Progressives Believe in Taxing Wealth Instead Of Work— Meet Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley

Susan Wild, a member of the New Dems, was elected to represent PA-07 in 2018. Last year she was narrowly defeated by conservative Republican Ryan Mackenzie in the very swingy district that includes Lehigh, Carbon and Northampton Counties plus parts of Monroe County. The PVI is R+1, the district having voted for Obama twice and Trump twice, as well as for Democrats Josh Shapiro for governor and John Fetterman for senator in 2022. We’ve looked at a large roster of local candidates eager to run, generally centrist Democrats without much to excite anyone, the kind of candidates who win in blue wave elections and then lose in the next red wave election. We have, however, been trying to help recruit Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley, an outspoken, common-sense progressive.

I persuaded him to write a guest post about how he sees changes needed in the tax code. I suspect he’s going to run so if you like what he has to say, please keep him in find when he announces, likely later this summer.

Stop Taxing Working Americans— Make the Globalist Elite Pay Up

-by Mark Pinsley

In 2018, multi-billionaire Elon Musk paid zero dollars in federal income tax. Jeff Bezos, one of the wealthiest individuals on the planet, also paid no taxes in 2007 and 2011. And when I say nothing, I mean nothing: not a crumb, not a dollar. They warn me: tax the rich, and they’ll pack up and leave the country. I answer: I won’t miss them. Frankly, they’ve been freeloading off this country long enough.

Meanwhile, nurses, teachers, and truck drivers have taxes deducted from every hard-earned paycheck, while the richest 25 Americans pay a lower overall tax rate (around 3.4%) than many working-class individuals. This is not a glitch or a few bad loopholes, it is a system built to serve those at the top. As Sen. Bernie Sanders warns, we are heading toward “a government of the billionaires, by the billionaires, for the billionaires”.

How did we get here? Decades of tax policy favoring the ultra-rich. The 2017 tax cuts showered benefits on corporations and billionaires, and both parties have too often shielded the donor class. The result: working families shoulder the public costs, while many billionaires pay less proportionally than the workers who serve them.

Across the political spectrum, Americans are aware of this injustice. The pattern is clear: as wealth flows upward and out of reach, the rest of us are left paying more and getting less. The response is simple and urgent: Tax wealth, not work.

What “Tax Wealth, Not Work” Really Means

When regular people earn money, such as nurses, teachers, truck drivers, or office workers—they receive payment through a paycheck. The government deducts income tax, Social Security tax, and Medicare tax before the paycheck even reaches them.

Wealthy individuals often generate wealth in a distinctly different manner. They own assets like stocks, businesses, and real estate that appreciate over time. If a stock they own goes up in value, they get richer, but they don’t pay any tax on that gain unless they sell the stock.

But here’s an important trick that many wealthy people use:

1. Their assets (stocks, real estate, and businesses) increase in value, sometimes by millions or billions of dollars.

2. Instead of selling those assets, they go to a bank and take out a loan, using their assets as collateral.

3. The bank lends them money— sometimes millions or hundreds of millions— because they are very wealthy

4. They live off this loan, buying houses, cars, vacations, or whatever they want.

5. Because it is a loan, not income, they do not pay any taxes on it.

6. Later, they can either repay the loan or pass the assets to their heirs, who may be eligible for special tax breaks that can erase most or all of the taxes that would have been owed.

This is why some billionaires can live tax-free for years, even as their wealth continues to grow. Because they have a lot of money, they can afford to borrow money for everyday living. When they borrow money, no tax is paid on that money.

And if they do eventually sell their assets, they pay a lower tax rate— called a capital gains tax, which is often much lower than the tax rate that workers pay on wages from their jobs.

In short, workers pay taxes with every paycheck. Wealthy people can delay or avoid taxes for years, sometimes forever.

“Tax wealth, not work” means addressing this unfair situation. It calls for lowering taxes on regular income while ensuring that the largest fortunes, like those accumulated from stocks, real estate, and other assets, are taxed fairly as they grow. This approach ensures that individuals who earn money through work aren’t taxed more heavily than those who gain wealth simply by being already rich.

