Inequality.org

Wicknell Chivhayo, a Zimbabwean billionaire has reportedly committed to pay Zimbabwe’s legendary musician Thomas Mapfumo US$1.5 million for celebratory concerts. They include US$1million for a private performance at his birthday and US$500,000 for a concert at the rumored wedding of Jah Prayzah, one of Zimbabwe’s most popular artists. No law prevents people from spending their money as they wish.

A cluster of lawmakers — Democrats and Republicans — have teamed up to reform the system via a bill called the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA), which would bust open the Visa-Mastercard duopoly. Put simply, merchants could use other networks to complete transactions (yes, they do exist). That would force the existing players to compete for the business of small firms through lower prices, not just jam them with higher costs.

Profit is priority for private developers and landlords. To fight this, tenant advocates are fighting for policies that decommodify housing. Investment in publicly-owned housing can build a large supply of environmentally sustainable, high-quality housing that everyone can access, regardless of wealth or market forces. The HOMES Act proposes one such vision for bold and broad social housing investment.

Between Promise and Delivery Getting U.S. aid to beneficiaries on the ground in Cuba has already proven to be a slow and complicated process. After Hurricane Melissa battered the eastern part of the island last October, the U.S. government pledged disaster relief to Cuba as well as Jamaica, Haiti and the Bahamas.

Instead of seeking to bridge this gap between working-class and college-educated Americans, many liberal leaders have chosen to take this division for granted, directing their attention towards securing the support of educated voters, and considering the working class as unreachable. This instinct has had the effect of turning many cultural issues into what Abbott and Williams classify as “identity issues” for liberal college grads.

I was not party to this conversation; I watched a video of these folks talking 13 years after the fact. The passage of time did not reduce the circle’s emotional resonance. I cried alongside those in the circle, including Cedric and his mother, because I felt the impact their words had on him. Cedric shouldered a heavy burden. He was worried for his mother, and worried about their ability to pay rent. Those material concerns impacted his decision making, leading to his incarceration.

Worker cooperatives remain a relatively small part of the American economy, but evidence suggests they can serve as one solution to widening incoming inequality. The United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC) defines the formations as businesses owned and governed by workers who participate democratically in management and share in the enterprise’s profits. That structure produces dramatically smaller pay gaps.

First, states should ban or restrict the sale and use of the most dangerous pesticides. Paraquat, linked to Parkinson’s disease and already the subject of a nearly $200 million legal settlement, could be phased out. Vermont, for example, became the first state in the nation to ban paraquat this year — and other states including Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Minnesota, hope to follow suit. Second, states could explore policies that reduce the risk of pesticide exposure in communities.

For those in the disability community, it has always taken a village. When your life is filled with doctor’s appointments, chronic illness symptoms, and navigating a world that isn’t built for accessibility, being surrounded by reliable family, friends, and peers doesn’t just enrich the day-to-day — it makes the day-to-day possible. Yet, the lack of affordable housing and rent in the U.S. is throwing this critical ecosystem out of balance.

In late 2024, several organizations helped form the Illinois Revenue Alliance, bringing together community groups, labor unions, and policy advocates around a broader progressive revenue agenda. This tax was one result of those efforts. This victory also reflects years of building political power.