While the 99 percent occupy Wall Street, the one percent continue to occupy themselves with conferences, galas, fundraisers, luncheons, performances, and other events where they can enjoy each other’s company, network, do good works, and so on. Super-rich New Yorkers love to complain about the state’s taxes, but they simply cannot do without the social opportunities afforded to them by New York City. Where else can you rub elbows with fellow billionaires, take in high culture, and support your favorite causes, all at the same time, every night of the week?
In the spirit of efforts like the Sunlight Foundation’s politicalpartytime.org, we’ve decided to compile listings of these events and share them in the form of a One Percent’s Social Calendar. The calendar lists events around New York City that are expected to draw super-wealthy and powerful one percenters: people like Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, David Koch, real estate billionaire Jerry Speyer, Citigroup executive and former Obama OMB director Peter Orszag, austerity puppetmaster Pete Peterson, and many more. The calendar, which is below, was put together by LittleSis.org’s One Percent Watch research group.
Tonight, for example, the Aspen Institute is honoring News Corp senior executive Joel Klein at its annual dinner at the Plaza Hotel (Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Madeleine Albright will also be receiving awards). As Chancellor of the New York City Schools until 2010, Klein was a controversial figure due to his emphasis on school testing and charter schools. The Aspen Institute is giving Klein a “public leadership” award, though Klein has been at scandal-plagued News Corp for close to a year. Klein initially served as vice president of education technology, part of News Corp’s plans to enter the education privatization business, but Rupert Murdoch charged him with cleaning up the hacking mess a few months ago.
Coincidentally, the New York Post, owned by News Corp, used its front page today to tell Mayor Bloomberg to end the occupation of Zuccotti Park.
Check the calendar below for more events. Event details include venue, one percenters expected to attend, and a website with more info. Please send tips about events, corrections, and other suggestions to onepercentnyc@gmail.com (though all info as of now is from public sources). And feel free to embed the calendar on your own site.