Her ne kadar Amerikalıların çoğu şu anda zor günler yaşıyor olsa da, işsizlik giderek artıyor Büyük Buhran seviyeleri ve muazzam hasta veya ölen insan sayısı Korona virüs salgını nedeniyle ülkenin süper zenginleri dikkate değer bir istisna olmaya devam ediyor.
Mali açıdan, they are doing remarkably well. According to the Institute for Policy Studies, between March 18 and April 28, as nearly 30 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits, the wealth of America’s 630 billionaires grew by nearly 14 percent. During April 2020 alone, their wealth increased by over $406 billion, bringing it to $3.4 trillion. According to estimates by ForbesEn zengin 400 Amerikalı, şu anda Amerikan hanelerinin yaklaşık üçte ikisinin sahip olduğu kadar servete sahip.
Bazı süper zenginler have fared particularly well. Jeff Bezos (the wealthiest man in the world) saw his wealth soar between January 1 and early May 2020 to $142 billion―an increase of $27.5 billion. During that same period, Elon Musk’s wealth grew by $11.4 billion to $39 billion and the wealth of Steve Ballmer (ranking sixth in wealth) increased by $8 billion to $66.1 billion. The gains of Mark Zuckerberg (ranking third) were more modest, but his wealth did rise to $79.3 billion.
Although some billionaires lost money, this was not likely to put them out on the streets. The wealth of Bill Gates (ranking second) dropped from about $113 billion to $106 billion, while the wealth of Larry Ellison (ranking ninth) slipped from $58.8 billion to $58.7 billion.
During this time of economic crisis, two features of the U.S. government’s economic bailout legislation facilitated the burgeoning of billionaire fortunes: first, the provision of doğrudan sübvansiyonlar zenginlere ve onların şirketlerine ve ikincisi, büyük vergi indirimleri to rich Americans and their businesses. Consequently, although the U.S. economy continues to deteriorate, stock prices, helped along by this infusion of cash, are once again soaring.
In terms of health, American billionaires are also doing quite nicely, with no indication that any of them have been stricken with the coronavirus. When news of the disease hit, billionaires immediately began süper yat kiralama at fantastic prices to ride out the pandemic. As one yacht broker explained, a yacht “in a nice climate isn’t a bad place to self-isolate.” Such yachts can carry supplies that will last for months, and “clients are arranging for their children to be schooled on board, with cooking lessons from the yacht’s chef and time with the crew in the engine room learning about technology.” Diğer süper zengin Amerikalılar kale benzeri malikanelerine sığındılar ya da özel jetleriyle gözde, tenha bölgelere uçtular.
Of course, the ability of the rich to stave off a serious or fatal illness is enhanced by their easy access to the best of medical care. On Fisher Adası―a members-only location off the coast of Florida where the average income of residents is $2.2 million per year and the beaches are made from imported Bahamian sand―the residents, unlike other Floridians, had no problem purchasing thousands of rapid Covid-19 blood tests. To secure immediate and near-unlimited access to healthcare, including such tests, billionaires often employ “kapıcı doktorlar“-yüksek bir yıllık ücret karşılığında.
Doğal olarak artan servetleri ve nispeten güvenli sağlıkları sayesinde Amerikalı milyarderler alışık oldukları yaşam tarzını sürdürebiliyorlar.
Housing is not a major problem. Although journalists have trouble keeping track of the bewildering array of mansions purchased by America’s billionaires, Jeff Bezos reportedly owns 14 evleriYeni satın alınan 165 milyon dolarlık Beverly Hills malikanesi de dahil. Lüks konutlarından bir diğeriWashington DC'nin seçkin bir bölümünde yer alan 11 yatak odası ve 25 banyodan oluşmaktadır. Rağmen Mark Zuckerberg görünüşe göre sadece 10 evi var, Larry Ellison düzinelerce inanılmaz derecede pahalı malikane ve gayrimenkulün yanı sıra (300 milyon dolar karşılığında) bir Hawaii adası satın aldı.
Bill Gates'in kaç evi var? belirsizdir, as he has made a number of secretive real estate purchases. Nevertheless, they include multiple luxurious horse ranches scattered across the United States. He spends most of the time, though, at Xanadu 2.0, his $127 million, 66,000 square-foot mansion in Medina, Washington. Requiring 300 workers to construct, this behemoth contains very unusual high tech features, a trampoline room with a 20-foot ceiling, six kitchens, a dining room able to seat up to 150 people for dinner, a 22-foot wide video screen, a home theater, garages for 23 cars, and 18.75 bathrooms. There is also a lakefront shore containing large quantities of sand delivered every year by a barge from the Caribbean.
The super-rich have more than enough wealth to squander upon a variety of extravagant items. Their Superyachts cost as much as a billion dollars each, and boast such fixtures as night clubs, swimming pools, helipads, and even missile defense systems. In 2019, the United States ranked dünyada ilk in superyachts, with 158 in operation. Many billionaires also own private süper jetler403 milyon dolarlık (“herhangi bir özelleştirme çalışmasından önce”) “Göklerin Kraliçesi” gibi tam bir ofis, yatak odası ve “şirketin toplantı odasına dönüştürülebilen görkemli bir yemek odası” bulunuyor. (İkisi birden Jeff Bezos ve Bill Gates are superjet owners.) Moreover, the ultra-affluent possess luxury car collections, multiple passports (available for millions of dollars), and gold toilets.
Milyarderler elbette sorunlarla karşı karşıyadır: Can sıkıntısı, gerekli haneyi bulmak "yardım," onların meydan okumalarını savuşturmak giderek umutsuzlaşan işçiler, ve politikacıları yenmek hayati kamu hizmetlerini finanse etmek için büyük servetin vergilendirilmesini savunmaya cesaret eden.
Nevertheless, the vast gulf separating the lives of the super-rich from those of most Americans raises the issue of whether this small, parasitic stratum of U.S. society should be maintained in such splendor. Many Americans might already be wondering about this as they cope with economic collapse and ever-widening death.
Lawrence Wittner (https://www.lawrenceswittner.com/ ) SUNY / Albany'de Tarih Emeritus Profesörü ve Bombayla Yüzleşmek (Stanford Üniversitesi Yayınları).
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