The Other NRA is Exploiting Workers

We’ve known for a long time that the National Restaurant Association (the “other” NRA) is an awful organization. As a representative of some of the biggest, most profitable, and often most exploitative businesses in the restaurant industry, the NRA has fought for years to keep the tipped minimum wage for restaurant workers as low as possible. Unfortunately, it’s been largely successful and has kept Congress … Continue reading The Other NRA is Exploiting Workers »

Who’s Taxed More: Trump or a Cardiologist?

When you add up the numbers from reporting by the New York Times and the recently released House Ways and Means Committee Report on Trump’s taxes, Donald Trump paid total federal income taxes of about $1.8 million between 1996 and 2020, a 25-year period. He paid another $70 million or so between 2005 and 2007, but had all of that refunded to him when he … Continue reading Who’s Taxed More: Trump or a Cardiologist? »

Demanding Change at Davos

As the rich and powerful have gathered this week in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Annual Meeting, there has been a lot of talk about how to make the world a better place. Davos attendees, from world leaders to billionaires, have made a massive show of how they will build “Cooperation in a Fragmented World,” as the title of this year’s gathering is … Continue reading Demanding Change at Davos »

Survival of the Richest

This week, over 2,700 world leaders are attending the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland – better known as simply “Davos.” Every year, elites from business, politics, and civil society meet at this annual conference held at an exclusive and luxurious Swiss ski resort to discuss humanity’s most pressing problems. And every year, they fail to make any real change because they refuse to … Continue reading Survival of the Richest »

Get Ready for a Debt Ceiling Showdown

Last week, after a historic five-day battle involving no fewer than 15 rounds of voting, Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 118th Congress. In order to win the gavel, McCarthy had to make concessions to a group of 20 far-right Republicans, the majority of whom belong to the House Freedom Caucus. We don’t know the details of many of these back-room … Continue reading Get Ready for a Debt Ceiling Showdown »

House Republicans Want to Protect Wealthy Tax Cheats

As the new House GOP majority tries over and over again to elect a Speaker, the already-glaring dysfunction of the 118th Congress is hard to miss. But as we watch the GOP caucus fight amongst itself and paralyze our government, we should be preparing for something even worse – House Republicans working together. They may disagree on who should be their leader, but House Republicans … Continue reading House Republicans Want to Protect Wealthy Tax Cheats »

Blame Corporate Greed for the Southwest Fiasco

Happy New Year! We hope you and your loved ones enjoyed a peaceful, joy-filled holiday and are feeling optimistic about the new year. If you were traveling over the holidays, you might have been one of the hundreds of thousands affected by the flight cancelation chaos at Southwest Airlines. Between December 22 and December 29, Southwest canceled more than 15,000 of its scheduled flights, leaving customers and … Continue reading Blame Corporate Greed for the Southwest Fiasco »

The New Omnibus Package’s Retirement Changes Are a Giveaway to Rich People Like Me

Back in the 1990s, I was making good money working for an investment bank, and I was putting the maximum amount allowed into my individual retirement account (IRA) and a 401(k) plan (that was later merged into my IRA).   So part of my retirement savings are now in these tax advantaged plans. The tax advantage is that I never paid any income taxes on all … Continue reading The New Omnibus Package’s Retirement Changes Are a Giveaway to Rich People Like Me »

Corporate Greed is the Villain This Holiday Season Closer Look

As you finish your last-minute holiday shopping, you may notice that prices for, well, everything are higher than they were this time last year. Inflation has thankfully cooled a bit in recent months, but it’s still running hot enough to cause a tremendous amount of sticker shock this holiday season. Our current bout of inflation is driven by a complicated confluence of factors – the war in … Continue reading Corporate Greed is the Villain This Holiday Season Closer Look »

The Rise of Unions In Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is one of the most blue-collar cities in America, and has been a proud union town with many traditional trade-based professions. Even the city’s football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, is named after the union steelworkers who call Pittsburgh home. You would think that because Pittsburgh is so union-friendly, most employers, even ones not in blue-collar fields, would be pro-union and pro-worker. Sadly, that … Continue reading The Rise of Unions In Pittsburgh »

Happy Holidays!

