It couldn’t be any clearer that this is a society openly run in the interests of the corporations and the billionaires. Their agenda includes cutting social services for the poor, cutting taxes for the super rich, waging wars, destroying the environment, attacking immigrants, and trying to criminalize those who stand up to them. They don’t even try to hide it, doing it all out in the open, and making it increasingly clear for people to see and choose a side.
The U.S. war on Iran has unleashed a new wave of devastation across the Middle East, claiming tens of thousands of lives and displacing millions more. It has worsened the economic struggles of ordinary people in this country and around the world. Diesel prices recently hit an all-time high, with an average of $6.29 per gallon, up 68% since the U.S. war on Iran began. And because diesel powers much of the economy (trains, tractors, trucks), those costs keep pushing up prices for food, goods, and anything that requires shipping.
At the same time, the U.S. continues to back the Israeli genocide in Gaza, which continues despite corporate news channels trying to keep it off the news. Even as Palestinians face mass starvation, the U.S. is helping Israel accelerate the genocide by providing Israel with a $2.8 billion weapons package of 40,000 bombs, one of the largest weapons provisions in recent years.
The headlines around artificial intelligence (AI) also keep getting worse. There are warnings that AI will lead to massive layoffs, greater environmental destruction, intensifying global conflicts, and increasing risk that AI technology could get out of control and put humanity at risk. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is lowering the regulations on power plant emissions to allow unregulated gas plants to power the AI boom.
As life becomes increasingly difficult for working people, the corporations, Trump and the billionaires can’t even hide how much money they are making. Trump’s personal income increased by about 350% in his first year back in office — from $622 million in 2024 to $2.2 billion in 2025, making it the largest financial gain for any president in U.S. history. This is open corruption by using his power as president to enrich himself. And, since Trump’s second term began, U.S. billionaires increased their wealth by 22% in 2025 alone, gaining $1.5 trillion in just one year. Meanwhile, since 2025, working class households have been paying about $350 extra per month just to keep up with the rising cost of living.
But in the face of these blatant attacks, it is getting easier to see this society for what it is — a war on ordinary people here and around the world in order to enrich the very few at the top. It is increasingly clear that we cannot leave the future in the hands of billionaires who profit from destruction. It is becoming more urgent for people to choose a side, take a stand, and speak out.
Recently, AI researcher Jacob Coxon resigned from the AI company Anthropic to warn the world that the industry is moving too rapidly, and that companies could soon build AI that humans cannot control, which could put all of humanity at risk. Coxon was willing to walk away from his high-paying job and risk retaliation to send the warning that even those building these systems fear how they will be used under this system of profit, war, and destruction.
And last week, when rapper Macklemore took the stage in New Jersey and declared support for Palestine during an Ed Sheeran tour, NFL stadium owners united to pressure Sheeran into removing him from the remaining dates. Robert Kraft, billionaire owner of the New England Patriots, led the effort to threaten him into silence.
But Macklemore refused to be silenced, and defended why he stood with Palestine and against genocide. Since then, other artists on the tour have followed suit, dropping out rather than remaining silent, choosing to side with Palestinians instead of those who defend genocide.
Aaron Rowe, an Irish singer who was opening for Sheeran on the tour, dropped out and had this to say: “as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation. I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children. I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal.”
Rowe’s words are for all of us. We cannot let the people in power continue driving us down this path while putting our futures in jeopardy. Every day they maintain control, the greater the threat they pose. The billionaires and politicians who have led us down this path cannot be trusted to get us out of their mess. The situation we face is not easy, but it is pushing more and more people to take a stand in opposition to the powerful. Others can begin to take a stand too. The future is up to us!
