You probably don’t know Nick Hanauer, but he has more money than you. As a self-proclaimed “unapologetic capitalist,” Hanauer deals in millions the way many Americans deal in hundreds … or tens.
A few years ago, Hanauer called on his fellow one percenters to address America’s growing income inequality.
If we don’t do something to fix the glaring inequities in this economy, the pitchforks are going to come for us. No society can sustain this kind of rising inequality. In fact, there is no example in human history where wealth accumulated like this and the pitchforks didn’t eventually come out. You show me a highly unequal society, and I will show you a police state. Or an uprising. There are no counterexamples. None. It’s not if, it’s when.
Hanauer’s advice hasn’t exactly been heeded. And he’s now telling the super-wealthy to pay workers more to avoid an uprising.
Thing is, is anyone listening?
GUESTS
Nick Hanauer, Co-founder and partner in Seattle-based venture capital firm, Second Avenue Partners; @NickHanauer
For more, visit http://the1a.org.
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