Audrey Huang, Week 5: Crises

Week 5: Crises – 10/21 [9:54 PM]

Yesterday in history class, my teacher Mr. Zamora showed our class a news article regarding the rising costs of healthcare and the other ongoing crises such as the housing crisis in the United States. The article discussed Proposition 40, a proposal that would require Californian billionaires to pay a one-time additional (unknown) percentage of income tax to address healthcare-related issues. 


I found this article especially intriguing because it revealed the various strategies that some billionaires used in order to avoid the tax (such as the relocation to another state). Reading about the avoidance made me feel frustrated as it seemed selfish for the billionaires to prioritize personal wealth over helping others. 90% of the one-time tax would have gone to healthcare, and 10% would have gone to education and feeding people in need. 


In my view, the successes of wealthy individuals are often supported by the labor and contributions of working-class people, so it seems reasonable for those with greater wealth to contribute more to society.

This situation reminded me of the phrase “let them eat cake”, which is often used to describe the gap in financial struggles between the wealthy and ordinary people. It also reminded me of the phrase “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer”, because it demonstrates the massive issue regarding economic inequality. I feel like these phrases seem increasingly relevant to a lot of aspects in America today. 

Overall, reflecting on these issues also led me to think about America’s historical upbringing. I began reflecting on how the United States expanded westward through the displacement of Native American tribes, often stripping them of their land. The violent nature that they did this with also disturbed me–in fact, I realized that some of these exact attitudes that shaped the nation’s past–are still in effect today (such as ICE deportations).


What to know about California's billionaire tax <-Link to the article!

<-Photo from the article


Comments

  1. Naeva BhokareOctober 22, 2026 at 10:27 PM

    Hi Audrey! I think your blog expresses the frustrations that so many American people share. While reading the article, I saw that over 250 million dollars have gone into opposing this proposition. That is such an insane statistic to see, and it’s horrible to see that the people who rely on the contributions of the working class do not want to give back to them. There is an economics principle called trickle down economics, where corporations argue that less regulations provide economic instability for people of lower socioeconomic status. It seems like big money is a big fan of this principle, despite its biases in favor of the wealthy. While we cannot vote in the election regarding Prop 40, I think the most important thing we can do is spread the message as much as possible, as insight and information can help voters understand how this bill affects them. I think your point on the historical pattern of injustice in America is spot on, and it is ironic that a country that is supposed to embody freedom is built on the backs of the people they oppress.

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  2. Sanvi SinhaOctober 28, 2026 at 8:24 PM

    Hi Audrey! Reading this really made me realize the absurdity of the lengths the rich go to just to maintain their wealth. The whole “relocate to another state” tactic to escape taxes is so…befudling, because God forbid a fraction of a billionaire’s net worth goes towards a good cause. It really shows how deep the profit over people mindset goes. This might be a little off topic but this also reminded me of westward expansion in APUSH. When you really look at it, this country was built on expansion and the displacement of people, so it makes sense that protecting capital is a major priority even today. The “let them eat cake” mentality still exists and is practically how capitalism operates today. It makes you realize how deeply rooted economic inequality is into the foundations of this country.

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  3. Sanshray VakkalagaddaOctober 28, 2026 at 9:32 PM

    Hello Audrey! You did an amazing job spacing out your ideas and paragraphing, it made your blog flow smoothly and readable. I hope that this proposition does get passed and California can tax billionaires. This would have many impacts over simply the sheer amount of money that would go into healthcare and education to help the less fortunate, it would also importantly show other states that we should tax the wealthy heavier in order to help the poor. Looking through the article you linked, the point that stood out to me most was the fact that billionaires have spent 200+ million dollars opposing the tax. Of this large sum, one man, Google’s co-founder; has spent over 100 million dollars to avoid the tax. The fact that these billionaires are more willing to put this money towards not helping others rather than simply spending that money on helping people who need the money speaks volumes about the state of America’s economy and society. Your observation of America simply slipping back into its historical bad habits is spot on, and it is unfortunate to see that be reflected in nearly all aspects of life in America today.

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