... as hundreds of billions of dollars are flooding into artificial intelligence, there are serious concerns that an AI bubble could trigger another bailout with taxpayer money.

In the interview that follows, leading progressive economist Gerald Epstein, who initiated and directs the Game Changers project at the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, talks about AI’s impact on finance and the bailout problem and how a transformative public finance strategy can revive democracy, promote equity and social justice, and build strong and sustainable communities.

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[–] 81 points 1 month ago* (25 children)

Yea but we already know that's what they're gonna do regardless of what anyone says.

Just like we already know things are eventually going to get bad enough that killing the epstien-billionare class becomes both moral and necessary.

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  • [–] 32 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    i would argue that it is already the moral choice. they are killing the planet

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  • [–] 15 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

    How can we know either way without speaking freely about it? I think this is an important conversation we should all participate in. (Fully agree with you btw)

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  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago (18 children)

    Yea but we already know that’s what they’re gonna do

    We can change who "they" are though, and this is our best chance since FDR.

    It's not enough to have a progressive president, we need a progressive Congress behind them. But we absolutely can refuse to bail AI bris out and strip the rest of the oligarchs of their wealth.

    People acting like we can't just depresses turnout.

    Republicans won't, neoliberals won't, but if you act like those are the only two options...

    You're just fucking wrong

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  • [–] 7 points 1 month ago (9 children)

    I do think you're a bit naive about it, though. They won't let this happen with just a simple vote. They will defend their positions of power with violence.

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  • [+] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)
  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (5 children)

    People are more likely to show up for the third box, if they've seen that the first two don't.

    It's a numbers game, and we need to show as many as people as possible that a last resort really is the last resort and nothing else will fix it.

    Like, they were doing shady shit, it wasn't working, so the voting members of the DNC gave neoliberals the boot.

    That just fucking happened 19 months ago, and it happened with votes. And immediately materialized in a shit ton of wins because the DNC stopped hoarding money and started spending it on outreach.

    If you don't understand how huge that is, then you're failing for neoliberal propaganda. They're desperate to make it look like they control the party, because depressing Dem turnout is the only chance neoliberals have to grab the party back.p

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    Oh, you can vote, sure. I'm just saying that there will be assassinations and refusals to hand over power.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    No, you're saying you think there will be....

    Regardless of its right or not, right now that's an opinion, an assumption at best.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    Just a student of history, that's all.

    A ruling class accustomed to power will pretty much never allow that power to be taken away from them peacefully.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    Oh hey look at that...

    From a sure thing to "pretty much never"

    If I gave a fuck about helping you understand things, I'm sure we could work this out eventually.

    But I don't, so best of luck in all your endeavors, except trying to depress Dem turnout.

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  • [–] -2 points 1 month ago* (7 children)

    If you think that you can elect progressive Democrats to turn this all around...

    ... you're just fucking wrong.

    The Democrats have been for sale since the 1960s... it's pretty obvious.

    Do you know the Ds have pitched universal healthcare for over 30 years?

    For about as long as the Rs have pitched "smaller government." How many times will you let them fool you? Don't be a sucker.

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  • [–] 9 points 1 month ago (6 children)

    Buddy...

    If you don't like the candidate in the general, the time to do something was during the primary.

    If you think shitty incumbents can't be unseated and progressives can't become incumbents, you just haven't been paying attention.

    And I'd bet my house that you don't have an alternative, you just want people to disengage from the democratic process. Which is fucking stupid because if you vote, it doesn't mean you can't do anything else. And if you're doing anything else, why the fuck wouldn't you also take the time to vote?

    How do you legitimately not understand the answer is absolutely never "vote less"?

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    Libs really think they can vote themselves out of capitalism and the climate crisis, how sad is that?

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  • [+] -2 points 1 month ago (3 children)
  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    Being prone to conspiratorial thinking and at the same time being a victim of the US education system and lacking critical thinking skills is a pretty macabre combination.

    But sure, anyone who disagrees with you is a bot, or a paid shill!

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  • [–] -2 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    anyone who disagrees with you is a bot, or a paid shill!

    Im specifically talking about:

    Another .ml account that is just starting to get active before the midterm to attack Dems…

    It's a pattern, recognizable by everyone not on .ml or a handful of troll instances.

    Like, you're literally out here telling people not to vote:

    Libs really think they can vote themselves out of capitalism and the climate crisis, how sad is that?

    And you're surprised people don't like that?

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago

    Reading comprehension is also in a bad spot. That sentence is not telling anyone not to vote. It's saying that even if you vote for the lesser evil, the country is still falling apart.

    Look, if I was part of some sinister influence operation, why would I pick the instance that makes libs like you (the people I'd likely want to influence in that case) freak out as soon as they see it? You're not making any sense, not everything is about the US, the rest of the world is rejoicing at the great satan finally getting its comeuppance.

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