Burned by Billionaires - Chuck Collins

A scathing exposé of the hidden impact of America’s ultra wealthy on our social, economic, political, and ecological landscape—as well as a path toward a more equitable future“The three hundred largest yachts in the world emit as much carbon dioxide as the ten million inhabitants of Burundi.” —from Burned by BillionairesRecently, it has become increasingly evident that extreme concentrations of wealth and power have profound impacts on our politics, but extreme inequality’s influence on our daily lives—and our futures—has been vastly overlooked.In Burned by Billionaires, author and a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC, Chuck Collins chronicles how the actions of the top .01% have severe consequences for the rest of us, especially those of marginalized identities. Collins takes down the “myth of meritocracy,” unraveling how the rich rig the game in their favor, resulting in a concentration of wealth in the hands of a tiny (but growing) class of billionaires—leading to both intense income and political polarization.In a wholly original argument, Collins charts this economic, social, and ecological destruction and shows how these effects manifest in every facet of our society, including:Increasing the tax burden on ordinary working peopleReducing public funding for schools, roads, and other essential infrastructureShrinking the pool of affordable housing, especially in poor and urban areasAccelerating climate change and
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