Take mankind, all 7+-billion of us. Then take the collective wealth of the bottom 3.5 billion. Compare that to the net worth of the wealthiest 85-individuals on the planet. Bingo, they match!
Oxfam produced that lovely analysis to demonstrate the true state of global inequality.
Of course the bottom 3.5-billion don't own half the world's wealth, not even close. However the top 1% among themselves do enjoy half the world's wealth.
“Widening inequality is creating a vicious circle where wealth and power are increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few, leaving the rest of us to fight over crumbs from the top table,” Winnie Byanyima, Oxfam’s executive director, said in a press release.
Hey Mound,
ReplyDeleteI'm doing a post on this article here: http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Neil+Young+like+most+moral+coward+Tandt/9405620/story.html as it just made me so angry.
But figured you might want to do one too, would love to hear your opinion on it.
Here is an excerpt from my upcoming post (to get the juices flowing):
So what I'm getting at here is that Den Dandt isn't being very specific with his article's title: "Oilsands critics have yet to propose a credible alternative". What he means to say is "oilsands critics have yet to propose a credible alternative to fossil fuels that can fuel infinite growth". Of course the very credibility of "infinite growth" itself with or without the oilsands is largely in question. I have not seen any convincing and credible cases made by so-called oilsands proponents on how exactly infinite exponential growth is going to continue in any case, all just seem to simply be making the assumption that "we can accept, via educated guesswork and the record of history, that the 173 billion barrels of oil embedded in the oilsands will be extracted" apparently regardless of water concerns, increasing disasters and the costs to mitigate those, or diminishing energy returned on energy investment ratios.
Finished product: http://canadiantrends.blogspot.ca/2014/01/oilsands-proponents-have-yet-to.html
ReplyDeleteI read a few lines of den Tandt's pap. Accusing Young of moral cowardice. Perhaps the Postmedia crew can explain their own cowardice in failing to report on the Harper government's latest disclosure to the UN that, despite their promises of trimming CO2 emissions, Canada's emissions will soar 38% by 2030. Only the Guardian had the sand to publish that story.
ReplyDeleteI was able to check out your piece. Very well done. Thanks
Oh I forgot to add that!! Will have to fit it in the future. Or maybe throw it into your own piece. This is the big hurdle to get over, if it can become questionable in mainstream discourse as to their economic viability the people will have a fair shot.
ReplyDeleteSo what? This is such socialist drivel. I'd like to know what those 1% contributed to society. On the whole, did their contributions equal their returns. If so good for them! Find a solution to a problem facing the average person and you may become filthy rich. But the average person got a solution to a problem! Or improve their lives, or entertain them. Give them something they value and both sides are rewarded. Good.
ReplyDeleteMy, my, my you do attract the most incoherent basement crazies, Mound. It's like 2002 all over again.
ReplyDeleteThese statistics are profoundly disturbing, Mound. The powers that be should remember history and realize that revolutions have been provoked by much less injustice than this.
ReplyDeleteI read this news item as well. Will it get better or worse? Given the leaders of the major countries in the world I don't see any improvement in the near future. It is rather going in the opposite direction. Rich are getting richer and poor are getting poorer.
ReplyDeleteWell, that puts an end to the old slogan "Eat the Rich" because there just aren't enough of them to go around the global table.
ReplyDeleteMOUND MOUND MOUND!!!! UPDATE 2 -> http://canadiantrends.blogspot.ca/2014/01/oilsands-proponents-have-yet-to.html
ReplyDelete