cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/39081380

Jon Queally
Nov 15, 2025

Echoing recent viral comments by music superstar Billie Eilish, Maine Democratic candidate for US Senate Graham Planter is also arguing that the existence of billionaires cannot be justified in a world where working-class people with multiple jobs still cannot afford the basic necessities of life.

In video clip posted Friday of a campaign event in the northern town of Caribou from last month, Platner rails against the “structures” of an economy in which billionaires with vast personal fortunes use their wealth to bend government—including the tax code—to conform to their interests while working people are left increasingly locked out of controlling their own destinies, both materially and politically.

  • UltraMagnus0001@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    These greedy fuckers won’t even loose anything if they payed their workers a healthy wage, but they just want to hoard their wealth for whatever reason. Don’t the realize society is more productive when people can afford to live?

    • Maiq@piefed.social
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      It’s not about money as much as it’s about the power they can buy with it. When they look outside they only see an ocean of slaves to their wealth. People not being able to afford to live doesn’t really concern them. They are trying their hardest to replace people with machines so they control all the wealth and the means of production leaving the mass populous helpless in perpetual destitute.

    • Asidonhopo@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      These greedy fuckers won’t even loose anything if they payed their workers a healthy wage

      They might cry havoc and loose the dogs of war, in an effort to suppress wages

    • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
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      1 day ago

      Are we talking about people with $1B in the bank, or people “worth $1B” though?

      If you got rid of the stock market today, forgave all loans and capped property values, it would be interesting to see who is actually rich.

      • UltraMagnus0001@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, has calculated that Americans have $1.8 trillion in excess savings. Of that, he believes that more than half sits in households in the top 10 percent of the income.

        There are

        10 million (10,000,000) hundred thousands in a trillion, for people to make 100k a year and when these people make that much they will put it back into the economy making those billionaires more money.

      • Maiq@piefed.social
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        1 day ago

        You have a good point, most of these billionaires have most of their wealth tied up in loans, stock market and property. Their wealth is calculated speculation on the value of their assets not in physical dollars.

        • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
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          1 day ago

          It’s not even speculation on the value of their assets; in most cases, it’s speculation on the value of their speculation on someone else’s revenue growing power.

  • Barbecue Cowboy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 day ago

    The whole tattoo scandal might have ended up being a plus, it came to light too late to replace him so now he has to lean in hard or his chances are entirely gone.

    • MimicJar@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      too late to replace him

      United States Senate election in Maine, 2026

      • Filing deadline: March 15, 2026
      • Primary: June 9, 2026
      • General: November 3, 2026

      We don’t even have the full list of candidates he’s running against yet (assuming he stays in).

  • etherphon@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Well how am I supposed to build my $500 million yacht so I can dicksize with the other big dogs? /s

  • JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    That’s what they say until they actually get to 1B, after which the tone changes completely. Same with power. And influence.

    • xyzzy@lemmy.today
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      1 day ago

      Who is “they”? Candidates running for office? Democratic socialists? Do you have an example of someone you’re talking about?