!

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

You could take every cent from every billionaire and it would only keep the country running for 8 months.

[@Fawn91193]

They're not even the wealthiest.

[@BrianSheppard]

The real-estate jackals here in San Francisco are trying to blame the homeless for the housing crisis. It's sick.

[@jasonlamar6347]

Thomas Paine is writhing in his grave.

[@brianfox771]

That's an insult to jackals.

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

Yes, people are just greedier in San Francisco. That makes sense. It can't be the sky high property taxes California imposes to pay for its entitled citizens.

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

Yes, it totally makes sense that people selling real-estate are so much greedier in California than everywhere else. It can't be California's high property taxes that are at work.

[@jayteknica1175]

⁠​⁠@@Dennis-nc3vwdude you’ve got a Texas flag in your profile pic. We have higher property taxes than California…

[@vitaminluke5597]

Unionize if possible. Do not vote for politicians who are anti-union. Do vote for politicians who are pro-union. And then unionize some more.

[@sublimnalphish7232]

Take down everything Reagan created??? 🤣🤣🤣 Let's do it!

[@donedeal8385]

Ya, let me know how that works out. Once you realize REVOLUTION is the only answer, let's talk.

[@kaelhooten8468]

Too late now

[@Turdfergusen382]

@@donedeal8385 gotta organize somehow. How do you suggest we do that?

[@LauraPerez-g3p]

Unfortunately, some of us live in so-called right to work states. Unionization is not possible. What are we supposed to do?

[@hellaradusername]

I have a completely unironic "how to run your factory" book from 1914 which has advice like buying electric fans so your child-workers will sew faster, having fire exits, not leaving flammable materials like kerosene-soaked coveralls on the fire escapes, subtly gaslighting your employees into working faster, why your factory shouldn't be a dark, windowless dungeon, and why you should ship stuff in cardboard instead of heavy wooden crates. I feel like the author would be a big fan of today's workplaces which give employees ping pong tables and pizza parties in lieu of higher wages

[@stuffystuffsityas6302]

Quite literally how fast food stores run. Only the fan is broken and we’re not allowed to fix it ourselves, and there’s no subtly in getting us to work faster, only yelling and pleading you to stay on longer (or rostering you longer hours than you signed up for). Somehow, prices always rise when our pay rises 50c, but it doesn’t match, they make more record breaking profits. Stakeholders are happy, customers get used to expecting everything to be expensive - always the same

[@leemcmindes1464]

is this book still available?

[@SudoBurger]

If you still remember the title I'd love to check it out

[@hellaradusername]

@@SudoBurger it’s “How to Get More Out of Your Factory” it was first published in 1909 and idk if that version differs from the one I had.

[@Detroit6V92TA]

Pizza parties and people bringing in snacks make the workday so much better though. Nothing like having a horrible day at work and then walking into the break room and seeing 10 boxes of baked goods. Those snacks are the only thing that gets me through the day sometimes. The weeks where we don't have snacks are always the most difficult.

[@BLUEBARRY55]

“There’s nothing conservatives love more than cherry-picking history to force deference to an imagined past.”

[@07Flash11MRC]

True. That also applies to gender roles.

[@andrewlamoureux3808]

This is (IMO) the best line in this entire video.

[@kennethgraves9662]

Decadence and fear are all they have for sale at the GOP gift shop.

[@talisikid1618]

That’s odd, the left does the exact same thing!

[@talisikid1618]

@@07Flash11MRCseriously? Got to throw that bs in even though it was not the topic of conversation. This is why you get no where. You live in a fantasy world. You’ll never change things for the better unless you learn to get real.

[@WhatsNextIWonder]

Shop small, shop local, and support unionized or employee-owned businesses! That is the essence of America- FREEDOM OF CHOICE.

[@altrag]

As long as those businesses still exist. Walmart comes to town and sure its easy to say "shop local", but Walmart is able to undercut by 20%. That's a huge markup, especially on goods that you have to buy regularly like groceries. Walmart's also stocks 10x the products and sell stuff that would otherwise require you to spend time and gas money driving around to 3-4 local shops, making the effective price difference even greater. It doesn't take long for people who are already struggling to pass up their "buy local" morality and take the savings, which puts even more pressure on the local shops and they end up having to jack prices even higher, lay off staff, shrink inventory, or otherwise cut costs. And it still won't be enough. Eventually they run out of costs to cut and that's that. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not defending Walmart - this is a fucking tragic scenario. But its also the most common scenario, not just in the well-known case of Walmart specifically taking over small towns but also in terms of less visible things like parts manufacturer conglomerations leading to the same issues during B2B transactions and the like. What I _am_ saying is that you aren't going to fix it through the power of personal indignation. Your choice to spend 20% more won't stop the process. Walmart is massive and the only way to stop it is with an entity of comparable power - aka the government. The solution is to elect representatives that are more interested in helping you than they are in hurting "the other". Any time you see a politician dunking on a minority group, especially during election season, you should be immediately suspicious of who they're helping, because it almost certainly isn't you. If they were planning to help you, that's what they'd be campaigning on.

[@dwaynezilla]

Large businesses have economy of scale and can make more money at the same price. Or undercut smaller shops. And with inflation hitting people don't really have the luxury of choice. This is the natural endpoint of neoliberal polices.

[@nwj03a]

@dwayne Well, no. The USA has done an absolutely terrible job of controlling monopolies, we’ve barely done it at all. The solution to the problem you describe is simple to fix. It is not easy to fix, but it definitely is simple. I also think “shop local, shop union, blah, blah” is stupid, but so is letting Walmart, Amazon, etc. get as powerful as they are is also stupid.

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

Shhhhh! Freedom of choice is capitalism. These people won't accept any solution that doesn't involve violence.

[@chris135x]

Everything except the unions. If you work for a business that has a union, you DON'T have the choice. You WILL join the union whether you want to or not.

