Photo by Bette Lee
Jon Nelson hosts this episode of the Old Mole, which includes the following segments:
Tax the Rich: Taxes are the price of civilization. Political theory understands that taxes pay for the public institutions that protect society from capitalism’s single-minded drive for profit, which generates extreme inequality and environmental destruction. Today the capacity of the state to function effectively is in doubt. And the rich, who have pushed through laws and regulations that have reduced their taxes, couldn’t be happier. Recently Ron Wyden of Oregon and the Biden White House have introduced modest but meaningful tax increases on the super-rich, arguing that they will pay for a great expansion of renewable energy and a head start on saving the planet. None of the bills are likely to pass, as the world goes meaner and hotter. Today Bill Resnick talks to Juan Carlos Ordonez of the Oregon Center for Public Policy, who get specific about why so many hugely profitable companies pay no taxes and what should be done about it.
Climate Action Now: In June of 2020, Portland City Council declared a Climate Emergency. Since that declaration, little in the way of concrete actions on the part of the City have followed. Jan Haaken talks with Diana Meisenhelter, Extinction Rebellion PDX organizer, about a rally in downtown Portland on April 6th that includes a set of demands. This action will take place in conjunction with the global Scientist Rebellion-- a campaign that Jan and Diana discuss as one of the themes of the rally and the larger climate justice movement. For details about the April 6 rally visit Extinction Rebellion PDX.
Labor and the Media: It used to be that the mainstream media avoided labor news like the plague. Not so anymore, says Lane Windham, veteran labor activist, who argues that the upsurge in media interest in labor struggles both reflects and shapes growing public approval of unions and a move away from the neoliberal consensus that unions stand in the way of progress. Patricia Kullberg, our Well-read Red, reads from an article entitled “Why There’s More Labor Media Coverage,” published online in Working-Class Perspectives on March 14, 2022.
- KBOO