Summary
Progressives criticized the attendance of billionaires like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos at Donald Trump’s inauguration, labeling them “billionaires’ row” and emblematic of an administration prioritizing the wealthy.
Critics argue the inauguration, funded by over $200 million in corporate and lobbyist donations, signals a pro-billionaire agenda.
Trump’s proposed Cabinet includes 13 billionaires, with a combined net worth of over $460 billion, and aims to push tax cuts for the rich.
Bernie Sanders and other progressives warn against “government by the billionaires, for the billionaires.”
I’m reminded of a story, I think it’s fiction just to get the point across, about a room full of monkeys, a banana hanging from the ceiling, and a ladder to get the banana. If any monkey tries climbing the ladder, someone comes in and hoses down all of the monkeys. Eventually the monkeys figure it out and actively stop other monkeys from trying to climb the ladder. Slowly, they introduce new monkeys and the new monkeys learn to not climb the ladder without ever having been hosed down themselves. Instead they will stop other monkeys from climbing it. Eventually you have a whole room of monkeys that won’t climb the ladder for the banana and have no idea why.
It’s a neat story and I guess what I’m trying to say is we would probably have to hose down the monkeys a few times