Brenda Thacker

Should billionaires be allowed to exist?

Oxfam found that a billionaire emits a million times more carbon than the average person, and their superyachts and private jets make the math grotesque. [Oxfam on billionaire carbon emissions](https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/carbon-emissions-billionaires-investments-are-million-times-higher-those-average). One person flying private can emit more in a year than a village does in a decade. We lecture ordinary people about plastic straws and gas stoves while a few thousand people treat the atmosphere as a personal playground. If the climate crisis demands sacrifice from everyone, the people emitting at a million times the rate should be first in line, starting with the fortunes that fund the emissions.

The orchestra point won me over. A screen that hides your name from a biased judge is a good thing. Why would we ban the digital version of that?

Business · Oct 6, 2026 · Should companies be banned from using AI to screen job applications?

The lowest-common-denominator risk is real. A global standard negotiated with 190 countries will be weak by design, and then industry will wave it around to block stronger national laws. We have seen this movie with climate accords.

Politics · Sep 23, 2026 · Should international technology rules be enforceable rather than voluntary?