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Part One:
We speak with Alan Davis, member of Patriotic Millionaires, about his group’s ultra-rich members’ advocacy of much higher taxation on their high incomes. In order to do their fair share to pay for our country’s needs, they urge all presidential candidates to push for a 10% tax on anyone’s adjusted gross income (AGI) above $2 million. This would result in a $70 billion increase in federal tax revenue, which could be used to pay for all the safety net programs that Pres. Trump has recommended eliminating (or for any other worthy public purpose). This would be a simple, straightforward, and fair proposal that could be enacted and implemented relatively soon.
Part Two:
We check in again with Steffen Schmidt, Professor of Political Science at Iowa State University, about the latest developments in politics, including the entry of Beto O’Rourke into the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Beto’s charisma is remarkable, even though his political positions are not on the progressive end of the spectrum of candidates. His centrism could be an issue in light of recent polls showing that, between 2011 and 2017, the views of Democratic voters have moved significantly in the direction of progressive policies, and away from the political center.
We also discuss the extent to which the Trump Administration’s proposed budget cuts are politically motivated, playing to his base, with a view toward getting reelected in the Electoral College. But his budget eviscerates many programs that benefit a lot of average Americans and their loved ones — programs such as environmental protection (in the face of climate change); housing that’s affordable to working families; medical care for aging parents and for disabled relatives; and food security for low-wage workers. Will the Democratic nominee be able to defeat Pres. Trump by drawing enough voters whose lives would suffer as a result of Trump’s shredding of the safety net?