When High Taxes Worked: Lessons from History and Abroad

The billionaires and their lobbyists want you to believe that taxing the rich will wreck the economy. We’ve heard this song before. Drug companies used the same kind of spin when they told us opioids were “safe,” even as addiction spread and families were torn apart.

But history and data tell a different story. After World War II, during what many call America’s golden age of prosperity, the top tax rate on the richest Americans never dipped below 70%. For two decades, it was over [90% for the highest earners. Under Republican President Eisenhower, the top bracket hit 91%. And guess what? The economy didn’t just boom, it soared. Turns out taxing the rich didn’t break America. It built it. Between 1950 and 1960, GDP grew by 37%, unemployment remained low, and the median American family experienced a 30% increase in purchasing power]. We built highways, sent GIs to college, and went to the moon, all while taxing the wealthy far more than we do today.

Fast forward to today: we’re told again that “low taxes grow the economy.” Meanwhile, the American middle class is shrinking. According to Pew, in 1971, about six in ten adults were middle class; now, it’s closer to five in ten. But here’s the deeper problem: Pew’s measure tracks income, not what families can afford. Today, costs for housing, healthcare, childcare, and education are rising significantly faster than wages. Even families labeled “middle class” on paper are losing purchasing power and financial security.

And it’s not just the past that makes the case. Just look abroad. In Nordic countries such as Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, where top tax rates can reach 60%, people enjoy one of the best quality of life in the world.

These taxes fund universal healthcare, childcare, education, and strong social safety nets without wrecking their economies. A global study of 188 countries by The Australia Institute found no evidence that higher taxes harm economic growth. The opposite is true: higher taxes are linked to stronger economies and greater well-being.

Let’s be blunt: a modest tax on extreme wealth isn’t going to drive billionaires to flee on their private jets. And if a few do, so what? The societies they leave behind will be more fair, more stable, and more prosperous. The lesson from both history and our global peers is clear: taxing the wealthy works. It builds broad prosperity. It reins in dangerous inequality. And no, it doesn’t tank the economy. The only thing it tanks is the billionaires’ oversized piggy banks.

The “Bigger Pie” Lie: Why Most Slices Are Shrinking

For decades, defenders of the billionaire class have tried to pacify the public with a folksy metaphor: “We just need to make the pie bigger. A rising tide lifts all boats.” In theory, if the economy grows, everyone’s slice grows, too. What a load of malarkey (to use a Biden phrase).

The pie has been getting bigger. U.S. GDP and wealth have skyrocketed, but most Americans’ slices haven’t grown. In fact, for the middle class, the slice is getting thinner.

The U.S. economy is far larger and more productive today than 40 years ago, but the gains have flowed almost entirely to the top. Since 1979, worker productivity (the size of the pie) has jumped about 60%, yet the typical worker’s wages have risen a pitiful ~17% in that time.

I know everyone hates to read numbers, but sometimes it’s worth providing an example.

Example: 1979 to 2025 

Let’s say in 1979, the typical worker earned $20/hour.

Since 1979: The pie grew (productivity)— the amount of value created per hour of work grew by about 60%. But the typical worker’s slice of the pie, their wage, only grew about 17%.

What happened to wages: * If pay had kept up with the growing pie, the typical worker would be earning: $20 × 1.60 = $32.00 an hour in 2025.

But in reality, typical worker pay only grew 17%, so: $20 × 1.17 = $23.40 an hour in 2025.

Where did the wealth go? Straight into the pockets of CEOs and shareholders. Corporate profits and executive compensation skyrocketed, while wages remained stagnant. We were promised a “rising tide lifts all boats,” but as billionaire Buffett noted, “the rising tide has lifted all yachts”.

Think about wealth, not just income. The United States today holds over $169 trillion in total household wealth. This is more than at any time in our history. But do you feel any of that wealth? I know I don’t. And I’ve felt like I’m middle-class. Still, like many people, I don’t see that broader wealth reflected in my own life.