We’d like to wish you all a happy holiday season from everyone here at the Patriotic Millionaires. It’s been a long and eventful year, so we’d like to commemorate it by looking back over some of the main events, praising those who did good for our nation, and calling out those who did bad. For this final Roundup before the end of the year, let’s … Continue reading Happy Holidays! »

Don’t Extend Trump’s Corporate Tax Cuts

Congress is facing an important deadline this week. By this Friday, December 16th, lawmakers must adopt a new spending bill to fund the federal government for the 2023 fiscal year, or they will face the prospect of a government shutdown. Both Republicans and Democrats are eager to get this done. They might not care equally about the need to prevent the economic fallout that would inevitably ensue with a … Continue reading Don’t Extend Trump’s Corporate Tax Cuts »

Florida’s Minimum Wage Is Not a Living Wage

There isn’t a single state in the country where an individual can afford a modest one-bedroom apartment at fair market rent on the current minimum wage. Not one. This shouldn’t be a surprise considering the increased cost of living over the years (inflation rates have jumped to 7.75% this year alone) and the stagnant federal minimum wage (which hasn’t been raised since 2009). But what … Continue reading Florida’s Minimum Wage Is Not a Living Wage »

Mississippi’s Mantra: Lower Taxes for the Rich; Shorter Lives for Everyone

Newborn Mississippians have the unfortunate distinction of a shorter life expectancy than newborns of any other state. In fact, as New York Times columnist Nick Kristof recently noted, a newborn boy in Mississippi enjoys a shorter life expectancy than a newborn boy in Bangladesh. But that doesn’t seem to be the focus of Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R) these days. Reeves is paying more attention … Continue reading Mississippi’s Mantra: Lower Taxes for the Rich; Shorter Lives for Everyone »

Eliminate the debt ceiling

Last week, we told you about many important issues that Democrats have on their plate in the lame duck session. For this week’s Closer Look, we’re going to dive a little deeper into one of the most important things Democrats should be prioritizing in the three weeks before they officially lose control of the House: fixing (AKA eliminating) the debt ceiling. Established by Congress in 1939, … Continue reading Eliminate the debt ceiling »

Don’t Trust Billionaire Philanthropy

As we come to the end of the year, we enter a time when people, full of holiday spirit, are giving more than ever. This goes for billionaires as well. But unlike the donations of regular Americans, billionaires aren’t dropping a few dollars into a donation bucket at the grocery store or giving to their local soup kitchen. Billionaires donate millions, but their generosity always … Continue reading Don’t Trust Billionaire Philanthropy »

The Fight for Union Rights Is Heating Up

Just a few hours ago, the Senate sided with billionaire rail owners over rail unions in their ongoing contract dispute. After urging from President Biden, Congress passed a bill that legally forces rail unions to accept an agreement that many of them have voted against, saying it is inadequate and does not provide enough paid sick leave. This is a massive blow to the tens of thousands … Continue reading The Fight for Union Rights Is Heating Up »

The clock is ticking on Democrats’ legislative agenda

This week, Congress has returned to work in Washington after the Thanksgiving break and will now finish out its “lame-duck session” – the legislative period between elections and the entry of a new Congress. This is crunch time for many important legislative goals for Democrats since they will lose control of the House come January. For this week’s Closer Look, we want to highlight a few of these legislative … Continue reading The clock is ticking on Democrats’ legislative agenda »

Billionaire Campaign Spending is Out of Control

American billionaires spent $880 million on the midterm elections by the end of October, with the final total spent likely approaching an astronomical $1 billion. That’s a game-changing amount of money, and with the lion’s share of it going to Republican candidates and groups, the billionaires were confident they would be able to get their money’s worth. Fortunately for most regular Americans, a “red wave” was largely … Continue reading Billionaire Campaign Spending is Out of Control »

You can blame New York for the House

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a week since polls closed for the midterm elections. Some key races have yet to be called, but we can nonetheless see some broader patterns emerging that we’d like to highlight for you today. First, the good news: Democrats have officially retained control of the Senate! After incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto defeated Adam Laxalt in Nevada’s hotly contested Senate … Continue reading You can blame New York for the House »