this post was submitted on 05 May 2024
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[–] davel@lemmy.ml 30 points 6 months ago

You absolutely can democratically control it. All democracies on the planet have taxes. You can democratically elect a party that will impose a 99% corporate profit tax rate.

While in theory you can, in practice you absolutely cannot do that in bourgeois democracies. The capitalist class would bring an end to the democratic kayfabe if necessary to stop you.

In fact, some countries in northern Europe sorta move in this direction.

Since the rise of neoliberalism, the welfare systems have been eroding in those countries. They’re moving in the opposite direction.

Oh, and because I absolutely certain you’re from the US

OP is not from the US nor does he live there now, but keep being confidently incorrect.

So, stop whining. Accept the truth: about half of the population of your country wishes the opposite of what you do. So your reality doesn’t happen because they don’t want it. This is called democracy.

First of all it’s not true that half the population wishes the opposite, and second of all research shows that it doesn’t matter what we want. [Princeton] Study: US is an oligarchy, not a democracy

The US is dominated by a rich and powerful elite.

So concludes a recent study by Princeton University Prof Martin Gilens and Northwestern University Prof Benjamin I Page.

This is not news, you say.

Perhaps, but the two professors have conducted exhaustive research to try to present data-driven support for this conclusion. Here's how they explain it:

Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organised groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on US government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.

In English: the wealthy few move policy, while the average American has little power.