Skip to content
THE DEMOCRACY LABS orange and white logo.THE DEMOCRACY LABS orange and black logo.
  • Home
  • Case Studies
  • Resources
  • Partners
  • Press
  • About
  • Donate
    Donate
THE DEMOCRACY LABS orange and black logo.
  • Home
  • Case Studies
  • Resources
  • Partners
  • Press
  • About
  • Donate
    Donate

How billionaires strangle democracy to get richer

DemLabs blog

June 16, 2021

 Republicans strangle democracy to get richer.

There is something very wrong when billionaires do not pay taxes, deny their workers a living wage and use political donations to prevent people from voting.

This relationship map shows how corporate donations are funneled to Republicans who cut unemployment insurance, block a living wage and push for voter suppression.

The map can be freely shared with this link: https://Dem-Labs.kumu.io/its-all-mine

How billionaires strangle democracy to get even richer

Navigate the map by clicking on a person or relationship for details.

How the rich rig the system with the help of lobbyists and Republicans.

Unlimited greed

"In 2007, Mr. Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon and the world’s richest man, paid no federal income taxes even as his company’s stock price doubled. Four years later, as his wealth swelled to $18 billion, Mr. Bezos reported losses and even claimed — and received — a tax credit of $4,000 for the care of his children." ProPublica compared how much in taxes the 25 richest Americans paid as their wealth grew in that time period. Their true tax rate was 3.4%. The tax rate for most Americans is around 35% or 10 times as much. In 2011, a year in which his wealth held roughly steady at $18 billion, Bezos filed a tax return reporting he lost money — his income that year was more than offset by investment losses. What’s more, because, according to the tax law, he made so little, he even claimed and received a $4,000 tax credit for his children." - ProPublica

Profiting from exploiting the poor

"Those in the economy with the power to do the dictating profit from the desperation of low-wage workers. One man’s misery is another man’s quick and affordable at-home lunch delivery. America finds the money to pay for the things it values. In recent decades, and despite deep gridlock in Washington, we have spent trillions of dollars on wars in the Middle East and tax cuts for the wealthy." Ezra Klein, NYT

TakeAway: Expose the greed and how the system has been rigged with political donation against working Americans. Support For The People Act.

Deepak
DemLabs

amazon,bezos,billionaires,heritage action,koch

Share this Newsletter:

Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on facebook

Subscribe to DemLabs Bulletin

Donate to DemLabs

DemLabs applies innovative technology and storytelling tools in service of democratic values. It lowers the barrier of funding for worthy candidates and non-profits by applying existing free/affordable solutions.

Copyright © 2023 The Democracy Labs | A Project of the Advocacy Fund | Privacy Policy
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Scroll to Top
[class^="wpforms-"]
[class^="wpforms-"]