Wolff Responds: GOP vs Democrats: Fakery vs. Reality 

Thank you professor, for speaking the truth.

Thank you, as always, Prof. Wolff. You are a beacon in the darkness, and your clarifications are deeply appreciated by so many out here who are struggling to keep up with this political and economic chess game being played by the multiple powers-that-be.... with all the rest of us as the unwilling or unwitting pawns. Some days it's difficult to be hopeful that we might avoid a catastrophic economic meltdown, with destruction that would impact us for generations to come. That is how big this 'thing,' this 'change,' appears to loom (which Prof. Wolff has been warning us about, in very clear terms). But, for those of us who can muster it, I encourage us all to find ways to become centered, and balanced, and then to act from that position and move forward with integrity, open-heartedness and compassion for our fellow human beings. Perhaps THIS focus will be the force that turns us away from this precipice, and helps to create a New Earth-- a New Earth that serves ALL its inhabitants, and not just the few who endlessly, insatiably seek power and control at the perpetual expense of others. May Heaven help us.

thank you as always Proff!

Always a good day to see a new vid by the Wolffman.

Systems are broke. . . Duuhhh... Neither party wantsa fix it cuz they don't wanna give up their illusion of power and "have-ism" or their elitist position, in other words... Time to change the game and share resources more equitably, folks. have a 💕

For me I feel cutting payroll tax is the lining up of a scope on a gun made to destroy social security. The last few penny's of security we have.

I really love your videos - I’m not university educated but very interested in current affairs, with a basic understanding of economics. I’ve really latched onto your point about what employers will try to do to their employees, post the pandemic, citing their losses. I asked the head of our trade union movement in Australia what they plan to do about this. Sally McManus REPLIED TO ME! Two words “ Collective action”. Another great video. You really get people thinking.

Payroll tax: Enticement to the desperate & destitute with a choices that look good ... now ... later they'll find their social security checks lower or even gone

This makes my blood boil!!

Absolutely. Thank you Prof.

Beautifully put. ✊✊

Prof. Wolff, I am a huge fan! Question: If the government were to fund green projects, what specifically would you suggest they fund? Additionally, how do you imagine this would look in this current economy? What other countries should we look at as examples?

Revolution is inevitable!

The people are being taunted. When is the pressure cooker pot going to let out the steam or explode. Cynical, disgraceful, in positions.

thanks prof wolff

Richard D. Wolff we need a president like yourself!

Powerful, impacting and eye opening facts! Thank you, Proffesor Wolff.

Choice words. Love it! Thank you, Prof. Wolff

Thank you Prof. Wolff

Both party are completely the same coin we all know it. Now they're work together than ever to destroy what is left of this country.

King 👑

Professor Wolff killed it! Damn, I’m impressed!

Thank you Sir for all you do for us !

always interesting to hear, thank you from Ireland

I have only one question, and I ask in all seriousness: QUE FARE? WHAT ARE WE TO DO?

Thanks for what you do, you have given me so much to think about and have helped shape my views.

Proff Wolf knows what time it is and extends these truths to us . Listen to him and learn something that may or may not be clear to you .

"Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble." - John Lewis

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

It's the corporations VS the people

The system is more or less working as intended. It's real problem is that we're finally catching on in larger numbers. What I can't understand is how there is anyone who isn't deliberately exploitative isn't seeing this and saying no thanks. Is there anything more to be done to open up the eyes of people who continue to work against their own interests? I'm stumped.

So true.

The government should hire massive numbers of teachers to teach over the internet. Four students per teacher maximum.

A man who always hits the spot! great viewing,

''People always have been the foolish victims of deception and self-deception in politics, and they always will be, until they have learned to seek out the interests of some class or other behind all moral, religious, political and social phrases, declarations and promises.'' Lenin

Of course there have to be jobs available for people to work. Desperate people are willing to take desperate measures, the government is playing with fire.

On its face, it seems a society given freedom of choice, chooses ignorance. Accept that decision and move on with the world. And no, I don’t know how either. I should count my blessings. I always feel very alone on a small planet with around eight billion people on it not to mention trillions more life forms.

Thanks a lot Mr Wolf for breaking things for us in very simple and clear terms. By the way, I'm voting for you as president in November. Don't be surprised if you win 😉

Thank you Prof Wolff!

That is the Chinese model, hire people to build things (infrastructure), look at what we got so far, with the highways, and high speed rail networks, and massive bridges, dams. A famous quote from Mao himself, "the road to prosperity is to build the roads first"

Exactly

Professor Wolff, could you make a video how people that fight for keeping wages low end up paying for the Healthcare and wages that corporations don't have to pay? For example, wallmart.

SALUTE 💪🏿💯👍🏾

BRAVO...PROFESSOR WOLFF.

Very good podcast Richard you hit the nail on the head.

Complete logical smack down. Slow clap.

richard wolff feels our frustration. this video is amazing.