So the pie got bigger and bigger, but most Americans’ slices barely budged or even shrank. To extend the pie analogy, the oven has been working overtime, but the billionaire class grabbed almost all the new slices. And when we ask for fairer shares, they lecture us, suggesting that we should focus on making the pie bigger, and how increased wages will lead to inflation.

The “grow the pie” refrain is a con used to distract. Instead, we got an economic version of Oliver Twist: “Please, sir, may I have some more? and the billionaire boss man laughs and says no.

Growth alone is not enough. Growth alone only helps the rich. If the people who do the work aren’t seeing any gains, then who cares if the stock market hits records or GDP charts go up? Most Americans are working longer hours or holding multiple jobs, which raises productivity, but they are not entitled (a phrase often used by the rich) to see any reward.

That’s why “tax wealth, not work” is essential: it’s a way to stop the redistribution of wealth upwards.

Replacing Republicans Isn’t Enough

Let’s be clear: keeping corporate Democrats in office is not a neutral act. It is a choice to preserve a tax system that is crushing the middle class and protecting billionaire fortunes.

Too often, we hear that any Democrat is better than a Republican. But when it comes to issues like tax fairness, that’s not enough. If the Democrats we elect to side with wealthy donors, they will block the change we need just as surely as a Republican would. We cannot just replace Republicans with any Democrat. We need Democrats who will fight to tax wealth, not work.

Corporate-funded Democrats have repeatedly undermined or blocked tax reform efforts aimed at the ultra-wealthy:

• In 2021, former Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp helped lead a campaign backed by anonymous donors to kill President Biden’s plan to close the “angel of death” loophole, which lets billionaires pass untaxed wealth to their heirs.

• Senator Kyrsten Sinema forced her party to protect the carried interest loophole, a long-standing tax dodge for private equity firms.

• Overall, corporate Democrats gutted Biden’s proposed tax plan by 75%, stripping out key reforms meant to ensure billionaires pay their fair share.

These members of Congress, no matter how friendly they sound on other issues, have shown again and again, that when it comes to tax reform, they will side with their wealthy donors. And as long as they are there, Tax Wealth, Not Work will remain an idea on paper, not a law.

Every time a corporate Democrat wins a primary, it delays progress by another two or four years. Every time they hold key committee seats, they block votes, water down bills, and protect the status quo.

Meanwhile, working Americans continue to pay more than their fair share. Middle-class wages stagnate, public services erode, and the rich grow riche.

This is why voting them out is urgent:

1. It is the only way to build a majority that will fight for tax fairness.

2. It is the only way to prevent billionaires from vetoing tax reform.

3. It is the only way to shift the balance of power in Congress from those who protect wealth to those who protect Work.

4. This isn’t about ideological purity. It’s about results. If we keep electing corporate Democrats, we will keep getting a rigged tax system. If we elect Democrats who will fight for Tax Wealth, Not Work, we can start reversing decades of inequality and rebuilding the middle class.

Every primary. Every general. Every vote matters. Don’t settle for swapping one party label for another. Vote for someone who’ll fight to change the rigged game, not just play it better.

Why Every Courageous Member Counts

Big changes often start with one person who speaks up. In today’s media saturated world, a savvy congressperson has tools that past reformers could only dream of. They have the bully pulpit. It is not as big as the President’s, sure, but still potent if used creatively.

Thanks to social media and viral video, even a freshman Representative can command attention. Just look at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC): as a first-term House member, barely old enough to rent a car, she used Twitter, Instagram, and her sheer gumption to force issues like the Green New Deal into the mainstream.

She live-streamed her office sit-in with climate activists, grilled Wall Street CEOs in committee hearings with viral moments, and amassed millions of followers who amplify her message. Love or hate her, AOC has proven one congresswoman “is able to use both the legislative process and the bully pulpit  to move us materially closer to the world we need.” In other words, she shifted what’s considered possible on taxing the rich and investing in the public good. Not by holding power, she had little formal power, but by inspiring people and shaming the powerful.

