LETTER: ‘Workers Over Billionaires’ May Day rally and thoughts on our failing empire

April 22, 2026  |  By Carol Baitz

To the Community:

I have registered Waterbury for a May Day “Workers over Billionaires” poster rally on May 1, from 4 to 6 p.m. on the corner of Main and Stowe streets. You can sign up to join in online here or just show up!

In addition to making that plan, for the past week or so, I have been struggling to make sense of what is actually happening in our country and around the world. I sometimes feel like my brain is going to break. This is why I am documenting current affairs to help me make sense of current news, but more importantly, how events are connected. This list is long with multiple links that I would like to share. 

I believe that we are entering a new era, where everything we thought of as stable and predictable is coming to an end. We are entering a new “Industrial Revolution” era that may change our lives in ways we can not even imagine yet. A new era where Artificial Intelligence and crypto will rule. A new era where humans may know great prosperity or another Great Depression. A new era where the United States is no longer the leader of the free world. 

We have spent so much time focused on culture wars: right vs. left instead of putting our energy into right vs. wrong. If humanity is to prosper, not just survive, we are going to have to put our differences aside and work together.

First, let’s talk a little about empires. History has shown that all empires fall at some point. Whether it is the Ottoman, Roman, Spanish, English or American empires, they all eventually fall. Some become obsolete, while others gracefully decline. Here is a video that discusses the fall of empires.

This explanation about stage 4 in empire collapse, related to the military industrial complex, made me wonder why our country is unconditionally financially supporting Israel, especially as they continuously wage war and even genocide in the Middle East. Some of it ties back to the military industrial complex and this video also makes a connection to mainstream media. 

Other than the local news, I have stopped watching mainstream/corporate media. The more I read and watched independent journalism, the more I realized that corporate media (regardless of their leaning) is limited in what they can say or cover. They have turned to a both-sides approach that is leaving Americans confused because we don’t know which side is telling the truth. The news is supposed to be about the facts, not an editorial. But, even in presenting facts, there are topics ignored or just briefly mentioned with little connection. Here is an interview with journalist Scott MacFarlane on why he, like so many others, have left corporate media and moved to independent media.

This next video example demonstrates how headlines or quick stories miss the important details needed to understand the dynamics of policies, or in this case, negotiations and why the Islamabad peace talks failed.

The next section speaks to the Epstein Files, beyond the abuse of the survivors, about the multinational financial structure that is being created (still?) to make the American dollar obsolete in international trade. This is where technology, crypto and the Epstein case intersect. 

First, a look at what the Epstein files to date have exposed. Here are a couple of videos (here and here) from file researchers Ellie Leonard, Tara Palmeri, Lev Parnas, Zev, Kait Justice and others who have been piecing together information. This article by Kait Justice pulls all of the information (so far) of the connections between Epstein, crypto, Saudi Arabia and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law. This is a very long and dense article; I had to read it several times to truly absorb the information, but it is well worth the read. 

Next, the topic of the war in Iran, the Polimarket, and insider trading. We send our senators and representatives to Washington to represent us (not to get rich). For years, there have been accusations of insider trading on the stock market by members of Congress (which is something that needs to be outlawed). 

In our new technological world, where you can bet online on just about anything, there is evidence that insider trading on the war, ceasefires, peace talks, etc. has netted multiple unidentified people (maybe in Congress) large sums of money through the Polimarket. Also, timing of war announcements has been tied to market manipulation with regards to the stock market and oil futures. Someone is making a lot of money off this war. 

Where does all of this lead? We are living in a country that I believe is in the fourth stage of decline as an empire. What we choose to do next may decide whether we decline gracefully or not. Corruption seems to be accelerating our demise. The election last week in Hungary was a mandate from the people that they have had enough with corruption that has made their country the poorest country in the European Union. I hope that they are successful. And maybe, just maybe, we, as a country, can learn from a small country in Europe how to save ourselves. 

I will conclude here with a beautifully written article by a hopeful Hungarian and a hopeful interview here in the United States.

I know this is a lot of information. My intention is not to overwhelm readers, but to spark interest in moving beyond headlines and endless scrolling to start to connect the dots for yourself. 

Thank you in advance for helping to make our future the best that it can be.

As always, your neighbor and friend, 

Carol Baitz

Waterbury