Ralph once again welcomes Chuck Collins, heir to the Oscar Meyer fortune and one of the founders of Patriotic Millionaires, to discuss his agenda for reform outlined in his new book BURNED BY BILLIONAIRES: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives and Planet.
A massive fortune has never been earned in the country's history. It's always done through giveaways of publicly-owned resources, all the way back to the railroads. There's nothing unfair about claiming it back, but it will require us to organize
Totally effingly wrong. Not now nor ever was interested in being a billionaire nor envious nor hating of same. You are the individual to be pitied for your limited ability to accept that success is not necessarily defined by your bank account. My volunteer work teaching refugees is the most meaningful work of my life despite having had a 'successful' career in both academia and the corporate world. Desiring a living wage for all as well as universal healthcare is nothing to feel ashamed about.
Other countries are powering cities with these enormous data center’s. The USA should REQUIRE the AI/tech companies show sustainable energy use before they can put them on line. It’s high time we mandate sustainable energy⁉️ These companies have the knowledge and financial ability to do so‼️
It was a happy coincidence to hear Ralph Interview Chuck Collins on his new book, as I had the good fortune of recently attending a panel discussion with Mr. Collins and three other impressive writers and speakers on the increasing impact of billionaires on our lives and their ideas for taking back control from them. I also have Mr. Collin’s book and look forward to reading it. Thanks also to Ms. Moskowitz. I wish we had someone like her working for utility customers where I live.
The Luddites in the northern England textile mills made the same argument about automated looms in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution (ca. early 1800s).Had the movement succeeded, English textile mills would have produced inferior quality fabrics at higher prices soon to be driven out of business by foreign competition (with the corresponding elimination of jobs). The solution is always the same: upgrade the skills of the labor force to adapt to the new technology with commensurate increases in pay to spend on higher quality, lower price goods and services. You can’t put the technological genie back in the bottle. Adapt or perish.
They took less-skilled, lower~paying jobs in other industries, domestic service, emigrated to America, went on the dole. Tough break in the short run. But in time everyone benefitted from the abundance and prosperity created by the Industrial Revolution.
What jobs have you created? What buildings have you built? Most of us have done nothing but it is so easy to hate on those who have made things and made us as rich a country as we are. Shall we wait for you or I do make the next paradigm shift to make the world better??? Don't hold your breath. Yes, they should pay and yes , they should be monitored but let's not forget who changes history and who just floats along
As a consumer and clean energy advocate in California (I began/trained at Nader's PIRGs) I have to strongly caution that your statements of praise of The Utility Reform Network (TURN) are problematic.
While TURN has saved consumers some money on their utility bills, TURN has now become too deferential to PG&E and other monopoly utilities and has even helped these fossil fuel based utilities to attack both rooftop solar (see link below) and California's local Community Choice clean energy programs that enable communities to take power back from the utility giants and more aggressively purchase solar and wind power (thereby cutting into PG&E profits).
The reason TURN has become a closet ally of Big Power is that TURN gets its funds by being paid for its work by the Governor-appointed, corrupt, revolving-door agency the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) which is deeply in bed with the monopoly utilities and has been caught illegally colluding with them against consumers and solar power.
So because TURN is dependent on this corrupt agency for its funds, TURN now tones down and minimizes its cases against the big utilities because it knows if it is too confrontational or its proposals would more strongly cut monopoly utility profits, the corrupt CPUC won't award them any money at all.
TURN all too often betrays California consumers and environmental progress. Here's an example:
Don't you find it interesting that the hedge fund boys and Wall Street are try to make a buck talking a lot about the "chip" . How important is the "Chip" without the " software" ,?. It's it really simple to reverse engineer a chip after all it's right there in front of you to copy and road map to success.
Besides isn't it easier to take old chips and do as much as new chips sometimes .
Original Software engineer is a different story, it takes a lot of talent and brains and more than A I to write exceptional software code ,,in addition to where and how to apply it ,,,and that talent and ability can come from anywhere, America should take notice writing software code has know national or international boundaries or borders. As in the arts how many and where will the future Rembrandt's, Picasso's, Mark Chagall's, Shirin Neshat, Faith Ringgold, Adrian Piper, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keefe's come from and if they were software engineers where and how would they apply those talents and abilities to our benefits if in medicine, healthcare, safety and our future prosperity .
But will America continue to isolate internationally and play the wall street crypto pozi skeem of the 5 trillion dollar make believe chip .
