Bernie Sanders: "The International Billionaire Class Is Making Out Like Bandits"

[Uncle Joe]

The Vermont senator denounces the wealth concentration fueling global wars at the expense of everyday people.

(snip)

But let’s be clear: It’s certainly not just issues relating to Israel where this money warps our politics. The Saudis, Emiratis, Qataris, and others spend tens of millions on lobbying and political influence, both licit and less so. We have no clearer example of this than the Trump White House, where these countries brazenly bought influence.

Let me now jump into an issue that is almost totally ignored in terms of US foreign policy and that is the unprecedented rise of global oligarchy and extreme income and wealth inequality. Throughout history, massive concentrations of wealth have brought about more war, undermined democracy, and destabilized the world.

And the simple truth is that today, we live in a world where a small number of multi-billionaires and multinational corporations exert enormous economic and political power over virtually every country on earth. This is not conspiracy thinking. This is the reality we are experiencing. Never before have so few had so much wealth and so much power, and that reality has a huge impact on all aspects of our foreign policy and whether or not we will be able to effectively address the major crises we face.

In the year 2024 there is a global struggle taking place. On one side we have the forces of oligarchy, authoritarianism, greed and kleptocracy. On the other side we have a movement which strives to strengthen democracy and economic, social, racial, and environmental justice. And it is vitally important that the United States comes down on the right side of this struggle—the moral side. Yes, we must loudly proclaim in word and deed that we believe in democracy and the right of all people to control their own destinies. Yes, we believe that all people in our country and around the world are entitled to a decent standard of living, and that economic gains should not simply go to a handful of people on top.

(snip)

https://www.thenation.com/article/world/bernie-sanders-speech-center-for-international-policy/

[Irish_Dem]

1. Bernie is 100% correct.

In the year 2024 there is a global struggle taking place. On one side we have the forces of oligarchy, authoritarianism, greed and kleptocracy.

We don't yet know if the good guys will win or not.

[multigraincracker]

2. Power, Money and Cocain,

More is never enough.

[dutch777]

3. True statements but a tough nut to crack. Not that it addresses all of this but I think a tax on large wealth transfers

...is in order. At least in the US, if we had a stand alone simple tax, no deductions and only exemption is government transfers, that put maybe 2/10 of 1% tax on every transfer between any two parties for any sale, investment, realized capital gains and similar over say $2 million, I think we could start to significantly buy down the national debt. And use it just for that, no other earmarking. I have tried to get numbers of exactly how much money changes hands every day in the US that would fit this criteria to see how much revenue would be generated and test if my seemingly low tax rate would really generate a lot of cash but haven't really found anything that I trust. Even if the rate would be 1% it would not seem unreasonable to me given the greater good.

[multigraincracker]

4. I'm a fan of taxing wealth, not

Wages.

[appalachiablue]

5. Thanks for posting on the critical issue facing the world. Huge.

The climate crisis is directly related to this massive power.