How are monopolistic corporations able to gain their economic dominance? By getting politicians to give it to them. Consider the old robber barons. They weren’t brilliant investors or managers, but ruthless exploiters of government giveaways and bribers of officials who permitted their monopolistic thievery. Likewise, today’s monopoly players have …

This piece originally appeared in The Nation on Dec 11, 2024. Details below on the December 14 memorial and donation considerations. Los dose mustaches, joyously plotting some more good trouble, c2000. In Washington and most state capitals, “political principle” has become an oxymoron, with plain political honesty largely trumped by crude partisans…

Photo: Choo Yut Shing on Flickr Let’s all sing the holiday classic: “All I want for Christmas… Is Something Not Made of Plastic.” Easier sung than done. Plastic is now ubiquitous in toys, electronics, tools, air, water… and us. And don’t forget the plastic Baby Jesus in Christmas tableaus. What is plastic, anyway? It’s a toxic synthetic material mo…

Former New Mexico governor Bruce King was renown for his frequent malapropisms and contorted logic. For example, he once refused to back a bill pushed by loan-shark lobbyists – but, he pledged that it if the legislature passed the thing, he would sign it. Well, the bill did pass… but Bruce vetoed it! The lobbyists swarmed him, crying that he had gi…

Is “corporate ethics” an oxymoron? Do you have to be a jerk to be a successful CEO? Is exploitation the only path to profit? The good news is that many companies, big and small, in the food economy are blazing a different path through Wall Street’s jungle of greed, demonstrating that money and morality can be compatible. Texas supermarket chain HEB…

Social media has been lighting up like fireworks, with a myriad of Trump voters exclaiming: “I didn’t know he meant me!” For example, many MAGA cheerleaders are now shocked to learn that his rallying cry to eliminate “Obamacare” means killing the popular Affordable Care Act that provides their health coverage! Upgrade your subscription Perhaps the …

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all! For the holiday, we’re sharing with you one of our favorite Thanksgiving origin stories from Hightower below. And as a bonus, while you’re cooking your food or relaxing after dinner, here’s our Dinner Democracy show from 2021, featuring friends Raj Patel and Tom Philpott. Let’s talk Turkey! No, not the Butterballs in Cong…

Howard Lutnick wants to have his cake and eat it, too. Then, he intends to eat your cake. Lutnick is another billionaire corporate huckster who was a campaign bagman for Trump, and now he’s to become the Commerce Secretary. But first, he’s been tasked with picking hordes of corporate loyalists to be placed in Trump’s government as friendly “regulat…

Welcome back to installment #2 of our new series on reasons to be hopeful as we approach an otherwise, ahem, challenging political future. Do you have wins and progress we should celebrate? Leave ‘em in the comments and share links! And this is also just a quick reminder that many “wins” are happening outside of traditional party politics and party…

Wow! Who says election promises don’t produce real change? Candidate Trump had loudly proclaimed that he would force US corporations to move their Chinese manufacturing jobs back to America. How? By imposing a whopping new tariff on all of the made-in-China products they sell to us. Upgrade your subscription Even he must have been surprised, though…

As any farmer can tell you, if you want to harvest a crop, you’ve got to get out of the office and go to work in the field. Why can’t the Democratic Party grasp this basic reality when it comes to producing votes? This year was going to be different. Pressed by progressive rural activists, national party leaders agreed to open a network of get-out-…

Greetings, readers, Deanna here: Welcome to our new mini-series, “Friday Hope Fest.” Back when we were producing the print version of the Hightower Lowdown (yes, we still miss it, too!), we often used our November and December issues of major election years to share stories of electoral success that might not have hit your radars. And in years wher…

Even in a barrelful of rotten apples, you might think there’d still be a few good ones. But don’t get your hopes up looking into barrels labeled “private equity investors.” These esoteric, multibillion-dollar Wall Street schemes rig the marketplace so “high-net-worth individuals” can grab fat profits and special tax breaks to buy up doctors’ office…

The morning after the election, a social media pundit expressed amazement that Democrat Kamala Harris had lost, noting that America is enjoying “an objectively strong economy.” Indeed, the data shows impressive job growth, rising wages, slowing inflation, etc. – all indicators of a solid economy. Nearly every pundit hailed this as meaning Harris’s …

