Marc Batko
An Economy Without Redistribution
by Marc Batko (marc1seed@yahoo.com; freetranslations.foundation)
An economy without redistribution is a pseudo-economy, a formal economy without dynamic movement or dynamism. Unfettered capitalism assumes a self-healing market and is always disastrous. In the 1960s, corporate taxes provided 40% of federal government revenues. Now in 2025, corporate taxes only supply 7% or 8%. States, regions, and cities face severe revenue shortfalls and must choose between food, health care and housing assistance. Exempting corporations and the super-rich from federal taxes proves to be a homemade disaster.
Governments are instituted to establish and protect the public welfare, not to practice banditry, concentration of wealth, the destitution of large parts of the population or reckless right-wing libertarian ideologies. Countries must compensate other countries for physical and mental suffering caused by trade wars, wars of conquest and threats of war. The law of the stronger is the law of the jungle. The law of peaceful negotiation and cooperation is the higher law of the United Nations. Countries must submit to the higher authority of the United Nations to be legitimate and to avoid the moral approbation of being rogue or failed states.
Right now, our democracy is under direct attack. Billionaires like Elon Musk are gaining control over critical federal systems. Convicted 34-time felon President Donald Trump is surrounding himself with extremists determined to dismantle everything America stands for—turning our government into a theocratic autocracy designed to strip away our rights and freedoms. And while this happens, MAGA Republicans in Congress are not just standing by—they’re helping. Republicans don’t want to represent us, they want to rule over us. But here’s the truth: we are not powerless. In fact, we hold the power they fear most—the power of collective action. We are rising up and pushing back. No one can impose their racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, transphobia, misogynoir, elitism, and bigotry on us. We will not be silenced. We will not be sidelined. This is our moment to stand up, push back, and fight for the country we believe in.
Open discourse is the strength of democracy. The climate of political debate has gravely worsened in the US since the 2016 presidential campaign. On the quiet, defamation campaigns have replaced election campaigns. Name-calling, mud-throwing, threats and slander have turned the deliberative atmosphere of reasoned debate into a shark tank of recriminations, insults and threats.
Donald Trump, government chaos, and Citizens United are ruining our democracy. The damage to federal medical research is already done. People in Canada, Mexico, Panama, and Greenland have been traumatized by Trump’s constant threats of annexation. Elon Musk’s illegal offers of buyouts have been sent to 2.3 million federal workers so they can be replaced by Trump loyalists. All federal allocations from Medicaid, Meals-on-Wheels, Head Start, Veterans assistance, tuition assistance, and housing assistance were temporarily suspended. While they are revived, they may be suspended again because of the maniacal conservative focus on efficiency and dismantling inefficiency.
Citizens have a right and duty of resistance when the government is corrupted and fails to establish and protect the general welfare.
Bob Dylan’s song “Idiot Wind” (1976) describes the paralysis and helplessness of America since Donald Trump’s 2nd inauguration on January 20, 2025. “They’re planting stories in the press. Their minds are filled with big ideas, images, and distorted facts. Idiot wind, from the Grand Coolie Dam to the capitol/ from the Grand Coolie Dam to the Mardi Gras. It’s a wonder you still know how to breathe. He won the war after losing every battle. Cover up the truth with lies. Destiny drove us apart. Everything is a little upside down. What’s bad is good. What’s good is bad. You’ll find out when you reach the top. You’re on the bottom. It’s a wonder you can even feed yourself.”
Worlds separate the constitutional state from the security or emergency state. Beware the beginnings of fascism, when an enabling law turns active citizens into passive victims of the all-knowing state!
On February 1, 2025, the USAID website went offline amid the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid. The US Agency for International Development is an independent agency of the US government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. Founded 63 years ago on November 3, 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, USAID has 10,235 employees with an annual budget of $50 billion.
Has the US government under Trump become a wrecking ball? How did the world’s richest man and welfare queen become the expert on government efficiency, a possibly illegal immigrant accountable to no one?