Air Date 5/1/2024

The past, present, and future of tackling the uselessness of extreme wealth by exposing and closing tax avoidance loopholes and pushing for a culture change to embrace the need for a more equal society.

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: What Happens When You Tax Billionaires at 90 Percent? - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 6-3-23

We did it before, and the result was the creation of the world’s first and largest middle class and a level of peace and prosperity that held its own until Ronald Reagan took a meat-axe to it…

Ch. 2: #TaxBillionaires w/ Robert Reich, Sen. Ron Wyden, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, and more - Americans for Tax Fairness - Air Date 4 -18-22

If you think school teachers shouldn't pay a higher tax rate than billionaires, join us to learn how you can join in on the fight to #TaxBillionaires!

Ch. 3: Wealth Tax Part 1 - Pullback - Air Date 4-11-23

Should we be taxing Scrooge-McDuck wealth? Can we? We talk with friend of the pod Fariya Mohiuddin, a Senior Program Officer with the International Budget Partnership's Tax Equity Program, and our favourite tax justice researcher and activist.

Ch. 4: No One Should Have More Than 10 Million Pounds | Ash Sarkar meets Ingrid Robeyns - Novara Media - Air Date 2-4-24

If you're serious about alleviating poverty, as most liberals claim to be, should there be a cap on how wealthy one person can be?

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FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 12: Final comments on anger and irrationality in war and politics

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

SHOW IMAGE:

Description: A protester holds a sign that says “Tax the Rich”

Credit: “We have a right to the city. Tax the rich.” by dignidadrebelde, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped

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Air Date: 4-29-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss:  - how the film 'Civil War' intentionally avoids any specifics about the "why", and in doing so becomes a perfect encapsulation of the Amanda Principle™

- how "the view from nowhere" journalism is supposed to be straight down the middle and fact-based, but is actually rife with bias and ends up representing the dominant culture - that America and its culture has been steeped in war and violence since it's inception - the similarities between modern America and Germany in 1933

REFERENCES: Americans Have Enjoyed Imagining Civil War for a Long, Long Time

How to Both-Sides a “Civil War”

Alex Garland's Civil War Plays Both Sides

Opinion: Is the US on the brink of another civil war?

‘Civil War’ and the Dangerous Myth of ‘Unbiased’ Journalism

America Isn’t Nazi Germany, but It Looks a Little Like 1933

Modern Mathematics Confronts Its White, Patriarchal Past

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Original Air Date 9/14/2022

Today, we take a look at the history and hysteria behind debt and debt forgiveness while Biden is canceling student debt and opponents of the idea are reacting in the most predictable way possible because they misunderstand the relationship between debt and morality.

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Ch. 1: Cancel It All: Debt Collective's Astra Taylor on Biden Plan & Need for Full Student Debt Relief - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-25-22

We speak to Astra Taylor, writer, filmmaker, and co-director of the Debt Collective, a union for debtors and one of the original advocates for a debt jubilee that would cancel all student debt.

Ch. 2: Freedom Dreams: Black Women and the Student Debt Crisis - The Intercept - Air Date 8-22-22

The Intercept’s new documentary, “Freedom Dreams: Black Women and the Student Debt Crisis,” profiles Black women educators and activists struggling under the weight of tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, in student loan debt.

Ch. 3: Hidden History of Student Debt - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 8-25-22

Many woke up to find news that $10k of their student debt would be forgiven, Thom Hartmann and Jefferson Smith break down what this means and what happens next.

Ch. 4: Bidens Big Student Debt Announcement: PITOTWIU for the Indebted Masses - Unf*cking The Republic - Air Date 8-28-22

Max breaks down the politics, the details, and biggest misses of the Biden student debt relief plan and why it’s in danger of being PITOTWIU

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FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 11: Final comments on morality and money

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

SHOW IMAGE: 

Description: A dark gray, 3D image of the word "DEBT" sits in a white void, a connected chain and open shackle with an open padlock lie in front of it.

Credit: "3D Shackled Debt" by Chris Potter, Flickr | License: CC by 2.0 | Changes: Enlarged with more white background

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Air Date 4/24/2024

Only by understanding the past can we understand the present and the histories of Cuba and Haiti have very stark lessons to impart about the cruelty of the Cuba embargo, the repercussions of imperial exploitation, and the dangers that arise amid dysfunctional democracy.

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Ch. 1: On Cuba and Haiti The Fight for Liberation & Self-Determination in the Caribbean - Revolutionary Left Radio - Air Date 4-4-24

Musa Springer, Erica Caines, & Onyesonwu Chatoyer from Hood Communist discuss their participation in The Second International Meeting of Theoretical Publications of Left Parties and Movements and discuss history and present events playing out in Haiti.

