Burned by Billionaires: The Price of Concentrated Power

In tonight’s episode, Eri steps out of the sound booth to spotlight author Chuck Collins and his new book Burned by Billionaires. Collins exposes how concentrated wealth and political influence are eroding democracy, creating a system where the ultra-rich shape laws, control narratives, and pull power further from the people.

 

#WealthAndPower #EconomicInequality #BillionaireClass #DemocracyAtRisk #ChuckCollins

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
Hello and welcome to the
vlogging pod.
Tonight I was scheduled todo a live
podcast, but unbeknownst to me, after already
setting up in my sound booth, it was
cancelled. So I decided to step out of
the booth, back into my regular work
station where I do my news segments and

(00:26):
bring you something that feels both
timely and important. I
want to talk to you about
an author by the name of Chuck Collins.
Chuck Collins is a senior scholar at the
Institute for Policy Studies and the Co
editor of Inequality.org.
His latest book, Burned by Billionaires,
How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are

(00:48):
Ruining Our Lives and Planet, was
just released this month, and it's
already stirring the kind of conversation
that hits directly at
the core of what we're
seeing play out here in America.
Collin. Argues that when wealth concentrates,
democracy weakens. It's not just about

(01:08):
money, it's about influence. He
explains how the ultra rich
have turned their wealth into political
armor, shaping media narratives, bending
policy, and designing an economy that
works from the top down.
Rather than bottom up. In
his interviews, Collin describes a

(01:29):
system where billionaires create their
own gated version of society,
building layers of protection
around their assets through
tax loops, trusts and off shore
accounts. He
calls it a form of "hyper
extraction", where the wealthiest few
aren't just hoarding money, they' reactively

(01:51):
pulling it out of the system
we all rely on. And the
result, he warns, is a nation
teetering on the edge of
the dynastic Oligarchy. Why
power. Is an inherited and
not earned. What makes Colin
different from a lot of economic
writers is that he doesn't stop

(02:13):
at a diagnosis. He draws a
straight line between wealth and quality
and public instability. How housing
costs, medical debt and underfunding.
schools are all symptoms
of a system captured by
private interests. His message is
simple but heavy. If we
continue letting billionaires write the

(02:35):
rules, we stop being citizens
and start being spectators in
our own democracy.
Today's sources come from The Vermont
Conversation. Oscar Mayer hired Chuck
Collins on how billionaires are fleecing
everyone. Vt digger Billionaires are burning
the planet. An interview with

(02:57):
Chuck Collins. The Common news Crazy
Town podcast episode 111 burned by
billionaires. Resilience and
boom time for, us
billionaires inside the new
age of inequality. The Garden.
Thank you for listening and
until next time, bye, bye

(03:17):
for now.