Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders
“We are well on our way to see our country move to an oligarchy, where power rests in the hands of a few families,” he said.
Senator Sanders said inequality in the US is worse than it has been at any time since the 1920s. He noted that 23 billionaire families have contributed at lease $250,000 each so far in this year’s campaigns.
He added that the wealthiest 400 individuals own more wealth than the bottom 150 million Americans – roughly half the country.
“What the Supreme Court did in Citizens United is to say to these same billionaires and the corporations they control: ‘You own and control the economy, you own Wall Street, you own the coal companies, you own the oil companies. Now, for a very small percentage of your wealth, we’re going to give you the opportunity to own the United States government,' ” Sanders said.
“This is the essence of what Citizens United is all about – and that’s why it must be overturned,” he said.
