“Three people own more wealth than the bottom half of our society” Senator Bernie Sanders’ fiery holiday greeting accused billionaires of buying the 2024 election
It looks like Senator Bernie Sanders has beaten President-elect Donald Trump when it comes to delivering fiery holiday greetings. In his recent video address, Sanders warned Americans are in danger of being ruled by the super rich.
Although he started off by greeting everyone for the holidays, Sanders didn’t stray from what needed to be said. He framed America as a nation with people who live and experience two drastically different realities. The first version of America that Sanders referred to consists of the rich. These people are able to buy yachts and mansions. While having vast amounts of wealth and power, they also have access to the best education and healthcare money could buy. Meanwhile, the other version Sanders talked about is the reality for most Americans. These citizens struggle to afford food, pay bills, and worry about their children’s futures.
Sanders continued to talk about the absurdity of the power and wealth these billionaires have amassed. He stated, “In this America, the three wealthiest men, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg, own more wealth than the bottom half of our society. Three people own more wealth than the bottom half of our society.” Sanders worriedly discussed that the wealth of these billionaires continues to skyrocket. In contrast, he claimed that 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and thousands die yearly because they are unable to see a doctor on time. Essentially, the wealth gap for Sanders is rapidly growing—but that’s not all there is to be concerned about.
Billionaires get more than one vote
Aside from airing out the control billionaires have over the economy, Sanders also accused billionaires of buying the government. The way Sanders sees it is that a regular citizen gets one vote. On the other hand, a billionaire can spend “unlimited amounts of money” through Super Political Action Committees (Super PACs). These Super PACs can raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, individuals, and various groups for or against political candidates. As Sanders remarked, “Sadly today, we have a government of the billionaire class, by the billionaire class, for the billionaire class.”
Although things seem bleak, Sanders encouraged citizens to keep fighting for a government and economy that will serve them better. “Either we fight aggressively all over this country to create a government and an economy that works for all of us, or we will continue to move rapidly down the path of oligarchy and the rule of the super rich.”
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
