Thread by @biblioracle

It's interesting to think about the structures of the so-called meritocracy that people like me critique and how they apply to @rpondiscio, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. (AEI).

https://twitter.com/rpondiscio/status/1404171724480974850

AEI is considered the most powerful conservative think tank in the country. It is funded by an array of right wing conservatives, most notably David Koch. sourcewatch.org/index.php/Amer…

Among other things AEI advocates against raising the minimum wage, for the tobacco industry, for voter suppression, and most importantly against any efforts to address global warming.

As a non-profit, AEI is eligible to receive tax deductible donations. This is one of the ways that the ultra-wealthy shelter their money from taxation because as ProPublica's reporting recently showed, they exist in an entirely different system from wage earners.

I recommend @ThePlumLineGS's piece on the ProPublica reporting, which shows how our tax structures reinforce inequality via those with the most money tilting the scales in their own favor. They literally live in a different world.

.@rpondiscio advocates for a "free choice" education system because (he claims) this will create greater opportunities for success for children from all backgrounds. Meanwhile, his funders actively work to make the country hostile to those without wealth already.

I mean, some of us might be bothered to collect checks from organizations that make it harder on working people to live freely and comfortably, but no, that's not the way of merit in @rpondiscio's world.

Just so you have an idea of what being meritorious enough for AEI gets you, the president to the org, Arthur Brooks makes over $2million. Charles Murray, one of AEI's resident scholars made $350k according to the most recent public tax info. projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/org…

Pondisco is new to AEI so it's tough to know what he's being paid, but Rick Hess makes over 200k and at Thomas Fordham, according to tax records he made at least $125k, so maybe something between those numbers.

What is the meritorious skill that allows someone to climb the ranks of the conservative think tank ladder? Is it the acuity of analysis? Or is it simply a willingness to make facile statements confusing a critique of the meritocracy for a rejection of merit?

So, when someone like @rpondiscio decides to lecture the rest of us on merit, perhaps remember that he is entirely dependent on a pure patronage system, and that if he ever bucked his funders, he would be cast out instantly, which is why he won't do that.