This is not a new theme (here or in other circles.) However, the world has become so wildly economically unjust, and a small percentage of people are now so wealthy, at the expense of a fair and just world, that more radical solutions are needed. To be clear, I am talking, partly, about the ultra-wealthy here. However, even among the rest of the world, there is still a lot of inequality – and we can not declare ourselves completely innocent just because we don’t own a private plane or a yacht. 🙂
If someone own two homes (or a house and a cabin/cottage), they are more wealthy than most of the world. If someone live in a big North American house, with a big North American SUV, they are among the wealthiest in the world.
The Guardian: Britons reach Africans’ annual carbon emissions in just two weeks. I have sometimes been encouraged not to include this kind of data – because some people feel that it is not relevant, or it’s unfair or any number of other reasons. I acknowledge that there are differences in context (eg I have found it easier to live in a slightly smaller space when I’m in a warmer climate, and don’t need room for heavy winter clothes etc). However, I also think that we have more control over our choices than we sometimes admit – and our choices affect our carbon emissions, and our place in the world.
If we start from the premise of “I should never have to live like someone somewhere else…”, it’s technically true, but then we immediately absolve ourselves of the responsibility to look at our own choices (directly and via the governments that we elect), and see where we can do better, and how we fit into the bigger picture. Maybe our homes in cold climate are a bit bigger than in warm climates to help with long winters, but they could still be a lot smaller than what many people are living in.
Maybe having a vehicle is necessary, but a compact EV (with trains and other public transit used more often) would work instead of the gas-guzzling SUV used more often. Maybe making a choice to live closer to amenities, with less land/house for ourselves, would make it easier to walk and use public transit more often. We can all do our part to close the gap. 🙂
Here is some of what I have been reading in the last few months:
‘Socialism for the rich’: the evils of bad economics: Guardian
Mark Zuckerberg’s plea for the billionaire class is deeply anti-democratic: Guardian
Think billionaires are just super-rich people? Big mistake Guardian
The next few are related to financial redistribution…
What could the US afford if it raised billionaires’ taxes? We do the math: Guardian – Naturally not an exhaustive list, simply looking at some of the ways that a more just and equitable society could emerge from greater income equality.
Salon: Even a wealth tax isn’t enough: It’s time for an income tax based on economic inequality.
How to Fund ‘Medicare for All’: Slash the Military NYT
And here are a few calls from those who have wealth, asking for greater taxation…
‘Traitors to their class’: meet the super rich who want to be taxed more: Guardian
America needs to seriously tax the rich – I should know, I’m one of them: Guardian
Toronto Star: The federal government needs to tax our inheritances.
