Actually, even if it doesn't pass in California, the Democrats are already looking to bring it national

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In the interest of saving time, rather than search for links to previous statements made by our communists on this subject I went to ChatGPT for the answer; it’s mostly accurate, but fails to include the unlamented former DSA/Democrat Maine senatorial candidate Graham Platner, who called for both a national and global tax; the DSA itself; NYC Mayor Mamdani; and numerous congressional candidates, some of whom won last night and are headed for Washington.

Q: what political candidates and sitting politicians have advocated for either a national or global "wealth tax"?

ChatGPTD:

There are two distinct ideas that often get grouped together:

  1. A national wealth tax: A country taxes the net wealth of its own residents (typically above a high threshold).

  2. A global or internationally coordinated wealth tax: Countries agree on a common framework or minimum standard to tax the ultra-wealthy, reducing opportunities to avoid taxation by moving assets or residence.

Below are some of the most prominent advocates.

National wealth tax advocates

United States

Democratic presidential candidates

  • Elizabeth Warren

    • Made a wealth tax a centerpiece of her 2020 presidential campaign.

    • Proposed annual taxes beginning at fortunes over $50 million, with higher rates for billionaires.

    • Continues to sponsor the Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act.

  • Bernie Sanders

    • Proposed an even steeper wealth tax during his 2020 presidential campaign.

    • Reintroduced wealth tax legislation in 2026.

Current U.S. lawmakers

  • Pramila Jayapal

  • Ro Khanna

  • Brendan Boyle

All have sponsored or co-sponsored wealth tax legislation targeting ultra-millionaires or billionaires.

…..

Summary

ProposalMajor political advocates National wealth tax: Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Brendan Boyle, many French left-wing politicians, Spain's governing left, Norway's Labour and Socialist Left parties

Global/international wealth tax:Brazil under Lula, officials from France, Germany, Spain, South Africa, plus numerous former heads of government and economists supporting the G20 initiative

It's worth noting that while national wealth taxes have been advocated by many elected politicians over the past decade, the idea of a global coordinated wealth tax is much newer. It has primarily emerged through the G20 process beginning in 2024 and remains a proposal rather than an agreed international policy.

(FWIW)

I read an article a day or so ago pointing out that the total wealth of billionaires in the US is about $6.7 trillion, while we’re running the government at an annual $5-$7 (the chart below says $5 billion, I’ve read higher numbers), and we owe $170 trillion. Confiscate all the billionaire’s assets , wipe them out (query — who’ s supposed to buy the illiquid stocks that make up much of that wealth?), and you can run the country for a year. And then what? Who would ever rebuild the companies and enterprises that can generate enough cash to fund the country going forward?

That’s not a concern of the communists, whose goal is to nationalize everything and transform the the country into a nation of government-dependent peasants.

UPDATE: Another question for ChatGPT, regarding European countries that imposed “wealth taxes”, only to discovered that they produced little revenue and annoyed the intended targets sufficiently for them to move their assets and, often, themselves, out of reach. Then there were the lengthy legal battles over $values. I fear Mamdani’s free day care and buses are going to be delayed, again.

Sweden (most frequently cited)

Sweden had an annual net wealth tax until 2007.

Reasons for repeal included:

  • High-profile entrepreneurs and wealthy families moved assets—and in some cases themselves—abroad.

  • The tax raised less than 0.5% of total tax revenue.

  • It was widely viewed as encouraging capital flight while generating relatively little money.

  • The repeal ultimately had support from both center-right and Social Democratic politicians.

Famous examples often mentioned include:

  • Ingvar Kamprad, who lived in Switzerland for decades, citing Sweden's tax environment as one reason.

  • Other prominent business owners also relocated assets or residency.

France

France had the Impôt de solidarité sur la fortune (ISF) until 2018, when it was replaced with a tax applying only to real estate wealth.

Critics argued that:

  • Thousands of high-net-worth taxpayers left France over the years.

  • The tax discouraged investment.

  • Revenue was modest relative to its economic costs.

One of the most publicized cases involved Bernard Arnault, who famously sought Belgian residency during debates over higher wealth taxation (though he later withdrew the application). The extent to which the tax alone drove migration remains debated.

Other countries

Several other OECD countries also repealed wealth taxes:

  • Austria (1994)

  • Denmark (1997)

  • Germany (1997)

  • Netherlands (2001, replacing it with a different system of taxing savings/investments)

  • Finland (2006)

  • Luxembourg (2006)

  • Iceland (2006; later temporarily reinstated after the financial crisis)

The common reasons cited were:

  • administrative complexity,

  • difficulty valuing assets,

  • relatively low revenue,

  • tax avoidance,

  • capital flight or relocation of wealthy taxpayers.

Pending sales reported

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137 A Doubling Road, $14.450 million. pending. It sits on just 1.65 of the 6+ acres the builder paid $4.650 for in November, 2022, so more where this came from.

Way up north, 10 Gaston Farm Road, $3.950 million, is also pending, 15 days on market.

Not to be outdone, 13 Hidden Brook Road, Riverside, $2.950 million, is pending after just 6 days. Given recent land sales in Riverside, it’s probably safe to predict you won’t have this house to kick around anymore.

