(Chomsky: Shift the Burden)

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😤 Every Crisis Feels Like It Lands On You

Gas goes up?
Groceries spike?
Rent breaks your budget?
Suddenly you need to cut back.

Not the billionaires.
Not the banks.
Not the politicians.

You. The working class. The single parent. The student. The self-employed.

Every time something breaks, you’re expected to fix it —
with less.

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🧠 Chomsky: “Shift the Burden”

In Requiem for the American Dream, Chomsky breaks it down:

“As inequality grows, the burden of responsibility, taxation, and crisis management shifts downward —
while wealth moves upward.”

Translation:

You pay for what they break.
And they get bonuses for the wreckage.

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🏛️ Here’s How They Do It:

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💰 1. They Slash Corporate Taxes

• In 1950, corporations paid ~30% of federal revenue
• In 2023? Less than 7%
• And 55+ major corporations (like Amazon, Nike, FedEx) paid $0 in federal taxes

Who made up the difference?
You did.

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🏦 2. They Bail Themselves Out — With Your Money

• 2008: The banks crashed the economy

$700B in taxpayer-funded bailouts

• 2020: Corporations hoarded pandemic relief — while workers got crumbs

The rich got richer — the rest got laid off

You lost your job.
They got a stock buyback.

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🧾 3. They Raise Prices and Blame “The Market”

• They call it inflation
• But corporate profit margins are at record highs
• They’re not raising prices to survive — they’re doing it because they can

You pay $6 for eggs —
while the company CEO cashes a multi-million dollar bonus.

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🏚️ 4. They Gutted Social Safety Nets and Privatized Basic Needs

• Healthcare? Pay or suffer.
• Childcare? Good luck.
• Higher education? Hope you like debt.
• Public goods like water, power, housing? Now for-profit ventures.

They removed the supports —
then blamed you for falling.

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🧨 5. And When You Struggle… They Sell You Shame

• “Don’t buy lattes.”
• “Work harder.”
• “Pull yourself up.”
• “Budget better.”

You’ve been sold personal responsibility
inside a system that offloaded all accountability.

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🔥 This Isn’t Capitalism —

This Is Feudalism with Wi-Fi

You work.
You pay.
You bail out the rich.
You’re told it’s your fault when things fall apart.

Meanwhile, they own the land, the corporations, the media… and your attention.

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🧠 Let This Sink In:

Every time the system breaks, it fixes itself by taking from you.

And every time you ask why, they sell you guilt, grind culture, and bootstraps.

But this isn’t about lack of effort.
It’s about engineered scarcity.

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🔁 It’s Not About Fixing the System —

It’s About Seeing That It’s Working As Intended

Because once you realize that…

You stop carrying what was never yours to hold.

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Continue to➤ Principle #5: Why It’s Hard to Feel Like We’re In This Together

to continue the principles ➤ Return to All 10 Principles

➤ to Go Deeper ➤ The Courtyard of Awakening →

If the burden was never meant to be shared…
what else have they handed you that was never yours?