The wealthy have power over us because, as a society, we believe we "need" them and their money to fund our existence. Even "socialists" in America demand that any program benefiting the poor or middle class be "paid for" by taxing the wealthy and their corporations.

This belief is completely false, and even backward in our economic reality. The sooner we stop believing it the sooner we can get on with building a just society that prevents the anxiety you describe for everyone. The federal government is the monopoly creator of the US dollar and cannot fail to pay any obligation denominated in that dollar. It can afford anything that is for sale, even without a penny of revenue.

The best way to take power away from the wealthy is to make them, and their money, irrelevant to our larger society and economy. As soon as we dispel the myth of "job creator" that surrounds them as a shield against taxation we can begin to have the conversation around how much is enough.