‘Even our Pets’: Oscar Mayer’s Heir Calls Out Billionaire Control 

Chuck Collins was born into one of Wisconsin’s most recognizable families. He is the great-grandson of legendary meat mogul Oscar Mayer. But instead of following the family fortune, Collins chose a different path. He gave away his inheritance in his twenties, while questioning the fairness of a system allowing so much wealth to be passed down while others struggled to make ends meet.

“I kind of won the lottery at birth,” Collins says. “But I came to believe that too much inherited wealth was creating dynasties that pull up the ladder of opportunity for everyone else.”

The Mars family, the candy makers, now controls much of the pet food industry. They’re squeezing profits from places where we don’t have a choice.

Chuck Collins

Now based in Vermont, Collins directs the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies, co-edits inequality.org, and is a proud member of Patriotic Millionaires. The group is made up of wealthy Americans advocating for higher taxes on the rich and stronger wages for workers. His new book, Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives and Planet, digs into how today’s billionaire class is exerting control over everyday aspects of American life.

“There are about 915 billionaires in the U.S. holding $8 trillion in wealth,” Collins explains. “Once you have more than $40 million, you’re not just buying mansions and jets. You’re buying senators and media outlets. That’s where wealth turns into power, and power becomes corruption.”

Collins points to the rising costs of health care, housing, and even pet ownership — all examples of billionaire influence reaching deep into the pockets of working families. 

“Pet food and veterinary care costs have skyrocketed,” he says. “That’s because billionaire-backed investment firms are buying up what used to be mom-and-pop clinics and pet food brands. The Mars family, the candy makers, now controls much of the pet food industry. They’re squeezing profits from places where we don’t have a choice.”

And he adds, similar patterns can be found in health care, housing, and utilities. 

“A third of U.S. emergency rooms are now owned by private equity firms,” he shares. “And right here in the Midwest, billionaire-backed data centers are moving in, driving up energy prices for local residents.”

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Listen to the discussion starting at the halfway point here:

[podcast src="https://civicmedia.us/shows/todd-allbaugh-show/2025/10/30/how-billionaires-are-controlling-us-with-our-pets-hour-1"]

But Collins insists this isn’t just a story of greed.

It’s a call to action.

He believes Americans can reclaim control through fair tax policies, supporting local businesses, and electing leaders who side with working people rather than corporate interests.

“We built an economy after World War II that raised all the boats, not just the yachts,” Collins says. “We can do it again. But it’ll take leadership and the will to come together.”

And for Wisconsinites, his message hits home. From small farms to small towns, Collins hopes his work sparks conversations about where wealth and power belong in a healthy democracy.

By the way, “Burned by Billionaires” is available wherever books are sold.

“Ideally,” Collins says with a smile, “at a local bookstore that still believes in community.”