Ch. 2: Havana Syndrome How the Biden Administration Is Driving Cubans Into Misery - Deconstructed - Air Date 3-22-24

Ryan Grim delves into the complexities of Cuba’s current economic crisis with Andrés Pertierra, a historian of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Ch. 3: Havana Syndrome How the Biden Administration Is Driving Cubans Into Misery Part 2 - Deconstructed - Air Date 3-22-24

Ch. 4: Empire's Laboratory— How 2004 U.S.-Backed Coup Destabilized Haiti & Led to Current Crisis - Democracy Now! - Air Date 3-11-24

"The root of this crisis is not last week, it's not this week, it's not even Ariel Henry. But we have to go back to 2004 with the coup-d'état," says Pierre.

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FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 11: Final comments on the dangers of unrepresentative, unresponsive government

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

SHOW IMAGE: 

Description: Photo of a protester in 2007 holding a large cloth sign that says “Solidarity…Haiti YES! Occupation NO. Canada-US-U.N. OUT of Haiti”

Credit: “Solidarity - Haiti Yes - Occupation No” by Robert Thivierge, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped

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Air Date: 4-22-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - How Israeli citizens and government officials use of the US's settler-colonialist past, westward expansion, and religious fundamentalism to justify their own settler expansion   - How the members of the extreme right are put in positions of power within the Israeli government, which is then used to validate the settler's actions - The role racist propaganda and intergenerational trauma play in convincing Israelis of the righteousness of their settler-colonialist actions - The societal dangers of living in an ethnostate combined with feeling of specialness that comes from generations of victimhood

REFERENCES: The Israeli Settlers Attacking Their Palestinian Neighbors

The grandmother who wants to lead Israelis back to a Gaza without Palestinians

A debate over Israel-Palestine curriculum flares at Berkeley schools

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Air Date 4/20/2024

Old habits die hard and the American establishment's unquestioning support for Israel is a very old habit indeed. Israel's government drifts farther and farther to the right, culminating in a genocidal push into Gaza. Meanwhile, President Biden, standard-bearer of the old establishment, seems destined to be the very last Democrat to see the need for a change.

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Ch. 1: Jon Stewart Interrogates America's Support of Israel - The Daily Show - Air Date 4-8-24

Jon Stewart checks in on the war in Gaza and interrogates how America's purported values stack up against its support of Israel. Plus, Ronny Chieng and Grace Kuhlenschmidt report from the eclipse's path of totality with startling different reports.

Ch. 2: Biden’s 'double talk' on Gaza: Cynical election politics? | The Bottom Line - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 3-31-24

Roth tells host Steve Clemons that US President Joe Biden is engaging in “cynical” election politics by refusing to enforce the UN resolution calling for a ceasefire, or the World Court ruling ordering Israel to allow more food into Gaza

Ch. 3: Jon Stewart & Bassem Youssef Call Out “Performative” Outrage Over Israel’s War Crimes - The Humanist Report - Air Date 4-12-24

In this video, we’ll look at comments from both Youssef and Stewart, examples of “performative” outrage from politicians, and demands from voters that the Democratic Party and Joe Biden are refusing to meet.

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FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 9: Final comments on the words we've heard and the actions we've seen from Israel's government

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

SHOW IMAGE: 

Description: Photo of a protest outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC in honor of Airman Aaron Bushnell’s self-sacrifice. Protestors kneel behind a banner that says “Stop U.S. Support of Genocide.”

Credit: “50.Gather.AaronBushnellVigil.WDC.26February2024” by Elvert Barnes, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped

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Air Date: 4-18-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - how a tech start-up is trying to sell a shortcut to bliss - the world of drug-free psychedelic experiences - the capitalists trying to solve the loneliness epidemic

REFERENCES: The Meditation Start-Up That’s Selling Bliss on Demand 

What’s it like to take a $249 drug-free psychedelic trip? We found out 

Origin of the Dreamachine 

Can You Solve Loneliness? These Startups Are Betting On It. 

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Original Air Date 2/12/2019

Today we take a look at both the BDS movement and the backlash response to it resulting in firings and legislation in many states (and pending federally) to restrict employment and business opportunities from those who fail to pledge in writing to not support of the boycott of Israel

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Ch. 1: Explaining BDS - The Katie Halper Show - Air Date 10-11-17

We speak to art critic and writer Kareem Estefan, co-editor of “Assuming Boycott: Resistance, Agency, and Cultural Production,” about Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS)

Ch. 2: Exclusive: Angela Davis Speaks Out on Palestine, BDS & More After Civil Rights Award Is Revoked - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-11-19

Legendary activist and scholar Angela Davis speaks out after the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute rescinded a human rights award for her, reportedly due to her activism for Palestinian rights.

Ch. 3: Pro-Israel Lobby Groups Secretly Admits Cultural Boycott Is Effective, Leaked Report Shows - @TheRealNews - Air Date 12-10-18

Ali Abunimah discusses a leaked report from Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), a front for Israel government-backed lobby group StandWithUs, which admits the cultural boycott is "constantly growing" and "innovative."

Ch. 4: Josh Ruebner on BDS Bans - CounterSpin (@FAIRmediawatch) - Air Date 1-31-19

We’ll hear about so-called “anti-BDS” laws, and their context, from Josh Ruebner, policy director at the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights.

