Mark Zuckerberg was just getting started in Silicon Valley, the tech capital of the world. ‘He lived this completely Spartan lifestyle.’ Mark Zuckerberg: The Billionaires Who Made Our World
Zuckerberg denied stealing the idea, but settled the case in 2008, paying out $65 million. ibid.
We consistently give massive audiences to ‘self-made’ billionaires. The Myth of the Self-Made Billionaire, Youtube 12.59, Second Thought 2021
They can convince you to act against you own self interests. ibid.
Billionaires never get there alone … family, wealth and privilege. ibid.
No billionaire has ever got to their status by ethical means.
Everyone loves philanthropy … Philanthropy takes people well known for being unredeemable and turns them into saints. How Billionaire Philanthropy Won’t Solve Anything, Youtube 17.10, Second Thought 2022
There are at least three problems with high-profile philanthropy: It costs the rest of us money, it might not be happening at all, it actively breaks democracy. ibid.
If you earned $1 per second, then to make $1 million would take you about 11 and a half days. Levels of Wealth: Inside the Secret Lives of the Ultra-Rich, short Youtube 15.13, 2021
There are arguably five different levels of rich, and at each level, things change very drastically. ibid.
Now around 2,755 known billionaires. ibid.
Plutocrats: A perfect description of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Plutocrats: The Rise of the Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else, 2022
The world’s 86 richest individuals now own as much wealth as the poorest half of humanity. And much of that is dark money, spent to control the political process. ibid.
Over five million families were evicted from their homes. ibid.
In the last century American plutocracy has been built at the expense of working people. ibid.
A deep distrust of the financial system takes root. ibid.
35 years ago an economic experiment in the US & UK was supposed to provide a better life for all. Today in both countries, inequality is at its highest level since 1928. Growing Economy, Miserable Citizens: Why are Rich Countries So Unhappy? aka The Divide, 2022
The true ultra-rich operate behind the scenes away from the public. The Most Depraved Crimes of the Ultra-Rich, short Youtube 26.42 2023
The Rothchilds’ crimes … With this wealth came the need for more power … Murdoch family … George Soros … Saudi Royal Family … ibid.
Attacking the rich is not envy. It is self-defense. The hoarding of wealth is the cause of poverty. The rich just aren’t indifferent to poverty; they create and maintain it. Jodie Foster
The rich individuals are increasingly hoarding everything. If the billionaires want to go to space, they could at least leave their money on Earth to solve the critical Earthbound problems. We now have an estimated 2,775 billionaires with a combined net worth of around $13.1 trillion. I have it on good authority that you don’t need more than $1 billion to live comfortably. Even if every billionaire kept $1 billion, that would leave around $10 trillion for ending hunger, poverty, and environmental destruction. We should be taxing the vast and rapidly growing billionaire wealth to help finance a civilized world. Jeffrey Sachs, speech UN Food Systems Pre-Summit 27th July 2021
Men of unlimited means live lives of unbridled lust, and then, in their old age, they are hapless victims of their own impulses. Upton Sinclair, The Book of Life, 1921
This is a story about a parallel universe where the super-rich hide eye-watering amounts of money around the world. Their methods are usually highly guarded secrets but hidden in an elaborate paper trail they’re now exposed for all to see. The keepers of these secrets are lawyers and accountants who work through a global network of trusts and shell companies based in tax havens around the world. Four Corners: The Pandora Papers, ABC 2022
Our investigation begins in Singapore. This glittering island financial hub is an ideal place to set up complex business structures. ibid.
‘There is a shadow economy, a shadow world, out there that we are not aware of, and that this is a world that is enriching the people who are already rich.’ ibid. researcher
Russia is one of the world’s most high-risk and high-reward financial destinations. ibid.
When Congress returns after the elections on Tuesday it’ll face one of the most hotly debated issues in the campaign – raising taxes on the rich. 60 Minutes: Tax the Rich, CBS 2010
The Washington Income Tax Initiative, known as Initiative 1098, was on the November 2nd 2010 ballot in Washington. It was defeated in the vote. ibid.
Our government is in knots over ways to lower the federal budget deficit. What if we told you we found a pot of money – over $60 billion a year – that could be used to help out: that bundle is tax money not coming into the IRS from American corporations. 60 Minutes: The New Tax Havens, CBS 2011
The next national election is now less than a year away and Congressmen and Senators are expending much of their time and their energy raising the millions of dollars in campaign funds. 60 Minutes: Insiders, CBS 2011
Congress has excelled itself in one way – raising money. Members of Congress raised more than a billion dollars for their 2014 election, and they never stop. 60 Minutes: Dialing for Dollar$, CBS 2016