THERE'S A GUY WHO WORKS AT GOOGLE, HIS NAME IS
BRANDON S. HE'S NOT GOING TO TELL YOU HIS NAME, AND WHY?
BECAUSE HE LIVES IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER.
HE'S A GOOGLE
EMPLOYEE AND HE LIVES IN A VAN.
IT'S A TRUCK.
A YOU WILL TYPE
THING THAT HE LIVES IN.
THAT'S THE OUTSIDE, USE THE INSIDE.
HE'S GOT A BED AND SOME FURNISHINGS AND A LIGHT.
THAT'S
WHERE HE LIVES.
HIS NAME IS BRANDON.
WHY IS HE DOING THIS?
HE EXPLAINS HIMSELF.
"I REALIZED I WAS PAYING AN
EXORBITANT AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THE APARTMENT I WAS STAYING IN
AND IT WAS ALMOST NEVER HOME.
HARD TO JUSTIFY SPENDING THAT
MUCH MONEY.
YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY BURNING IT.
YOUR PUTTING EQUITY
IN ANYTHING AND ARE NOT BUILDING UP FOR THE FUTURE, AND THAT WAS
REALLY HARD FOR ME TO
RECONCILE."
HE HAD STUDENT LOANS, TWENTY TO ñ $22,000,
WHICH IS THE SMALLEST STUDENT
LOAN BALANCE I'VE EVER HEARD.
IN SIX MONTHS HE HAS PAINTED
DOWN TO $16,000.
HE SAID ONE
TIME THE POLICE DID BOTHER HIM.
HE EXPLAINED HIMSELF, SHOWED
THEM HIS BADGE, AND SOMEONE SAID IT WAS A PRETTY SWEET SETUP HE
HAS GOT AND HE HAS NOT SINCE
BEEN BOTHERED BY THE POLICE.
WHAT DO WE THINK?
HE USES THE GOOGLE FACILITIES TO TAKE SHOWERS AND ALL OF
THAT STUFF.
>> I'VE BEEN IN A LOT OF GOOGLE FACILITIES, AND THEY ARE
WONDERFUL.
TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF CONTEXT OF WHY HE IS DOING
THIS.
FREE FOOD.
FOR THOSE YOU HAVE NOT BEEN TO SILICON VALLEY,
ALL OF THOSE MAJOR COMPANIES GIVE FREE FOOD, AND IT'S AMAZING
FOOD.
IT'S LIMITLESS.
THE REASON THEY DO THAT IS BECAUSE
THEY WANT YOU TO STAY IN THE
OFFICE AND KEEP WORKING.
YOU ARE HAPPY BECAUSE YOU GOT THE
GOOD FOOD AND YOU'RE NOT PAYING ANYTHING, SO EVERYBODY IS A
WINNER.
IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT AND YOU MAKE AS MUCH MONEY AS
GOOGLE THIS.
THEY GOT GYMS AND
SHOWERS.
THERE'S ONE PLACE WHERE YOU CAN SLEEP LOOKING OVER
NEW YORK CITY.
>> THAT OFFICE IN SAN FRANCISCO, YOU CAN SEE TO NEW YORK.
>> IF THERE'S ANY PLACE YOU CAN LIVE IN A TRUCK AND HAVE
EVERYTHING ELSE TAKEN CARE FOR
YOU, IT'S IF YOU WORK AT GOOGLE.
HE HAS THE LUXURY OF DOING THIS.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I STILL VOTE NO.
>> YEAH, I WOULDN'T DO THIS AT ALL.
TEXT YOU KNOW WHY?
HE'S
TWENTY-THREE YEARS OLD, HOW ARE
YOU GOING TO GET LAID IN A TRUCK?
DUDE, YOU ARE A
TWENTY-THREE-YEAR-OLD AT GOOGLE.
YOU SHOULD BE HITTING THE BARS
LIKE, NOT A BIG DEAL, I WORK AT GOOGLE.
IF YOU AND THAT
SENTENCE WITH, LET'S GO BACK TO MY TRUCK WHY MIGHT MURDER YOU,
IT'S NOT GOING TO END AS WELL.
>> LOOK AT IT, IT'S GOT PAINT AND GRAFFITI ON THE SIDE.
>> WHY DON'T YOU ASK HER TO CARRY YOUR AXE FOR YOU?
I'M NOT
GOING TO KILL YOU, CAN YOU CARRY
MY AXE?
>> CAN WE GO TO YOUR PLACE?
WE CAN DRIVE IN MY PLACE YOUR PLACE.
>> CLICKABLE WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE.
THIS GUY WORKS FOR ONE OF
THE RICHEST COMPANIES IN THE RICHEST COUNTRY ON THE FACE OF
THE EARTH THAT WE'VE EVER SEEN, AND HE HAS A GOOD JOB, AND IT'S
MORE ECONOMICAL FOR HIM TO SLEEP IN A TRUCK.
IF THAT DOES NOT
TELL YOU ABOUT INCOME DISPARITY, THIS TELLS YOU RIGHT THERE.
IT
DOESN'T SAY THAT HE COULD NOT
AFFORD IT, AN APARTMENT, BUT HE SAID IF ALL THIS MONEY BECAUSE
IT IS SO EXPENSIVE TO LIVE IN
SAN FRANCISCO.