[@jeffreyestahl]

The saddest thing is that if any high level political person came out and said that wealth needed to be taken back from the richest and sent back to the people who originally owned it, the usual littany of fools would start screaming "SOCIALISM" "COMMUMISM" and "-ISM" to: 1) Disrupt an honest conversation. 2) Frighten people into believing that those actually trying to help them are the bad guys and the people actually trying to steal from them are the good guys. 3) Obfuscate actions by the super-rich as to what they're really up to (which more likely than not is an authoritative government - heck, it's been tried before; see 1938-1941 here in the US).

[@Luked0g440]

While deflecting any and all attention away from the ISM that is the culprit - CapitalISM.

[@christaylor9095]

While what you're saying is absolutely true, to me the "saddest thing" is how easily it work. How easily poor people who have almost no chance of really getting ahead, let alone become rich, would swallow hook, line, and sinker how all the "isms" other than the capital one are of the devil.

[@vitaminluke5597]

The thing is, they control the conversation by pulling those tricks, and many progressives just roll over and take it. It's all a distraction, so everyone pushing the correct narrative needs to just non-stop talk about wealth inequality and not engage in bad faith debates. Eyes on the prize. Bernie has done this reasonably well and is still popular, though he's just one politician. I'm not saying it's easy, but I am saying that we need to act with the seriousness this matter deserves and not be arrested by the opposition's tired talking points, no matter how effective they may be on a certain segment of the population.

[@GolemRising]

Forget the 30s, look at 2016. The moneyed interests were united in one thing only: that Bernie would not be president. The democratic party spent more money campaigning against Bernie than against Trump, and in doing so massively undermined their own position with voters. Because at the end of the day, their doners didn't care about Trump being both a destructive idiot and a fascist, they would rather have that then someone that would force them to compete fairly. And we are now in danger of loosing our democracy because thats STILL their position.

[@MomMother-iy6tl]

I hear every single day, from a lot of young people they have no faith in the future. To me, that's the real tragedy. A whole generation who believes that the game is so rigged that they were dead in the cradle.

[@Attaxalotl]

If we’re going back to the gilded age, can we at least bring back Art Deco? It was a really cool style and they just don’t do it anymore.

[@jennifertarin4707]

And the super rich having pet projects like libraries or parks instead of a rocktship or a 45th mansion

[@its-MK...]

It's actually coming back. Not that I could afford to like... buy anything. But it's nice to look at!

[@scottgrohs5940]

Come to think of it, they don’t put much decorative effort into most restaurants and pubs anymore.

[@randomguy358]

No can do. Can't let the poors have anything nice.

[@makeart5070]

Art deco is back. Just for like the super rich that want to buy a multi-million dollar apartment in NYC

[@Luked0g440]

Price gouging + Shrinkflation = Corporate greed.

[@justinfowler2857]

Don't forget skimpflation!

[@07Flash11MRC]

@justin: Thx for bringing that up. I thought I was going crazy, but this is actually a thing.

[@shadowldrago]

@@justinfowler2857 Remind me what that is?

[@Awdreejahslin]

Yeah I too am curious how this skimpflation is any different from what shrinkflation is haha

[@07Flash11MRC]

​@@Awdreejahslin In very simple terms: Shrinkflation is reducing the weight of the product while still asking for the same price (smaller sized product, but for the old price of the previously bigger product). Skimpflation is about changing the ingredients up and replacing the more expensive ingredients with cheaper (and oftentimes less healthy and less nutritious) ingredients. Skimpflation is a lot more subtle, because most consumers don't even know what they are consuming, so they won't notice a change of ingredients and they won't understand how they are being robbed by companies.

[@nicksgamegrotto]

I'm confused about why anyone would refer to current right-wing politics as conservative. Does anyone in America want to conserve things the way they are? As I see it, we have Regressives, Liberals, and Progressives.

[@Lmtfa42069]

this is the first good comment after about 20 boring takes. thank you for your service.

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

Conservative has never been a literal description of someone's politics. That would be like saying conservatives should be against school vouchers because they'd want to conserve the public school system.

[@Lmtfa42069]

@@artlesscalamity not original commenter, but, a liberal believes in freedom from tyranny and free market economics. Original liberal ideology is the viewpoint of thought leaders like Thomas Jefferson. Liberalism seeks to "liberate" people from political ideology in the belief that humans are inherently good and the market will work in the correct way if unimpeded. While these all sound nice on their face, the progressive believes this ideology is missing something. A progressive has adaptability, and is on the forefront of social, political, and economic change. In a progressives mind the status quo is better than being regressive, but falls short of where we could and should be. Bringing it back to Thomas Jefferson, abolitionists of the time would have been progressive believers. In modern day American politics almost every average person is a liberal because of our reliance on status quo beliefs and the very basic lack of imagination in a system that is beyond capitalism. People worry themselves with small changes but any real large scale change "could" be bad and is therefore not worth exploring. If you think about it in simple terms like that, are democrats and republicans not really the same party? A progressive would argue they are because they see the constant war, wage stagnation, poverty increases, increased repression of minority populations, and they have ideas of how to change that whether through communism, socialism, anarchism, or very likely more nuanced or combined versions of those systems. In fact I'd argue progressives tend to dislike systems rather than individuals, whereas liberals tend to lean towards blaming individuals over systems.

[@LDrosophila]

If you love recession and regression than vote Republican

[@Biblioholic1993]

Conservative thought came when monarchies were on the way out. Former pro monarchists had zero support for their views so turned to might makes right: war was preferred to show ones true value, but personal wealth was okay too. You can draw a line directly from these Brits and Dutchmen high in the east India companies, and the "father's of conservatism."

[@ivanheffner2587]

Two words: Corporate Greed. Companies are raising prices just because they can. Inelastic demand means that people will cut other expenses, get an additional job, or (more frequently in the US) go into debt to make ends meet in the face of rising prices. It isn’t sustainable.

[@drusier]

Did corporation suddenly become more greedy? Isn't it their job to maximize profit? Why did Tesla cut the price of EVs by in some cases well over $10,000?

