We Conclude Science Fiction Week: Capitalist Pigs in Space

The big story of the week, perhaps the biggest story of the century, is ProPublica's coverage of the fact that billionaires pay abysmally low taxes on their wealth... if they pay income taxes at all.  Far from being overtaxed, the twenty-five wealthiest Americans pay a tax rate of about 3.4% while the median American household is taxed at a rate of about 14% on the federal level.  The wealth accumulation among the tip top tippy top not only robs the public coffers of funds better spent on infrastructure, or perhaps a national health plan, it ensures that the plutocrats have an outsized effect on public policy- they can simply buy legislators, or use the court system to crush detractors.

Now, we get to the science fiction part of the post... there seems to be an obsession with space exploration and colonization among our billionaires with space cadet Elon Musk now being challenged in the plutocrats' space race by Jeff Bezos, who looks to be launching into orbit with... well... a cock-rocket:

The fact @JeffBezos is going to fly to space in a rocket next month shows he’s got the balls to match his brains. Good for him.
I love risk-taking buccaneers. 🚀 👍 pic.twitter.com/9hv2y3DqrV

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) June 7, 2021

I mean, that thing is straight out of an 'Austin Powers' gag: Well, now I have that bit of juvenilia out of the way, I can aver that, as a science nerd, and a science fiction nerd, I do see a need for humans to establish an extraterrestrial presence, to gain footholds on various objects in our solar system, and eventually to set courses for other stars, but that should be a sideline to the more crucial work of mitigating climate change here on old Terra. If our billionaires were taxed at a sane rate, the funds garnered could go a long way toward creating sustainable energy infrastructure, and reducing our carbon footprint. These capitalist pigs should be held to earthly obligations before they set their sights on the stars. Post title inspired by the classic Muppet Show skit.