they believe in the agency of the left to offend but not to *persuade.* there's an entire class of writer who argues that the left can't possibly win arguments, only alienate potential supporters. (and the critics often hold neoliberal econ views that are *actually* unpopular.)
If you paid taxes for 2025, you likely paid:
$124 — school lunch & nutrition programs
$49 — diplomacy to prevent wars
$19 — USPS
$19 — Federal Aviation Administration
$18 — national parks
and
$4,049 — weapons and war.
These priorities are hurting us all. We need change. #TaxDay
NEW: If you paid federal taxes for 2025, you likely paid $4,049(!) for Pentagon contractors, military personnel, nuclear weapons, aid to foreign militaries, and last year’s bombing of Iran’s nuclear energy facilities.
IPS @nationalpriorities.bsky.social research out now in @commondreams.org:
GOP politicians are brazenly attempting to stoke another wave of Islamophobia.
We must all demand that our elected officials honor the Constitutional right Muslim Americans to exist and live in this country, free from hate and bigotry.
While normal Americans are paying the price for Donald Trump’s illegal war on Iran, the wealthy fossil fuel corporations are cashing in. The solution is clear—we must tax those profits and reclaim our political system.
Meghan Schneider & Cass DiPaola
Together with the U.S. intervention in Venezuela earlier this year, the war on Iran shows how the race for fossil fuels is compromising global stability.
The solution—we must decrease dependency on fossil fuels through renewable energy, writes @ruwithsonali.bsky.social.
The current wave of anti-trans legislation is built on a manufactured hysteria that ignores a mountain of scientific evidence.
What's more, these attacks set a dangerous legal precedent for everyone’s access to health care and right to privacy.
When corporate resources are funneled into the pockets of those at the top while ordinary employees have to rely on public assistance, we are all subsidizing the executive mansions and private jets, write @sarahanderson.bsky.social and @reyannaj.bsky.social of @ips-dc.
"The bombs falling on Iran today will not liberate anyone."
Dena Al-Adeeb on spending her life fleeing, surviving, and bearing witness to wars justified by lies.
finally a president who speaks out against reckless wars and interventions
NEW: While billionaires dismiss the concept of affordability, they're the ones directly driving the crisis — from monopolizing food to hoarding housing.
IPS scholar @chuck77.bsky.social in @theprogressivemag.bsky.social:
What to do about companies that pay their workers so little they have to rely on public assistance? @adamshah.bsky.social of @jwj.org proposes a "Bad Business Fee," with community members deciding how to spend the revenue.
inequality.org/article/bad-...
NEW: Companies are already selling robots that pick fruit and vegetables and weed bots that can tell baby ragweed from baby carrots.
Corporations are trying to automate farming. Time for farming communities to come together to resist, writes journalist, organizer, and farmer @suzan63.bsky.social:
A useful moniker has emerged to describe the global network of elites whose power and privilege continue to protect them from accountability: the Epstein Class.
NEW: Many of the largest low-wage U.S. companies pay their workers so little that they're forced to rely on public programs for basic needs. Yet their CEOs make, on average, 900x more than their median employees.
We need to crack down on this malfeasance, write IPS @inequality.org scholars. REPORT:
NEW: The military systems that the U.S. sent to the Iran region in recent weeks ALONE cost us nearly $60 MILLION per day — just a fraction of the cost of this war.
That ~$60 million could cover Medicaid for 4 million Americans per day, or SNAP for 9.5 million.
From @nationalpriorities.bsky.social:
As part of their brutal anti-immigrant campaign, the Trump administration is now going after lawful immigrants with Temporary Protected Status — a cruel and unnecessary move that could endanger the lives of tens of thousands of people, writes Jordan Liz.
❤️
NEW: While many lawmakers point to stock market highs as proof of a booming economy, regular Americans are facing an affordability crisis, writes Lindsay K. Saunders.
"A rising Dow Jones doesn’t pay for a child’s doctor visit or lower the price of eggs."
“When the workers who are stepping up to try and reveal violations are silenced, the standard comes down for the whole industry.”
@sarahlazare.bsky.social reports that attacks on immigrant workers threaten all workers’ ability to fight for better pay & conditions.
#abolishICE
Crowd of protesters at night with signs, including "Abolish ICE," against a backdrop of tall city buildings, conveying determination and activism.
“...ICE funding should be cut... the cuts to your healthcare are what’s paying for this.” —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
@ruwithsonali.bsky.social reporting on more people supporting the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
inthesetimes.com/article/demo...
The money fueling ICE’s abuses comes directly out of the pockets of working Americans who are already struggling. #AbolishICE
NEW: The masks, lies, and celebration around the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti are "the hallmarks of a lynching," write Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II and @wilsonhartgrove.bsky.social.
"We must recognize what’s stirring within us as righteous anger to fuel a moral struggle."
NEW: Senators have a unique opportunity to pull back ICE’s powers by refusing to back an appropriations bill passed by the House. They must use it.
Journalist and author @ruwithsonali.bsky.social:
If Trump again resorts to war in Iran, he will likely only strengthen Iran’s repressive leaders and risk another catastrophic endless war.
The best way to support protestors and avoid harm, writes @david-vine.bsky.social, is through diplomacy, not military force.
"This escalating violence is an outgrowth of ICE’s appalling treatment of immigrants... Americans understand that no one is safe as long as ICE still exists, operates with impunity, and terrorizes communities. How many more deaths will it take for Congress to hold this agency accountable?"
Green infographic with a background of U.S. dollar bills. Large text reads, “Trump’s Big Bad Bill added $29,850,000,000 for ICE.” Below, smaller text says, “$29.85 billion is enough to pay for healthcare for more than 1.3 million people for all four years of his term.” Icons show a military tank and three human figures contrasted with a hospital illustration at the bottom. Footer text reads, “We need to reprioritize,” alongside the National Priorities Project logo.
No more harm and separation of our families, no more militarism in our streets.
Fund what actually keeps us safe, like our healthcare, instead.
