The Trouble With Billionaires

The glittering lives of billionaires may seem like a harmless source of entertainment. But such concentrated economic power reverberates throughout society, threatening the quality of life and the very functioning of democracy. It's no accident that the United States claims the most billionaires—but suffers among the highest rates of infant mortality and crime, the shortest life expectancy, as well as the lowest rates of social mobility and electoral political participation in the developed world. Our society tends to regard large fortunes as evidence of great talent or accomplishment. Yet the vast new wealth isn't due to an increase in talent or effort at the top, but rather to changing social attitudes legitimizing greed and government policy changes that favour the new elite. Authoritative and eye-opening, The Trouble with Billionaires will spark debate about the kind of society we want.

The international bestselling attack on the mega-wealthy comes to the UK In this searing and entertaining indictment of the super-rich, Linda McQuaig and Neil Brooks challenge the idea that today’s cavernous income inequality is the result of merit, and reveal how the global economic system has been hijacked by the wealthiest, with disastrous consequences for us all. The high taxes and strong social programmes of the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s gave us sky-high economic growth and rising equality. In recent years, however, we’ve been constantly told that taxes and government spending are bad. McQuaig and Brooks systematically debunk these claims. As their research shows, not only do lower taxes correlate with worse societal outcomes – from health to the environment – they also fail to produce economic prosperity. A daring challenge to the conventional wisdom, The Trouble with Billionaires provides the most compelling case yet for rejecting the Coalition’s mean-spirited mix of tax breaks for the rich and austerity for the rest.

The concentration of wealth today in such a small number of hands inevitably created a dynamic that led to freewheeling financial speculation—a dynamic that produced similarly disastrous results in the last great age of inequality, in the 1920s. Such concentrated economic power reverberates throughout society, threatening the quality of life and the very functioning of democracy. As McQuaig and Brooks illustrate, it's no accident that the United States claims the most billionaires but suffers from among the highest rates of infant mortality and crime, the shortest life expectancy, and the lowest rates of social mobility and electoral political participation in the developed world. In Billionaires' Ball, McQuaig and Brooks take us back in history to the political decisions that helped birth our billionaires, then move us forward to the cutting-edge research into the dangers that concentrated wealth poses. Via vivid profiles of billionaires—ranging from philanthropic capitalists such as Bill Gates to hedge fund king John Paulson and the infamous band of Koch brothers—Billionaires' Ball illustrates why we hold dearly to the belief that they "earned" and "deserve" their grand fortunes, when such wealth is really a by-product of a legal and economic infrastructure that's become deeply flawed.

