Mr. Collins has been one of our favorite guests. His institute does studies that provide accurate statistics about the accumulation of wealth at the very top. The result is a precise documentation of class wars.
For example, since 2008 $91 out of every $100 in increased earnings has gone to the very richest of our citizens. And most of that increase is a result in lower estate taxes. We are becoming a "patrimonial capitalist" state.
There are fixes based on enlightened policy, and Mr. Collins thinks those battles can be won with the right constituencies and alliances. The last part of his book describes how these movements might be organized on the grassroots level.
In fact, we are faced with a decision, whether to reform our so called democracy, or to break our capitalist chains and try something new. For myself, I have been hoping for the reemergence of the New Deal, with social and economic justice for all. To get there would require a new third party with its own news media.
It may be that such reforms can't really establish a just and stable economic system. We will probably know the answer in the next twenty years, as greed will soon tear our building down.