I'm not sure but that I’d prefer ALL of Congress to stay home and quit causing trouble, but I suppose there should at least be a way to clear out some of the deadwood in Congress

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Though I’d settle for just this moron staying (involuntarily) retired

Not the Bee:

Kay Granger served as a congresswoman for Texas from 1996 until the beginning of 2025.

It was revealed that Granger spent the last six months of her term living in a nursing home in Fort Worth, drawing sharp criticism for her ability to, you know, GOVERN THE NATION.

She did not cast a vote from July 2024 through the end of December 2024.

While Republicans have many geriatric, borderline coherent congressmen (has anyone heard from Mitch McConnell??), the Dems' mocking is very much a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

LEST WE FORGET:

One of these two stories is fake; well, maybe not — lately, the Bee’s been reporting a lot of straight news

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Three stories, actually: Meet Girls high school bqsketball star “Ceceillia”

French trans basketball player Julie Tétart is waiting for a call from one of the inclusive WNBA teams who needs a 6’3 scoring and rebounding machine.

During the 2025-26 season for a club team in Monaco, Tétart dominated the second-tier French women’s basketball Ligue 2 by dropping 21 points per game while grabbing 20 rebounds. The biological male, who came out as trans in October 2021, led the league in both categories. It was as season unlike any the Ligue 2 had ever seen.

With those numbers, the WNBA should be knocking down Tétart’s door, right?

“If they contact me, I won’t say no. But you have to be realistic: I’m old, and there are far better players than me!” the overly humble 34-year-old Tétart told OutKick in French over Instagram direct messages on Monday.

UPDATE: Yet another example of the Bee straying past its borders into traditional news:

You know the listing's getting old when you see a paid Greenwich Time"news" article on the property

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7 loch lane, greenwich, back in the day — it’s been finished, now

After four unsuccessful broker open houses, it’s time to reach into the wallet. You can see this type of ad regularly in another local publication, Greenwich Free Press. They’re usually an indication that it might be time to come in with a low offer.

back when it was bank-owned, 2019

a New, modern home theater has been added. perhaps not the ideal location for viewing the 3-hour Odyssey, but a 15-minute compilation of little Miss Precious’ star performance in her 4th Grade Greenwich Academy’s presentation of The Nutcracker?

The house itself has an interesting history. A builder named Gabriele Donato started it back in 2010 and put it on the market that year while it was still in construction, priced at an aspirational $13.995 million. The money ran out, work stopped, the bank started sniffing around and doing unpleasant things like filing a lis pendens against it in 2011 and again in 2013, and finally took title in 2019, after Donato signed it over. The bank completed it, in a fashion, and sold it in 2020 to thes owners in July, 2020 for $6.9 million. Presumably, they’ve improved it further.

A similar story was seen at 8 Alpine Road, with this exception: it was eventually torn down and a new builder began again — and finished it, this time. Here’s a Greenwich Time article from 2011 on the woes of that builder:

Abandoned homes stick out like sore thumbs in Greenwich

In a New York Times real estate listing from last fall, 8 Alpine Road in Greenwich is touted as a "gorgeous Nantucket Colonial" with such luxurious amenities as a home theater, gym and wine cellar, as well as a rotunda staircase with a domed stained-glass ceiling. Its asking price is $11 million.

To the surrounding residents, the house is an eyesore, abandoned about two years ago in the midst of construction. The would-be mansion sits, barely protected from the elements, and Dumpsters on the property overflow with debris.

Alpine Road resident Lucy Gelb said people come by and dump even more trash in the bins, and raccoons roam the property. She has made calls to Town Hall, hoping town officials will at least put up a barrier.

"They can't let these builders do that," Gelb said.

William Burke, who lives nearby, said he passes 8 Alpine Road every day.

"It really has a detrimental effect on the whole neighborhood," Burke said.

In a town like Greenwich, known for its many trophy properties, abandoned homes stick out. There are at least two dozen such properties scattered around town, from small structures in central Greenwich to half-finished spec houses in the backcountry.

The story of 8 Alpine Road, and two other uncompleted building projects, stems from a bank that went bust in the years after the real estate boom.

James Scheckter, a former Greenwich resident whose family has constructed homes in town since the 1970s, is the general contractor for 8 Alpine Road, which is owned by his father, Ronald Scheckter.

James Scheckter and his wife, Susan, also own 12 Byfield Lane, which, while closer to being finished than the Alpine Road structure, also sits empty. Scheckter, who lives in Redding, was also contracted to build 9 Ridgeview Ave., another sore spot for neighbors.

Aside from Scheckter's involvement, the three properties have something else in common -- they were all covered by loans from USA Bank in Port Chester, N.Y., which was seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in July of last year. FDIC officials told Hearst Connecticut Newspapers last year that it was necessary to close the bank because its officials acted recklessly in granting loans, principally for home construction.

That money never came. By August 2009, when the nearly 16,000-square-foot house was 90 percent finished, the bank refused to loan the additional funds.

"We never got to finish them because, in fact, they never finished funding them," Scheckter said.

