on Mar 22, 2026 02:25 am
Dara Kerr, Reporter – The Guardian (U.K.)
Stephan: On January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court issued a ruling: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that in effect legalized the bribery of politicians. It was the second step the Republicans carried out to end American democracy. The first step was Republican President Reagan’s tax changes, primarily the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (ERTA) and the Tax Reform Act of 1986, ostensibly aimed to stimulate the economy by cutting taxes on corporations and high-income individuals but, in fact, its purpose was the creation of an oligarch ruling class. Taken together, these two steps have created the neo-medieval culture that is the United States today. And it couldn’t be more blantant as this report makes clear.
Sergey Brin in Davos, Switzerland, on 19 January 2017. Credit: Ruben Sprich / Reuters
A Google founder has more than doubled his financial contribution to the fight against a proposed wealth tax in California. New filings with the state show that former Alphabet president Sergey Brin donated $25m to a Super Pac dedicated to blocking the tax on top of $20m he had already given.
Brin is not alone among Google’s top brass in upping his financial stake in the campaign against the ballot proposal. The company’s former CEO Eric Schmidt donated $1.02m, adding to a previous $2m contribution.
he tech titans are battling the California Billionaire Tax act, often referred to simply as the billionaire tax. It’s a proposed ballot measure that would require any California resident worth more than $1bn to pay a one-off, 5% tax on their assets to help cover education, food assistance and healthcare pr ograms in the state. It’s sponsored by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, and is still in the signature-gathering phase.
If the measure reaches the ballot and gains voters’ approval, […]
