Blissful Cinco de Mayo! The vacation initially celebrated a stunning army victory within the Battle of Puebla, Mexico, on Could 5, 1862. A poorly geared up, smaller Mexican military defeated Napoleon III’s 6,000-man military making an attempt to ascertain a French presence in Mexico.
The subsequent yr, Mexican People in California commemorated the date as a vacation and a “political and cultural second tied to resistance and democracy.” A really becoming immediate to resisting ICE, immoral wars, and authorities of, by, and for billionaires, which is in full swing right this moment.
In our time, the vacation options parades, audio system, and music celebrating Mexican communities and tradition—in addition to resistance and democracy.* And Mexicans who got here to the US, raised households right here, and contributed to the tradition as an entire. However many are being torn aside by worry and violence from the MAGA authorities. I do know a complete household clan that has returned to Mexico as a result of a number of amongst them would not have the complete complement of papers demanded by ICE.
One factor they do have in Mexico that they lacked in america is common well being care. Sure, Mexico—however not america—has common well being care right this moment.
Our present authorities prefers spending $1 billion per day on immoral and not-for-any-purpose-we-know-of battle to offering well being take care of its residents (3 million of whom misplaced well being care previously yr, and eight.3 million are set to lose Medicaid this yr).**
In a current examine of 130 nations on this planet, 36% approve of China’s management vs. 31% of US management. Globally, 48% disapprove of American management, whereas 37% disapprove of Chinese language management.
In Saturday’s DM honoring Could Day and Worldwide Employees Day, Gianluigi (GG) gave many causes for the stress staff are below nowadays. One more reason why staff are below a lot stress is recounted in a current article titled: “CEO pay soared in 2025, 20 occasions sooner than staff’ pay.”***
We study that from 2019 to right this moment, actual wages have fallen 12% whereas the wealth of the über-rich has exploded. From 2019 to 2025, CEO pay elevated 20 occasions sooner than employee pay all over the world. A employee’s pay lower of 12% is the equal of 108 days of free work. CEO pay elevated by 54% throughout this identical time interval.
Within the yr 2025, billionaires had been paid $2,500 per second in dividends. Which means each two hours, the common billionaire receives extra in dividends than the common employee earns in a complete yr.
Within the final 12 months, billionaires’ value has gained $4 trillion. US inequality elevated much more than the worldwide common. CEO pay elevated by 25% from 2024 to 2025, whereas staff’ pay elevated 1.3%.
Luc Triangle, basic secretary of the Worldwide Commerce Union Confederation, commented: This evaluation exposes the billionaire coup towards democracy and its prices for working folks. Firms promise us a virtuous cycle, however what we see is a vicious cycle led by mega companies [that] undermine collective bargaining and social dialogue.
In addition they purchase politicians, Supreme Courtroom judges, and the media. Of the latter, Robert Reich factors out that “the richest man on Earth owns X; the household of the second-richest man owns Paramount,” CBS, Warner Bros, CNN. The third-richest owns Fb, Instagram, and WhatsApp; the fourth owns the Washington Put up, Amazon, and MGM Studios. One other billionaire owns Fox Information, the Wall Road Journal, and the New York Put up.****
No marvel anger, distrust, and threats of violence are on the rise. And algorithms that feed them and which are promulgated by social and mainline media, more and more owned by a number of right-wing billionaires.
*Jordan Smith, “How Cinco de Mayo Grew to become a Vacation,” Historical past.com.
** Emma Bascom, “Tens of millions of Medicaid beneficiaries could lose protection if work necessities expanded,” Healio.com, April 10, 2026.
***Michael Sainato, “CEO pay soared in 2025, 20 occasions sooner than staff’ pay,” The Guardian, Could 1, 2026.
****Robert Reich, “Extremely-rich media homeowners are tightening their grip on democracy. It’s time to wrest our energy again,” The Guardian, November 13, 2025
Banner Picture: “Collectively, We Construct This Nation.” Protestors converse out for immigrants on Could Day 2026 on the Nationwide Mall, Washington DC. Photograph by Elvert Barnes on Flickr.
Queries for Contemplation
Do you sense a “billionaire coup towards democracy paid for by working folks?” Do these statistics about billionaire and CEO pay vs. staff’ pay let you know one thing concerning the unrest and worry and anger in right this moment’s political zeitgeist? Does it additionally make clear the place a quest for justice and democracy and the widespread good can go?
Associated Readings by Matthew Fox
Trump & The MAGA Motion as Anti-Christ
Sins of the Spirit, Blessing of the Flesh: Reworking Evil in Soul & Society
Authentic Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Presents for the Peoples of the Earth
A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Consciousness with Social Justice
Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox, Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Imaginative and prescient For a New Era
