Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett showed in The Spirit Level that unequal societies are sicker, more violent, and more miserable at every income level, including for the rich. More on their research: The Equality Trust. Extreme wealth concentration isn't a neutral backdrop. It correlates with worse mental health, lower trust, shorter lives. So the billionaire isn't just some guy with a big number. His existence is a marker of a distribution that measurably harms everyone, himself included. You can't buy your way out of living in a sick society.
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