Jim Hightower's Lowdown

What Floats Jeff Bezos’ Boat


Listen Later

Not only are the rich different from you and me – they’re getting more different than ever.
I’m not referring to mere millionaires, but to the billionaire bunch. In the past year, while ordinary Americans have lost jobs, businesses, and homes due to the pandemic economic crash, America’s 664 billionaires have found themselves nearly 40 percent richer than before COVID! These fortunate few collectively added more than a trillion dollars in 2020 to their personal stashes of wealth. And practically all of them got so much richer by doing nothing – their money made the extra money for them, because corporate stock prices zoomed even as regular people lost income.
Take a peek at THE richest of these different ones: Jeff Bezos, the Alpha-geek of Amazon. He hauled in an additional $75 billion last year (roughly $37 million an hour). You could do a lot of good with such riches… or you could splurge on yourself.
Jeff splurged. He bought one of the largest sailing vessels ever built. More than one-and-a-third football fields long, the superyacht cost the diminutive mega-billionaire some half-billion bucks. Plus, he’ll pay some $60 million each year for operating expenses. Also, he had to buy a “support yacht” to sail along with his main boat. Why? Because the three sails on his 400-footer are so huge that a helicopter can’t land on the deck, requiring an auxiliary yacht to provide a helipad.
See, the rich really are different – where to park our helicopter while at sea is a problem you and I don’t have to face.
According to mega-yacht sellers, the main draw of these ostentatious purchases is that they reinforce inequality, literally letting the rich float in leisure and luxury, oceans apart from even having to see hoi Polloi like us.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Jim Hightower's LowdownBy Jim Hightower

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

334 ratings


More shows like Jim Hightower's Lowdown

View all
On the Media by WNYC Studios

On the Media

9,071 Listeners

CounterSpin by Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting

CounterSpin

493 Listeners

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy by BestOfTheLeft.com

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy

3,358 Listeners

Ring of Fire Radio with Farron Cousins by Audio Matters LLC

Ring of Fire Radio with Farron Cousins

477 Listeners

Ralph Nader Radio Hour by Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader Radio Hour

1,170 Listeners

The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,578 Listeners

The Nation Podcasts by The Nation Magazine

The Nation Podcasts

395 Listeners

The DSR Network by The DSR Network

The DSR Network

1,729 Listeners

The Hartmann Report by Thom Hartmann

The Hartmann Report

1,355 Listeners

The Atlantic Interview by The Atlantic

The Atlantic Interview

1,743 Listeners

Gaslit Nation by Andrea Chalupa

Gaslit Nation

3,953 Listeners

The Al Franken Podcast by ASF Productions

The Al Franken Podcast

8,667 Listeners

Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast by WNYC Studios

Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

677 Listeners

The PoliticsGirl Podcast by Meidas Media Network, Leigh McGowan

The PoliticsGirl Podcast

4,122 Listeners

Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson

Letters from an American

4,979 Listeners