Editor's note: ...that consistently advantages those who already hold capital over those who rely on wages, reinforced by an unfair outdated tax structure that places a heavier burden on earned income (a tax on labor is slavery) than on accumulated wealth. Oligarchs and the extreme wealthy use trusts, capital gains treatment, and complicated legal mechanisms and loopholes to reduce or defer taxes, while ordinary workers pay directly out of wages with little flexibility. At the same time, the cost of housing, healthcare, and education has outpaced income growth, making six figure earnings necessary for basic stability in many areas of the US. Political influence entrenches this imbalance, as wealthy individuals and corporations shape tax and regulatory policy ("regulatory capture") through lobbying and financing. Recent reporting shows this dynamic at its most visible, with the
Trump family generating billions in profits tied to business ventures that benefit from political access and positioning, including
cryptocurrency projects, foreign deals, and branded assets, with
estimates ranging into the billions during Trump's time in power (see
digital grift wealth tracker). And raw power is what it is all about. It's not about politics. It is all about raw power, money and greed. The result is a system where
those at the top can expand and shield their wealth under favorable rules while the broader population faces rising costs, heavier relative taxation, and limited means to accumulate or protect wealth. It's a meat grinder working with cold steel precision while the meat isn't doing too well.
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This Is The Salary Needed To Live Comfortably In US Cities
By
Tyler Durden | May 2, 2026
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in a major American city? Increasingly, the answer is a six-figure salary.
This map,
via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, shows the income required for a comfortable lifestyle across 56 U.S. cities, factoring in housing, food, transportation, savings, and discretionary spending.