Hire them for what during a Pandemic???

Amen !!

Oh yeah! Damn spot on!

We need people unemployed in a pandemic in order to ensure less spread if the vurus

true richard

Yes sir! Best video to date

Automation and algorithms will take over a lot of corporate jobs. We are transitioning into a digital economy.

Wolf 2024!

As a chinese living in mainland,I feel what your suggestion is CHINA donging now.

Richard, Ralph Nader has been calling to get you on his radio show! Answer his phone calls, get on his show, and please school him so hard that he never makes a dumb quip about "corporate socialism" again!

Yup it is a choice between neoliberalism which has failed us or fascism but either way the oligarchy keeps control

still, no one suggests getting democracy. that would require action, as well as talk. but talk alone can't fix anything.

You have a public health emergency in the US. I understand the necessity of work for people and agree that a new deal program needs to be proposed yesterday, however the US first needs to understand and implement a very strict lockdown, real time testing and contact tracing, as my country did so far with success. But is it too late for that to happen, is it workable within a nation already involved in an escalating social civil war? If non essential work does not stop for a month (we took six weeks to eliminate it from the community in NZ ) you will have no chance to contain it. So how is it safe to hire everybody to work with others and continue to spread the virus. Sorry for nitpicking, I watch your videos and have great respect for you, So thanks Prof Wolff.

Defence Contractors who charge to market, how does this effect the U.S. budget, and, how the U.S. government interacts financially with large private contractors as a whole? Do government contractors charge to market? Is what the government pays the same as a business would for services and goods provided?

Crazy for power that they forgot how to take care of the people.

You are preaching to the choir. Workers of the worlds unite!

Wake up Mr. Wolff. People care about Cell phone, beer, smoking a joint, facebook, instagram, robinhood app., sex, eating pizza, internet , driving a nice car or truck, the list goes on and on. They look to the goverment to have the answers. Where in my CHECK.

Vote Green?

I don't know if voters will get sufficiently fed up to vote for candidates who are independent or who are attached to parties other than Republican or Democratic. It would seem that the only potential for incremental change will come from electing people committed to systemic change. Use of initiative and referendum is a possibility, but powerful vested interests are always there to fund the protection (and expansion) of their privilege. Proposition 13 in California is a tragic case in point. There is one incremental change that will by the force of changing human behavior -- even within the existing systemic structure -- pull us toward constructive systemic change. This is the societal collection of rents derived from land, from natural resources (i.e., our commons), from competition-limiting licenses and from all assets having an inelastic supply. An understanding of what rents are can be gained by reading almost any of the early political economists, but I am partial to how Henry George hammered away at the subject in his books, lectures and articles. In his 1996 book "The $30,000 Solution," Robert Schutz (Berkeley), calculated that this amount -- $30,000 -- was the annual individual share of rents that rightfully belonged to everyone but are siphoned off to the few because of our systems of law, taxation and public policy. One can only guess how large this number is today. A top priority for those who desire real change must be to get laws passed that will capture rents to pay for desired public goods and services and provide a universal basic income for everyone. Edward J. Dodson, Director School of Cooperative Individualism www.cooperative-individualism.org

Can someone get Biden to hire this man as Economy Czar?

Sad country we live in with cruel overlords

Please look into spiral dynamics and memeenonics. Said Dawlabani is another economics professor but he collaborated with Don Beck to use spiral dynamics to help fix our evolving economy and outdated institutions and economic ideology.

Prof Wolff how will those young folks take care of their parents who will lose SS and Medicare? How twill those young people survive after they and their parent are kicked out of their homes because their parents with less income because SS goes away. Payroll taxes fund SS and Medicare folks and old people rely on them to be independent. And remember the SS and Medicare system are built on the young paying for the old not a system of you have saved up money and are now using it.

Well, that's a terrible idea. Because if you make such a large amount of people desperate, and you so obviously do it by your political neglect, then you run a high risk of having desperate people coming after you via an uprising. Revolutions have happened because of food shortages.

There actually is a solution to the current fiasco. By this I mean that the problem is not intractable. Not by any means. To get where we need to be, to where we have things like a green new deal etc. the current political and corporate order must be overthrown. And I fear this cannot happen peacefully. We are faced with the classic dilemna first stated by an ancient Greek. When a society is ruled by authoritarian plutocrats the common citizen has two choices; live under the yoke of exploitation and tyranny or revolt. There is no other choice. History is replete with examples.

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@5:31 he meant "Yes, we are paying you LESS"

What's at stake,believe beings plunge into desaray of despair,

Why are we labeling every thing we do and have preconceived opinions about it? ? ?

Join peoplesparty.org vote however you want now or don't vote at all, I don't care but join peoplesparty.org now or after the election.

You have an eloquent approach to a dilemma and it can benefit so many of us if,greed can be eliminated from the conversation only when compassion enters the narrative, let's fix it all together HUH,!!!!!!!