IT'S MUCH BETTER TO LIVE THERE THAN NEW YORK
CITY, BY THE WAY.
MAYBE HE IS JUST SAVING MONEY, BUT STILL, HE
SAID IT ISN'T WORTH IT BECAUSE
HE'S NEVER THERE.
THERE'S THAT.
THERE'S THAT COMMENTARY ON THE
WAY THAT WEALTH IS DISTRIBUTED.
PROPERTY OWNERS HAVING ALL THE POWER IN CITIES, AND STUFF
LIKE THAT.
>> NOT TO MENTION, IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE TO LIVE IN A VAN
IN SAN FRANCISCO THAN IT IS TO LIVE ANYWHERE ELSE.
A.
>> I HEAR YOU ON THAT JIMMY, AND IS A GOOD POINT.
BUT IF YOU
WANT TO TAKE IT IN A MORE SERIOUS DIRECTION, IT SHOWS YOU
HOW MUCH STUDENT DEBT IS AN ALBATROSS AROUND PEOPLE'S NECK.
THIS GUY HAS A GOOD JOB, AND HIS LOAN DEBT WAS SMALL COMPARED TO
A LOT OF PEOPLE.
WE ALL GOING TO BE LIVING IN TALKS SOON.
>> I HAVE FRIENDS, TO DOCTORS, THEY HAVE BEEN OUT OF MEDICAL
SCHOOL FOR EIGHT YEARS, AND THEY ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DAY
WHERE THEY ARE WORTH NOTHING.
THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE BROKE DAY,
WHERE THEY DON'T OWE.
THE OBAMA'S TOO, THEY OWED
STUDENT DEBT FOREVER.
>> WE PUT THIS CRUSHING DEBT ON PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GET SMARTER.
WE ALL KNOW EDUCATION HELPS ECONOMIES, AND THEN WE PUT
SUCH AN IMPEDIMENT TO PEOPLE GETTING IT.
IT'S ALL BECAUSE WALL STREET OWNS THE ECONOMY AND THEY
CAN GET ñ THEY CAN MAKE MONEY SELLING DEBT.
>> NOT JUST BERNIE SANDERS, BUT HILLARY CLINTON IS ALSO SAYING,
COLLEGE SHOULD BE FREE SO THAT WE CAN GIVE PEOPLE A REAL
OPPORTUNITY.
I'M BIASED BECAUSE
MY FATHER GOT A FREE EDUCATION, AND WE ENDED UP STOPPING BEING
ALL OF THE FARMERS AND WE CAME TO AMERICA AND LIVE THE DREAM.
I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE THAT EDUCATION MAKES ALL THE
DIFFERENCE.
INSTEAD WHAT WE HAVE?
WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE
CHOSEN TO ENSLAVE THEMSELVES, AND ARE LIVING IN A TRUCK IN A
PARKING LOT, AND HE'S IN ONE OF THE BETTER SITUATIONS.
>> THAT'S CRAZY.
WHEN I TELL PEOPLE THIS ON STAGE AT COMEDY
CLUBS, IT BLOWS PEOPLE'S MINDS.
WE ARE THE RICHEST NATION IN THE
WORLD, WE CAN AFFORD TO PAY FOR
EVERYONE TO GO TO COLLEGE AND IT WOULD NOT HURT THE ECONOMY.
GERMANY HAS THE STRONGEST ECONOMY YET THEY PAY FOR
EVERYBODY'S HEALTHCARE, THEY HAVE A VERY STRONG UNIONS,
AND THEY PAY FOR RELEASE COLLEGE.
AND THEY WORK LESS HOURS THAN THE FRENCH.
>> WHICH IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DO.
>> AND PEOPLE ARE LIKE, MAYBE THERE IS ENOUGH TO GO AROUND,
AND MAYBE THERE ACTUALLY IS A
HANDFUL OF GREEDY MOTHER FUCKERS IN AMERICA EXTRACTING WEALTH.
THERE WAS ANOTHER GUY ON MSNBC A FEW YEARS AGO WHO TOLD US ALL
ABOUT THIS.
HIS NAME IS DYLAN RATIGAN, AND HE SAID THAT WHAT
HAS BEEN HAPPENING OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES IS A SYSTEM THAT HAS
BEEN SET UP IN AMERICA TO EXTRACT WEALTH.
NOT TO
STRENGTHEN THE MIDDLE CLASS, BUT TO EXTRACT WEALTH.
THAT IS WHAT
IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
AS SOON AS HE LAY THAT OUT IN FRONT OF A
PANEL ON A MAINSTREAM NEWS SHOW,
THEY GOT RID OF HIS ASS.
WE HAVE A SYSTEM RIGHT NOW THAT EXTRACT
WEALTH FROM OUR ECONOMY.
IT
DOESN'T GO FOR PAYING FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, IT DOESN'T BUILD
UP.
WE HAVE MORE MONEY THAN WE KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH, AND WHAT
DO WE DO REQUEST THAT WE GIVE UP
TO FIVE WHICH DIES, AND WE SEND THE REST IN BOMBS OVERSEAS.