Ch. 5: Senators Sneak Amendment to Make Israel Boycott Illegal - @TheRealNews - Air Date 12-19-18

While Senators Cardin and Portman are trying to sneak a last-minute amendment into the budget bill to make BDS illegal - violating free speech - 26 states are also moving to make boycotts of Israel illegal. We speak to IPS’s Phyllis Bennis.

Ch. 6: Palestine/Israel, the Firing of Marc Lamont Hill & the Limits of Open Inquiry Part 1 - Speak out with Tim Wise - Air Date 12-3-18

Tim discusses CNN’s firing of contributor Marc Lamont Hill (a former guest on the show), for comments he made in favor of full equality and justice for the Palestinian people.

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MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

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Air Date 4/12/2024

The forces of capitalism and deregulation loom large as industrial transport disasters continue to pile up with new focus brought to the issue by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and the series of dangerous and deadly failures from Boeing.

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Ch. 1: Horror in Baltimore: Awful New Info Emerges About Six Missing Workers - THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent - Air Date 3-28-24

Two full days after the disastrous collapse of a bridge in Baltimore, little is known about six construction workers who went missing—and are now presumed dead.

Ch. 2: Everything we know about the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse - The Real News Podcast - Air Date 4-4-24

The Real News convened a panel of journalists working all sides of this story to get a sense of what we know about the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, what key questions still need to be answered, and what happens next.

Ch. 3: Cars, Bridges, Ships and Planes - The Zero Hour - Air Date 04-06-24

Discussing the Baltimore disaster in the context of infrastructure investment more broadly

Ch. 4: Everything we know about the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse Part 2 - The Real News Podcast - Air Date 4-4-24

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FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 12: Final comments on the threat to society of runaway corporate executive pay

References:

The failure of Bill Clinton's CEO pay reform - Politico

The Executive Pay Cap That Backfired - ProPublica

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

SHOW IMAGE:

Description: Photo taken from inside the Alaska Airlines flight 1282 Boeing plane that lost its door mid-flight. A rectangular hole in the side of the plane reveals a wall of white clouds. The nearby seats are empty and oxygen masks hang from the ceiling.

Credit: Photo taken by unidentified passenger and provided to the public by the National Transportation Safety Board(NTSB) as part of their investigation. | License: Public Domain

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Air Date 4/9/2024

The neoliberal legacy of the New Democrats continues to loom large but it really does seem like the progressive wing of the party and the broader demand for populist economic policies has had an impact. Now people just need to know that it's happening.

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Ch. 1: American Socialism - Prospect: Generations - Air Date 4-6-23

In this episode of the Prospect’s Generations podcast, editor at large Harold Meyerson, who joined the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee in 1975, and writing fellow Luke Goldstein, who was attracted to socialism by Bernie Sanders

Ch. 2: The Legacy of the New Democrats - KPFA - Against the Grain - Air Date 8-17-22

Historian Lily Geismer looks at how the the Democratic Leadership Council and Clinton-era Democratic Party increased inequality, through development zones, charter schools, welfare “reform”, and microfinance.

Ch. 3: Clinton’s ‘Fabulous Failure’ Part 1 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 10-4-23

Our politics today is haunted by the failures of Bill Clinton—the “centrist” who “triangulated” with Republicans, lost on healthcare, and proclaimed that “the era of big government is over.” Nelson Lichtenstein explains Clinton’s turn to the right

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Ch. 7: Price Controls: An Inflation Solution That Doesn't Screw Workers - Deconstructed - Air Date 7-7-23

CENTRIST AND RIGHT-WING economists continue to advocate for laying off workers and engineering a recession to address inflation. But why not set price controls instead?

Ch. 8: Clinton’s ‘Fabulous Failure’ Part 2 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 10-4-23

FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 12: Final comments on the way we think about political criticism

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

SHOW IMAGE:

Description: Photo of President Joe Biden shaking hands with a hard-hat-and-safety-vest clad union worker during a campaign event in Pennsylvania.

Credit: “President Biden greeting union workers” by Governor Tom Wolf Flickr account | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped

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Air Date: 4-7-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Many facets of our society are clearly broken by capitalism, and bizarrely for some, chaos is the only thing that beings agency to their life   - The delusion of RFK Jr. voters, the understandable desire to vote third party, and the age-old cry of the 'uniparty' - The trend of conservative voters among communities of color and where they find themselves in Trump's Republican Party - And that one of the Democrats main stumbling blocks is they're only interested in keeping things exactly as they are

REFERENCES: The Americans Who Need Chaos

Andrew Tate on why he doesn’t read books

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Targets a Generation of Politically Disaffected, Extremely Online Men

Forget Kennedy Democrats. Here Comes the 2024 Kennedy Voter.

The Strange History of the ‘Uniparty’

The unexpected dynamic that could decide the Trump-Biden rematch

Duty Calls

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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft  Contact me directly at [email protected]  Review the show on Apple Podcasts!