Is there a software engineer out there that could do a lot more with a different kinda chip requiring a lot less power ? Welcome to America if we can get you in ,,,to join the team,, and of course if you want to stay after 3 and half years of our Putin - Trump form of "democracy" ( sorry, I didn't mean to get political)
I would note that because the Uniparty and the corporate media are owned by the financiers, we won't succeed in taxing the wealthy to pay for civilization. We will just continue the game of taxing working professionals more and pretending we are taxing the wealthy. Success will come only through (as Mr. Beck notes below) getting off the couch and organizing, https://laboristmovement.substack.com/p/getting-there-laborist-organizing but organizing with the entirely feasible goal of rewiring our market economy so that the returns from work go to the workers who produce them, not to parasitic financiers. https://laboristmovement.substack.com/p/laborism . Otherwise we will be spinning our wheels, and we don't have time for that any more. Financier capitalism is collapsing under its own weight, and its death throes will only get more ugly unless we organize to replace it with market laborism.
RALPH HAS ALWAYS GIVEN UP HIS LIFE FOR THE PUBLIC WE OWE HIM AT LEAST I LISTEN TO HIS RADIO HOUR HE IS THE BEST INVESTIGATOR REPORTER I KNOW IN THE WORLD. AND UNFORTUNATELY WE ONLY HAVE THEM FOR A FEW MORE YEARS I'M AFRAID SO WHO'S EVER WITHIN THE REALM OF MY MESSAGE AND THE SOUND OF MY VOICE RALPH NADER IS MUST LISTENING TO IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S REALLY THE TRUTH OUT THERE IN THIS UNIVERSE! GOD BLESS YOU TALPH, MANY YEARS MORE
The AI boom is visible from orbit. Satellite photos of New Carlisle, Indiana, show greenish splotches of farmland transformed into unmistakable industrial parks in less than a year’s time. There are seven rectangular data centers there, with 23 more on the way.
Inside each of these buildings, endless rows of fridge-size containers of computer chips wheeze and grunt as they perform mathematical operations at an unfathomable scale. The buildings belong to Amazon and are being used by Anthropic, a leading AI firm, to train and run its models. According to one estimate, this data-center campus, far from complete, already demands more than 500 megawatts of electricity to power these calculations—as much as hundreds of thousands of American homes. When all the data centers in New Carlisle are built, they will demand more power than two Atlantas.
A massive fortune has never been earned in the country's history. It's always done through giveaways of publicly-owned resources, all the way back to the railroads. There's nothing unfair about claiming it back, but it will require us to organize
What have you made of your life? You could have done the same. Me, too. We did not and so we envy and hate those who are successful. It's very pitiful
Totally effingly wrong. Not now nor ever was interested in being a billionaire nor envious nor hating of same. You are the individual to be pitied for your limited ability to accept that success is not necessarily defined by your bank account. My volunteer work teaching refugees is the most meaningful work of my life despite having had a 'successful' career in both academia and the corporate world. Desiring a living wage for all as well as universal healthcare is nothing to feel ashamed about.
Ahhh. The ole we must be envious and jealous trope. Spokane like a GOP/maga.
Most of us realized decades ago we were never going to get ahead in America. And all the stats prove this.
Just when we get a little bit ahead boom bang
Back in your place bitches.
Those in power especially over the last 50 years made it nearly impossible for forward movement. Just treading water.
Think I’ll block you for spreading propaganda
Wrong!!!
Nonresponsive
Other countries are powering cities with these enormous data center’s. The USA should REQUIRE the AI/tech companies show sustainable energy use before they can put them on line. It’s high time we mandate sustainable energy⁉️ These companies have the knowledge and financial ability to do so‼️
It was a happy coincidence to hear Ralph Interview Chuck Collins on his new book, as I had the good fortune of recently attending a panel discussion with Mr. Collins and three other impressive writers and speakers on the increasing impact of billionaires on our lives and their ideas for taking back control from them. I also have Mr. Collin’s book and look forward to reading it. Thanks also to Ms. Moskowitz. I wish we had someone like her working for utility customers where I live.
I would pass a law now that bans a robot from doing a job a decent American could do.
The Luddites in the northern England textile mills made the same argument about automated looms in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution (ca. early 1800s).Had the movement succeeded, English textile mills would have produced inferior quality fabrics at higher prices soon to be driven out of business by foreign competition (with the corresponding elimination of jobs). The solution is always the same: upgrade the skills of the labor force to adapt to the new technology with commensurate increases in pay to spend on higher quality, lower price goods and services. You can’t put the technological genie back in the bottle. Adapt or perish.
what happened to the hand loom weavers?
They took less-skilled, lower~paying jobs in other industries, domestic service, emigrated to America, went on the dole. Tough break in the short run. But in time everyone benefitted from the abundance and prosperity created by the Industrial Revolution.
no actually dumbass they starved to death
Predatory class? Parasitic class? Predatory parasites? and not elites. Not 'regime change', or other soft euphemisms
Parasitic financiers is the accurate name, and they can be pretty accurately identified, though one must also account for their dedicated henchmen. https://laboristmovement.substack.com/p/the-productive-class-and-the-parasitic
What jobs have you created? What buildings have you built? Most of us have done nothing but it is so easy to hate on those who have made things and made us as rich a country as we are. Shall we wait for you or I do make the next paradigm shift to make the world better??? Don't hold your breath. Yes, they should pay and yes , they should be monitored but let's not forget who changes history and who just floats along
Jobs are not created by your Ayn Randian hero industrialists. Jobs are created by consumer demand.
