BS: World's Richest People Get Richer

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: GUEST,Steamin' Willie
Date: 30 Dec 10 - 01:07 PM

So it isn't anything to do with envy?

So stop demonising people for having a few bob.

Making money and then sharing it is indeed a noble cause. My tax bill is just that, but rather than think myself noble, I accept it is my obligation towards the social infrastructure we entrust governments to provide. What I give of my time and money over and above that is my affair, and I won't be preached to by others.

Yes, there are obscene amounts being made out there and commerce could thrive every bit as much if the cut of those at the top was a bit less and the spread of profit worked its way down the workforce.

Can't disagree, but by the same token, can't see how to fully implement it in one country without those at the top moving to another country who are more in tune with their thinking. (Vodafone UK profits being taxed in Luxembourg for instance.)

When the G20 debated international responses to calls to curb banking bad practice, there was real intention but realisation that G20 is just that, 20 countries. the multinationals and their bankers could easily make countries 21 - 40 the new G20.

So... short of revolution, how can you do it? And if you did go for revolution, that is where we part company, as I will be fighting with the "haves" slaying the "have nots." Real Politik.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: bobad
Date: 29 Dec 10 - 04:29 PM

Professors start website for rich to give back tax cuts

By David Edwards
Wednesday, December 29th, 2010 -- 3:35 pm

A new website is encouraging the richest Americans to give their tax cuts to charity.

Four professors from Yale and Cornell universities created the Give It Back for Jobs website after Republicans forced President Barack Obama to extend Bush-era tax cuts for even the wealthiest Americans.

"Quite possibly, the President had no good alternative," the site noted. "All the Bush tax cuts, not just those for the wealthy, were scheduled to expire at the end of this month, jeopardizing an already fragile economic recovery.

"But we citizens need not abandon ourselves to this failure of government. Instead, ordinary Americans, acting together, can create shadow fiscal policy. By acting together, we can set the country moving toward a just prosperity.

"Americans who have the means should refuse to surrender to Senate Republicans. We should act, together, to give back our Bush tax cuts, by making donations to organizations that promote fairness, economic growth, and a vibrant middle class," the site added.

The site uses the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center Microsimulation Model to calculate the tax savings. For example, a single person making $200,000 would see an addition tax savings of $5,476.

Suggested charities include Habitat for Humanity, The Salvation Army, Children's Aid Society and Nurse Family Partnership. A custom charity may be selected as well.

"We can, in this way, begin to redeem candidate Obama's promise that 'we are the ones we've been waiting for,'" the site concluded.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/professors-start-website-rich-give-tax-cuts/

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: akenaton
Date: 26 Dec 10 - 05:44 PM

Riginslinger.....Right on the button man!

Dylan said "There ain't no left wing an' right wing,
there's just UP wing an' DOWN wing"

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 26 Dec 10 - 04:42 PM

If the resources of this world are compared to a pie all could have a fair share. Some are not satisfied until they have filled their gut eating someone else's slice.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 26 Dec 10 - 09:35 AM

If you want to know how big corporations got to be so powerful and how they are trashing the planet for profit read Polly Higgins' book:

'Eradicating Ecocide' Shepheard-Walwyn (Publishers)Ltd, 2010 (ISBN: 978-0-85683-275-8).

She believes that Ecocide should be made the fifth Crime Against Peace, along with Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes and Crimes of Agression. At the moment the law regards a corporation as a 'fictional person' who has rights but few responsibilities - except making a profit. If Ecocide was made an international crime then CEOs, Directors etc. (i.e. actual people) could be tried for their crimes and, if found guilty, sent to prison.

Find out more by going to her website: www.thisisecocide.com.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Dec 10 - 07:51 PM

I don't think Amos said everyone could get rich.
Desire, creativity, diligence are factors. Many of us are happy with a comfortable position and have no desire to take on the problems of the wealthy.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Ed T
Date: 25 Dec 10 - 09:33 AM

I suspect the "rags to richess" story happens, but it is likely the exception rather than the rule...especially today.

Most of the rich likely started off with some type of big advantage at the start of their career (and not necessarily education). It could be financial, or some type of help, from their parents (it is often, but not always money, but, sometimes other contacts).

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: bobad
Date: 25 Dec 10 - 08:37 AM

mousethief; sadly, what you say is too right.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Lox
Date: 25 Dec 10 - 05:57 AM

No Amos,

You are reading my posts in isolation from each other and not paying attention to the consistent point.

