Free Republic

When the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg accepted a $1 million prize from a liberal billionaire’s foundation, she pledged to pass the money to a list of designated charities. Four years later, it is unclear where Ginsburg sent that money—an ambiguity that experts say raises conflict of interest concerns. The Berggruen Institute, a private foundation founded by billionaire investor Nicolas Berggruen, awarded Ginsburg its annual $1 million Philosophy & Culture award during a swanky star-studded event in December 2019. At the time, ethics experts raised red flags over Ginsburg’s acceptance of the prize, noting that the bounty far...

Billionaires, Insiders Plan To Place $10-Billion Tax Hike On 2012 California Ballot Acting as the Think Long Committee, they want to change the tax system to increase money for public schools and universities and for local governments. By Anthony York, Los Angeles Times November 20, 2011 Reporting from Sacramento— Joining the battle over California taxes, a group of billionaires and political insiders say they will place a $10-billion tax increase on the November 2012 ballot. The Think Long Committee, which includes Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, former governors Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles philanthropist Eli Broad, says its...

Some are deriding Nicolas Berggruen and other wealthy reform advocates for jumping into the initiative fray with plans for fixing California's tax system, schools and other services. This editorial board has long been leery of initiatives, and we certainly understand why many are angry about wealth disparities that have grown wider since the recession. Yet Californians shouldn't reflexively reject a reform measure because its backers are wealthy. Instead, we should welcome the energy behind any and all efforts to fix California's governance and finances, and recognize that any change in the status quo will require not only strong grass-roots support,...

His name is Nicolas Berggruen, and he is the subject of a new profile in Bloomberg Markets magazine. Berggruen's art-dealer dad gave him a $250,000 trust fund and he's multiplied that by 10,000—a $2.5 billion fortune. He hasn't had a home address since 2000; now he "constantly roams the world on his Gulfstream IV jet, living out of five-star hotels," reports the magazine. Berggruen might not share Soros' poor-to-rich background, but he shares Soros' passion for politics and even some of his specific policy proposals, such as a more integrated Europe.