from It’s Okay to be Angry about Capitalism, Bernie Sanders
The title is a clear misnomer (because the book covers so much more), but there are some good (relevant to the title) bits:
“Greed is not good.” 141
Okay, on its own, not stunning. But when you realize that capitalism is set up to reward greed …
“Massive income and wealth inequality is not good.” 141
Ditto.
“Profiting from human illness is not good.” 141
Ditto.
I think there are (at least) two problems with capitalism. One, it enables, nay even requires, that profit be maximized. If we capped profit, that would go a long way. Two, it enables people to make money from money, not from actual labour, be it service or production.
“… roughly 90% of the wealth of [the U.S.] is owned by one-tenth of 1 percent [of the population]. ” 144-5
“[about how the rich are “different from you and me”] The don’t live in houses. They own palaces … They don’t go to the local emergency room when they are sick. They have the best doctors … on call …They don’t go places in compact care of sedans [let alone buses]. They travel in chauffeur-driven limousines and private planes. …
“They do not share their wealth. They pass it on to their heirs. …
” The children of oligarchs … waltz into Ivy League universities, thanks fo the ‘legacies’ of their grandparents and generous donations from their parents …
“After graduation, the children of oligarches don’t send out resumes, ink the spaces on job applications, or sit through rounds of interviews in hopes of launching a career. With an assist from their grandparents and parents, they are given positions for which their qualifications may be slim …” p148-150
“Our struggle is to end a system that evaluates ‘worth’ as a measure of market profitability …” 152
Yes, there it is.
“… in which we are asked to believe—based on salaries paid—that the star athlete who helps a billionaire team owner increase his bottom line is ‘worth’ more than a thousand teachers who help children escape poverty.” 152
Yes. So boycott professional sports. Just do it.
“…when the wealthy and powerful make calculated decisions that are destructive and life-threatening to millions of people—or to the planet—we are told that ‘it’s just business’ and that it’s somehow inappropriate to make moral judgments based on their actions.” 155
Yes. That.
“As far back as the late 1950s, physicist Edward Teller and other scientist were warning executives in the fossil fuel industry that carbon emissions were ‘contaminating the atmosphere’ and causing a ‘greenhouse effect’ that could eventually lead to temperature increases ‘sufficient to melt the icecap and submerge New York’. More than sixty years ago, these executive knew they were causing global warming and therefore threatening the very existence of the planet.” 155 [my emphasis]
“Yet, in pursuit of profit, the executives not only refused to publicly acknowledge what they had learned but, year after year, lied about [it]” 155-6
“Were they fired from their jobs? Were they condemned by pundits on cable television and the editorial boards of major newspapers? Were they prosecute? Did they go to jail for their crimes? nope. Not at all. Not a one of them. These CEOs got rich. They enjoyed their status as prominent and respected members of their communities. When oil billionaires and fossil fuel industry CEOs die in comfortable old age, obituary writers identify themvas ‘financial geniuses’ and ‘captains of industry’ and ‘philanthropists’. / There is zero accountability.” 156-7 [again, my emphasis]
“During the first year of the pandemic, when essential workers, including some at his own warehouses, were literally dying on the job, Jeff Bezos became $65 billion richer …” 253
“Mr. Bezos has enough money to own a $500 million, 417-foot mega-yacht. He has enough money to … Mr. Bezos refuses to pay his workers decent wages … [He also doesn’t pay any income tax …] 254
“Billionaires own the media, and it shows” 331
“A handful of huge media conglomerates, owned by the wealthiest people in the United States, maintain overwhelming control over what we see, hear, and read.” 331
“… you can watch USA Network, Syfy, Oxygen, Bravo G4, and E! and always remain on a network owned by Comcast. [same for NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo] ” 332
‘Let the market decide’. But when all you’re offered is vanilla, decision, choice, is impossible.
“The problem with corporate media is not ‘fake news’ or inaccurate reporting. It’s what, because of ownership pressure, the media chooses to cover and emphasize, and what they choose to ignore and downplay.’ 337-8
That’s why you don’t see any stories about fossil fuel emissions killing us. The media companies are owned by the fossil fuel companies.
So bookmark nakedcapitalism, grist, aljazeera, etc.,
Love the list of questions on 340-1 that are never asked.
Add to it questions about heat waves, fires, melting ice, the ocean current, methane …