Not everyone can get rich beacause there aren't the resources in the world to sustain everyone getting rich.

There are only the resources in the world to sustain a small minority getting rich.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: mousethief
Date: 24 Dec 10 - 11:51 PM

I submit it has to do with how much energy they are capable of directing outward, how much new thinking they are capable of doing, how much creative thought, etc.

And what kind of education they get due to where they live due to their parents' income level. And what kind of college education, if any, their parents can help them afford. And whether or not they can leverage any of their parents' acquaintances. And whether they can find a job that allows them to do more than scrape by. And what the economy is doing when they start looking for their first post-school job. And what they look like (however wrong it is, ugly people are less likely to be hired--this has been studied so don't say it ain't so). And how f***ing tall they are! (same deal). And what accent they grew up with. And what color their skin is.

This is NOT NOT NOT a meritocracy. Learn this, memorize it, write it on your foreheads and the back of your wrists. Anybody who tells you otherwise is either denying the advantages they did nothing to gain, or is selling you something.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Amos
Date: 24 Dec 10 - 02:26 PM

"Any individual can become rich, but not all individuals."


Well, what's the differentiating factor? For any given individual, you seem to think, there may be some fatal flaw or kismet or something in the stars or something, which defines whrether is one of those who could become wealthy or one of those who could not? What is the difference?

I submit it has to do with how much energy they are capable of directing outward, how much new thinking they are capable of doing, how much creative thought, etc.


A

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 24 Dec 10 - 01:39 PM

Methinks some don't know the difference between inequities and inequalities.

One may think inequalities are inequitous, but they are not the same.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Lox
Date: 23 Dec 10 - 06:16 PM

If the equation "work = wealth" were true then the street sweeper who works in our neighbourhood would be a multi-millionaire.

Rain, Shine, Sleet or Snow - he's out there, sweeping, bagging, and gritting - and he is always pleasant and cheery.

In addition, I don't consider risk free betting to be hard work, nor do I consider the dividend from a succesful risk free bet to be money earned.

I'm starting to question the bail out on the basis that the gamblers at the top get to carry on betting, believing that there is no risk as they will not only lose nothing from failed bets, but if they bankrupt their employers they will be bailed out - and the cycle will continue.

I don't know what the alternative is, but they need to be brought back to reality somehow.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: bobad
Date: 23 Dec 10 - 06:09 PM

"Because the ones doing the accusing are well-off, and they can't imagine anyone less well-off not being envious, as they would be, and as they are of those who are better-off than them."

You got that right, meself.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: meself
Date: 23 Dec 10 - 05:51 PM

I like Shania Twain's attitude: "It's not like I DESERVE all this. Nobody DESERVES this much money."

Paraphrasing, but very close to her exact words in a TV interview.

-----------------------------------------------

"Why is it that whenever anybody mentions inequities, they're accused of being envious?"

Because the ones doing the accusing are well-off, and they can't imagine anyone less well-off not being envious, as they would be, and as they are of those who are better-off than them.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Lox
Date: 23 Dec 10 - 05:28 PM

Amos,

1. I'm talking about the resources of the earth not the resources of the universe.

2. Any individual can become rich, but not all individuals.

3. The Earth is already subject to unsustainable resource consumption and economic growth.

4. When one individual sucks up all the benefits of an opportunity, they make that wealth exclusive to them and leave others in poverty.

True enterprise in my mind means spotting opportunities and then sharing the work and the rewards.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: mousethief
Date: 23 Dec 10 - 11:57 AM

No.. I'm nowhere near the league of many of those mentioned above, but I strongly suspect hard work and shrewd decisions gets you somewhere, whereas moaning and showing envy gets you into an early grave through stress.

Why is it that whenever anybody mentions inequities, they're accused of being envious? While I wouldn't mind being mindbogglingly rich, what I chiefly want is for them to stop sucking dry the economy I depend upon.

And don't give me the "they earned it" crap. Rich begets rich and there are very few Horatio Algers (although more power to 'em that can). Very very few of us, working as hard as we could, could reach the level of a Wall Street bank executive. The playing field is so tilted it's more like a climbing wall, and those of us who start at the bottom have a lot of climbing to do -- those who are born 5 feet from the top have something of an advantage, I think it should be obvious.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Amos
Date: 23 Dec 10 - 10:55 AM

Of course the resources of the universe are techniucally limited; but the ratio of opportunities to resources is such that their limits are not anywhere near about to become a problem. The fact is that any enterprising individual with enough bright ideas, persistance and communication CAN become wealthy, if not super-rich. It's a lot harder if you are starting from nothing, but it is not impossible.

