Slashdot Mirror
Richest 2% Own Half the World's Wealth
kop writes "The richest 2% of adults in the world own more than half of all household wealth, according to a new study by a United Nations research institute. Most previous studies of economic disparity have looked at income, whereas this one looks at wealth — assets minus debts. The survey is based on data for the year 2000. Many figures, especially for developing countries, have had to be estimated. Nonetheless, the authors say it is the most comprehensive study of personal wealth ever undertaken." The study itself is available from the World Institute for Development Economics Research.
How is this "news for nerds?"
What?
I hope you all realize that most Slashdot readers (being tech geeks) will fall into this top 2% figure eventually? Most of the world is dirt poor. Is that my fault? Fuck no its not. These people have to raise themsleves out of poverty. If the government is holding them down, then they need to do something about that as well. A LOT of people died fighting for what we have. We do not need to feel guilty about it. The person who wrote this article is probably a commie asshat.
Just ask the good Jedi how they feel about "Balance" now...
all of which again benefit (to a lesser degree) local businesses
Which are owned by rich people.
Pardon me while I direct your attention to what is really going on. I couldn't help bombing in and pointing out that the reality is that the super rich have decided that the rest of the human race is to be disposed of and they are working on the project. Please don't shoot the reporter. I just reported the truth. -- I know that is politically incorrect but truth has to be faced someday.
Unless we quit our arguments over the ideology and see what is really going on, we might well just be overtaken by reality.
Never Politically Correct ~ I prefer the facts If you don't like what I say, get a life, or comment yourself.
You have free healthcare? Where do I sign up. I currently pay nearly $1,000 a month for health care, not including my out-of-pockets and co-pays.
Honest impartial police forces? Hmmm...I'll bet you don't live in a major city like Detroit or Los Angeles, do you?
Pensions? Yeah, right. Sick pay? My employer doesn't pay sick days, but I do get a generous allotment of vacation days that I can use.
Social Security? Look, unless you're like 50-60, I'm betting that you won't see $0.01 of your Social Security.
Like it or not, our government and our corporations are pushing us towards 3rd World standards of living due to greed. "Let's outsource everything to 3rd World countries where that measly $1,000 a year seems like a lot. Then we get to pocket the difference."
My blog
So when does the revolution begin?
Nothing to see here. Move along.
And people you are why no one likes liberals.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
RS
Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
A cut in the capitol gains tax is a targeted cut in the taxes of the rich. Currently if I was sitting on a huge pile of cash and invested all my money and then lived off the gains of that money I would pay in taxes about 15% of my gains because that money is taxed as a capitol gain instead of as actual income. Considering that the income tax rate for people in the top 35% in America is around 33%, you would be stupid to make your money through a normal income. A lot of CEOs like getting paid in stocks because when they sell the stocks they pay capital gains taxes instead of income tax(need to double check, but I'm pretty sure that's the case).
You can try and argue that a cut in the capital gains tax helps everyone, but you simply need to look at who can afford to invest in stocks and who benefits the most. A capital gains cut is definitely a targeted tax cut for the rich. I should know better than to post a response to someone who uses conservative blogs for their analogies. Of course you think bush's tax cuts were wonderful, your ideology forces you to.check out the best blog ever:
http://oehlberg.com
> > You have free healthcare? Where do I sign up. I currently pay nearly
> > $1,000 a month for health care, not including my out-of-pockets and co-pays.
> Canada.
Oh, you mean "health care". I thought you meant health care.
-I like my women like I like my tea: green-
And as an American, I automatically hate anyone who practices geographical prejudice like you do.
So one American troll on slashdot is why people hate us? Fine. You're more than enough reason to hate self-loathing residents of first-world countries who seem think we deserve to all be living in a third-world shithole only because others also do.