'When Is Enough, Enough?': Bernie Sanders Blasts Bezos, Zuckerberg For Sky-High Spending

Forbes Breaking News

At a "Fight Oligarchy" event in Portland, Maine, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) criticized billionaires for owning multiple properties as Americans struggle to afford housing.

Transcript

00:00You would think, look, everybody in this room, this arena, wants a good life.

00:04We all want money. We all want to live comfortably. That's kind of natural.

00:08But if you had $5 billion, you might think, hey, I did it.

00:13I got everything I'm ever going to need in my life.

00:15How many homes?

00:17You know, Zuckerberg, I think, has 11 homes in Palo Alto, California.

00:22Bezos has 14 homes. They got jet planes.

00:25They go up to outer space on there where they get bored, you know, and have a good day.

00:31When is enough enough?

00:44They are prepared to destroy Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the B.A., in order to get more for themselves.

00:54And the reason is they are very religious people.

01:01But you know what their religion is?

01:04It's not the Sermon on the Mount.

01:08It's not do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

01:13Their religion is greed.

01:16And they worship on the altar of money.

01:19They want more and more and more.

01:21And they could care less about the implications of their greed.

01:25We love you, Brady!

01:26I love you, too.

01:28I love you, too.

01:35So while the rich get richer, and we live in the wealthiest country in the history of the world,

01:41what's going on for ordinary people?

01:43Well, here's the reality, and you don't hear much about it.

01:46Today in America, 60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck.

01:54Now, you all know what paycheck to paycheck is.

01:57Many of you are living paycheck to paycheck.

01:59I grew up in a family, living paycheck to paycheck.

02:03I know what this is about.

02:05We have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major nation on Earth.

02:13You know, I always get a kick.

02:16And many of my colleagues in the Senate, they say,

02:18We love America!

02:20Love America!

02:21Well, if you love America, you love the children of America and the future of America.

02:29It's not just the kids, not just the children.

02:51We have the highest rate of senior poverty of almost any major country or other.

02:5822, 22% of seniors in America today are trying to survive on $15,000 a year.

03:09I don't know how anybody, let alone a senior, survives on $15,000.

03:18Half the seniors are trying to get by on $30,000 or less.

03:22We have a system, an economic system, which for the working class of this country is broken.

03:28How many people here think that our health care system is working?

03:37Well, it ain't.

03:39It is a broken, cruel, and dysfunctional system.

03:44The function of the current health care system is not to do what virtually every other major country does,

04:04and that is to provide health care to all as a human right.

04:07So, the function of this system is to make as much money for the drug companies and the insurance companies as it can.

04:15So, you've got a health care system, which is broken.

04:22You've got, in terms of our young people, a child care system.

04:25I don't know how it's doing here in Portland, but in Vermont, many places in the country, incredibly expensive,

04:31while child care workers are paid totally inadequate wages.

04:34We have an education system right now in which Trump and his friends basically want to destroy public education in America.

04:46We have teachers in rural areas in my state, and I expect in your state, starting off at $35,000, $40,000 a year.

04:54We've got millions of young people who can't afford to go to college because they don't want to leave school $50,000, $100,000 in debt.

05:05You want to go to medical school, you're a working class kid, you want to go to medical school,

05:09you know what you're going to leave school in debt with? $500,000.

05:13So, you've got an economy that's working for the rich, you've got a health care system that is broken,

05:25you've got an education system that is broken, and you've got a housing system that is totally broken.

05:35You know, I did some calculations, I'm not 100% sure of this, but again, I said my family had no money,

05:41but we lived in a rent-controlled apartment, and I figured it out, given my dad's salary,

05:47we ended up paying about 18% of our income in housing, 18%.

05:54Does anybody here know anybody that's paying 18% today?

05:59The truth is that we've got 20 million households that are paying 50% or more for housing.

06:06So, if you're paying 50% for housing of your income, what the hell do you have left to spend on?

06:13You have nothing, right.

06:15So, you've got a housing system broken, educational system being really attacked right now,

06:21health care system.

06:22Yeah, I mean, yeah.

06:26Well, I guess it's yeah.

06:28I guess I go.

06:29But, I feel like I'm going into this because of my kids,

06:31I feel like I am going into this condition.

06:31Okay.

06:32I go.

06:33I, I feel like I'm going into this con there الذي is going upered suicide.

06:34So, if you're going to do it with me, isn't good enough?

06:35It was a good match.

06:36I ringing into him so well.

06:38I still see my parents' mãoz on the foot.

06:40I'm getting any tips there.

06:40So, when I'm into this.

06:41I guess I'miggle that could have a with you in Gangway.

06:43So watch a with you in your hands on.

06:44Great, for you.

06:46I would smell it well.

06:48Yeah.

06:50Yeah, good morning.

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