‘Britain and the US: How the Oligarchies Posing as Democracies have Been Exposed’

"What has gone wrong with what were once touted as leading examples of democracies?

It would take an entire book to answer that fully. A short answer is that neither the #US nor the #UK is a #democracy in much more than name.

In fact, they are oligarchies – the US a timocratic #plutocracy, the UK a civilian version of a stratiocracy"
https://bylinetimes.com/2023/09/05/britain-and-the-us-how-the-oligarchies-posing-as-democracies-have-been-exposed/

*news #economics #politics

When Elon Musk’s ‘flying sofas’ give Ukraine internet access, we can’t sit comfortably
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/sep/02/when-elon-musks-flying-sofas-give-ukraine-internet-access-we-cant-sit-comfortably

A democracy would not have billionaires that have the tech to shape governments. Are we on the slippery slope towards an Orwellian dystopia or are we already in one?

Who the frig voted for Musk's plans to have 42,000 of his satellites in our orbit? This isn't a #democracy! It's a #plutocracy!

The plutocrats such as Musk have business agendas that do not align with democracy

DeSantis' new insurance law could make it harder to rebuild after Hurricane Idalia

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/08/hurricane-idalia-desantis-home-insurance/

> The legislation makes it difficult to sue insurance companies for short-changing policyholders.

> It is a big win for DeSantis, whose political coffers have been boosted by the insurance industry

The US electoral systems have turned it into an #oligarchy, or #plutocracy (rule by the wealthy).

One half of Australia's supermarket duopoly, #Coles reported their profits rose by considerably more than their modest increase in sales volume and despite rapidly rising shoplifting amidst a #CostOfLiving squeeze. This is strongly suggestive of corporate #profiteering - confirming other studies that have revealed the duopoly's willingness to exploit an inflationary period by jacking up prices beyond the implications of any supply disruptions.

Yet the #InvisibleHandOfTheMarket * in its infinite and ineffable wisdom gave the Coles share price a spanking at this news, apparently for not profiteering hard enough.

*as always, wherever you see/hear the phrase #TheMarket it is necessary to translate this into "the desires and priorities of very wealthy people", who own the vast majority of corporate shares.
#Auspol #plutocracy #inflation #greed

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/aug/22/coles-supermarket-annual-profit-rise-grocery-price-rise

The rent trap!

What's the point in the social housing situation in which, e.g., people can't afford to save up for a deposit on a house (mortgage), so they work most of their lives on low incomes, only to pay most of their cash to the land "lord"? (inc. Housing associations in the #UK)

It would be more beneficial for the people, if the people's "rent" payments were paid towards owning the house. AKA a rent-to-buy system.

Why does the ruling rich want rent traps?

#politics #plutocracy

@theappletree

That's the dilemma. In an ideal democracy, the ecologically, technologically & caring informed majority would vote for a government that helped the society develop sustainably (climate-friendly solutions)

But, generally, we have institutions (e.g., governments, businesses) that are financially supporting one another & are generally promoting the ideas that support their lifestyles (ruled by the *rich for the rich. AKA a #plutocracy)

*high resource-demanding lifestyles

#climate

Hey look, its the Oligarchy's climate change roadmap in lyrics form re: How to handle the proletariat.

🎶"Conceived in a hell beyond your depth of perception
Chaotic case of conquering domination
Psychopath snaps fired chains of imprisonment
A bludgeoning force that's undermining the government
Inflict strain upon the structure
Collapsing below my pressure
Inflict strain upon the structure
Collapsing below my pressure"🎶

https://youtu.be/qv4Z7F_mK_E

#fascism #Plutocracy #coup

This is essential for the creation, maintenance and expansion of #plutocracy. In a plutocracy, a small minority owns most of the property (we live in a plutocracy). By definition, plutocracy isn't popular, since it's a system that benefits a small minority at everyone else's expense. In its natural state, plutocracy is only popular with its winners, and not the vast majority of losers it creates.

4/

Right. It's official. The guys who walked around with sandwich boards saying 'the end is nigh' were right, not crazy.
Mastodon is discussing whether we have time to abolish capitalism & substitute:
-real democracy
-'ecologracy' etc.
Given that binary code + HTML+ Ingredient X produced most modern plutocrats, I propose a #plutocracy.

Not in government, but as a global network with its next task to manage the Anthropocene while attempting to delay Armageddon.
Using their gold, calling on experts.