There is only a one-party system, regardless if you vote for Democrat or not. Voting for the Green party is also going to make little significance, because of its rarity in succeeding elections.

Spend so much time interfering other nation internal affairs and engaging wars and little time and money on its own people and system. Never prepared for bad times. Pandemic has happened several times. The country must have contingencies plan and keep fire fighting to bare minimum. There are many great talents and intellectuals in US ....

👍👂

And the payroll tax cut "should add up on average to roughly $1200" so guess what, there's your second "stimulus"! To paraphrase Willy, Though this be madness, yet there is method in it...

He meant pay them less, but take out less.

👍🌹✌️

Biden just picked establishment darling Kamala Harris as VP

Of course there should be Federal Jobs Program. But you know, many CEO are paid too much, like 10M annually. In fact they cannot be so successful if not for the people of the country working in unity. Seems to me, AI and Robots are national resources, same as land or oil or CEOs. They owe the people something. Otherwise, in our winner take all system, the gap between the rich and poor with widen further, only billionaires will own AI and robots which causes unemployment, and this is not sustainable. The people by right should have some form of UBI, really they are the owners of the country.

Having a job is rewarding in on itself and the best way to ensure financial security and physical and mental health. Totally agree!!! But Republican policies to give people more incentive to find a job, and policies that encourage employers to hire more people are somehow bad??? Republicans are CLEARLY the better choice if you ask me. He seems a lot more biased towards Republicans than Democrats. Employment by the government is not a solution. It's a short term, quick fix. (If it's used in this way I have no problem with it.) A bandaide to cover the wound. But if you continue this policy for a long time the wound will start to fester eventually.

I agree with you Professor, but I would add that while there is a pandemic there should be direct payments to people of between $1500 and $2000 per month until there is a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine or the virus goes away. It's really not safe to be working away from home right now in the midst of this pandemic. I hope Joe Biden picks a progressive as his running mate so that we have hope for the future.

Notice you use the word democracy, but never hear the words Constitutional Republic.

Liberals: How little do we have to do in order to win? Conservatives: How much lying do we have to do in order to win? Like the professor says, a clear choice but a catastrophic choice.

As much as 70% of US economic activity is driven by consumer spending. An Executive Order UBI $2000:00 for 3-6 months would spark enough economic activity to offset the effects of CV19 and stabilize the economy. True/False or other?☕️🐸

The democrats are a little less awful? I don't see how.

Hire the people to fix the broken infrastructure, etc.? How? This guy has led a life insulated from ever having to build anything, clearly. The government doesn't have anyone to do anything - they just hire private companies (with the citizens' money) to do these things - just like anyone else in the world does. It's like calling up a plumber. What you're advocating for is the person who needs the plumbing done should be prevented from hiring the plumber they want to hire. Instead, some stranger is going to intervene to dictate which plumber gets hired. This stranger is not privy to the details of the plumbing problem, is ignorant of what plumbing means, and sets up a system of choosing the plumber that allows the plumber to get paid more than the job is worth without providing adequate incentive to do the job well. The person who needs the plumbing done is now told they have to pay more for the job than it would have cost them had the third party stranger never intervened, and that if the stranger's dictates aren't followed there is a chance the police/courts can threaten to incarcerate or fine either disobedient party.

Government jobs? Millions of them? Logistics? I don't see how this could work. You would need work where the people live right? Your not going to march people away from home to dig ditches right? So with thousands and thousands if little towns full of unemployed and hundreds of cities, please give some detail of the government jobs, the thousands and thousands of job locations for 15 million people and what will they be doing, sweeping the forest? Most unemployed are not ready to build the Hover Dam, or move to the wilderness to open national parks, or leave the family for 3 years to repave interstate 80. Keep thinking though, logistics is a killer right?

Wow, what an explanation, hopefully the American masses understand now.. The Chinese system obviously is the better one, viewed from its results..

All well and good Richard... (always a but), but FDR didn't have a pandemic on his hands as well. UBI does the trick and when an effective vaccine is distributed, make it a choice: UBI plus a federal/state/city job working on infrastructure or just UBI. Right now I don't want to eave my house because I don't want to catch the virus. Nothing is known about long term effects and I'd rather not have to roll the dice on how the rest of my life unfolds. Let's embrace socialism and hobble capitalism. Healthcare for free for all. UBI. Reduce the amount that people and corporations can borrow.

Isn't China a capitalism ?

Is this guy right about Socialism ? (I havent watched the 4 hours long video yet) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eCkyWBPaTC8.html It is about national socialism. And for the record, part of me would be a national socialist. In its core form. But it has been demonized...

Life is not free Wolff!

Populism cannot survive by itself without socialism and socialism cannot survive by itself without capitalism they both work together hand-in-hand.. whether you believe it or not that's the way it is..