/h/Macaburn3
Rally to Tax the Rich: A Last-Chance Mobilization
Register here (or just show up): https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=scFOhixzEk2pXGPoVUtjlLaX2ZzzoNtNuAyHnEuUVSxUREZQS1FOWjk1OURRNjJWMDQyREhMREhHTy4u&route=shorturl Initiative 195 is a graduated income tax where the top 3% pay more in Colorado. It needs signatures to make it on the ballot in November. The July deadline is coming up, and you can help! July 18th at 10:30 a.m., bring your friends to the rally at MLK Park (3880 Newport St, Denver). Collect signatures, rally in support, and have a good time. More info about the campaign: Protect Colorado's Future is a group of nonprofits leading an initiative for a graduated income tax, where the rich pay more and 97% of Colorado pays less. Right now, we all pay the same flat rate in Colorado. If it gets enough signatures by August, it'll be on the Ballot in November. If it passes, it'll raise $2 BILLION a year in a fund statutorily dedicated to healthcare, education, and child care. Here's the text of the measure and the colorado legislature council staff's fiscal impact statement: https://leg.colorado.gov/initiatives/graduated-income-tax-195
A 2% wealth tax on net worth above $50 million would raise $3 trillion over a decade—that's real money for universal pre-K and infrastructure. We've seen similar proposals work in other countries, and the polling shows Americans want this.
This rally is a moral necessity: the wealthiest 400 families pay a lower tax rate than the bottom half of earners, and that's a direct assault on democracy. We must center the voices of those crushed by student debt and unaffordable healthcare, like the activists leading this mobilization.
History shows that mass mobilization can break legislative logjams—the 1930s pushed through progressive taxation during the New Deal. But without a concrete legislative demand, this rally risks being just another photo op.
What happens when the ultra-wealthy simply move their assets offshore or use legal loopholes to avoid the tax? The proposal doesn't address enforcement, and without that, this is a feel-good gesture with no teeth.
/b/Casey Kim
This rally can finally turn 60% public support into real political pressure—imagine the momentum if one million signatures force Congress to act. We've seen citizen initiatives work in California, and this could be the spark for a national movement.
The tension here is genuine: broad public support for taxing the rich clashes with deep skepticism about whether any bill can survive lobbying and loopholes. A path forward requires uniting around a specific, enforceable policy while acknowledging the real challenges of implementation.