[@ivanheffner2587]

@@drusier no, they’ve always been greedy; they just recognized an opportunity to greatly increase prices: “global supply chain issues”. These supply chain issues seem to have been resolved, but prices are still high. This is just the new normal, they call it inflation. Funnily enough, though, wages aren’t keeping up. You wouldn’t necessarily know that, though, listening to conservative talking heads. And because there’s little to no regulation, there’s no one to stop prices going to the absolute maximum the customers can endure. As to why Tesla cut prices, two concepts: competition and market saturation. Competition: The EV market has a lot more players in it. More companies with a more diverse line of vehicles means that fewer than 3 out of 5 of the pure EV on the road today are made by Tesla. Market Saturation: A lot of the people who want and can afford an EV will probably have one. The one way to increase the market is lower the price. As for the Friedman Doctrine, if you follow the logic then all corporations are psychopathic and need strong regulations imposed to keep them from victimizing everyone. Without regulations in place and enforced, we will eventually devolve into a dystopia run by megacorporations. Some would are this is already happening today.

[@drusier]

@@ivanheffner2587 businesses will always maximize profits. Of the government prints everyone an extra 1000\mo businesses with pricing power will react.

[@janaefanchon]

I'm so happy to finally hear a Progressive compare our current economy to the Gilded Age!!

[@07Flash11MRC]

If we were truely in a Gilded Age, we'd all be richer compared to the êlitė. The truth is, we are far beyond the Gilded Age already and our taxes are also a lot higher than they were back then...

[@chadgunner4403]

The Feudal Age is over? I'll believe it when I see it!

[@michaelbradley1636]

Listen to Senator Bernie, economist Robert Reich and read Joseph Stiglitz. They've been saying these things for decades, and it's getting worse and worse.

[@daffyf6829]

Yeah, I don't think she's the first to point out that this is a second gilded age

[@setaside2]

Kyle Kulinski of Secular Talk, David Doel of the Rational National, Jordan Chariton of Status Coup, Mike at The Humanist Report, the Breaking Points and Counter Points teams and more... It's definitely out there and being talked about!

[@NoNotThatPaul]

I feel a Ronald fucking Reagan moment coming 14:36

[@NoNotThatPaul]

And there it is!

[@russellharrell2747]

23:56 there he is again!

[@JayBee-cr8jm]

@@russellharrell2747 When will he ever leave office!

[@dwaynezilla]

​@@JayBee-cr8jm they're talking about his policies that are still in place. Stop being dense.

[@shadowldrago]

Is it Reagan? Edit: Yup. Ronald Ruins Everything.

[@Attaxalotl]

It’s always Reagan

[@zoedi32]

It’s Reagan’s Neoliberalism, which the socially liberal but fiscally conservative part of the Democratic Party are part of. Until we flatline Reagan’s myth that the federal government spends tax dollars, we will be locked into a neoliberal death spiral.

[@shadowldrago]

@user-hbgpod0d62 Bit hard to live anywhere when you've been dead for 20 years, but maybe he's got special Not Staying Dead powers I'm too European to understand.

[@rosemadder5547]

Don't let Hermione hear you say that 😂

[@Black_Blow_Fly]

Trickle down theory right ??! 😡🤬🤬🤬

[@ThePathOfLeastResistanc]

I was born in 1982, and this says so much about my childhood and home upbringing, and why as an adult I am so disgusted with what is happening today

[@TheSilver2001]

*_“Throughout the Nation, opportunity was limited by monopoly. Individual initiative was crushed in the cogs of a great machine. The field open for free business was more and more restricted. Private enterprise, indeed, became too private. It became privileged enterprise, not free enterprise.“_* - FDR, extract from his 1936 Acceptance Speech about “Economic Royalists”

[@Shria9]

I wonder how much those companies that spend $3B on lobbying spend on wages.

[@07Flash11MRC]

I bet they also spend way more on advertisements than on wages.

[@Luked0g440]

$3 billion less than they could be.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

They lobby because statists like you want everything up for a vote.

[@CraigKeidel]

​@@07Flash11MRCSounds like maybe we need to organize as wage workers and build aid systems that work outside the systems of capital 🤷‍♂️

[@07Flash11MRC]

@@CraigKeidel "Sounds like maybe we need to organize": I do. Do you?

[@fringewolf]

A) genuinely, thank you so much for refreshing, honest content in a terrible age of existence. I live in a red state, and I so often feel completely buried and voiceless. Thank you for helping me feel sane. B ) so many followers have just ass profile pictures that I actually lol'd.

[@alicruz4900]

Yes, the red states are challenging for sure. They are “pro life” but once that baby gets born, those same people are like, “F that kid!” They do not really care about children at all

[@grmpEqweer]

Those are bots marketing a link to... _for-pay mature viewing_ in a link on their channel page.

[@LauraPerez-g3p]

I'm glad to hear someone who doesn't automatically blame everything on Joe Biden.

[@LeejaMiller]

turns out he's actually doing something to help!!

[@nelsondashner7758]

@@LeejaMiller Still…

[@mosshivenetwork117]

​@@LeejaMillerhi

[@MynicknameisViolet]

I think people forgets theres a whole lot of ppl in the government, our president just signs off on things

[@chromie6571]

@@MynicknameisVioletWait you mean to tell me the president doesn’t just flip a big switch that raises or lowers the price of things

[@Cassie371g]

I really loved your video! I'm a U.S. Historian and your analysis and points were excellent! It's nice to see more people talking about the 2nd Gilded age, as depressing as it is.

[@keithwinnick3135]

Citizens United was one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in U.S. history. Get money out of politics!

[@ErutaniaRose]

Been buying seeds and studying foraging and to study soil and water quality as much as I can. Hoping to join or create mutual aid once I am up and running to help give people food in my area. Just hope the cops don't bulldoze my garden too.

[@MaesRuth]

I constantly joke that I'm going to start a hippie commune, but I'm actually half serious. I already have a garden and have the knowledge on how to expand it. Been looking into foraging also with a couple of good books on my wishlist. Also have looked into ways to be able to obtain/ make things we take for granted. This way I hope I have a better chance of surviving no matter which way things go.