#ClimateChange

To quote #GretaThunberg "Eventually the public pressure was too much, you had the world’s eyes on you. So you started to act. Not acting as in taking #climate action. But acting as in roleplaying. Playing politics, playing with words, playing with our future" https://gretathunberg.medium.com/the-show-is-over-66e03dd38efa

#psychology #politics #economics #business #money #disinformation #corruption #plutocracy #news

#ClimateChange

To quote #GretaThunberg "Eventually the public pressure was too much, you had the world’s eyes on you. So you started to act. Not acting as in taking #climate action. But acting as in roleplaying. Playing politics, playing with words, playing with our future"

#psychology #politics #economics #business #money #disinformation #corruption #plutocracy #news

@scientistsx

"The real scandal with Grant Shapps is not that he lived a double life as an internet marketing salesman called Michael Green while he was an MP, nor even that he seemingly lied about it repeatedly and sued an opponent who suggested otherwise, it’s what Michael Green did for a living." https://www.theguardian.com/politics/shortcuts/2015/mar/16/grant-shapps-business-mp-conservative-chairman-michael-green

#business #corruption #money #politics #chumocracy #plutocracy #nepotism #psychology #climate #ignorance #news #politics

#politics #fascism #plutocracy #elite #scotus

@LeviKornelsen
I see capitalism as an economic system based on (and supporting) the private ownership and accumulation of the means of production (i.e. “capital").

Market economies may support capitalism but are not defined by it.

Capitalism seems to promote an increase in plutocratic control (centralization of all ownership among a few) over time, but they isn't defined by it.
1/2

#Capitalism #Economics #Plutocracy

This is just infuriating. #SCOTUS #plutocracy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVA65bPXFLo

The evil of aristocracy is not that it necessarily leads to the infliction of bad things or the suffering of sad ones; the evil of aristocracy is that it places everything in the hands of a class of people who can always inflict what they can never suffer.
-G K Chesterton (1905) Heretics

#Rich #Oligarchy #Aristocracy #Plutocracy #Evil #Systemic #Balance #Unbalanced #ThingsIHaveComeToAccept #GKChesterton #Quotes

The rich man to-day does not only rule by using private property; he also rules by treating public property as if it were private property.
--G K Chesterton (1917) "Utopia of Users"

#Capitalism #Property #PrivateProperty #Public #Exploitation #Plutocracy #EatTheRich #History #HistoryRepeat #GKChesterton #Quotes

http://www.gkc.org.uk/gkc/books/2134.txt

Incompetence as usual.

The data - atmospheric #GreenhouseGases are rising https://ourworldindata.org/greenhouse-gas-emissions

The evidence - Industries and the people they sell products to are burning huge amounts of carbon-based fuels (e.g., diesel, petrol, gas, wood, etc). Their profit incentive is to sell their core products - not mitigate climate change. Consumers' incentives are to buy more products. Business incentives are to use greenwash to promote their products.

The corruption - The climate conferences are a sell-out #corruption

"The Cop28 president, Sultan Al Jaber, has been accused of attempting to “greenwash” his image after it emerged that members of his team had edited Wikipedia pages that highlighted his role as CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc)." https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/30/cop28-president-team-accused-of-wikipedia-greenwashing-sultan-al-jaber

The people - generally, live from day to day (not considering the long effects of their actions. e..g, the products they're consuming & using). Effectively, they are controlled by the corporate agenda. #Plutocracy

The outcome, the future, is evident!

#ClimateHeating #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #ForestFires #Flooding #IceMelt #SeaLevelRise #OceanAcidification #climate #TippingPoints

What Happens When You Tax Billionaires at 90 Percent?

"America’s billionaires (and soon to be trillionaires) pay an average of around 3.1 percent as their functional income tax rate; as a result, America is the most unequal developed society in the world. The last time severe poverty and extravagant wealth coexisted in such extremes as today in this country was during the 1920s and 1930s."

#WealthInequality #WealthGap #ClassWar #plutocracy
https://hartmannreport.com/p/what-happens-when-you-tax-billionaires-fa3

#Corruption #Kleptocracy #Plutocracy #Autocracy #Oligarchy #QuidProQuo

Summary
#DeSantis: Support my #fascist bid for office againt that other #fascist and I'll let you blow up astronauts and Florida without liability.
#Musk: Sounds good.
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/desantis-bill-limits-liabilities-private-spaceflight-companies-rcna86410