“I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for one man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to amass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all the days of their lives secure barely enough for a wretched existence.” - Eugene V. Debs

The cure to American economic inequity is so obvious, so universally understood, accepted, and popular, that in a functioning democracy it would have been done already. However, taxation of the ultra-wealthy should not be treated merely as a convenient and plentiful funding source for providing social goods to the American people (though it is absolutely that as well).

The existence of the billionaire class is inextricably linked to the hardship of the working class. The wealth of billionaire class is fueled by the exploitation of workers and victimization of marginalized people, including immigrants, the incarcerated, the poor, and the homeless. The surplus of the billionaire class is a direct result of the under-compensated labor of the working class, as well as the direct cause of affordability crises. And perhaps above all, the influence of the billionaire class is a direct attack on democratic rule.

It is crucial that we begin to aggressively reverse to state of economic inequity that feeds the lives and livelihoods of the American working class to the ultra-wealthy, subordinating the health and happiness of working people to the greed of shareholders.

For that reason, I support tax increases on the top 10% of earners, including significant tax increases on the gains and wealth of billionaires, making sure the most powerful finally pay something vaguely resembling their fair share. I will push legislation to tie CEO pay to that of the lowest wage individuals within their companies, holding executives accountable for the vitality of their workforce. I will support legislation to regulate and greatly restrict corporate stock buybacks, ending the practice of destructive layoffs and wage suppression which sacrifices the worker for shareholder value. I will support stricter antitrust legislation to preserve competition, rein in monopoly, and police corporate collusion and price-fixing.