Pitchforks December 12, 2024December 14, 2024 I have frequently linked to Nick Hanauer’s “pitchforks” warning. It is so worth reading if you haven’t; and hard not to think, 10 years on, that the first pitchfork just came — appallingly and unforgivably, but perhaps understandably — in the form of a 3D-printed ghost gun. An awful lot of people are singing the murderer’s praises — literally (and this is just one example). A lot of others are taking the opportunity to put the tragedy into perspective — this way (60 seconds) and this way (90 seconds, from Pastor Paul Drees). It’s not clear to me that, despite their winning the votes of many who are hurting badly, Trump and his fellow billionaires are attuned to — or much care about — their pain and frustrations. From the Patriotic Millionaires newsletter (worth reading in full): Perhaps the biggest signal that Trump’s presidency is going to be a good time for billionaires is the fact that he has tapped a number of them to work directly in his administration. [If confirmed], the total net worth of Trump’s Cabinet would be $11.8 billion, [100 times] the worth – $118 million – of President Biden’s current Cabinet. And when you include non-Cabinet members like Musk, Ramaswamy, and Stephens, the figure balloons to $382.2 billion – which is more than the GDP of 172 countries. Trump has made it no secret that he intends to deliver, and deliver big, for the wealthy. The stock market has already rallied in anticipation. Between November 4th (the day before the election) and November 12th, America’s 815 billionaires saw their fortunes jump by $276 billion. Musk gave $250 million to Trump’s election effort and is already reaping his reward. Reports are out that, today, Musk became the first person to top $400 billion in wealth – a 66% increase since Trump’s election. Two weeks after the election, MSNBC ran the headline, “Could Trump and his billionaire buddies turn America into an oligarchy?” Unfortunately, if billionaires have this much wealth, influence, and power even before Trump returns to the White House, we’re already living in an oligarchy. The question should be how much worse will it get. If you’re a millionaire — one of you recently clocked in at $45 million — you might want to consider joining the Patriotic Millionaires. If not — if you’re a normal person — you might want to chip in $25 to support their work and get their newsletter. I love capitalism, when sensibly regulated, and love and admire more than one billionaire myself. The ones I know support fair taxation. This guy is not one of them: How One of the World’s Richest Men Is Avoiding $8 Billion in Taxes. Let us hope that ghost gun was the last pitchfork, not the first. A MUST-READ BONUS Don’t Let Donald Trump Take Your Soul, Too — former Trump official Tim Miller on not becoming a nihilist. (Oh, and look — he even uses The Economist’s word of the year, kakistocracy!)