[@ErutaniaRose]

Exactly. I've been lucky that my parents have helped me get some very good books on foraging and herbal medicine. (Which I imagine we would need.) I also really wanna focus on helping disabled people during this process. People who need therapies, medicines, certain foods or food quality, etc. Since I really wanna fight for ecosocialism. I don't want this kind of struggle to make people support eugenics. As long as one form of bigotry exists, others can expand from it and ableism is so common even now, so I really wanna do what I can to help prevent it in my own circles. @@MaesRuth

[@ErutaniaRose]

Only thing I'd add is to be careful of actual "hippie culture" since so much of it is just white people taking from natives and other POC cultures in pretty offensive ways without credit to their practices, values, or anything of that sort. @@MaesRuth

[@davidlahozgil]

You would like to know about the channels, Anark, Zoe Baker, Andrewism, What Is Politics?, and the wonderful LuckyBlackCat.

[@Window4503]

I’ve started composting and am growing seedlings for my apartment balcony garden. I also bulk order meat and use the fat for cooking instead of butter or vegetable and seed oils.

[@aprilcalhoun8984]

Monopolies stifle innovation. Proven fact. You would not have a cell phone if ma bell had not been broken up. They sat on many of the products we use today because why release new products if your customer base has no other choice.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

You are not entitled to innovation.

[@considerthetubes2864]

@@MilwaukeeF40Csad, sad little man you are

[@07Flash11MRC]

@Milwaukee : The working class *is absolutely entitled* to innovation and progress. After all, all of the subsidies that go into lrivate companies are taxpayer money. Additionally all of the scientific progress necessary for technology and progress is also funded by the taxpayers.

[@Feefa99]

GPS, The internet, chips, LCDs, solar panels and majority of scienctific research and technology development are paid from taxes.

[@kyle9401]

​@@MilwaukeeF40Cwhat's your point here?

[@Wraith983]

Me and my sister have been saying this exact thing, a new gilded age, or gilded age +, 50 years of destroying what we got after the great depression.

[@TheZincroofer]

Ms. Miller, I am stoked you decided to continue the hard work you do. Thank you so very much for informing the American people what's happening behind the scenes. ❤

[@bluevol1976]

You are on fire right now! Keep speaking truth to power. We love you for it.

[@kayallen7603]

CORPORATE PRICE GOUGING is why life's more expensive.

[@JayBee-cr8jm]

Printing money decreases its value. Nobody wants the US dollar anymore. It's garbage. It's just worthless green paper. It takes 70,000 of 'em just to buy a crappy car. LOL. NO ONE WANTS GREEN PAPER.

[@nwj03a]

Or you can’t stop spending more than you know you can afford? Or stop buying bottled water.

[@flutel00p]

@@nwj03a when 60% of the country is living paycheck to paycheck, you can't keep blaming individual choices. Go listen to quarterly earnings calls from major corporations and they brag about price gouging causing record breaking profits. You can't fix that by not buying bottled water.

[@chernobyltea]

​@@nwj03atell that to people in flint, michigan. Or anywhere else where water is unsafe to drink because its a lot of the country

[@nwj03a]

@tea About 0.6% of the US population has bad drinking water per the CDC. That’s still 0.6% too much, but hardly a crisis.

[@bweb6]

Can i just say, i'm so glad in your work you don't just dismantle everything wrong with the current system, you also present another philosophy of ideas and highlight an alternative. I think that's an important element of social commentary that often is neglected.

[@sativaburns6705]

Can we permanently rebrand Trickle Down economics as Golden Shower economics?

[@Daniel-xg3ul]

Hey, please don't equate shitty economics with a good time.

[@zekova]

​@@Daniel-xg3ul 🤣😳

[@emm4rmstrong]

I mean it used to be called Horse and Sparrow Theory... feed a horse enough oats and the sparrows will be able to forage for any oats that pass through the horse.

[@SPR_NAPALM]

Trickle On Theory.

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

A more accurate rebrand would be "very much not economics, only a moron who has no clue what they're talking about could buy into this idea".

[@notenoughtreble]

This is probably one of the most important videos you’ve EVER made My dear. Incredible work

[@kayallen7603]

Come on, BIDEN !! Get behind ANTI-TRUST !!

[@kayallen7603]

Time for a wealth tax. NOTHING TRICKLES DOWN. STOP THE REAGAN BS.

[@JayBee-cr8jm]

Poor people don't hire, don't build factories and don't drive the economy. 47% of the country doesn't pay a cent in federal income tax. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU HIRED?

[@pilotnamealreadytaken6035]

​@JayBee-cr8jm but that tshirt she's wearing is fire. 😂

[@Moonmi747]

@@JayBee-cr8jm Workers build the factories, and it's the workers that drive the economy you dimwit. Workers can still find work without business owners and big corporations, they need us more than we need them.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

You are not entitled to anything trickling down. Make your own wealth.

[@Nemrai]

@@JayBee-cr8jm So poor people doesn't buy groceries, other neccessary stuff, doesn't work, and so on? As it's exactly those things that drives the economy. Not the extremely rich people.

[@Ashinle]

This stuff should really be taught in school because growing up I never thought big companies were a problem. Look at where we are now.

[@altrag]

Growing up, they weren't. At least not nearly to the same degree they are now. Citizens United was only decided in 2008. Reagan-style economic policies had been slowly breaking things for a few decades by that point, but the CU decisions was like kicking on the turbo, the nitrous and strapping a jet engine on the vehicle of regulatory capture all at the same time. It's effects were massive and immediate, and better yet it came right alongside the 2008 crash, allowing companies to mask their attacks on democracy and economics in much the same way they tried to use covid relief and supply chain problems to mask unreasonable price hikes. They got caught out this time around, but how much that will matter is pretty questionable. Even if Biden wins his second term, 4 extra years probably isn't enough to tackle just the sheer amount of corporate overreach we've endured since CU. If Trump wins we can pretty much just kiss any hope of a consumer-friendly economy goodbye for the at least a decade or two.

