Do you know why your grandparents were able to buy a house on one income but you can’t? It’s because billionaires exist.
Do you know why most families need two income earners now, but they didn’t when your parents were your age? It’s because billionaires exist.
Do you know why healthcare and education seem to be perpetually underfunded? It’s because billionaires exist.
Do you know why you seem to be spending more time at work and less time with your family? It’s because billionaires exist.
Do you know why it seems you’ll never have a pension for when you retire (if you live that long)? It’s because billionaires exist.
Do you know why global temperatures are at record highs, triggering mass climate catastrophes such as massive fires, huge hurricanes, and unprecedented flooding? It’s because billionaires exist.
Do you know why we produce more food than needed to meet the caloric and nutritional needs of the entire human population yet so many people are starving? It’s because billionaires exist.
Billionaires are billionaires because they have accumulated at least $1 billion in unspent wealth. And they got that wealth on the backs of workers, through exploiting the environment, and through paying less of their income in taxes than we do.
If you want to go back to a time when families could live on one income, could buy a home, and could have a secure retirement, it’ll never happen as long as we keep propping up billionaires.
7 replies on “Billionaires are an economic drain on society”
So true, yet the masses idolize and believe the billionaires gifts.
Excellent. There is a book titled “The trouble with Billionaires by Linda McQuaige, a great canadian author. It sounds you have read some of her stuff!
Honestly, I don’t think I’ve read anything by her, but I appreciate the recommendation!
Another great illustration of wealth disparity is the “Pen Parade” in which all of humanity march by an observer, their order determined by their height, which represents their wealth. The observer is of average height. It is a great imaginary illustration! It is explained in a 1971 book by Jan Pen. Basically it is a parade of dwarfs followed by very few giants so high their heads are in space.
This from a favorite Podcaster Caitlan Johnson who writes daily on substack:
Don’t side with the powerful. Don’t side with Israel against the Palestinians. Don’t side with the US empire against any nation it targets. Don’t side with cops against their victims. Don’t side with billionaires and politicians against the people. Don’t side with the powerful.
Interesting thoughts.
Thanks for all you write!
I have sat with multi millionaires (easy task if you know any rural Albertans) who howl that it is the federal politicians that are causing the poverty that surrounds them and have the blankest look when I say No , it is because rich people took all the money.
Precisely.