Burned by Billionaires; Unrig the System
The Nation

(October 6, 2025) — Recently, it has become increasingly evident that extreme concentrations of wealth and power have profound impacts on our politics, but extreme inequality’s influence on our daily lives — and our futures — has been vastly overlooked.

Have you ever felt like the rules are different for the ultra-wealthy? That no matter how hard you work, the gap between the rich and everyone else just keeps growing? You’re not just imagining it.

The new book, Burned By Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives and Planet by Chuck Collins, a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies and The Nation‘s Oligarch Watch columnist, pulls back the curtain on a system where a handful of individuals have accumulated staggering wealth and power — and reveals the direct impact this has on our everyday lives.

This isn’t just about numbers in a bank account. It’s about:

• The Housing Crisis:Why investors are on track to own 40% of all single-family rentals by 2030, pricing millions out of the market.
• Your Healthcare:How private equity’s takeover of hospitals and emergency rooms is leading to higher costs and worse care.
• Stagnant Wages:Why worker productivity has soared 64.7% since 1979, while wages have only grown by 14.8%.
• A Rigged Tax System:How the wealthiest avoid billions in taxes while ordinary citizens shoulder the burden.

Burned By Billionaires is more than an exposé; it’s a crucial guide to understanding the forces that are actively reshaping our society. It connects the dots between the headlines about billionaire fortunes and the everyday struggles faced by millions.

This book provides the facts, figures, and stories you need to understand what’s really happening to our economy and democracy. If you care about social justice and economic fairness, this is a must-read.

Don’t just get mad. Get informed.

Pick up your copy here, direct from The New Press, and support progressive, public-interest book publishing.

This is an ad; not an endorsement or a reflection of editorial policy and it does not in any way determine the content of The Nation or TheNation.com.