Tax Investment Income Like Wages to Break Oligarchic Power

I need you to support fundamental tax reform that treats investment income the same as wages. The current system taxes my paycheck at 41% while billionaires pay just 23.8% on stock gains, and far less when they hold investments long term. This isn't just unfair—it's destroying democracy. The math is stark. Warren Buffett would be worth $1.4 billion instead of $149.5 billion if his Berkshire Hathaway gains had been taxed at wage rates. Jeff Bezos' effective tax rate on his Amazon holdings over 32 years was about 4%. Meanwhile, 300 billionaires spent $3 billion on the 2024 federal elections—19% of all campaign spending, up from 0.3% in 2008. Wealth buys power, which protects wealth. The solution is straightforward: tax all income equally, including unrealized investment gains. Co-sponsor the Oligarch Act of 2025 introduced by Rep. Summer Lee, which would tax excessive wealth progressively. We also need higher minimum wage, restored antitrust enforcement, and reversal of the 1982 SEC ruling that allowed unlimited stock buybacks. From 1945 through the 1970s, top tax rates between 70% and 94% prevented this concentration. We can do it again, but only if you act before oligarchy becomes permanent.