How America's oligarchs evade accountability while the IRS stands powerless
By
Jeffrey Winters
3h ago· 32 min readenOpinion
100/100
Golden Brown
Bagelometer↗
Baker's choice. Dense with flavour, light on filler.
Score100TypeopinionSentimentvery negative
Summary
The article examines how America's oligarchs (ultra-wealthy individuals) are increasingly exerting influence over democracy and government institutions, with the IRS and regulatory bodies rendered powerless to stop tax avoidance and wealth concentration. It discusses the historical bargain between democracy and oligarchy where the wealthy kept their influence quiet, and how that arrangement is breaking down as wealth inequality accelerates and the super-rich use their resources to distort democratic processes for personal gain.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledDemocracy, for most of its existence, has managed to coexist with oligarchy, but only on the condition that oligarchs exert their influence quietly.
Citizens, including ordinary Americans, are generally willing to tolerate the super-rich, but the arrangement breaks down when a small group of exceedingly wealthy people are perceived to be distorting and impairing democracy for their own gain.
America's oligarchs, at least historically, have kept their end of the bargain. But their accelerating...
The Wealth Defense Industry and its politicians have seen to that.
