Yesterday at the Munich Security Conference, someone asked me, "We have a situation where all budgets are going down — except defense spending, which is only going up. Shouldn't we invest in democratic resilience by providing good public services, to protect our democracies internally as well as externally?"
Yes, that is absolutely right. One of the connections that is underdiscussed — particularly in the security space — is that we are seeing, around the world and in the United States, extreme levels of income inequality leads to social instability and drives authoritarianism, populism, and very dangerous domestic, internal politics.
That is a direct outcome of not just income inequality, but the failures of democracies, over decades, to deliver: the failure to deliver higher wages, the failure to rein in corporations.
In the United States, antitrust is such a foundational bedrock value not just because the ascent of monopolies creates the abuse of power by corporations in market power, but there is a level of market concentration and corporate consolidation where a massive company can get so big that its consolidated power can rival that of nation states.
In democracies, we have elected leaders. In massive corporations that then begin to consume the public sector, they start to call the shots.
We're starting to see this with some of the billionaire class throwing their weight around in domestic politics, and in global politics as well.
It is of utmost, urgent priority that we get our economic houses in order and deliver material gains for the working-class, or else we will fall to a more isolated world governed by authoritarians — that also do not deliver to working people.
What the billionaire class wants is for all of us to give up and say, "It's all gone to hell in a handbasket, and we're done." Hell no.
If you are a hard-working, innocent person: I have got your back.
If you are just trying to make it in this world: I've got your back.
If you're not trying to hurt anybody: I got your back.
Help us continue the fight with a grassroots contribution today.
In solidarity,
Alexandria
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