The New Era of Super-Wealth

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) thinks something has shifted among America's wealthiest citizens. They're not just rich anymore. They believe they're fundamentally different from everyone else.

"There is a new breed of uber capitalists out there who really believe, and they write about this as well, that they are superior human beings," Sanders said during an appearance on the "Flagrant" podcast earlier this year. According to Sanders, many of today's billionaires see their wealth as validation that they deserve greater power—not just in business, but in politics and society at large.

He drew a parallel to aristocratic thinking from earlier centuries. "Back in the 19th century... I am the king, God made my family king... Sorry you're starving to death but that's the way life goes," Sanders explained. "God told me my family rules." The implication: we've traded divine right for market dominance, but the elitism remains.

Podcast host Andrew Schulz brought up an interesting contradiction: why do so many ultra-wealthy individuals pledge to give away their fortunes only after they die? "As they get closer to death, they're like, 'Our goal is to give away all our money,' which seems to tell me that they think that there is an issue with them having all that money," Schulz observed. Sanders agreed. "I think they want it all. I really do," he said, attributing it to extreme competitiveness.

Rich Country, Poor Outcomes

Sanders hammered home a familiar theme: America has the resources to solve its problems but refuses to prioritize them. "We are the richest country in the history of the world," he said. "And yet, 60% of people live paycheck to paycheck."

The healthcare numbers are particularly stark. The U.S. spends "twice as much per person on healthcare as most European countries," Sanders noted, yet tens of thousands of Americans die each year from preventable causes because they can't afford care. Meanwhile, "we pay child care workers McDonald's wages," he added, despite claiming to value children.

It's a resource allocation problem, according to Sanders. The money exists. It's just going to the wrong places.

The Military Spending Question

Sanders recently doubled down on his criticism of defense spending after President Donald Trump signed the $901 billion National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday. The bill passed both chambers with bipartisan support, but Sanders was among just 20 lawmakers who voted against it.

"We are spending $1 trillion every year on the military. That's more than the next NINE nations combined," Sanders wrote on X following the vote. "Meanwhile, millions lack health care & we have the highest childhood and senior poverty rate of almost any major country. Congress needs to get its priorities straight."

In a video accompanying his statement, Sanders criticized his colleagues for fixating on specific provisions in the defense bill rather than examining the total cost. "We don't look at the bill in its totality," he said. "When you add everything up, we are spending over $1 trillion a year on the military."

The contrast Sanders draws is deliberate: a country that can find a trillion dollars for defense but struggles to provide universal healthcare, affordable childcare, or poverty relief. Whether you agree with his solutions or not, the disparity he's highlighting is hard to ignore.