Stephan: I see what is described in this article happening, and I think the christofascist cult that has become what used to be Christianity as one of the most dangerous movements in the U.S. today.
Donald Trump and Jerry Falwell, Jr. at Liberty university in May 2017, Credit:Shealah Craighead
For decades, far-right White evangelical Christian fundamentalists have feared the United States would, like Western Europe, become increasingly secular — and now, according to Gallup, that has come to pass.
Gallup has been polling Americans on their religious affiliations for 82 years, beginning in 1939. The polling company has been asking, “Do you happen to be a member of a church, synagogue or mosque?” And the answer went from 73% saying “yes” in the early 1940s to only 47% saying “yes” in the early 2020s. It’s a staggering and monumental decline.
Journalist Eric Levitz analyzes this polling in an article published by New York Magazine this week, arguing that it his significant implications for American politics.
Levitz argues, “In assigning culpability for this trend, one could assemble a long list of plausible co-conspirators. The ascendance of the evangelical right likely damaged Christianity’s brand with social liberals by associating the faith with theocratic politics, while pedophilic priests and their enablers surely drove no […]
Stephan: This is one of the many manifestations of christofascism I am seeing every day, and you are too probably. We tend to just ignore things like this or brush them off, but what strikes me about these people and these kinds of statements is the medievalism. The speaker and the statement are like something out of the 14th century, yet believed by millions of 21st century Americans.
Pastor Mario Murillo claimed this week that President Joe Biden is surrounded by a “demonic hedge of protection,” urging fellow Christians to pray for a “powerful move of God” to bring it down.
Murillo’s remarks came during an interview with the Christian TV program Flash Point. The evangelical Christian minister leads Mario Murillo Ministries, based in Reno, Nevada, and frequently criticizes Biden and the Democrats. He has previously suggested that former President Donald Trump is still the legitimate president, not Biden. Right Wing Watch first reported Murillo’s remarks this week.
“War has been declared on your faith,” Murillo said during the interview, discussing his staunch opposition to LGBTQ rights, specifically the transgender community. The pastor argued that “this is not a gentle moment, this is not a courteous moment, this is a declaration of war,” before taking aim at Biden.
“There is a demonic hedge of protection around Joe Biden. That’s why he can say and do the most insane things with no backlash,” Murillo said. He then urged viewers to “pray,” saying God had changed the way he prayed for America. “He helped […]
Stephan: I agree with every word Robert Reich wrote in this article. The U.S. Tax system needs to be completely reconfigured. During the pandemic, tens of millions of Americans sank into economic distress and poverty while billionaires became trillions of dollars richer. The U.S. has the worst wealth inequality of any developed nation in the world, it is an ongoing crisis.
Robert Reich
Income and wealth are now more concentrated at the top than at any time over the last 80 years, and our unjust tax system is a big reason why. The tax code is rigged for the rich, enabling a handful of wealthy individuals to exert undue influence over our economy and democracy.
Conservatives fret about budget deficits. Well, then, to pay for what the nation needs – ending poverty, universal health care, infrastructure, reversing climate change, investing in communities, and so much more – the super-wealthy have to pay their fair share.
Here are seven necessary ways to tax the rich.
First: Repeal the Trump tax cuts.
It’s no secret Trump’s giant tax cut was a giant giveaway to the rich. 65 percent of its benefits go to the richest fifth, 83 percent to the richest 1 percent over a decade. In 2018, for the first time on record, the 400 richest Americans paid a lower effective tax rate than the bottom half. Repealing the Trump tax cut’s benefits to the wealthy and big corporations, as Joe […]
Stephan: How much clearer does it need to get that the entire American tax system is rigged to support the rich and corporations?
Credit: Raw Story
Bolstering arguments against providing further public benefits to the fossil fuel industry, a BailoutWatch analysis published Friday reveals that 77 companies got a collective $8.24 billion tax bailout last year, then laid off tens of thousands of employees.
The tax benefits for major polluters resulted from two provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, signed by then-President Donald Trump in March 2020. The CARES Act changed corporate tax cuts from legislation that passed under Trump in late 2017, which critics often refer to as the Trump-GOP “tax scam.”
“The impact of the change was highly concentrated, enabling each of the 77 firms to collect an average of $107 million in benefits,” the nonprofit’s new report explains. “Among the top beneficiaries, the contrast between the millions—even billions—they received and the number of workers they sacked is staggering.”
According to BailoutWatch’s review of fossil fuel firms’ Securities and Exchange Commission filings, “Payrolls were cut by a net 58,030 jobs at the 74 of these companies that reported employee headcounts for the […]
