In this story from Bloomberg, some of the wealthiest men in America defend themselves (presumably from the comfort of their immaculately decorated offices and private jets) against the unfair, heinous attacks of the Occupy movement and those pesky protesters who seem displeased by the widening disparity between the richest few and the folks worried about feeding their families. The CIA says there’s more economic inequality in America today than Iran or India. Not too far in, there’s this bit from Bernard Marcus, the 82-year-old co-founder of Home Depot:
“If successful businesspeople don’t go public to share their stories and talk about their troubles, ‘they deserve what they’re going to get,’ said Marcus, 82, a founding member of Job Creators Alliance, a Dallas-based nonprofit that develops talking points and op-ed pieces aimed at ‘shaping the national agenda,’ according to the group’s website. He said he isn’t worried that speaking out might make him a target of protesters. ‘Who gives a crap about some imbecile?’ Marcus said. ‘Are you kidding me?'”
What, exactly, he thinks rich people who don’t defend themselves “deserve” isn’t clear. (Do the just deserts include tax increases? Bloody revolution? Being forced to fly coach?) What is clear is that Marcus, a man “shaping the national agenda,” believes anyone bothered by the current economic disparity in this country is an “imbecile” he doesn’t “give a crap about.”
