Trump is escalating a potentially huge war against Iran while pushing massive cuts on basic needs for Americans, like food and health care and enacting widespread tariffs.

We need a new system. We need a new society. We need to demand that which may have sounded impossible even a few weeks ago, but is not only realizable, and the crimes of big business. I'm Nicole Roussel,

sitting in for your host, Brian Becker. The Socialist Program brings you content several days

a week thanks to the support of our patrons at patreon.com slash the Socialist Program.

We appreciate all of your support and encourage you to become a patron today

if you enjoy listening to the show. Richard Wolfe is the co-founder of the organization, Democracy at Work,

and the author of many books, including Understanding Capitalism, which is available at Democracy

at Work.Info. So, as I said in the introduction, Richard Trump is escalating a potentially huge war against

Iran while pushing massive cuts on basic needs for Americans like food and health care and

enacting widespread tariffs. I mean, this is an attack on Iran and the region and the people of

Iran, the working class in this country, while continuing tax breaks for the wealthiest and

the most elite. I mean, where is this going? Where is this going to be taking not only our

country, but the world? Well, let me begin by making people understand that this is in many ways

absolutely nothing new. I don't want to take away from the shock of it. I don't want to

take away from the seriousness. I don't want to take away from people's gut reactions to it.

But I do have to tell you that the United States has for a long time shifted the burden

of its taxes off of corporations and the rich onto the rest of our population. Let me remind you,

when the income tax was first passed early in the

20th century, so over 100 years ago, it was intended to be a tax that only hit the rich.

The way it was set up, the vast majority of us, over 90% of us would have no income

tax to pay. It was seen as an alternative to the sad history of taxation in America before that, which had burdened the mass of people,

letting the super rich become even richer. So it was supposed to be an antidote. Today, the income tax in this

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