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Book Cover for: 99 to 1: How Wealth Inequality Is Wrecking the World and What We Can Do about It, Chuck Collins

99 to 1: How Wealth Inequality Is Wrecking the World and What We Can Do about It

Chuck Collins

"America's foremost opponent of inequality brilliantly shows how the 1 percent rigged the rules, looted the country, and got the ninety-nine percent to pay for it."--Juliet Schor, author of Born to Buy

Over recent decades, we've seen a radical redistribution of wealth upward to a tiny fraction of the population. In this book, activist Chuck Collins explains how it happened and marshals wide-ranging data to show exactly what the ninety-nine to one percent divide means in the real world and the damage it causes to individuals, businesses, and the earth.

Most important, he answers the burning question: What can be done about it? He offers a common-sense guide to bringing about a society that works for everyone: the hundred percent. This is a struggle that can be won. After all, the odds are ninety-nine to one in our favor.

"This riveting tale of America as two cities will stay with you for years to come and--watch out! It may rouse you to action on the solutions that Collins spells out with perfect precision." --Charles Derber, author of The Pursuit of Attention

Book Details

  • Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
  • Publish Date: Apr 2nd, 2012
  • Pages: 168
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.47in - 5.56in - 0.46in - 0.48lb
  • EAN: 9781609945923
  • Categories: Political EconomyPublic Policy - Economic PolicySocial Classes & Economic Disparity

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About the Author

Chuck Collins is an organizer and senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, directing its Program on Inequality and the Common Good, as well as a cofounder of Wealth for the Common Good and Inequality.org. He is the author of several books, including Wealth and Our Commonwealth (with Bill Gates Sr.) and Economic Apartheid in America (with Felice Yeskel).

More books by Chuck Collins

Book Cover for: Altar to an Erupting Sun, Chuck Collins
Book Cover for: Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives and Planet, Chuck Collins
Book Cover for: Robin Hood Was Right: A Guide to Giving Your Money for Social Change, Chuck Collins
Book Cover for: Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes, William H. Gates
Book Cover for: Is Inequality in America Irreversible?, Chuck Collins
Book Cover for: Economic Apartheid in America: A Primer on Economic Inequality & Insecurity, Chuck Collins
Book Cover for: Born on Third Base: A One Percenter Makes the Case for Tackling Inequality, Bringing Wealth Home, and Committing to the Common Good, Chuck Collins
Book Cover for: Level Up No Matter What, Chuck Collins

Praise for this book

"The primer for the 99 percent movement to rebuild an economy that works for the 100 percent."
--Van Jones, President, Rebuild the Dream, and author of The Green Collar Economy

"The best popular economics book of 2012. Occupy your mind with Collins's barn burner... It may rouse you to action on the solutions that Collins spells out with perfect precision."
--Charles Derber, author of Corporation Nation and Greed to Green

"America's foremost opponent of inequality brilliantly shows how the 1 percent rigged the rules, looted the country, and got the 99 percent to pay for it. The essential guide for people who want to take back our country. Read and share widely."
--Juliet Schor, author of True Wealth

"Wealth inequality is driving people out of their homes...and in to the streets. From Citizens United to Occupy Wall Street, Chuck Collins offers a clear and incisive understanding of how we got here and the power shift necessary to pull us back together and up to our feet."
--Samantha Corbin, Occupy Wall Street activist and The Other 98% organizer

"99 to 1 gives a fresh take on an old truth: 'Money is like manure--it doesn't do any good unless you spread it around.' Tip: Pay special attention to Chuck's 'What can we do' ideas. Read, absorb, and help spread the wealth!"
--Jim Hightower, national radio commentator and author of Swim Against the Current

"Most businesses want a level playing field, which means terminating subsidies to the largest corporations, eliminating their use of tax havens, getting their money out of politics, and implementing other initiatives that will help create a vibrant and sustainable economy. Collins's proposals would boost enterprises that are rooted in our communities, create jobs, and protect the environment. That's good business."
--David Levine, Executive Director, American Sustainable Business Council

"There is a wide and growing disparity in the access to wealth in this country and across the world. Chuck Collins makes a compelling case for how we can work together--all 100 percent of us--to increase economic opportunity for all Americans."
--Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO, NAACP

"Chuck Collins has delivered a powerful book on how the richest 1 percent have benefited from the sacrifices of working families--and why it's time to give back."
--Richard Trumka, President, AFL-CIO

"Chuck Collins succinctly sums up the history of how we got to the 99-versus-1 divide and provides sound solutions to restore the American Dream. Not only can these solutions bridge the wealth gap, but they can also heal some of our nation's deepest wounds. It's the primer for the 99 percent movement to rebuild an economy that works for the 100 percent."
--Van Jones, President, Rebuild the Dream, and author of The Green Collar Economy

"So if you're rich, you're important; if you're not, you're worthless? That's no basis for a democratic society. Inequality messes with your mind and with the planet. Read this book and help put it right."
--Richard Wilkinson, coauthor of The Spirit Level

"In this compelling and important book, Chuck Collins deftly exposes how the massive heist of national wealth by the richest 1 percent is wreaking havoc with our lives and devastating our world. Collins has been an intrepid advocate for greater equality for years, and he grasps the potential of the Occupy Wall Street movement to reverse the 'inequality death spiral.' This is a passionate and powerful call to arms to save the planet from the clutches of the greedy few."
--Linda McQuaig, coauthor of Billionaires' Ball

"Chuck Collins not only gives us the hard cold facts about inequality in America but also shares with us his gift for optimism. While he warns us that the hour is late to halt the downward spiral of inequality and environmental destruction, the power to make positive change still lies within us, waiting for the spark of renewal. With this remarkable book, Chuck is doing all that he can to rekindle that spark so that together we can fight for real change."
--Les Leopold, author of The Looting of America

"Chuck Collins concisely summarizes the data on income and wealth inequality and in a calm, clear voice reveals why inequality is increasing and what we must do to reverse it. If you are to read one thing this year about inequality and its impact on America, you must read this book. It's all here and very well done at that."
--Barry Bluestone, Dean, School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University

"This is the best popular economics book of 2012. Occupy your mind with Collins's barn burner. You'll understand why inequality has become America's biggest crisis and why the Occupy Movement has captured the imagination of millions around the world. This riveting tale of America as two cities will stay with you for years to come and--watch out! It may rouse you to action on the solutions that Collins spells out with perfect precision."
--Charles Derber, author of Corporation Nation and Greed to Green