A

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: GUEST,Steamin' Willie
Date: 23 Dec 10 - 09:42 AM

Worked hard, got rich, sleep like a log.

Nothing to be ashamed of. If I wasn't a typical British "reserved modesty is the ultimate policy" dude, I would be cock proud of myself.

No.. I'm nowhere near the league of many of those mentioned above, but I strongly suspect hard work and shrewd decisions gets you somewhere, whereas moaning and showing envy gets you into an early grave through stress.

The sad bit is; everybody reading this, either side of the pond, won the lottery anyway just by being born in the Western world.

Grow up for crying out loud.

And anyway, if I owned a football club and buying a player for £50M, £100K per week salary for a four year contract brought in over that period, with sponsorship, increased gates and TV rights etc, £51M, then that is a £1M good investment.....

Mind you, I expect the bugger to perform..... But that has little to do with money. Why did Man Utd buy Park? A journeyman by any standard, but the millions from Asian TV interest? Ruddy priceless player.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 23 Dec 10 - 03:49 AM

No it is not a fair world and I don't see things changing any time soon. It has always been so and the same conversation will be going on 50 years from now.

Wealth accumulated by a beneficial invention or from sheer hard work I can't condemn but footballers millions does make me angry especially when they don't perform as well as they should for that money.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Brian May
Date: 22 Dec 10 - 03:14 PM

'The rich getting richer' . . . . SURPRISE !!!!

Not.


Basically shameless grabbing bastards - but that's why they're bankers - they treat the rest of the non-banking world with absolute contempt.

All this posturing by Government is almost amusing - they NEED the bankers, who are doubtless quaking in their boots at the prospect of being taxed a bit more.

That's almost as ridiculous as expecting a millionaire (used to be called England footballers) to show some commitment and actually try to win the game and please all the fans that actually pay their wages. It's the same kind of contempt.

I don't recall reading anywhere that it's a fair world though.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Lox
Date: 22 Dec 10 - 09:13 AM

Q,

999 may not be fully conversant with the concept of the creation of wealth.

However, he is 100% correct to point out that this world has finite resources.

We can't all be rich, and as long as there are some people hoarding all the resource ownership, there will be people with nothing.

Money means nothing without value and its value is based on resources.


This idea that if we were all entrepreneurs we could all create our own wealth is utter bollocks as for this to happen you would need an infinite supply of resources.



Don,


20% VAT hits the poor harder than the rich.

17.5% VAT hits the poor harder than the rich.

VAT hits the poor harder than the rich.


The VAT hike is yet more evidence of the poor being punished for the mistakes of bankers.

Talking about "the politics of envy" in that context is irrelevant, disingenuous and berays nothing more than an idealistic political position rather than any evidence of attempting to engage with the actual points being made.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Bobert
Date: 22 Dec 10 - 08:45 AM

Here's the part of the story that doesn't make sense... It's no secret that the banks aren't making loans so if they aren't makin' loans then...

...how in world can the bankers be makin' all this money???

Well, I'll tell you how...

What they are doing is playing the pea-under-the-shell game with the rest of the American people, the SEC and the Justice Department with their bogus "credit default swaps"... That, in essence is coming up with a fancy term that is really just robbing the cookie jar... Ya' see, Wall Street is sitting on tons of cash and they really don't have to make loans for quite a long time yet can sell bogus crap to one another and take out "commissions" (bonuses) as they do it... Every time they pull off one of these there is less money in the cookie jar but given the amount of money they are sitting on, they can do this for years before the SEC or Justice Department unravels these deals and calls them off... Until then??? The banks won't make loans and the economy will limp along with insufficient growth to create enough jobs to get back to full employment...

That, my friends, is what is going down and that is why Wall Street seems to be doing fine while the rest of the country is still mired in a deep recession...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 22 Dec 10 - 12:38 AM

Capitalism at its peak! Corporate greed rules the world!

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: bobad
Date: 21 Dec 10 - 09:57 PM

56 percent of bankers say bonuses 'not enough'

By Daniel Tencer
Tuesday, December 21st, 2010 -- 8:44 pm

Wall Street's five biggest banks had a banner year in 2010, racking up their second-highest revenues on record, and to celebrate they put aside some $90 billion for year-end bonuses. But an informal poll suggests that more than half of the people receiving those bonuses feel they aren't getting enough.