There’s also symbolic legislation. Even if a bill won’t pass, a principled congressperson can introduce bold proposals to frame the debate. Bernie Sanders did this for years in the Senate, tabling amendments and bills like “tax Wall Street speculation” or “raise the minimum wage” long before they had majority support. Each time, he educated the public and rallied a bigger coalition.

In the House, a representative could introduce a Wealth Tax Act or a “Tax Wealth, Not Work” bill every session. The bill might die in committee initially but it serves notice. It becomes a rallying point for activists, think tanks churn out supportive research, media start asking other politicians “why do you oppose this?” Over time, yesterday’s pipe dream can become today’s mainstream. (Need proof? Ideas like Medicare for All or $15 minimum wage were once dismissed as radical; now they’re litmus tests in one major party, thanks to loud advocacy.)

A lone lawmaker can also use hearings and investigations to expose the rigged system. Imagine dragging corporate tax-dodgers or hedge fund billionaires before a committee and making them explain, on camera, why they pay 0% tax while working people pay plenty.

Think of Congresswoman Katie Porter using her whiteboard to break down complex finance in simple terms, those video of her sessions educate and change minds.

One passionate senator (like the late John McCain did on torture, or like Elizabeth Warren did creating the CFPB) can force issues onto the agenda by sheer will and savvy procedural tactics.

Coalition-building is another area. That one left-leaning representative could quietly reach out to the oddballs on the right who also resent elite corruption. This can be a progressive–populist alliance waiting to happen on certain economic issues. For instance, there’s a growing right-wing outrage at Big Tech monopolies and at China’s billionaire class, etc.

A smart left rep can say, “Hey, you know the system’s rigged— billionaires pay nothing while working Americans get squeezed. Let’s work together to tax Wall Street and Big Tech billionaires and use that money to rebuild American jobs and communities.”

A lone represenative with the proper values could team up with principled libertarians to end corporate welfare no more subsidies, no more special tax breaks, no more government contracts rigged for billionaire donors. Real libertarians and progressives both know the game is rigged for the rich.

We’ve seen unlikely teamwork before: Senator Sanders and Senator Mike Lee (a Tea Party conservative) co-sponsored resolutions to stop unconstitutional wars. Look at Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Matt Gaetz: two members from opposite ends of the spectrum, progressive and MAGA, who have worked together to reclaim Congressional war powers and to challenge the cozy relationship between Big Tech and government. On both issues, they recognized a shared problem: billionaires and corporations capturing government power, while the people get shut out.

Why not find common cause against billionaire tax cheats? If one member of Congress is brave enough to talk to people from both sides of the political world about what they have in common, they could build a team that fights to make the economy fair for everyone. That’s what really scares the super-rich the idea that regular people might stop fighting each other and start working together.

Ryan Mackenzie vs Mark Pinsley

Finally, our hypothetical brave congressperson can use the bully pulpit beyond Congress, going on popular podcasts, news shows, writing op-eds, rallying the public directly. Think of someone like Rep. Barbara Lee who was the sole vote against the 2001 blank-check war authorization; she stood alone but inspired millions outside Congress to question endless war. Or Senator Huey Long in the 1930s, who as basically a one-man crusade pushed the idea of a wealth tax (“Share Our Wealth”) that FDR ultimately adopted in softer form. A single voice, if loud and clear enough, can change the national consciousness.

In short, we do not need a superhero. We need someone with the courage to stand against the establishment. A principled troublemaker in Congress, unafraid to defy the political elites, can set great changes in motion. They do this by stirring the public to action beyond the walls of Congress and by working shrewdly within those walls through alliances and clever tactics. The powerful will scoff at them. They will attempt to push them aside or silence them. But when such a leader carries the will of the people, and when that spirit of resistance swells, even the most entrenched powers must listen.

The moment the people stop bowing to division and begin to unite in purpose is the moment the old game begins to crack.

When you’re picking your next Congressperson, forget the glad-handers and the party puppets. Send someone with guts someone ready to throw punches for working people, not just smile for the cameras.