[@tiffanywatson8316]

They did teach it in Economics and US History. It was just lost on 16 and 17 year old kids.

[@alexanderredhorse1297]

marx predicted all of this nearly 200 years ago but none of you did your homework or picked up a book on the subject. so those of use who did are now forced to watch as you all figure it out for the first time.

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

@@tiffanywatson8316 High School economics courses don't actually get into it to the degree that actually lets students point out where the problem is. A microeconomics or macroeconomics course would each individually point the finger at big business, but those are more advanced than high schoolers get.

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

@@alexanderredhorse1297 Yeah go figure an economist would be educated on economics. It's hard to blame people for falling victim to propaganda that's been spewed since before their parents were born though. That level of cultural enshrinement of those lies is hard to shake off.

[@LostChildOfTime]

This is also why it feels like we are so behind in innovation. I'm sure a lot of things have come to light that never got to see reality because they threaten the bottom line of these companies. We got new phones but we've yet to get that new answering machine.

[@johnbalk6091]

@LeejaMiller One of the things that you missed about TR doing all the Trust busting was once JP Morgan and the other rich scumbags couldn't control everything, they moved their money over to Europe. Who did they throw their support behind? Germany mostly. I think that's important to point out, seeing as who came to power afterward. Just saying. Awesome video as always! Stay frosty, kid! 😎

[@kellharris2491]

Yep and there is a reason why the Nazis got inspiration for the gas chambers by looking to the US. We had already started using pesticides on mexican farmworkers. Many of our US senators actually backed Hitler. Social Darwinism to it's logical conclusion.

[@rextrek]

CITIZENS UNITED NEEDS TO END...PERIOD

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

Yeah it would be great if the government could tell organizations of people not to make and show documentaries about corruptazz Clintons.

[@RaikoTheMC]

For my 18th birthday, I got a large cup that showed various things that happened in my birth year, including the average costs of items. Movie tickets were $6.41 A gallon of milk was $3.20 A gallon of gas was $2.30 A carton of eggs was $1.22 I was dumbfounded by the difference because I was only born in 2005.

[@tookitogo]

$6.41 for a movie ticket in 2005?!? Maybe a Tuesday matinee of an unpopular movie at a dilapidated cinema.

[@vulcanfeline]

when i was in grade 9, minimum wage $1/hr and a gallon of gas was 0.50. when i was in my 20s, you could buy a full dinner at a restaurant for < $10

[@drusier]

Gas is actually one of the biggest manipulated markets The dollar itself has lost 30% of its value and that $3 gas we had under Trump should be $4 to be at parity. But Biden is pumping all that he can and even threatening to release from the strategic patrolling reserve to keep that sweet sweet gas price at $3

[@wanderer85295]

What's really sad is that my first job the minimum wage was $3.15/ hr. And in the 42 years since it has only gone up about a dollar a decade. Or $.10 per hour per year .

[@Charlemagne89]

Regulation, Taxation, Unionization!

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

Yes, because that's working so well for New York and California.

[@chris135x]

No. Just stop it, you ignorant socialist.

[@chris135x]

@@Dennis-nc3vw I live in Sac California and I can tell anyone that the taxes, laws and regulations are terrible here.

[@CraigKeidel]

Unionization, free organization, democratization.

[@utilid4lifefigureitout602]

One of the single greatest YT videos I've ever watched! The incredible historical salience, breadth of crucial data & context, and engaging presentation of concepts working class people wanting any future for themselves & their children must understand and get engaged with was more than just impressive it was invaluable!

[@GarmentofPraiseSewing]

“Money and politics undermines democracy” 😞

[@mickael486]

One of your finest, Leeja. Watching this made me think of another interesting subject... How Tax Rates went from 90+% for anyone making over $400,000 to "Reagan ruins everything" for anyone not a millionaire with tax rates for the wealthy no higher than 35%.

[@dwaynezilla]

And inflation adjusting the top bracket is like 1.3 million in today's money.

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

Yeah isn't it wild that tax cuts almost universally cause economic downturns. Almost like economic activity is literally determined by whether the people who have money spend it. Crazy, right?

[@mickael486]

@@dontmisunderstand6041 I'd love to see a video on this from.. anyone really. But I know that she was looking for subject matter a few months back. would love to see her take. Love her take on things.

[@kaelhooten8468]

We did not escape the brutal inequality

[@LeejaMiller]

nope!

[@ankushmukherjee3219]

Why is inequality a problem? Shouldn't absolute poverty be the only problem?

[@BlowsTube]

@@ankushmukherjee3219Because the way that the wealthy gained that money was off the backs of labor. So the inequality is artificial. Therefore, it can and should be rectified.

[@digitalspecter]

@@ankushmukherjee3219 It has multiple problems. Not the least that the super wealthy wield a lot of power. You can't have a well functioning democracy when a portion of population has a lot of power regardless of what people vote for. You can find studies that explain several other problems with inequality.

[@natevans8024]

​@@ankushmukherjee3219 how could you type that and not be like "wait a minute..."

[@veronicaharris8541]

One of my favorite Presidents is Teddy Roosevelt, he was the "trust buster". We'll never see his kind in this country again

[@TimmyTheTinman]

Not sure I have a feeling it’s coming or naturally moving to the left in this country

[@No-tw6qj]

@@TimmyTheTinman Not without bloodshed in my opinion, too many people content with bread and circuses.

[@ordavis]

He was an imperialist. "Trust busting" was the only good thing to come out of his presidency. You shouldn't idolise him

[@veronicaharris8541]

@@ordavis I know TR was an imperialist, he was a man of his time in that regard.

[@veronicaharris8541]

@@ordavis I know TR was an imperialist, he was a man of his time in that regard.

