Interview with Scott Ellis - Patriotic Millionaire

When a regular Fremantle Shipping News reader recently dropped our Editor, Michael Barker, a line about the US-based Patriotic Millionaires organisation, and about Scott Ellis in particular, what was he to do?

Patriotic Millionaires is a group of wealthy Americans advocating for higher taxes on the rich, stronger democracy, and fairer economic systems. Its mantra is TAX THE RICH, PAY THE PEOPLE, SPREAD THE POWER. And Scott Ellis is one of the Patriotic Millionaires.

Scott is the founder and CEO of MasteryTrack, and a former McKinsey consultant and Hewlett-Packard executive who has turned to philanthropy and activism. Amongst other contributions on the topic of excessive wealth, he is the author of a recent Time magazine op-Ed titled: ‘I’m a Millionaire. No One Needs More than $30 million’.

Well, of course, our Ed followed up our reader’s kind email, made contact with Scott’s people and then made an arrangement with Scott to make this podcast – he in Silicon Valley, California and our Ed in downtown Freo – to discuss what Patriotic Millionaires is all about, Scott’s own background and his journey to becoming an advocate in the US – and now beyond – for measures to curb excessive wealth, like a 50% tax on household wealth over US$30 million.

Scott Ellis

The podcast – that you’ll find below at the end of this post – ranges freely over Scott’s contributions to the topic of excessive wealth, including his papers titled Let’s talk Pathway to Shared Prosperity and The $30 Million Success Project, as well as the Great Economy Project initiated by Patriotic Millionaires. It’s a podcast designed to make one think.

We also ask Scott about the novel he wrote a decade or so ago, and his fascination with Diplomacy!

By Michael Barker, Editor, Fremantle Shipping News

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