Posts
That Trump sure knows how to play all the angles. His "charitable donations" provide another example.
He repeatedly allows people to stage charity auctions and raffles on his golf courses gratis, which he then counts as charitable contributions, which are of course tax deductible. (And he sets the "value" of the free golf.)
In fact, Donald Trump claims millions of dollars in "charitable" deductions without having to actually part with any money.
Furthermore, his "Foundation" is funded by other people, not by him. But his name on the Foundation, the "Donald J. Trump Foundation," tricks people into thinking he's giving away money.
[1]
Or I should say, "giving away," because so-called "philanthropy" is in fact a disguised exercise in power by rich people, who get to exert control over the activities of others while also avoiding taxation on their wealth. They "win" two ways.
"Philanthropy" is part of class rule over the rest of us. Rich individuals get to decide which activities and causes- social, cultural, medical, whatever- are worthy of funding, and thus of existing to any meaningful extent. This also sets up walls delimiting what is effectively permitted in society. Those who would challenge these limits have no money to pursue their activities, while everyone else conforms their goals, interests, activities, even their ideologies and attitudes, to the requirements of "philanthropies" which control the money.
Money is power. He who pays the piper calls the tune.
These truisms are true.
We can presume from this example another reason Trump adamantly refuses to release his tax returns. They would reveal yet another sham aspect of his image- that of a generous giver.
Oh, and he also doesn't want us to know that he isn't as rich as he always brags he is.
1] "Missing from Trump’s list of charitable giving: His own personal cash," Washington Post, May 29, 2016.
He repeatedly allows people to stage charity auctions and raffles on his golf courses gratis, which he then counts as charitable contributions, which are of course tax deductible. (And he sets the "value" of the free golf.)
In fact, Donald Trump claims millions of dollars in "charitable" deductions without having to actually part with any money.
Furthermore, his "Foundation" is funded by other people, not by him. But his name on the Foundation, the "Donald J. Trump Foundation," tricks people into thinking he's giving away money.
[1]
Or I should say, "giving away," because so-called "philanthropy" is in fact a disguised exercise in power by rich people, who get to exert control over the activities of others while also avoiding taxation on their wealth. They "win" two ways.
"Philanthropy" is part of class rule over the rest of us. Rich individuals get to decide which activities and causes- social, cultural, medical, whatever- are worthy of funding, and thus of existing to any meaningful extent. This also sets up walls delimiting what is effectively permitted in society. Those who would challenge these limits have no money to pursue their activities, while everyone else conforms their goals, interests, activities, even their ideologies and attitudes, to the requirements of "philanthropies" which control the money.
Money is power. He who pays the piper calls the tune.
These truisms are true.
We can presume from this example another reason Trump adamantly refuses to release his tax returns. They would reveal yet another sham aspect of his image- that of a generous giver.
Oh, and he also doesn't want us to know that he isn't as rich as he always brags he is.
1] "Missing from Trump’s list of charitable giving: His own personal cash," Washington Post, May 29, 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment