It’s a tough time to be an empathetic person and watch billionaires vilify the immigrants who keep our food supply and economy afloat, members of the trans community who just want to live their lives in peace, and anyone who isn’t a wealthy, straight white man.
I can’t fathom a world in which Donald and his billionaire buddies really think these groups are the cause of our collective struggles; rather, I believe the ICE raids and dismantling of DEI programs are part of a distraction campaign. While their supporters are riled up on hate, these billionaires are working on legislation that pads their pockets even further.
It might be as simple as changes to the tax code that further reduce the 1%’s bill each year. Or it might be more conniving with changes to employment laws that mean all those cushy, six-figure engineering jobs at Meta and Apple will dissipate, moving abroad or shifted to artificial intelligence. Project 2025 was made publicly available too easily. There is a second part of that plan that we all haven’t seen and is frightening beyond our wildest imaginations.
As these billionaires attack and destroy, they should remember that being a kind and caring person is more important than making money.
When they are dead, no one will care how many more billions they accumulated between 2024 and 2028. Instead, we will all remember their outrageous human rights atrocities and the efforts to dismantle the fabric of our democracy — which might lead to the total destruction of our nation or the world.
Unlike 2017, our nation is hurtling towards the brink of destruction. The administration understands how to work the system and believes they have an overwhelming mandate to act. Members of Congress are not reckoning with the reality that they can stand up to a term-limited president and be unpopular among a crowd that continually votes against their own self interests.
Four days in, the Billionaire Bully Plan is moving along without much resistance. And none of us really know the intentions behind it. Meanwhile, those of us who embrace empathy are struggling mentally and emotionally as we watch the destruction of lives. People who just want a better life are having their world upended to feed a couple of 1% egos.
Being a billionaire must be nice. Which is why I really wonder — is a lasting legacy of hate and division how all these rich, straight white men want to be remembered?
Being a Kind and Caring Person is More Important Than Making Money was originally published in Thoughts? for Jersey on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.