As a consumer and clean energy advocate in California (I began/trained at Nader's PIRGs) I have to strongly caution that your statements of praise of The Utility Reform Network (TURN) are problematic.
While TURN has saved consumers some money on their utility bills, TURN has now become too deferential to PG&E and other monopoly utilities and has even helped these fossil fuel based utilities to attack both rooftop solar (see link below) and California's local Community Choice clean energy programs that enable communities to take power back from the utility giants and more aggressively purchase solar and wind power (thereby cutting into PG&E profits).
The reason TURN has become a closet ally of Big Power is that TURN gets its funds by being paid for its work by the Governor-appointed, corrupt, revolving-door agency the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) which is deeply in bed with the monopoly utilities and has been caught illegally colluding with them against consumers and solar power.
So because TURN is dependent on this corrupt agency for its funds, TURN now tones down and minimizes its cases against the big utilities because it knows if it is too confrontational or its proposals would more strongly cut monopoly utility profits, the corrupt CPUC won't award them any money at all.
TURN all too often betrays California consumers and environmental progress. Here's an example:
https://solarrights.org/blog/2024/09/01/turn/
THE COMMON GOOD MANIFESTO
A society built for people, not predators.
We are at our best when we invest in each other.
We are at our worst when we abandon the vulnerable.
This manifesto is how we return to the common good.
I. DIGNITY AND JUSTICE
1. Release the Epstein files — full transparency, no exceptions.
2. Impeach, convict, and imprison Donald Trump and every handler who enabled his corruption.
3. No federal office for any convicted felon.
4. End the weaponization of the justice system against the poor, immigrants, LGBTQ people, and marginalized communities.
II. DEMOCRACY THAT ACTUALLY WORKS
1. Abolish the Electoral College — one person, one vote.
2. Abolish ICE — replace it with humane immigration policy that honors human rights.
3. Ban gerrymandering with a standardized national apportionment method.
4. Two-term limits for every elected office.
5. Mandatory retirement at 70 for all elected officials.
6. Paper ballots only — end the era of hackable voting machines.
III. AN ECONOMY THAT SERVES PEOPLE
1. Restore 1950s-style progressive tax rates — when America was prosperous and fair.
2. Overturn Citizens United — corporations are not people.
3. Eliminate the Social Security payroll cap and tax capital gains for Social Security contributions.
4. $25 minimum wage indexed to inflation.
5. Medicare for All, one unified system — no A/B/C/D maze.
6. Congress receives Medicare, not boutique private insurance.
IV. WORKERS, CREATIVES, AND PUBLIC SERVANTS
1. Big pay raises for social workers, teachers, librarians, artists, and cultural workers — the people who actually hold society together.
2. Universal childcare — because families are the foundation of the nation.
3. Free public university education.
4. Full forgiveness of all student debt.
V. CLEAN GOVERNMENT
1. Root out corruption at every level, starting at the top.
2. Full financial transparency for every elected official, appointee, and senior bureaucrat.
3. Ban lobbying for former officeholders for life.
VI. THE FUTURE WE CHOOSE
We choose a country that values:
• Compassion over cruelty
• Community over greed
• Truth over propaganda
• Shared prosperity over billionaire hoarding
• Democracy over minority rule
• Human dignity over corporate profit
We choose a nation where the common good is not a slogan, but the organizing principle of public life.
And we refuse to apologize for demanding better.
Don't you find it interesting that the hedge fund boys and Wall Street are try to make a buck talking a lot about the "chip" . How important is the "Chip" without the " software" ,?. It's it really simple to reverse engineer a chip after all it's right there in front of you to copy and road map to success.
Besides isn't it easier to take old chips and do as much as new chips sometimes .
Original Software engineer is a different story, it takes a lot of talent and brains and more than A I to write exceptional software code ,,in addition to where and how to apply it ,,,and that talent and ability can come from anywhere, America should take notice writing software code has know national or international boundaries or borders. As in the arts how many and where will the future Rembrandt's, Picasso's, Mark Chagall's, Shirin Neshat, Faith Ringgold, Adrian Piper, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keefe's come from and if they were software engineers where and how would they apply those talents and abilities to our benefits if in medicine, healthcare, safety and our future prosperity .
But will America continue to isolate internationally and play the wall street crypto pozi skeem of the 5 trillion dollar make believe chip .
