Tired of being beaten up in the press and the focus of public protests, some of America’s richest individuals are banding together to shape the national discourse on the top 1%, or, as comedian John Hodgman refers to them, “moneyed Americans.”

 

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase and the highest-paid chief executive officer ($23 million in 2010) among the heads of the six biggest U.S. banks, has said it’s not fair to “denigrate the whole” if there’s “a bad apple” among the rich. He added that he doesn’t understand why the non-wealthy think to be “successful is bad” and “because you’re rich you’re bad.”

 

Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus also has joined in the campaign, saying he’s not concerned if he speaks out about being rich. “Who gives a crap about some imbecile?” Marcus told Bloomberg of those who might ridicule him for defending the country’s elite.

 

A defiant Ken Langone, co-founder of Home Depot, said, “I am a fat cat. I’m not ashamed.” Billionaire Tom Golisano, who founded Paychex Inc., told Bloomberg, “If I hear a politician use the term ‘paying your fair share’ one more time, I’m going to vomit.”

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

Bankers Join Billionaires to Debunk ‘Imbecile’ Attack on Top 1% (by Max Abelson, Bloomberg)

Why Jamie Dimon Just Doesn't Get It (by Robert Greenwald, Huffington Post)