Dear John,

For months, the corporate media has insisted that the only way we can lower inflation is to raise interest rates, slow down the economy, and throw people out of work. These are simply the laws of the free market, they claim, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

But now inflation is falling at the same time that job creation is soaring. In fact, unemployment has just fallen to 3.4%, the lowest level since 1969.

How is that possible? It’s because the corporate media is wrong. The so-called “free market” is designed by human beings, and the laws that govern markets are created by policymakers — either to serve the interests of the wealthy, or to advance the greater good.

It's called democratic capitalism, and Joe Biden is bringing it back. In the depths of the pandemic, President Biden pushed for and got a giant $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan to help working families bounce back, and it’s paying off.

But we will not be able to continue this progress if the public is only hearing the corporate media’s narrative on the economy. That's where Inequality Media comes in. Every day, we're creating and sharing viral posts and easy-to-understand video explainers across our millions of followers on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

So today I’m making a personal request: Will you make a donation to Inequality Media and help us continue to educate the public and correct the false narratives pushed by Republicans and the corporate media?

Between 1933 and 1980, democratic capitalism was the dominant paradigm in American politics. Starting with Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal during the Great Depression, the free market was reorganized to elevate the public good.

Subsequent Democratic and Republican administrations used government spending to create more jobs. Wall Street was regulated, as were television networks, airlines, and railroads. CEO pay was modest. Taxes on the highest earners financed public investments in infrastructure (such as the national highway system) and higher education, spurring innovation in communications technology and public health.

Then came a giant U-turn. Ronald Reagan’s war on democratic capitalism created a new bipartisan orthodoxy that the so-called “free market” functioned well only if the government got out of the way.

This is the legacy we’re living with today. Decades of stagnant wages, massive tax cuts for the rich, a wrecked environment, and a massive transfer of wealth from the middle class to corporations and the top 0.1%.

Joe Biden is reviving democratic capitalism, and we’re beginning to see the benefits. But most Americans aren’t buying it yet. After half a century of radical free-market capitalist propaganda brought to us by corporate-owned media, we have a lot of work to do to unlearn the bad lessons of the past.

That’s why Inequality Media was founded. But unlike the giant corporations and their lobbyists, think tanks, and news media, we don’t have unlimited billions to spend. We’re fighting back by collecting thousands of small donations from everyday people like you.

So again, I’m personally asking you to consider making a donation to Inequality Media today. No donation is too small, and I promise that every penny will be put to the best possible use.

With deep gratitude and solidarity,

Robert Reich
Inequality Media