So It Goes

 Le secret des grandes fortunes sans cause apparente est un crime oublié, parce qu’il a été proprement fait. -- Balzac (1834)

Watching Elon Musk trying to buy the election for his buddy Trump causes me to reflect on the varied ways people try to use their wealth to acquire power and influence. History provides cautionary tales. 

Not to get too philosophical about all of this, but Balzac basically got it right 190 years ago. Great fortunes tend to stem from great crimes against society. I would just update his observations to note that great wealth can lead to the commission of new crimes that are just as harmful as those that built the fortune in the first place. What Musk is doing now may prove to be one of those crimes.

In any era, we inevitably see a few titans build great fortunes while the masses of the people struggle to just get by. One way or another, these rich men come to dominate the levers of power in society, often for worse — as Musk aspires to do now by backing an authoritarian for president.

But there can also be great good that comes some wealth — there would not be much philanthropy without the wealthy. Bill Gates is an example of a billionaire actively trying to make the human condition globally more equitable.

Meanwhile, this system of wealth generation and concentration goes on and on, leading to ever greater disparities. So we need to have reporters and social activists who track down and tell us about both the bad actors like Musk and the philanthropists like Gates, as part of the process of keeping them all accountable.

HEADLINES:

• Elon Musk’s daily $1 million giveaway to registered voters could be illegal, experts say (CNN)

• U.S. Agencies Fund, and Fight With, Elon Musk. A Trump Presidency Could Give Him Power Over Them. (NYT)

• What Musk Really Wants (Atlantic)

• Liz Cheney helps Harris seek moderate votes as they paint Trump as a dangerous choice (AP) 

• Five family members shot to death in home outside Seattle (Guardian)

• McDonald’s workers roast Trump over ‘insulting cosplay’ stunt at restaurant that failed health inspection (Independent)

• Trump proposals could drain Social Security in 6 years, budget group says (WP)

• For Trump, a Lifetime of Scandals Heads Toward a Moment of Judgment (NYT)

• Trump losing economic edge over Harris, poll suggests, as candidates blitz swing states (Guardian)

• Trump Vs. Harris 2024 Polls: Harris Leads In 4 Latest Surveys (Forbes)

• Has Trump gained ground? The latest 2024 polling, explained. (Vox)

• Harris and Trump locked in dead heat in seven-state poll, with some voters still deciding (WP)

• New Harris vs. Trump poll says this candidate has electoral votes needed to win (NJ.com)

• Trump boasted about his "cognitive" skills right as those skills seemed to have abandoned him multiple times during a town hall event, critics pointed out. [HuffPost]

• For many voters, Trump’s sneering dismissiveness of Harris’s intellect recks of racism and sexism. (WP)

• I Can’t Buy a House. I Can’t Shop. I’m Too Worried About the Election. (NYT)

• Why the west should be paying more attention to the gold price rise (Financial Times)

• Israel, Hamas battle to define final images of Yahya Sinwar (WP)

• Israeli strikes target Hezbollah-linked financial association in Lebanon (BBC)

• Hackers steal information from 31 million Internet Archive users (NPR)

• Trump Ratchets Up Threats on the Media (NYT)

• Honeywell partners with Google to integrate data with generative AI (Reuters)

• Trump Throws Garbage Can Through McDonald’s Window Before Looting $2,000 In Big Macs (The Onion)