Billionaire Jeff Greene, who got a lot of media attention when he said the average American should tighten his or her belt and expect less, claimed he was misquoted by a reporter in Davos. Greene told CNBC that he once waited tables, and knows what it is like to try to make ends meet. Greene ran for Senate as a Democrat in 2010, and says he thinks the wealthy should pay higher taxes and the minimum wage should be raised.
Greene got a lot of heat when he (allegedly) said at the economic summit in Davos, ”America’s lifestyle expectations are far too high and need to be adjusted so we have less things and a smaller, better, existence. We need to reinvent our whole system of life.”
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Jeff Greene insists he wasn’t misunderstood but was completely misquoted and blamed the noisy room for the reporter totally misconstruing what he said. What Green claims he did say was that “global equalization of wages and technology… has killed so many jobs in America and western economies and is going to kill them at an even faster pace going forward.”
In terms of a resolution, Greene said the wealthy should pay higher taxes; “I’m certainly prepared to pay higher taxes.” In addition, more educational opportunities should be available, and the minimum wage should be raised.