[@johnquiroz8279]

They are picking our pockets

[@joshuagharis9017]

It is, 7k income for my wife and family, still paycheck to paycheck. No we don't splurge, go out to eat (besides pizza twice a month), or go out or drink. Two kids and dog cat

[@christopherhardy8937]

Thank you for explaining this!!! So many people just blame the wrong things because they don't understand

[@Stuff857]

Cancelled the keystone xl pipeline day 1, costing over 30,000 jobs. The company that owned the pipeline sells oil in Canada, Mexico and the US. IDK how much building a pipeline line costs, but its for sure a lot, so when they lost on their investment they raised the prices for oil they were selling in the US, aswell as Canada and Mexico. He's also cancelled offshore lease sales in the gulf coast of Alaska, Has delayed lease sales in New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming and He revoked a permit to expand a refinery in the virgin islands Andrew from dont walk run covered more inflation causing policies, such as the inflation reduction act

[@christopherhardy8937]

@@Stuff857 there is already a keystone pipeline. In fact its a bunch of channels that connect. I live in Alaska and he did cancel some offshore drilling but also permitted oil companies to do exploratory drilling around Alaska as well. Pipeline is open and we are drilling. Also it's important to research the oil production the last few years and also look into Trump telling OPEC to stop drilling so much

[@kayallen7603]

No more corporate welfare...

[@chickensandwich8808]

Wheb the song "Sixteen Tons" becomes relevant again thats not a good sign.

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

It's always been relevant.

[@skyliah8907]

Speaking of small business, I need one of those "Reagan ruined everything" mugs and can't find them. Help Leeja please 🙏

[@Meladjusted]

It's her merch. Link in description.

[@skyliah8907]

@Meladjusted thank you 😊 when I first asked, the specific mug was not there. But since then, they became available and I ordered one. I like it very much and highly recommend.

[@nicholasrosen6342]

Lately, there's memes in social media saying, "if I won the lottery, I wouldn't tell anyone but there will be signs" such as a full tank of gas, a full bag of fast food, a full cart of groceries, whatever.

[@JohnAranita]

Thanx for the truth, Mrs. Miller.

[@LeejaMiller]

Thanks for being here!!

[@warpdrivefueledbyinsomnia8165]

A huge part of "line-goes-up" corporate mentality that becomes inevitable with corporate bloat is that more and more middle management has to appear and engage in furious prestidigitation to maintain profit extraction's upward momentum. The more management you have have directly above you, the less percentage of the overall company's wealth you are getting for your work. And, by the way, apparently that's your fault.

[@saininj]

New Leeja, LET'S GO!!!! Time to unpack my '08 financial trauma as an elder millennial. 😅😭

[@jeromeburoker1770]

Bless you Leeja for your dedication, sevice, & hard work!

[@chrislaurenceleo]

Companies pay the minimum they can get away with but charge the most they can get away with.

[@bethnichols7265]

Great topic full of a lot of information thanks 👍 a blue dot in Missouri these private companies are greedy.

[@LeejaMiller]

thank you for watching!!

[@bethnichols7265]

​@@LeejaMiller your welcome

[@chris135x]

Misinformation. There's no corporate greed.

[@bethanyreynolds7270]

​@@chris135xif you truly believe that you are delusional

[@chris135x]

@@bethanyreynolds7270 The government steals your money and calls it taxes. That is what greed is! You're a socialist right? Socialists never understand basic econ.

[@davea6314]

Let's duplicate the success of the largest workers cooperative in the world called "Mondragon".

[@chadgunner4403]

Yeah but they're not horizontal though. What if they get compromised? Do we just throw our hands up in the air?

[@ShineOnBenevolentSun]

​@@chadgunner4403 you have no idea what you're talking about. They're extremely horizontal, and workers in enterprises that must close are able to find placement in other thriving Mondragon enterprises.

[@Emiliapocalypse]

Yes, and let’s call it MONHYDRA (logo could be a many headed dragon symbolizing many coming together and fighting as one)

[@ncdogg425]

Our government is a shit show, but thankfully you gave me a reason to vote for Joe Biden. This BIG BANK takes little bank shit has got to stop.

[@MultiFreddy34]

The uber rich control the government.

[@xNialx]

Biden is unfortunately the only sane choice, could be better though... need fossils of govt to just gtfo.

[@chris135x]

Biden ain't gonna do sh*t for YOU. But you can keep being tricked into voting for the entire democrat party! It won't make you smart!

[@chris135x]

You're not that smart. Voting for Biden? Why?

[@bethanyreynolds7270]

​@@chris135xyou're everywhere in the comments spouting nonsense and empty statements with no back bone. Are you going to explain why voting for Biden instead of Trump is worse for the US or not? You don't have any reason and you know it. You're either just a troll or a highly manipulated brainwashed individual

[@Craxin01]

Greed destroys everything.

[@jjcooney9758]

People: we would like money to buy groceries. How about a raise for once? Companies: we should raise our prices 30%

[@lukeanderson439]

Im union for life. Everyone deserves a union. Want to know more about unions? I'll answer any questions as best I can!

[@alexanon8345]

Did you join any organization prior to unionizing? I am in an ununionized industry and have no resources.

[@JustMe-nn4oq]

How do you deal with corruption within unions? It's bound to happen (allegedly speaking from personal experience).

[@lukeanderson439]

@@alexanon8345 I'm an electrician, so there was a union already active in my area. I only had to apply to the apprenticeship program. If your industry doesn't have much organization, you can begin the process at your own workplace. There are a lot of details to be aware of, especially what activity is protected and what is not. At the end you have the option to create a new union and be recognized by the NLRB, or join an existing union. Either way, your workplace will be able to vote in an election facilitated by the NLRB. Something that people might not be aware of is that a union local doesn't have to be strictly one profession. As an example, my union is organized as part of the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) but a local sheriffs department is organized under us. Googling "How do I unionize" got a lot of helpful results, so feel free to explore!

