The Rich Control Congress
Evidence from OpenSecrets.org A new report from OpenSecrets.org, “Outside money, inside influence: How national donors shaped the 2024 congressional elections,” demonstrates that the rich are […]
Politics
“The Techno-Optimist Manifesto” – more about tech billionaire ideology
The Techno-Optimist Manifesto by Marc Andreessenis a 2023 statement of a libertarian-technology-centric view of the world. This manifesto is primarily based on a faith-based understanding […]
The Peculiar Political Background of Elon Musk
I don’t generally pay much attention to individual players in the ongoing dramas of the world. No surprise, I am drawn to more macro, structural […]
Secrecy is at the heart of capitalism
Dark money, shell corporations, 501(c)(4) funding (U.S. nonprofit groups that don’t have to disclose donors), Super PAC money, and many more terms describe the tsunami […]
The Need for Class Warfare
The media, including here at Substack, has been filled with bleatings about the Democratic Party’s whipping at the hands of Trump and his billionaires. There […]
Polycrisis
Today, I came across this article on Medium: The Rich Are Hoarding Wealth—Because They Know What’s Coming by Angus Peterson. I have regularly referred to […]
What is financialization and why does it matter? – part 1
Financialization is one of the most important drivers of changes in the last 50 years in American capitalism, and consequently in our society. As noted […]
What to do about the past 50 years of American life – policy suggestions
A reader of my recent post, “Bernie Sanders got much right about our current situation….” commented: “Thank you Mark for validating what we know to […]
Bernie Sanders got much right about our current situation….
Bernie Sanders, Senator from VT, sent out an email yesterday. The subject line contained one word, “Oligarchy”. So, I read it. There is much truth […]
Billionaires literally buying up Washington DC
Now that the billionaire class has installed their President and seized many posts in the Trump cabal, they are fighting over a limited supply of […]
Economists Are in the Wilderness. Can They Find a Way Back to Influence? – from the NYTimes
Ben Casselman wrote this piece in the 1.10.2025 NYTimes: “Economists Are in the Wilderness. Can They Find a Way Back to Influence?” The article cites […]
“Incoming!” – Trump’s appointments and billionaire claque
The 12.26.2024 issue of The London Review of Books includes Eliot Weinberger’s stunning piece on the Trump presidency, “Incoming!“. It begins: “They came from Florida, […]