Vanity Fair's Foster Kamer went to Wall Street and carried out an informal poll asking bank employees how they felt about their bonuses. He found that, of the 98 people surveyed, 56 percent said their bonuses were "not enough."

Sixty-one percent of those polled said they received a bonus this year, while 39 percent said they didn't. Even if all the respondents who didn't get a bonus were among those who wanted more, that still leaves about one-third of those with bonuses wanting more.

"Of the 61 percent who said they received a bonus, 85 percent were men — and just 15 percent were women. And we really tried to talk to women," Kamer writes.

But since only 17 of the 98 people surveyed were women, that statistic indicates a general lack of women on Wall Street more than it suggests discrimination in bonus payments. Kamer notes that men were "6.75 percent more likely" to get a bonus than female employees.

"Despite being 6.75 percent more likely to receive a bonus, the men who didn't receive bonuses were 24 times more likely to think it was 'unfair,'" Kamen writes.

Five of the respondents said they received bonuses of more than $250,000; none of them were women.

Kamer notes that the $90 billion set aside for bonuses amounts to more than the economic value of 13 countries.

Some economic observers see bonuses as being at the heart of the financial problems that led to the investment banking collapse of 2008 and the resulting government bailout of large financial institutions.

In his book Crash of the Titans, Financial Times writer Greg Farrell wrote:

    "The whole reason everything almost came crashing down in 2008 was twenty-five years of nonstop focus on bonus checks, on compensation. Why did Lehman Brothers go out of business? Because their people kept doing real estate deals long after the market had turned. It produced bigger bonuses for them. Why did AIG keep selling those foolhardy insurance police on CDOs? Because it was easy money and led to bigger bonuses."

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 Jul 10 - 12:31 PM

Remarks in mudcat never prove anything, mine included.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: GUEST,999
Date: 08 Jul 10 - 10:59 AM

Other than I disagree, it was a good post, Don. (Forgot to say that in the last post.)

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: GUEST,999
Date: 08 Jul 10 - 10:45 AM

`Why should I care that somebody else is better at acquisition than I am, and consequently is able to take it easy for a while? He earned it, and I can do the same.`

That isn`t what it`s about, really. While some folks get rich by hard work, others do so by using workers with little concern for their welfare. Yes, that`s tough for the worker, but it`ll be one helluva lot tougher for rich folks when finally people begin to wonder where all the cash went. We (people) will either look out for others of face a situation they can`t handle. I think of Russia wherein terror used to control the population (NKVD now KGB). It`s not a good-lookin`world out there anymore. Jose Marti was right.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: John P
Date: 08 Jul 10 - 10:14 AM

Yes, Q, and on and on in the other direction and everything in between. You're not proving anything.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 07 Jul 10 - 08:14 PM

"So junior doesn't run it-he milks it"

Old Henry Ford left quite a family. Current board members include Edsel Ford II, a former president. So was his father (don't mention the Edsel- so that was a mistake). William Clay Ford Jr. is a diector; his father also was a director until his retirement. William Ford Sr. runs the Oz component.
Seems the family is still viable.

The Toyodas have two generations ; president and two directors.

Then there was Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach. His son Alfried took over the firm, produced steel and coal for Hitler, was arrested by the Allies, sentenced to 12 years and all his property confiscated, but he came back to regain control not only of the company but the family name Krupp von B u. H, compete in the Olympics, etc etc.
The old Thyssen family, dating back to the 1600s, produced steel makers for generations, Baron H. H. Thyssen-Bornemisza finally joining Krupp to form the current ThyssenKrupp business-
On and on-

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 07 Jul 10 - 06:00 PM

It all depends on the size of the glass - if we start from a point of everyones glass being half empty/full - for the rich (big glasses) to get richer, then that has to come from a lot of small glasses. Also, if every glass has to contribute say 25% of its contents, then in the small glasses it can make the difference between being thirsty, whereas in the case of th ebig glass, the 75% the glass owner would not notice this in terms of thirst as there is only so much water an individual can drink.

Moving away from analogies, money is the means of exchange for trading scarce resources. Wealth is that part of money taken out of the exchange system, so unless either there is a favourable balance of payments, or an increase in the money supply then retained wealth has to be at the expense of the poorer either in having less value for their income or a reduction in public spend.

Thirdly - wealth can only be relative. If we had 60,000,000 millionaires in the UK (200,000,000 in US?) then the purchasing power of the million would be reduced, i.e. nobody would be any better of as the value would be on paper only. Therefore wealth, or being well off, is dependant upon poverty.