[@lukeanderson439]

​@@JustMe-nn4oq If you are a member of a union and you feel that there is corruption in the ranks, the best thing to do is to participate. The whole leadership is composed of members, which means you could be elected to office just like any of them. The transparency and accountability of leadership is up to the members. If it helps, think of it like corruption on your city council or administration. The solution is to hold them accountable which might mean replacing them! As for "bound to happen", I'd agree based on the matter involving humans. Just because you call it a union doesn't make it more corruptible.

[@lukeanderson439]

@@alexanon8345 I'm an electrician so I was able to jump into an existing union. If your industry doesn't have anyone representing in the area, you can sign on under a different union. As an example, the Sheriff's department of a small town in my area is represented by my local. They aren't electricians but we help them bargain for a fair contract. The first step is probably to unionize your workplace. Be certain to check what is protected activity and what is not. Employers are eager to discourage union activity and you will need to know how to cover your butt. If they do retaliate against you then you have legal options to hit them with. Not trying to scare you, but look at how Amazon and Starbucks have fought union efforts. Starting from scratch can be tough. On the other hand, nobody should starve while working 40 hours a week. It is totally worth it. There are lots of resources online, including the NLRB which will get involved if you get enough union cards signed at your work place. I wish you luck brother! We stand strong together!

[@kayallen7603]

DUMP THE GOP

[@chris135x]

And the DNC!

[@CarFreeSegnitz]

Every President since Reagan perpetuated neo-liberal economics. That includes Clinton and Obama.

[@CraigKeidel]

Dump capitalism and the bourgeois state.

[@YourCapyFrenBigly_3DPipes1999]

Maybe no individual household should be allowed to amass more than 100 million in assets? I mean why has no one considered maximum income limits as well as other maximum limits and business controls? See the solutions are out there but we have a criminal political class that could care less of the 99% fall off a cliff, just so long as they continue to stay in office and the bribes keep coming their way. There are some simple solutions to this but it would require a political class that isn't owned, operated and controlled by the extreme elite class and that's rarely if ever happened in this country. The big money knows what they want and they know how to get it and the middle and lower classes seemed perfectly content to continue voting for the corporate uniparty system. People think there is such a thing as a progressive or useful Democrat in this country. See that right there tells me that they still don't get it. THE TWO PARTIES ARE THE SAME AT THE END OF THE DAY! It's two faces of the same shit apparatus- two sides of the same ass. They both serve their corporate masters and that's all. Taking turns re-electing one or the other isn't going to do a damn thing for the rest of us. The duopoly is the problem. It would be nice if we had some viable parties here whose only concern was the general welfare not Wall Street's bottom line. Don't know if we'll be able to change this in our lifetime. Modern feudalism is here to stay- at least for now. Of course we should continue to organize 100% and try to get outside the corporate duopoly at all stages, just not sure how much headway we're going to make over the next 50 years. But there is the courts, there are ballot measures; we do have some tools available to us.. such as they are. It would just be nice if we weren't completely fucked and held hostage by a single Wall Street uniparty with two faces. We should have a vibrant multi-party system here and we don't. There are a lot of good people in this country but I've come to believe that magical powers have decreed that no person of good soul or compassionate conscience can win in public office here, or if they do they're quickly run out or taken out. It sure would be nice to see this change at some point.

[@down-to-earth-mystery-school]

Yes, we need more conscious, thoughtful, servant leaders. It’s something I’ve been writing and talking about for the past twenty years. Trying to mentor as many of them as I can before I can’t anymore…

[@bobpurcell8357]

'Voting Blue' is not a cure-all, as many of us know. But we can only start from where we're at 🕳️

[@YourCapyFrenBigly_3DPipes1999]

@@bobpurcell8357 no, we can get militant and organized and work locally to start independent hard left parties. Of course it'll be a super uphill battle but we have to start there. Or seek a left unity party- try to combine with all other outsider parties in a given county or state that are independent whose beliefs fall anywhere from the center to the hard left. Perhaps left unity is our way forward to get a real serious outsider party going. Forget the national stage that's owned by Wall Street- our moves are going to have to happen on much more local scales- city, county, or state. It's hard, but worth trying.

[@kathyjones274]

Voting blue isn't a end all do all but we've got to start somewhere and our democracy is on the ballot this roevember I hope you will join us in voting blue in all elections 💙 up and down the ballot 🗳 💙 to keep 💙 our country 💙 moving forward 💙 during these trying 💙 times. We 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 are really screwed if Trump and Maga faciast get into office with Trump tariffs. Vote people vote 🗳

[@bearinbush1677]

The craziest thing is how it was allowed to happen..

[@jeffreyestahl]

Oh, yeah. I 'love' how some people like to use the phrase "the invisible hand" (referring to the market) and attribute it to Adam Smith. He enver said that. In fact, he stated in "Wealth of Nations" as well as what he considered to be his best work "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" that Capitalism took capital from the masses and delivered it into fewer and fewer hands, thus a mechanism for forcing capital back into the hands of the masses was necessary for the whole thing to keep working and make everyone wealthier. The actual author of that quote as Thomas Malthus, a self-attributed 'disciple' of Smith, even though he'd never met him. (Yeah, the same Malthus who argued in favor of population controls as a means of keeping the poor and working classes from overburdening the rich)

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

"Keeping the poor and working classes from overburdening the rich" is a fantastic phrase to prove a complete and total lack of understanding of both mathematics and economics.

[@jeffreyestahl]

@@dontmisunderstand6041 True, Thomas Malthus was not as adept as his self-proclaimed expertise. Kind of like certain Republican politicians today. Malthus was a person who believed that nothing occurred without it being in some kind of divine plan. He then shoehorned every little tiny thing into that extremely narrow (and unprovable) paradigm.

[@Hellzangel115]

Iv been saying this for so long that weve been headed back the gilded age. If you know history its clear as day. Laissez faire politics will lead us back to where it did the first time. The great depression.

[@sharonsloan]

History tells us what shouldn't be done again, but tells those in power how to do exactly that.

[@martinvasquez818]

Here's a thought: if lobbying remains legal, then the lobbists should be taxed 2x their expenditures on lobbying, minimum. And they should make their finances and practices public for the privilege of lobbying

[@dwaynezilla]

If you can make this happen, you can make lobbying illegal

[@Yobama007]

It’s bribing, BRIBING!! Not lobbying. We must use accurate terminology.