In need of date for Valentine's Day... At one point in his life, Michael Vilander had it all: the money, the looks, the billion dollar corporation, the girl. There was a time when he was a naive fool in love. Crazy enough, getting left at the alter on your wedding day will change all that. He doesn’t have time to hand-pick his dates. Luckily, his secretary gets the job done—thank you, grandma—ahem, Regina. All women want is money and sex anyway, so getting paired up with the next flavor du jour isn’t ever a problem. Not with his looks. Not with the size of his back account. Not with the size of his...yeah. No complaints in that department. It has never been a problem, until it is. When grandma doesn’t come through, he needs to find a date. One night. For the Valentine’s Day Gala his company sponsors. Having no other choice, Michael puts his matchmaking company to the ultimate test. He creates his own dating profile to find himself a match. What he finds is so much more than he bargained for. She’s smart, naive and beautiful. She’s the opposite of any other women he’s been with and he has to remind himself that their date is only for one night. He wasn’t expecting to walk away with a fake fiancé. Let alone one with a secret that would ruin his reputation. Ah, cake, anyone? This series is perfect for those who love books by: Melissa Foster, Carly Phillips, Louise Bay, Lauren Landish, Kendall Ryan, Lauren Blakely, Emma Chase, Penny Reid, Leigh James, Vi Keeland, Melanie Harlow, Layla Hagen, Penelope Ward, Lili Valente, Aleatha Romig, Tijan, Piper Rayne, Lexy Timms, Piper Lawson, Jessica Hawkins, Laurelin Paige, Elle Kennedy, Kennedy Fox, Helen Hardt, Meredith Wild, J.S. Scott, Nana Malone, T.L. Swan Keywords: book, books, ebook, novel, rich, quick read, serial, series, novel, alpha male, literature, story, stories, hero, fiction, romance, romance ebook, romance ebooks, romance book, romance books, billionaire, wealthy, millionaire, women's fiction, books to read and download, alpha male billionaire romance books, bad boy romance books, steamy romance books, contemporary romance books, hot romance books, office romance books, beach reads, new adult, romantic fiction, romance fiction books, wealthy, billionaire, billionaire romance, romance novel, seduction, sexy, sensual, urban, contemporary, 21st century, current, romance series, contemporary crush, love story, new adult romance, contemporary romance and sex, romance billionaire series, billionaire bachelors series, billionaire romance novels, billionaire romance, happily ever after romance, Colorado romance, brooding hero, brooding billionaire, brooding alpha, billionaire hero, long series, long romance series, wealthy hero, sassy, strong heroine, captivating romance, alpha hero, emotional journey, beach romance, books for summer, books for the beach, family, kissing books, city romance, something hot, happy ending, hot guy, fun summer reads, hot romance series, swoon worthy romance, contemporary romance, contemporary romance series , hot romance, sexy romance novels, lighthearted romance, light romance, feel-good romance, captivating romance, sizzling reads, billionaire cinderella story, billionaire matchmaker, Ashley Bostock, irresistible billionaires, work for it, nothing but trouble, all shook up, no strings attached, now or never, feels like love, love by design, playing for keeps, fake engagement trope, fake engagement romance, rags to riches, opposites attract, matchmaker website, Valentine’s Day event, Valentines’s day, temporary engagement, fake dating, dating profile, rags to riches, Cinderella story, pretty woman, innocent heroine, virgin heroine, proposal, proposal romance, engagement, engagement romance, billionaire matchmaker, billionaire CEO, fake relationship, fake girlfriend, fake romance, pretend girlfriend, pretend relationship, fake fiance

Meet the Billionaires: the 1,645 men and women who control a massive share of global assets worth $6.5 trillion. Darrell West reveals what the other 99.99998% of us need to know. With rich anecdotes and personal narratives, West goes inside the world of the ultra wealthy. Meet U.S. billionaires such as Sheldon Adelson, Michael Bloomberg, David and Charles Koch, George Soros, Tom Steyer, and Donald Trump—as well as international billionaires from around the globe. The growing political engagement of this small supra-wealthy group raises important questions about influence, transparency, and government performance, and West lays bare the wealthification of politics, including: • How billionaires can block appointments and legislation they don't like • Why the supra-wealthy moved into policy advocacy and referenda at the state level • Why billionaires run for office in more than a dozen countries around the world

Why are we selling off the impressive public enterprises we often battled as a nation to create? In the early 1900s, thousands of Canadians battled wealthy interests, winning control of Niagara Falls and creating a public power company. Another popular movement succeeded in creating Canada’s public broadcasting system to counter American dominance of the airwaves. And a Canadian doctor established a publicly owned laboratory that saved countless lives by producing affordable medications, contributing to medical breakthroughs and helping to eradicate smallpox throughout the world. But in recent decades, we have allowed our inspiring public enterprises to be privatized and our vital public programs downsized, leaving us increasingly dominated by the forces of private greed that rule the marketplace. In The Sport and Prey of Capitalists, Linda McQuaig challenges the dogma of privatization, which has defined our political era. She argues that now more than ever, as we grapple with climate change and income inequality, we need to expand, not shrink, our public sphere.

In this Billionaires & Babies novel by USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen Child, one night leads to two babies! When Colton King ended his impetuous marriage to Penny Oaks after just twenty-four hours, it was out of sight, out of mind. But now, more than a year later, Colton discovers Penny's huge secret--actually two little secrets: a baby boy and a baby girl. Colton's only option is to lay claim to his twins. But soon he finds himself laying claim to Penny all over again. Now they have to ask themselves: Was their whirlwind marriage meant to last a lifetime?