Scheckter filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy project in New York for the 12 Byfield Lane project in April 2010, just a few months before the FDIC seized USA Bank. He is scheduled to testify later this month in the FDIC's case against former USA Bank Chairman Fred DeCaro III, a Greenwich resident and founder of the bank.

Last year, USA Bank's board of directors said the FDIC should have granted USA Bank management more time to revitalize the bank. Instead, the FDIC ignored efforts they were making to improve its financial standing, the board said.

Scheckter said he understands that neighbors don't like what they see, but without money, his hands are tied.

"I have very little I can do with it when I have a bank that's not willing to respond," Scheckter said.

….

A DIFFICULT SELL

The process is also difficult for Realtors.

Jonathan Wilcox, a real estate broker with Wilcox & Company, was the listing broker for 1 Northridge Road, a property on the Greenwich/Stamford border that the developer abandoned in 2009. The bank-owned property is now overgrown, and sits opposite a new condominium development on Havemeyer Lane.

There's a lot of bureaucracy involved with a property in foreclosure, said Wilcox, who represented an abandoned house on Maher Avenue, near Brunswick School, two years ago.

"I can't tell you how many neighbors were coming over and just imploring us to get it sold," Wilcox said.

TV host Regis Philbin has been trying since 2008 to sell one of two houses he owns on Meeting House Road. While the real estate market had ground to a halt three years ago, it likely doesn't help that two houses on the street, a Colonial at 23 Meeting House Road and a Mediterranean-style home across the street, have been sitting, neglected, for several years.

"The market still isn't really robust," Realtor Michele Klosson, who is handling the listing of Philbin's home for Sotheby's International Realty, told Greenwich Time in July. "But the street has some houses on it that have been in disrepair for years."

Ah, (the late — his son is our Registrar of Voters) Freddie DeCaro his USA Bank that seemed to lend exclusively to loser builders; Jimmy LeCata and his various abandoned projects in town, including 24 Meeting House Road; separately, they put the fun into the disfunctional Greenwich real estate market of 2007-2014.

Work? What's that?

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Betsy McCaughey, NY Post

DSA’s panhandling pol is just the start — as Democrats careen toward a socialist cliff

…. A warning sign of their coming craziness appeared Friday, when Mamdani-endorsed Assembly candidate Brian Romero put up a GoFundMe page with an unusual request.

He begged for handouts to cover his own rent and groceries for the rest of this year, until he’s sworn in to represent East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Astoria and other parts of Queens.

Romero won the Democratic primary in June — and with no Republican opponent, he’s a shoo-in.

But he can’t start collecting his $142,000 salary and $203 per diem until January, and he says he can’t figure out how to support himself in the meantime.

Beggar Boy Brian calls this a “challenging time.”

“I’m trying to find sort of some gigs, but I don’t know how other folks do it,” he said.

“Other folks,” meaning the rest of us who . . . go out and get a job to pay our bills.

He took the page down after The Post started asking questions.

Romero, who earned $106,469 as a legislative staffer before resigning to run for office, says he’s run through his savings.

Yet he’s the guy voters are entrusting with billions of dollars in state spending?

His political platform includes a pie-in-the-sky list of government giveaways — universal child care, free legal services for immigrants and more — all paid for by making the wealthy “pay their fair share.” 

The DSA’s agenda is in truth a freeloader’s agenda, and Romero is its living, breathing poster boy. 

Who, and what is this useless creature? Exactly what you’d expect:

Brian will be the first LGBTQ Latino man to be elected to this seat!

Biography

Brian Romero is an activist, social worker, and legislative staffer. He spent seven years working as a social worker and psychotherapist in the community where he worked with working class, immigrant, and LGBTQ communities. He has spent the last five years working as Chief of Staff to Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas where he worked on several issues including reproductive justice, gender-based violence, immigrant protections, improving affordability, and more. He attended the City University of New York (CUNY) for all three of his degrees [emphasis added] and taught as adjunct faculty at CUNY Hunter College and SUNY Stony Brook University. He has worked as a DEI consultant and engaged in social justice activism since he was 17 years old. He has served as President of the Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC, Chair of the National Association of Social Workers PAC, and has been a member of DSA and WFP for several years. He was the chief strategist on the Universal School meals campaign, which successfully secured funding to provider every student in New York with a free breakfast and lunch in school. He has been awarded by Gay City News, the NYC Council and CUNY.


Mr. Romero, who’s been suckling at the public teat since he left his momma’s, fits neatly into the DSA demographic:

Daily Caller

The DSA voting bloc consists of voters who graduated college but are in the lower-to-middle income bracket. Eighty percent of DSA members aged 25 or older had bachelor’s degrees, while 45% had household incomes below $60,000 per year, according to the DSA North Star’s most recent survey from 2021.

Thirty-five percent of this demographic earned graduate degrees, according to the survey.

Common occupations among DSA members include teachers, social workers, non-profit and public sector employees, according to DSA North Star. A third of respondents were teachers, scholars, academics, private-sector white-collar workers, or tech workers

Fifteen percent of the voter bloc were also unemployed, disabled or retired, according to the survey. Just 4% were blue-collar workers.