Wealthy, misunderstood One Percenters air their grievances, and continue to deny income inequality – but Chris Hayes and fellow his guest, Nick Hanauer aren’t buying it. AOL CEO Tim Armstrong, real estate mogul Sam Zell and Bud Konheim, CEO of Nicole Miller have demonstrated their amazing disconnect from reality recently with newsy quotes, and Chris Hayles lays the smackdown on them. Because he is such a frequent flyer on the crazy plane, I’ve included quotes from the ever-lovely Tom Perkins as well.
If you’re hungry and your unemployment benefits were cut, Uncle Bud Konheim CEO of Nicole Miller, has good news for you! “The poverty level (here) is wealth in the rest of the world, so we’re talking about ‘woe is me’ but nobody really suffers.” Truly nobody! “There’s money all over the place.” Konheim continues, ” If you’re making $35,000 you ARE the One Percent in much of the world.” So quit picking on him, and go to India and live like kings,ya ingrates!
Recently, prince among men, and AOL CEO Tim Armstrong made headlines when he told employees that due to two employee’s costly medical complications while giving birth, it was necessary to change the company’s contribution to everyone’s 401k plans. Of course, he had a change of heart, which wasn’t influenced in any way by tons of negative publicity.
Mega wealthy real estate investor Sam Zell does not want you to envy him, you should emulate him. It’s simple. He “works hard.” You don’t. Here’s his hard working formula: it’s the same formula used by Mitt Romney and other capitalists…Or more accurately, corporate raiders. In ’08 Zell bought the Tribune. One year later, he declared bankruptcy with a resulting loss of 4200 jobs. The best is yet to come. Executives got tens of millions in bonuses! I’ll bet we don’t work that “hard” – by Zell’s definition, we are hindered by a conscience.
While he’s not mentioned here, Tom Perkins, frequently makes headlines. One of his most infamous being the votes of the wealthy should count more. “The Tom Perkins system is: You don’t get to vote unless you pay a dollar of taxes,” Perkins said. “But what I really think is, it should be like a corporation. You pay a million dollars in taxes, you get a million votes. How’s that?” Perkins fired a remarkable salvo by claiming the wealthy were in danger from progressives, comparing it to Kristallnacht. Perkins raved, ” I would call attention to the parallels of Nazi Germany to its war on its “one percent,” namely its Jews, to the progressive war on the American one percent, namely the “rich.” He does have a flair for the dramatic. At most, progressives are waiting for him to tell us to ‘eat cake’ – we’ll see where it goes from there.
Coincidentally, a conscience is missing in the definition of ‘sociopath.’ Hayes’ guest Nick Hanauer explained that no matter what they say, people such as Zell, Konheim and Armstrong often belong to that special subgroup. “These are borderline sociopathic people and they don’t care about other people. They don’t go to their kid’s soccer games, and you sure don’t want them in public office.” The diagnosis certainly explains how they can bankrupt and rob companies, leaving employees jobless – without a backward glance.
But why the strident denial of inequality? Hannauer continues: “When you begin to challenge that status,” Hanauer said, “you’re calling into question the idea, for instance, that economic inequality is a good thing. You’re not challenging their pocketbooks, you’re challenging their manhood.”
Chris Hayes has clearly had it with them and the view from their ivory towers, and told them so in the video presented here from MSNBC. Hayes pointed out the obscene cuts made to to the SNAP program…And it is especially egregious when you know that the
cuts provide tax cuts and corporate welfare for the bazillionaires! The cuts harm the very poorest among us, and pad the accounts of those who cannot begin to understand why those who depend on programs like SNAP complain, when they’re so wealthy in the rest of the world! Hayes also sheds light on children who miss the only meal they can count on every day, when a snow day is declared, or they are not getting the free lunch program the school provides.
There are many more stories of funds that should help the hungry, which are diverted to the wealthy recipients of corporate welfare. If Chris Hayes can’t move these three fat cats with the stories of hungry children, it’s unlikely they will ever see the truly big picture – but keep on telling the truth Chris. Each person who sees the light can vote to stop the flow of tax dollars to the rich, and realize that far from buying ‘Welfare Cadillacs’ – properly distributed funds buy food for kids and the adults who care for them.