Is there a software engineer out there that could do a lot more with a different kinda chip requiring a lot less power ? Welcome to America if we can get you in ,,,to join the team,, and of course if you want to stay after 3 and half years of our Putin - Trump form of "democracy" ( sorry, I didn't mean to get political)
Good luck America, have a great day my friends.
I would note that because the Uniparty and the corporate media are owned by the financiers, we won't succeed in taxing the wealthy to pay for civilization. We will just continue the game of taxing working professionals more and pretending we are taxing the wealthy. Success will come only through (as Mr. Beck notes below) getting off the couch and organizing, https://laboristmovement.substack.com/p/getting-there-laborist-organizing but organizing with the entirely feasible goal of rewiring our market economy so that the returns from work go to the workers who produce them, not to parasitic financiers. https://laboristmovement.substack.com/p/laborism . Otherwise we will be spinning our wheels, and we don't have time for that any more. Financier capitalism is collapsing under its own weight, and its death throes will only get more ugly unless we organize to replace it with market laborism.
RALPH HAS ALWAYS GIVEN UP HIS LIFE FOR THE PUBLIC WE OWE HIM AT LEAST I LISTEN TO HIS RADIO HOUR HE IS THE BEST INVESTIGATOR REPORTER I KNOW IN THE WORLD. AND UNFORTUNATELY WE ONLY HAVE THEM FOR A FEW MORE YEARS I'M AFRAID SO WHO'S EVER WITHIN THE REALM OF MY MESSAGE AND THE SOUND OF MY VOICE RALPH NADER IS MUST LISTENING TO IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S REALLY THE TRUTH OUT THERE IN THIS UNIVERSE! GOD BLESS YOU TALPH, MANY YEARS MORE
THE COMMON GOOD MANIFESTO
A society built for people, not predators.
We are at our best when we invest in each other.
We are at our worst when we abandon the vulnerable.
This manifesto is how we return to the common good.
I. DIGNITY AND JUSTICE
1. Release the Epstein files — full transparency, no exceptions.
2. Impeach, convict, and imprison Donald Trump and every handler who enabled his corruption.
3. No federal office for any convicted felon.
4. End the weaponization of the justice system against the poor, immigrants, LGBTQ people, and marginalized communities.
II. DEMOCRACY THAT ACTUALLY WORKS
1. Abolish the Electoral College — one person, one vote.
2. Abolish ICE — replace it with humane immigration policy that honors human rights.
3. Ban gerrymandering with a standardized national apportionment method.
4. Two-term limits for every elected office.
5. Mandatory retirement at 70 for all elected officials.
6. Paper ballots only — end the era of hackable voting machines.
III. AN ECONOMY THAT SERVES PEOPLE
1. Restore 1950s-style progressive tax rates — when America was prosperous and fair.
2. Overturn Citizens United — corporations are not people.
3. Eliminate the Social Security payroll cap and tax capital gains for Social Security contributions.
4. $25 minimum wage indexed to inflation.
5. Medicare for All, one unified system — no A/B/C/D maze.
6. Congress receives Medicare, not boutique private insurance.
IV. WORKERS, CREATIVES, AND PUBLIC SERVANTS
1. Big pay raises for social workers, teachers, librarians, artists, and cultural workers — the people who actually hold society together.
2. Universal childcare — because families are the foundation of the nation.
3. Free public university education.
4. Full forgiveness of all student debt.
V. CLEAN GOVERNMENT
1. Root out corruption at every level, starting at the top.
2. Full financial transparency for every elected official, appointee, and senior bureaucrat.
3. Ban lobbying for former officeholders for life.
VI. THE FUTURE WE CHOOSE
We choose a country that values:
• Compassion over cruelty
• Community over greed
• Truth over propaganda
• Shared prosperity over billionaire hoarding
• Democracy over minority rule
• Human dignity over corporate profit
We choose a nation where the common good is not a slogan, but the organizing principle of public life.
And we refuse to apologize for demanding better.
Thank you.
I wish you HAD been president. You had my vote.
🌟AMERICAN TREASURE- PATRIOT & ICON…
RALPH NADER🌟
The AI boom is visible from orbit. Satellite photos of New Carlisle, Indiana, show greenish splotches of farmland transformed into unmistakable industrial parks in less than a year’s time. There are seven rectangular data centers there, with 23 more on the way.
Inside each of these buildings, endless rows of fridge-size containers of computer chips wheeze and grunt as they perform mathematical operations at an unfathomable scale. The buildings belong to Amazon and are being used by Anthropic, a leading AI firm, to train and run its models. According to one estimate, this data-center campus, far from complete, already demands more than 500 megawatts of electricity to power these calculations—as much as hundreds of thousands of American homes. When all the data centers in New Carlisle are built, they will demand more power than two Atlantas.
I need help with domestic intellectual property theft.