World's 85 richest have same wealth as 3.5 billion poorest
[christian cerna]
You have a serious “conspiracy theory” problem
[christian cerna]But what if an extremely wealthy Arab prince decides he wants to buy up a majority of the shares of Ford. Another Arab buys up millions of dollars in shares in GM. Another Arab buys some of Dodge.
When my children were three I began to answer them when they asked about “what if’s” … that I won’t play the “what if” game with them. Most got the message but I had to repeat it again again again. My oldest son sometimes (incredibly at 33) sometimes tries the “what if” game with me (the other two learned!). The last time I said to him … hey … you’re thirty now … time to put that game aside!
I actually have 100 shares of Ford. Dodge is owned by “Fix it again Tony” (FIAT). I feel very very sorry for FIAT! If an Arab bought Ford I would have his money!
[christian cerna]Also, in case you haven’t heard, there is something called the Trans-Pacific Partnership(TPP) that Obama and his minions is secretly trying to get passed. Scary stuff. If this thing passes, life in America is going to change drastically. It will make the crash of 2008 look like child’s play.
On “secretly trying to get it passed”
- Well it isn’t that secret! I mean you know about it!
- There is even a Wiki page about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Partnership
- Last time I looked at the constitution - treaties have to pass thru Senate
Noting wrong with using “what-if”. In fact, it’s often necessary when finalizing an agreement, or making an important decision.
For example, you are buying a new car. You ask “what if the engine stops working? Will it be covered by the warranty?” Or, a company is developing its online infrastructure. It has to ask “what if the site goes down? do we have a backup in place? What if someone tries to hack into our customer accounts, do we have security features in place to prevent that from happening.
“What if I lose my job… do I have enough money saved up to get me through the next few months?”
Possible vs Improbable “what ifs”:
- Possible: What if the engine fails (with regard to a warranty on a car)
- Improbable: What if an meteor lands on my car (yes it can happen) (Image below) (more)
You still haven’t shown evidence that the 85 wealthiest are running the world!
I think the idea that the top most wealthy are “running the world” is pretty plausible, if:
- if the premise is true that wealth is power
- if “running the world” means “having a degree of influence over events that is roughly proportionate to the % of wealth”
But in that sense, so what if they are running the world? Who should run it?
Even if we take “running the world” more expansively and claim they have control of public policy, laws, regulations, etc., a couple of questions are pretty important:
- are they obtaining and using power lawfully?
- are they obtaining and using power in a more harmful or immoral way than the alternatives?
So if the 85 (or whatever it is) are “running things,” would the world be better off if they weren’t? Why? It kind of matters what the alternative is, doesn’t it? (What we tend to assume nowadays is that “the people” ought to run the world. But history is clear that “the people” are not capable of doing that. Never have been. Never will be. Most of “the people” are not even interested in doing that… For example, where they have expansive power to vote, only a small % of them actually do, and quite a few of those that do are so poorly informed, it’s hard to guess what they’re really voting for.)
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
The top 10 (Forbes)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes_list_of_billionaires#2013_Top_10
Comment Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are philanthropists with (in my view) a positive influence on society. Buffett is a self-proclaimed atheist.
George Soros is the 22nd richest person in the world, and a known supporter of liberal causes but hardly rules the world.
Hey, that’s a nifty little tool Jim. I will be using that in my social studies classes.
Why is it that my voice always seems to be loudest when I am saying the dumbest things?
Let’s say I make $25,000 a year. That may sound like a lot of money to someone living in Nigeria. But considering I live in Los Angeles, and am paying $900 a month for a small apartment, and another $300 a month in car payments, $120 for car insurance, $150 a month for gas, $200 for food, and $100 in misc. expenses, another $600 for Obamacare… Am i really wealthy?
The true measure of wealth has always been land ownership, and the freedom to live without worrying about where you’re going to get enough money to make next month’s rent.
[christian cerna]Let’s say I make $25,000 a year. That may sound like a lot of money to someone living in Nigeria. But considering I live in Los Angeles, and am paying $900 a month for a small apartment, and another $300 a month in car payments, $120 for car insurance, $150 a month for gas, $200 for food, and $100 in misc. expenses, another $600 for Obamacare… Am i really wealthy?
The true measure of wealth has always been land ownership, and the freedom to live without worrying about where you’re going to get enough money to make next month’s rent.
Ways someone making $ 25,000 could economize:
- Rent a room instead of an apartment. I know multiple young men in the Twin cities who do just this. They pay $ 100 per week for a room. Live with a parent or relative and pay room rent
- Eschew a smart phone and save probably $ 80-100 per month
- Live closer to work / use public transportation / or bike
- Drive a “beater” and eschew auto payments. My 33 year old son (who is an accountant for a firm HQ‘d in LA) has a 1991 Honda CR-X. The heater does not work and but it’s a runner. Now with almost 200,000 miles. He bought it for less than $ 1,000 and has no car payments. My other was able to drive a $ 495 beater (it was a Toyota Corolla) for almost two years … and sold it for $400. While driving a beater save the $$ towards a newer vehicle and after saving $ 3000 trade up with no auto payments
- Eschew Obamacare and save the $ 600 per month. Pay the $ 95 annual penalty.
- Not eat out at all.
Yes .. someone making $ 25,000 per year is wealthy … consider for example the story of the lost boys of the Sudan that have come to the US - recently featured on Sixty Minutes.
Want to be a landowner? One could easily make $ 25,000 per annum in Detroit and can actually buy a condo in Detroit for $ 20,000 Mortgage on same would be less than $ 100 per month
Well, the fact that your son drives a CRX earns you extra points. I had an 89, cherry red, super clean. I regret selling it to this day.
A pair of useful concepts.
Relative poverty: lacking property compared to what some other individual/group has
Absolute poverty: lacking food, water, clothing, shelter
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
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