Okay, the election was a gut punch. And all of us need a moment to catch our breath. But no more than that, for this is a long-term battle, and we have enormous democratic strength to give us heart and hope for a progressive future. Yes, yesterday’s Trump surge is depressing and dangerous, but the message of that surge is not for progressives to su…

In bold type, nearly every newspaper urges readers to “VOTE! TAKE A STAND!” But in this year’s truly momentous national election, we saw such giants of corporate media as the Washington Post, LA Times, and USA Today cower from taking their own stand on the presidency. Worse, the papers shamefully insisted that ducking their duty was itself a princi…

Many people feel that America’s political campaigns have become vapid PR hustles with little connection to the real-life concerns of workaday people. Luckily, Adam Swart says he has the fix for such voter malaise: Just add a more professional level of vapidity to the process, he says, and you can reduce the need for having actual voters involved in…

Here’s a progressive idea I picked up from the unlikeliest of sources: Corporate CEOs! For decades, these chieftains of our economic order have been steadily implementing a very visionary process for establishing corporate wage levels. The essence of it is this: Let the workers set their own pay! Since the 1970s, when the idea began taking hold in …

A 6-Part Series about growing your business in 2023 and beyond. Josh unpacks what he learned at two major marketing conferences recently. On this episode, Josh gives his "Reader's Digest" notes so you can learn fast and prepare for the future. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then you shoul…

A 6-Part Series about growing your business in 2023 and beyond. Josh unpacks what he learned at two major marketing conferences recently. On this episode, Josh gives his "Reader's Digest" notes so you can learn fast and prepare for the future. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then you shoul…

A 6-Part Series about growing your business in 2023 and beyond. Josh unpacks what he learned at two major marketing conferences recently. On this episode, Josh gives his "Reader's Digest" notes so you can learn fast and prepare for the future. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then you shoul…

A 6-Part Series about growing your business in 2023 and beyond. Josh unpacks what he learned at two major marketing conferences recently. On this episode, Josh gives his "Reader's Digest" notes so you can learn fast and prepare for the future. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then you shoul…

A 6-Part Series about growing your business in 2023 and beyond. Josh unpacks what he learned at two major marketing conferences recently. On this episode, Josh gives his "Reader's Digest" notes so you can learn fast and prepare for the future. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then you shoul…

A 6-Part Series about growing your business in 2023 and beyond. Josh unpacks what he learned at two major marketing conferences recently. On this episode, Josh gives his "Reader's Digest" notes so you can learn fast and prepare for the future. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then you shoul…

You want to protect your audience and have control of what they experience. For this to happen, you need to own your own membership site. It's not as difficult as you may think, but it is very profitable. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then you should connect with Josh at GoSocialExperts.…

You should consider having your own Membership Site where you deliver FREE value to your audience. This is a wonderful way to build a community feel and insulate your audience from others. It could be as simple as 3 videos, a masterclass, or some other type of training. Create Your Free Account to Enroll in this Course. By changing the language, yo…

How can you identify your audience when you cannot see them? You should be using pixels on every page of your website so you can continue to market to people who visit your pages. By doing this, you'll stay in front of your audience on a more regular basis. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. …

Not everyone will like you or how you market. What should you do when you get replies from "the hateful few" without this ruining your day? Don't hit the "unsubscribe" link! Today, Josh shares what you should do. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then you should connect with Josh at GoSocial…

How can you get the Physical Mailing Address of your prospects? Today, Josh shares a great way to ask for their mailing address. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then you should connect with Josh at GoSocialExperts.com

Prospects like to hide their real information from you. What can you do to get them to come out of the shadows and give you their real information. Today Josh shares a strategy to make sure you are getting the BEST email address from ideal prospects. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then yo…

One of the best ways to find words that your prospects will understand is to use the words your audience uses. Do NOT use industry jargon because they don't understand. Translate your jargon OR just use their words in your marketing. Josh shares a couple of pretty funny stories to drive home this point: The Double Wave and How to Outrun Age. Listen…

Finding a consistent flow of ideas can be challenging. In this episode, marketing expert, Josh Hightower, reveals where his "Idea Factory" is located and where you can find what your audience is thinking about. AnswerThePublic.com. Use what others are asking to create your posts. Google Trends is a similart type search that can tell you how many pe…

