The Patriotic Millionaires are everywhere these days. We’re on the radio. We’re in the Midwest. We’re in the South. We’re in Washington, D.C. and at the United Nations.
And now, we’re somewhere new: the big screen! The Deciders, a documentary about our Great Economy Project, was released on Apple TV TODAY!
The Deciders tells the story of what happens when working-class residents in a small, Southern town get a strange offer from a group of self-professed Patriotic Millionaires: we will show you how politicians from both parties rigged the economy against you, if you will help us fix it. Dubbing themselves “The Deciders,” this nascent group of single mothers, military veterans and Trump supporters finds solidarity in pursuit of a living wage and faces entrenched forces and callous political leaders in a heartfelt documentary that will leave you asking who really decides where the money goes? And why not you?
Watch a trailer for The Deciders below:
You can watch the full 90-minute program by renting or buying from Apple TV. You can also learn more about The Deciders and its production at decidersmovie.com.
And if that wasn’t enough, yesterday, we launched Maggie and the Millionaires TALK MONEY, a new daily, economy-focused, statewide Wisconsin radio show with our friends at Civic Media. You can listen on X, Apple, Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, and online. Every day, the segment will explain exactly how the American economy has been rigged in favor of the wealthy and against working people – and what can be done to fix it. It will serve as a deep dive into the one issue that, at the end of the day, matters most to voters, regardless of their political stripes: money.
The show’s host is Maggie Daun, a popular radio personality in Wisconsin who has a background in economics herself. Over the next three months, in the lead-up to the November elections, Maggie will speak with a number of Patriotic Millionaires, economists, and policy experts about all the ins and outs of extreme inequality in America. The show will air every weekday, Monday through Friday, at 3PM CT / 4PM ET.
Yesterday, our Vice Chair, Stephen Prince, was the first guest to appear on the show to discuss the topic of “What is RICH? (and when is $1,000 more than $1,000,000?).” You can listen to a recording of Stephen and Maggie’s conversation HERE. Two of our other members, Scott Ellis and Chuck Collins, will appear this week, along with Tiffany Muller from End Citizens United and University of Massachusetts Professor Bill Lazonick.
And while we’re taking our message to new and exciting places, it remains the same: the economy was rigged by both political parties, and the only way to fix it is for voters to take back control. The rural working class was decimated by NAFTA and the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs. The federal minimum wage has been a paltry $7.25 an hour since 2009 – and the subminimum tipped wage has been an even more paltry $2.13 since 1991. Billionaires pay lower tax rates than all other income groups, and our tax code has become increasingly less progressive over the years. Millions of people across this country don’t make enough money at one full-time job to be able to provide for their families. In the end, these are not red or blue problems, nor is one party responsible for fixing them. In fact, the problems were created by both parties – and both parties need to start addressing them.
The Patriotic Millionaires have been fighting this battle for over a decade. We’ve learned in that time that, occasionally, you have to crank up the volume to make sure you’re being heard. We’re confident they’re going to hear us this time.