Historically, this meant ownership of land, in the industrial revolution, ownership of the means of production.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Bobert
Date: 07 Jul 10 - 03:18 PM

The problem of inheritance is that it isn't just the fortunes that are passed down... It's the cushy jobs... And yeah, the ol' man might have worked hard and built a nice successfull business but that really doesn't qualify junior to run it... So junior doesn't run it... He milks it... Lotta that going 'round and explains the high levels of unemeployement...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: John P
Date: 07 Jul 10 - 02:54 PM

Bonzo3legs: "I really have a problem with this culture of envy. So many people take the line that being rich is per se wrong." So do I, these people also seem to have a problem with inheritance - and I'm yet to receive a proper explanation as to why. But as with any battle of wits - they do have in their numbers a great number of unarmed men and ladies!!!

Don(Wyziwyg)T: it strikes me that for many here the attitude seems to be: My glass is half empty, so instead of getting down to the hard work of filling it, I'll just knock over everybody else's.

You both seem to assuming that anyone who says the rich are too rich is just envious of the rich. And Bonzo3legs adds that anyone who disagrees with him is witless. All you are doing is being dismissive without actually having to say anything of substance. That's a neat trick if you can get away with it, but it makes both of you useless as conversational partners.

Is it possible for you to believe that there are intelligent, principled people who happen to think that we're doing a bad job of deciding how the money in our system gets divided up? Of course I would like to have more money than I do, but that's not why I think the people at the top should have less of it. I would not expect to get any more than I have in a realignment of wealth.

As for inheritance: The only reason for not paying inheritance tax I've heard is that "the money has already been taxed once." But the reality of the world is that we tax money when it changes hands. Example: I earn money and pay income tax on it. I then pay it to a vendor, who also pays income tax on it. Each of us only has our money taxed once. When you inherit a bunch of money from your parents, they have already paid income tax on it, but you haven't paid tax on it when it comes to you. Why should you not pay income tax on money you receive? Do you think that businesses should not be required to pay income tax because the money they receive has already been taxed once?

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: frogprince
Date: 07 Jul 10 - 11:39 AM

There are plenty of very wealthy people in the world whom I have no complaint with. But I sorta wonder whether some of the contributers here have ever noticed that there are also a substantial number of very rich people who have basically wrung their money out of less fortunate people like blood.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 07 Jul 10 - 10:10 AM

No, it strikes me that for many here the attitude seems to be:-

My glass is half empty, so instead of getting down to the hard work of filling it, I'll just knock over everybody else's.

My attitude is:- My glass is still half full, so it'll be quite a while before I have to worry about dying of thirst, so I've got time to work at acquiring more water.

Why should I care that somebody else is better at acquisition than I am, and consequently is able to take it easy for a while? He earned it, and I can do the same.

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Bobert
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 10:22 PM

Hey, I grew up in the 50's in Northern Virgina (Falls Church, to be exact...) and within' a half a mile of me lived at least one General and Two Admirers... Also living there were several Senators and Representative... The point is that the entire Northern Virginia that I knew was basically 3 bedrorom houses (sometimes 4)... These were not big houses but this is wherte everyone in the D.C. area lived because it was what they could afford...

That's the operative "concept" here.... It was what they could afford...

Botttom line: Wealth since the 50's has shifted to a small percentage of people and their "subjects"....

But isn't that what this thread is all about???

B~

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 10:10 PM

In May the average house price in Calgary was $483,000.
A million dollars don't go far no more.
http://www.jimsparrow.com/market-stats.php

Rich people? One could take all their billions and give to the world's poor- just a pee in the ocean. Unless people stop breeding like mice, change their governments, change their society and beliefs, the situation will not change. It would be a waste to toss the money around.
Much better to give to a charity with well-defined aims and in one's own society, which is what the wealthy are doing.

