It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism

Even if you end up disagreeing with much of what Bernie has to say, you won’t be able to deny his devotion and concern for the working class. His arguments will make you at least seriously think. A great summary of much that is working against the bottom 99% of us and examples from around the nation and world of what works. Bernie will challenge a lot of deeply held notions and may open your eyes to forces shaping society and the economy of which you are unaware.

I seldom read books written by politicians or their armies of consultants and aides. They are too predictably self-serving and inevitably provide little that is new or insightful. This book was an exception, and I was richly rewarded for my purchase and time. It is concise, well-written, and without reservation. Bernie threw caution to the wind and said what is known, but seldom talked about, in the halls of contemporary power in America today.Bernie addresses all the usual suspects, from health care to climate change. But he saves his greatest wrath for the capitalist forces that subordinate and exploit working Americans, most of whom are indentured wage-earners, and 60% of which struggle to get by from one paycheck to another. As he so correctly notes, it is capitalism itself, now hijacked by the owners of capital who control Wall Street, the banks, and corporate America, that is to blame for much of what ails America today. “The uber-capitalist economic system that has taken hold in the United States in recent years, propelled by uncontrollable greed and contempt for human decency, is not merely unjust. It is grossly immoral.”We are, as a result, witnesses to, and victims of, the greatest consolidation of wealth and income the country has ever seen: “Yet, roughly 90 percent of the wealth of the nation is owned by one-tenth of 1 percent of that total [population].” “Three firms – BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street – now control assets of over $20 trillion and are the major stockholders in more than 96 percent of S&P companies.” “…three multibillionaires own more wealth than the 160 million Americans who make up the bottom half of our society.” Workers “wages have been stagnant for fifty years” despite huge increases in productivity, the benefits of which has all been transferred upward.There are many culprits, as Bernie notes, but none more significant than the formation of monopolies in all facets of the economy, particularly tech and finance. The eighteenth-century Scottish political economist, Adam Smith, who provided the blueprint for Western democratic capitalism, warned us that while free markets are more productive than regulated markets, they are prone to the formation of monopolies, which have to be regulated out of existence or they will destroy economic balance.This inherent tendency, however, was hastened by the tech revolution, which famously removed the most significant barrier to monopolization; the capture, management, and dissemination of information. No longer restricted by geography or the practical constraints of managing growth, the tech revolution, having first established massive tech monopolies through structural disruption, not managerial talent, went on to monopolize traditional industries of every stripe – all while enriching Wall Street, the banks, and the capital class. “Today, roughly 90 percent of all U.S. media is controlled by eight major media conglomerates…“ “In 2020, the CEOs of just eight prescription drug companies made $350 million in total compensation.”The most visible manifestation of this demonic uber-capitalism is the total commercialization of American society and culture. Corporate executives were turned into capitalists by the activist shareholders of the 1980s and 90s. Entertainment and leisure was commercialized at about the same time.In the 00s and 10s our political system was commercialized by the super-PACs and SCOTUS, which gave us Citizens United and Buckley v. Valeo, essentially turning our politicians into puppets of the capitalist class.Most recently, even amateur sports have been uber-commercialized, as witnessed by the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball championship. NIL’s and the trade portal, along with corporate glorification of celebrity college athletes in the interest of selling unrelated products have made college sports a battle of mercenaries, essentially vaporizing the notion of team play and team spirit.All told, this is a great book that shines a light on the blight of uber-capitalism and its negative impact on our politics, our society, and the quality of the lives we lead. In this election year it is the one book you should read. Thank you, Bernie.

Bernie Sanders' "It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism" really gets to the heart of the frustrations so many of us feel. He does a great job pointing out the flaws in our system, from income inequality to the way big corporations seem to have more say in our lives than we do. Sanders lays out a bunch of solid policy suggestions, and honestly, I agree with most of them. The problem, which he acknowledges, is that even though these ideas have wide support among regular people, getting Congress to act on them is a whole other story.It’s frustrating because Sanders shows that many of these changes, like universal healthcare or raising the minimum wage, are totally possible. The real barrier is the political gridlock and special interests that keep things stuck. This book is a good wake-up call for anyone who feels like the system is broken but isn’t sure why or how to fix it. Sanders doesn’t sugarcoat anything, and while it's inspiring, it also leaves you wondering how long it'll take for real change to happen.

A “cry of the heart” from a principled politician is refreshing. I have no objection to some people being more prosperous than others, and neither does Mr. Sanders. But the wealth disparity in the U.S. is genuinely obscene and more so in that the wealthiest among us do not contribute proportionally to maintain everything needed to keep their capital flows going. Every branch of the U.S. government is now captured by monied interests, the legislature most of all, and this is true at both national and State levels. Sanders repeatedly touches on this issue and rightly so. It is the core of our problem.In some detail, Sanders covers health care, education, child care, the media (all types), and our political process. His overarching issue is the class conflict between labor and capital, between the owners of concentrated capital and the population who labor to produce the goods and services that generate the wealth. He is right. Sanders is no Marxist. He is not opposed to class distinctions. He wants to make the distinctions more balanced and he is right to do so because the present disparity is causing tens of millions to suffer in one way or another.Sanders paints with a broad brush—necessary to keep the book of moderate length and easily read. He succeeds on both counts, but there is a price to be paid. Many of his arguments are oversimplified. The petroleum industry—even despite its decades of obfuscation on the subject—is not solely responsible for climate change. A great deal of that accountability belongs to consumers, most of whom are of the laboring class.Sanders writes a lot about the disarray of the present Democratic party and how it has come about. He is right about much of it. Citizens United in 2009 did not help, forcing Democrats into the same fund-raising frenzy from the rich as the Republicans. But one thing he doesn’t mention is the present cultural obsession with identity politics, a phenomenon whose emergence has been solely an effort of the political left beginning in the 1970s. As much as anything else, besides money, this has distracted the Democratic Party from the wider issue of class. No matter to what race you belong or the LGBTQ+ letter you choose for yourself, you are still, most likely, among the laboring class. That most fundamental, political divide is now diffused by the demands of alternate identities.I am being perhaps unfair to Sanders. His goal is not an exhaustive analysis of factors responsible for America’s social, cultural, and political unraveling. He wants us to aspire to a better American society for all, even capitalists who will face less resentment should Sanders’ vision for balancing the scales ever come about. It might never be possible, but it is a good and hopeful vision.

This book is very good!

O que mais tenho gostado, e de ler enquanto escuto no audible a narracao feita pelo proprio Sanders (uma experiencia hilaria). Bernie tem o dom da palavra. Dessa vez tive sorte o livro demorou mas chegou sem avarias.

It is funny, but the older I get, the more Bernie Sanders resonates with my limited view of life. As a life-long small "c" conservative, I always believed in the principals of the free market. But Bernie Sanders highlights the dangers of extreme capitalism and the myths we all accepted without questioning. Wonderful book, wonderfully insightful leader who always stayed true to his beliefs.

Very informative and insightful lots of talking points with the main point being the transfer of wealth from the lower class to the elite.Amazing read. Would recommend

En los primeros capítulos Bernie Sanders nos cuenta sin éxitos electorales y políticos, lo que no era lo que yo buscaba al comprar este libro. Pero también hace una descripción llena de datos contundentes sobre la situación política real en EEUU, y de los problemas que causan las tremendas disparidades económicas. Todo el libro es interesante, pero nadie debe quedarse sin leer los capítulos 4, 5 y 9, para tener una visión de lo que es EEUU hoy.

For personal reading . The book is very factual .