Creating Social Posts does not have to be difficult. Josh shares what he has learned from Frank Kern: The Connect Post. The "How To" Post. The Offer. In this episode, Josh takes a deep dive into these 3 types of posts and how you can implement them this week. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you…

MATH is a 4-Letter Word that you should LOVE. Josh explains his 20/60/20 Formula and how you can use it to grow your business. By understanding "The 3 Temperatures of People" you will more effectively communicate with your audience and gain more clients. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. The…

Shop Small Fall: a Neighborhood Bakery. On this episode we have coffee and catch up with Kristin at Sugar Momma’s Sweets in Cashmere. Learn about her experiences with the power of local community, social media networking, and partnering with fellow small businesses for events like Scare Crazy… and more!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcaster…

One of the best investments you can make in yourself and your business is to join a mastermind group. Josh explains the different types of mastermind groups, why they are so transformative, and the benefit of surrounding yourself with like-minded people. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. The…

R Shack is a caterer in East Wenatchee who specializes in events - they also enjoy participating in pop-ups (most recently the Food Truck Knight at WVC; their food goes fast as it is highly recommended). We ask how they persevered as a mobile vendor during wildfire season, as we recorded this episode up at the Supernova Business Launch event - Cong…

What Business Are You Really In? Every business owner is in the same business regardless of your industry. Josh Hightower shares what business you are in and why this is so vital to the success of your business. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then you should connect with Josh at GoSocialE…

“Everybody loves lavender and I have done the work to make good, nontoxic products you can trust…” -Beth Hammerberg, Down By The River Lavender. Are you ready to learn about local small businesses…and take a peek behind the scenes of our VIDEO podcast? Follow Hightower Digital Media on YouTube and hit the bell for notifications so you don’t miss th…

How to engage with your audience with a compelling audience. You may not know what will resonate with them today, but when you communicate regularly you will find an "angle" that gets through to them. This is WHY you need to be consistent and persistent in your marketing. Josh also shares how to create FAQs that will help you gain more clients. Lis…

There are so many ways to communicate today: WhatsApp, FbMsngr, Lin, Phone, Fax, Letter, Text. Be sure you are not limiting yourself to only "old school" channels. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then you should connect with Josh at GoSocialExperts.com…

Are you ready to learn about local small businesses…and take a peek behind the scenes of our VIDEO podcast? Follow Hightower Digital Media on YouTube and hit the bell for notifications so you don’t miss the LIVE PREMIERE Oct 1! WIN PRIZES!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hightowerdigitalmedia/message…

As you engage with your audience via email, be sure to move them to your social media platforms for further engagement. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then you should connect with Josh at GoSocialExperts.com

When is an unsubribe, not an unsubscribe??? Today, Josh explains a great way to keep people in your audience, even if they unsubscribe from a list. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then you should connect with Josh at GoSocialExperts.com

You have many people in your database. They've opted in at some point, but they aren't really engaged with you or your content. Today, Josh shares how you can re-engage them using an effective strategy, including a Customer Insight Report. Listen to this episode and learn more about all of the ways Josh and his team can help you. Then you should co…

Do you have an email list full of people who are no longer engaged or responsive? Most everyone does. That's why on today's episode, marketing expert Josh Hightower, shares some expert advice on what to do with those unengaged people on your list. It takes more than just sending a random email to them to get them to reengage with you. Josh has a sp…

Email marketing is a powerful tool that can produce great results when done properly. The greatest challenge with email marketing is getting your email delivered. Actually getting your email to show up in the inbox can be a real challenge. That's why on today's episode, marketing expert Josh Hightower, shares some expert insights around email deliv…

Can old school tactics still produce results? Absolutely! In fact, on today's episode, marketing expert Josh Hightower shares how using email (which is an old-school tactic) can produce great results for your business. If you think email is overlooked, dead, and buried, think again. Email is one of the most powerful marketing tools in your marketin…

You've heard of funnel hacking and swipe files. They are common terms to online marketers. Today, marketing expert Josh Hightower shares with us the power of modeling other peoples marketing. You don't have to re-create the wheel - in fact you shouldn't. Look at what other people are doing, and see how you can model it in your business. This is an …

Communicating with you audience is vital. At times, your audience will give you feedback that could be considered "negative." At the same time, you and your team should know your audience and how to should respond to good and bad feedback from your audeince. Josh also shares how he used this situation as a teaching opportunity for his team. Listen …