[@michaeltrujillo7930]

My partner and I are slowly making more of our own household needs and growing food from scratch.

[@User53857]

I can’t thank you enough for all the hard work you do to make these videos they are so important!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@LeejaMiller]

thank you!!!

[@ChrisRD526]

It just gets worst every year.

[@babotond]

DID THAT GUY JUST HIT THEM WITH A TAYLOR SWIFT LINE?!?!?! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jdrm03]

Because companies are price gouging. Simple. It's not inflation when companies are stating they are making record profits.

[@07Flash11MRC]

Ofc not. Inflation is only for the working class.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

You know nothing about monetary policy.

[@davidamaral2577]

@@MilwaukeeF40C then please educate us.. where's the popcorn

[@borginburkes1819]

@@MilwaukeeF40Ccompanies price gouge, make record profits, and then they spend billions marketing the “Inflation” meme.

[@chris135x]

It's inflation. Not price gouging. You don't know what either of those things mean.

[@yorintrabul]

Leeja, you are what is known in London UK as 'good work'. Clever creature that you are. Thank you!

[@marinschuldt101]

We also NEED MORE THAN TWO PARTIES!! OK, I'M DONE.

[@zenith110]

The video everyone needs to watch

[@Johnny-nf8oc]

The longer capitalism is allowed to go on, the more the rich get richer. Bernie Sander was the only one that could have stopped this, now its too late.

[@InappropriateFab]

He also could never, ever get himself elected president.

[@ordavis]

I hope you'll find out that social democracy is infeasible soon brother 🫡

[@johnchedsey1306]

Bernie Sanders was not going to single handedly stop capitalism. The idolatry around him was bizarre.

[@07Flash11MRC]

@ordavis : ? You do realize that under c@ptlism there is no democracy, right?

[@ordavis]

@@johnchedsey1306 I don't think many people expected that much of him. Social democrats don't want to end capitalism anyway. They just want to put lipstick on it.

[@hoober9001]

Love your T-shirt!

[@Jamie_says_weirding_is_real]

Same! Just ordered one. ❤

[@its-MK...]

It haunts me. It's great!

[@jasonamaral7568]

@@Jamie_says_weirding_is_real WHERE?!?

[@marciamartins1992]

Ronald Regan a flames ...lol every body should get one.

[@haleyalaym6231]

Commenting so I get the “where” answer

[@parler8698]

The government must slow the monetary printing presses.

[@chris135x]

This. Yes!

[@sirshep4915]

Subbed because you’re validating my experience, contrary to what the news tells me I should think.. “inflation is down and wages are up!”

[@woolphallus]

Yeah my wages certainly haven't gone up, but the price of everything certainly has.

[@BenjaminGlatt]

I'm sorry, there is no way Amazon is frigging Mediterranean Avenue.

[@CraigKeidel]

Tech is definitely the orange or yellow spaces

[@briankubisak1078]

Form a union my brothers and sisters together we flex our strength

[@chris135x]

Restaurants can't have unions for a reason, kid. Nobody would be fed if restaurant ms had unions.

[@briankubisak1078]

@@chris135x most restaurants in Europe are organized and the rate of starvation is LOWER, than in the US. Aside from this claim being proven false over and over again, the best example is that Starbucks has not raised its prices since its many stores have organized. There's literally a real time example that makes this statement nothing more than a bootlickers death cry

[@sharonsloan]

Agreed. Companies can't operate without workers.

[@sharonsloan]

​@@chris135xrestaurants in the UK have a union, they are represented by UNITE.

[@ColtSteele]

The Swedish Chef tried to warn us about Bork, alas he was too late.

[@FirstnameLastnames]

"The right to life as the right to *live* and not merely exist." ^ THIS

[@erinl4111]

Getting priced out of life

[@firstlast8258]

Bidenomics

[@TheProdigyB3AST]

I really do love how so much of American history boils down to everything was on a decent track until Ronald Reagan. (Obviously, things are much more nuanced than that)

[@dennisjohnson2870]

19:04 "Cos there's nothing conservatives love more than cherry-picking history to force deference to an imagined past." Thanks, Leeja. Your succinctness is appreciated.

[@owatagi]

Leeja M. and Rachel M. The absolutely best.

[@Spencer-wc6ew]

If big companies make the cheapest and best products, you'd think they could just ignore small businesses.

[@IslandArt61]

Been out of work for almost a year. Landlord just raised the rent. Losing health insurance and the end of the month. My will says that when I die everything goes to a homeless shelter in my city. So, faced with the choice of giving all I've saved over my lifetime to insurance/pharmaceutical/medical companies to ensure a couple more years of existence, or ensuring the fruits of my lifetime's labor does some good for for people worse off than me. I choose the second.

[@CraigKeidel]

🫂🫡

[@pmenright]

That Reagan shirt and mug combo

[@shigshug8581]

40 years of trickle down economics and republican policies led us to where we are right now.....capitalism is working......for the few.

[@RussiaisAriddle-ih6bg]

People get out there and vote all the politicians that support corporations!

[@ancientgamer3645]

I live in senior housing (apartment complex) that classifies themselves as "affordable housing". When we got the last SSI raise of 12%, the rental agency raised our rent 20%. They had a right to get a bigger profit, right?

[@lisaserenechaos6833]

So sad really.

[@stvinney]

They stopped calling it trickle down Now it's just kinda accepted. They get everything. We expect nothing from our representatives and can bitch or just accept it. The result is the same.

[@romanbrandle319]

Love him or hate him Karl Marx was right about capitalism, even if he didn't provide the perfect antidote. The fall of the USSR meant their was no competing system and the capitalists could take everything for themselves, that's why Marx was right.

[@07Flash11MRC]

You're 100% correct. Unfortunately the red scare has gotten a lot stronger and working class people are still too timid to fight for their rights.