That guy who has an athletic shoe factory- yeah, he should close it down, then perhaps fewer kids would be bred to work in it but I doubt it. Throw a lot of people out of work who market his product, too.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Ebbie
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 06:06 PM

Of course, one person's well off differs from another's perception. There are many places in the US and in the world at large where a $200,000 house in one place will cost $1.2 million in another place. When you're in the million-dollar neighborhood you're going to need a bigger stash than in 'tother.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 05:37 PM

I'm still waiting for some suggestions as to why any sane person should want to be rich, rather than being comfortably off, and give the rest away.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Ebbie
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 04:39 PM

Mr. Basketball Shoes

Juneau, Alaska's Buddy (Guy) Tabor


Mr. Basketball Shoes owns a factory in China and Viet Nam
where a 12-year-old girl works for nothing; he don't give a damn
Sixteen hours a day, seven days a week
and when they break her malnourished body, just throw her out in the street


If the workers try to unionize or tell them they protest
Basketball Shoes calls the military and they come out and make arrests
take the workers to the prisons and there they're left to rot
bad food and dirty water behind prison bars and lots

Chorus:
I said Justice is a wheel,
turns slow but it grinds fine
My mama said that wheel
turns full circle in due time

Mr. Basketball Shoes loves money, he'll do anything to succeed
He don't care about God or love or human decency
This man has no compassion, his heart is filled with greed
Ruled from a throne of darkness with dirty evil deeds

From the carpet mills of Pakistan and sweat shops of Mexico
This is the age of lawlessness, declare the CEOs
Republicans in Washington, they all love Basketball Shoes
Gives them campaign money and turn their backs on what they do

Now I had myself a dream the night my poor old mother died
I saw that Wheel of Justice come falling from the sky
Oh, what a beautiful light; it made the darkness run
No more death, no more slavery or disease of organs

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: GUEST,999
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 03:08 PM

Tell that to a kid working in a sweat shop making $200 running shoes and earning a few dimes a day. Poverty in this world is appalling. People who don`t see that likely never will. We worry about ABC warfare--but for poor people, man, their bomb already dropped.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 01:17 PM

Jobs are created by the rich building those large homes, building planes and yachts, the rewards of their enterprise.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 01:04 PM

"I really have a problem with this culture of envy. So many people take the line that being rich is per se wrong."

So do I, these people also seem to have a problem with inheritance - and I'm yet to receive a proper explanation as to why. But as with any battle of wits - they do have in their numbers a great number of unarmed men and ladies!!!

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Bobert
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 10:24 AM

Yeah, we have some serious voodoo economics going on right now... Just last night it was reported that the corporations are flush with cash... I mean, bigass money here... Yep, pushing $2 Trillion andf, yeah, it is just sitting there... And the folks who have it opening say they are not interested in doing anything with it but let it sit there while the Titanic goes down???

Normal... No one ever said that rich people were smart... They'd rather see the ship sink (with them on it) than to put a few peas in the pot to fix it???

B~

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: bobad
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 10:12 AM

John Kenneth Galbraith describes trickle-down economics:

'If you feed the horse enough oats, some will pass through to the road for the sparrows.'

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: John P
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 10:04 AM

Q,
What money sitting in banks are you talking about? The rich folks' money or the poor folks'? The rich folks are also buying multiple multi-million dollar homes, private jetliners, yachts the size of Manhattan, and senators.

Poor folks, on the other hand, don't get to have things like mortgages and cars that require financing.

What you are suggesting sounds remarkably like trickle-down economics. I've been trickled on enough, thank you.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: GUEST,Riginslinger
Date: 05 Jul 10 - 08:05 PM

I read on a blog over the course of the last few days where some guy had determined that we're drawing the line the wrong way.
            He says we're drawing a perpendicular line and fighting right to left, when we should be drawing a horizontal line and fighting between rich and poor.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Jul 10 - 07:47 PM

"keeping other people in poverty" is nonsense.
Even sitting in a bank, the money is collateral for loans, mortgages, car purchases, and all the other things we enjoy.

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: John P
Date: 05 Jul 10 - 06:59 PM

All the donations being made are a drop in the bucket of the wealth that is being hoarded by others, as well as by the folks making the donations.

I agree that the widget factory owner created the situation where lots of folks have jobs, and that none of us would have the standard of living we enjoy without the efforts of him and his peers. However, he still made billions while keeping other people in poverty. Hundreds of thousands would pay his bills and allow him to live in luxury. Why does he need billions?

Subject: RE: BS: World's Richest People Get Richer
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Jul 10 - 06:19 PM

Warren Buffet has just donated $2 billion to charities.
Most went to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which concerns itself with health, education and poverty problems.
The Gates Foundation employs more than 800 people; its gifts so far total over $8 billion.
Both Gates and Buffet have called on billionaires to donate at least half of their wealth. The Walmart owners are another donor of billions.

The man who made billions in widgets set up the company and employed many workers; he made this employment possible through his inventiveness and his enterprise; he generally works more hours than any of his employees. Without his kind, few people would have the standard of living most of us enjoy.