George Monbiot Quotes

Where enough money calls the tune, the general public will not be heard.

Liberals are concerned about the concentration of wealth because it almost inevitably leads to a concentration of power that undermines democracy.

Whenever the very rich hold views at odds with those of the entire population, the federal government tends to do the rich's bidding.

We are very fond of blaming the poor for destroying the environment. But often it is the powerful, including governments, that are responsible.

Wall Street has too much wealth and political power.

High levels of economic inequality lead to imbalances in political power, as those at the top use their economic weight to shape our politics in ways that give them more economic power.

Over the past few years special interests have had a larger and larger say over who gets what in America, and the voices of average citizens are being shut out.

The ability of the 1 percent to buy politicians and regulators is nothing new in American politics - just as inequality has been a permanent part of our economic system. This is true of virtually all political and economic systems.

In large commercial cities, the money power is, I fear irresistible. It is not by open corruption that it always, or even most generally, operates.

Anger is wonderful. It keeps you going. I'm angry about bankers. About the government.

The Occupy Wall Street protests are shining a national spotlight on the most powerful, dangerous and secretive economic and political force in America.

It is a fact that around the world the elites of every country are making money.

The Negro today perhaps has more political power than ever before and he is worse off than ever before. It is not votes but dollars that count in this civilization.

Where some people are very wealthy and others have nothing, the result will be either extreme democracy or absolute oligarchy, or despotism will come from either of those excesses.

It matters not one iota what political party is in power or what President holds the rein of office. We are not politicians, or public thinkers; we are the rich; we own America; we got it, God knows how, but we intend to keep it if we can by throwing all our tremendous weight of our support, our influence, our money, our political connections, our purchased Senators, our hungry Congressmen, and our public-speaking demagogues, into the scale against any legislation, any political platform, any Presidential campaign that threatens the integrity of our estate.

Water does tend to flow up hill toward money and power.

Today we have families that can buy a congressman and families that cannot buy food for the table.

Those who control the wealth of this society have an influence over political life far in excess of their number.

It is no accident that in America today the gap between the very rich and everyone else is wider than at any time since the Gilded Age. Now, as then, the titans are seeking an even greater political voice to match their economic power. Now, as then, the inevitable danger is that they will confuse their own self-interest with the common good.

Sadly, the system in this country is rigged in favor of wealthy elites who have purchased tremendous influence in our government.

The financial elite do not need special laws for themselves. This is one nation and there is one criminal law.

Money doesn't just buy a nice car; it also buys better education or healthcare. Increasingly, it can buy impunity from justice, a pliant media, favorable laws, business advantage, and even elections. This, in turn, perpetuates the policies that allow a tiny elite to accumulate ever more wealth at the expense of the majority.

We all - even at a base level, even a Republican - understand that the people with the money are the ones with the power. We all learn that.

Lobbyists in Washington are making six figure salaries selling our government out to the corporate interests and we just sit and smile as if nothing is happening while the poor folks are getting poorer and their pharmaceutical bills rise.

Ironically, if you look at Dianne Feinstein's profile and you look at my profile, I'm the 99 percent. Dianne Feinstein's the one percent. She appeals to one percent.