How the ‘Second America’ Is Falling Apart: Bernie Sanders

Darwin, September 27 — Let’s take a deep breath for a moment. And for that moment, let’s forget Donald Trump, Jimmy Kimmel, the United Nations, Charlie Kirk, Gaza, government shutdowns, and the many other crises facing us. Instead, let’s talk about a reality that corporate‑controlled media and corporate‑controlled political systems rarely discuss. We are witnessing the rise of two Americas — one for the billionaire class, and one for everyone else.

In the first America, the wealthy are shamelessly growing even richer; they’ve never had it so good. In the second America lives the majority — people who depend on monthly paychecks just to survive. They struggle to afford the most basic needs: food, health care, housing, and education

The simple truth is that never before in U.S. history have so few had so much wealth and power, while so many lived in economic desperation.

In the first America:

• One man — Elon Musk, the world’s richest — with a net worth over $480 billion, holds more wealth than the bottom 52 percent of American households combined. After spending $290 million to help put Trump back in the White House, Musk’s fortune has grown by $180 billion since election day. That’s a staggering return.
• Jeff Bezos, the world’s fourth richest, has about $233 billion. He can sail to Venice on a $500 million yacht, spend $50 million on his wedding, and gift his wife a $3–5 million ring — all while his effective tax rate is around just 1.1 percent.
• Mark Zuckerberg, worth $258 billion, has purchased 11 homes in Palo Alto to build a private compound, invested $270 million in 2,300 acres in Hawaii (including a 5,000‑foot underground bunker), and owns multiple luxury yachts worth over $530 million.
• Larry Ellison, with more than $377 billion, gained nearly $100 billion in a single day. He owns a private island, a jet fleet, and is reportedly considering buying major media companies like Warner Bros. and CNN.

Together, these four alone control over $1.3 trillion in wealth. But they are just a part of it — the top 1 percent now holds more wealth than the bottom 93 percent.

This 1 percent lives in a completely different realm than ordinary Americans. They don’t ride overcrowded subways, they don’t get stuck in traffic. They move by private jets and helicopters. They live in mansions around the world, send their children to elite private schools, vacation on private islands, and some even spend millions to travel to space.

Then there’s the second America, where the vast majority of people reside. For these Americans, the system is not just broken — it is collapsing.

• Despite huge gains in worker productivity, real weekly wages for many Americans are lower than they were more than 52 years ago.
• People cannot afford a doctor’s visit (if they can even find one). More than half of limited incomes go to rent or mortgage payments. The costs of childcare, college, and decent food are out of reach for many.
• For many, the system is beginning to resemble life in the Third World.

Everyone needs health care, yet over 85 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured — and that number will rise under Trump’s proposed “big, beautiful” healthcare plan.

Everyone needs housing — nearly 800,000 Americans are homeless. Over 20 million households spend more than half of their income on rent or mortgage.
Everyone needs a decent education — yet public schools are crumbling, teachers are underpaid and undervalued, and higher education is unaffordable for many.

Justice Louis Brandeis warned in 1933:

“We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of the few; but we cannot have both.”
That warning is even more relevant today.

America is at a crossroads. We must build a government and an economy that work for all, not just the wealthy. Otherwise, we will slide into an oligarchy, where billionaires control our government, economy, and future.
If we refuse to let Trump and his oligarch allies divide us, we can change the path we are on. The choice is clear: let us stand together for democracy and justice.

— Senator Bernie Sanders

(originally published in The Guardian)