Stinking Rich

<P>Billionaires are an ultra-elite social class whose numbers are growing alongside their obscene wealth while others struggle, suffer or even die. </P><P>They represent a scourge of economic inequality, but how do they get away with it? A set of dangerous and deceptive inter-connected myths portrays them as a ‘force for good’:</P><P>-the ‘heroic billionaire’ asserts they are gallant protagonists of the American Dream gone global </P><P>-the ‘generous billionaire’ pretends that their philanthropic efforts and personal good deeds should be lauded for generosity and benevolence </P><P>-the ‘meritorious billionaire’ insists that extreme wealth is a worthy reward for individual hard work and talent </P><P>-the ‘vigilante billionaire’ claims to be able to solve the world’s biggest problems where bureaucrats and politicians have failed.</P><P>Each of these myths enables billionaire wealth and power to set us back to old-style feudalism and plutocracy.</P><P>Offering a trenchant critique, this incisive book testifies to the growing international political will to take concrete actions in supporting economic justice and democratic equality.</P>