 June 2001
American Friends Service Committee Peacework Magazine Patrica Watson, Editor Sara Burke, Assistant Editor Pat Farren, Founding Editor 2161 Massachusetts Ave. Telephone number: Fax number:
pwork@igc.org Peacework has been published monthly since 1972, intended to serve as a source of dependable information to those who strive for peace and justice and are committed to furthering the nonviolent social change necessary to achieve them. Rooted in Quaker values and informed by AFSC experience and initiatives, Peacework offers a forum for organizers, fostering coalition-building and teaching the methods and strategies that work in the global and local community. Peacework seeks to serve as an incubator for social transformation, introducing a younger generation to a deeper analysis of problems and issues, reminding and re-inspiring long-term activists, encouraging the generations to listen to each other, and creating space for the voices of the disenfranchised. Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC. |
Billionaires Applaud Now that the Senate has approved an historic $1.35 trillion tax cut package, the Billionaires for Unlimited Inheritance, a coalition of the mega-rich, are letting the champagne corks fly. They are particularly pleased that the legislation will abolish the estate tax, thus helping them to keep vast wealth accumulating within their families for generations. At the Republican and Democratic conventions this summer, the Billionaires were out in full force, holding a Million Billionaire March to demonstrate their influence over the candidates and show off their fiscal prowess. They were featured in the Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Globe, BBC, Time Magazine, and several major networks in Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Once the election season was over, the Billionaires began to focus on winning tax cuts for themselves, particularly the abolition of the estate tax. "A tax aimed at the top 2% is a tax aimed at us," said co-chair Phil T. Rich. "We've paid far too much in campaign contributions to pay these taxes as well!" "Moreover," added co-chair Robert Baron, "how could we cultivate a sense of entitlement in our children if we couldn't promise them massive untaxed inheritances?"
Baron pledged that the Billionaires would continue to push forward with the rest of their agenda. "We're thrilled to have shifted more of the tax burden onto the poor," he said, "but there is far more to do. The minimum wage is still too high, workers still have unions, and our businesses are still subject to regulations. Inequality is still not growing fast enough."
Representatives of Billionaires for Unlimited Inheritance are
always available for interviews. More information about the organization
is available at the website <www.billionairesforunlimitedinheritance.com>
Billionaires for Unlimited Inheritance is a non-partisan spoof
created by United for a Fair Economy (UFE) to draw attention to
the connection between estate tax repeal, campaign finance, and
economic inequality. UFE spokespeople are also available to discuss
their humiliating defeat by the Billionaires: <creativeaction@ufenet.org>
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