New Oxfam report says half of global wealth held by the 1%

[Political Junky]

We saw this coming, but it's still disgusting.

New Oxfam report says half of global wealth held by the 1 Business The Guardian

Billionaires and politicians gathering in Switzerland this week will come under pressure to tackle rising inequality after a study found that – on current trends – by next year, 1% of the world’s population will own more wealth than the other 99%.

Ahead of this week’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the ski resort of Davos, the anti-poverty charity Oxfam said it would use its high-profile role at the gathering to demand urgent action to narrow the gap between rich and poor.

The charity’s research, published on Monday, shows that the share of the world’s wealth owned by the best-off 1% has increased from 44% in 2009 to 48% in 2014, while the least well-off 80% currently own just 5.5%.
<more>

 

[Sonny Clark]

We saw this coming, but it's still disgusting.

New Oxfam report says half of global wealth held by the 1 Business The Guardian

Billionaires and politicians gathering in Switzerland this week will come under pressure to tackle rising inequality after a study found that – on current trends – by next year, 1% of the world’s population will own more wealth than the other 99%.

Ahead of this week’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the ski resort of Davos, the anti-poverty charity Oxfam said it would use its high-profile role at the gathering to demand urgent action to narrow the gap between rich and poor.

The charity’s research, published on Monday, shows that the share of the world’s wealth owned by the best-off 1% has increased from 44% in 2009 to 48% in 2014, while the least well-off 80% currently own just 5.5%.
<more>

Yep. I just read an article concerning the same in the New York Times. No surprise. The poor get poorer, and the rich get richer. Greed is the basis and foundation of power, and when both are one and the same, complete control enhances greedy power. But, at some point, increased wealth will occur by the greedy taking from the greedy. The poor will no longer have anything to offer. And, when that occurs, a war between the powers will take place. Everyone will try to hold on to their wealth, but when the wealthy have only the wealthy to take from, it wont be a pretty sight for anyone. Once a vast majority of wealth is held by a handful of individuals, what happens then? From where I'm standing, complete global chaos will be the order of the day, and the poor will find strength they never knew they had. Look at history and see what happened to empires.

 

[Darkwind]

We saw this coming, but it's still disgusting.

New Oxfam report says half of global wealth held by the 1 Business The Guardian

Billionaires and politicians gathering in Switzerland this week will come under pressure to tackle rising inequality after a study found that – on current trends – by next year, 1% of the world’s population will own more wealth than the other 99%.

Ahead of this week’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the ski resort of Davos, the anti-poverty charity Oxfam said it would use its high-profile role at the gathering to demand urgent action to narrow the gap between rich and poor.

The charity’s research, published on Monday, shows that the share of the world’s wealth owned by the best-off 1% has increased from 44% in 2009 to 48% in 2014, while the least well-off 80% currently own just 5.5%.
<more>

Action to narrow the gap?

How will they do that?

You certainly aren't entitled to any of it. In fact, unless you earned it, no one is entitled to it. Including governments.

 

[Toro]

I will never donate to Oxfam because they are too biased and political.

There are many other worthy charities that help the poor.

 

[Toro]

Yep. I just read an article concerning the same in the New York Times. No surprise. The poor get poorer, and the rich get richer.

Actually, the past three decades have seen more people lifted out of poverty than at any other time in human history. UNESCO reports on this every few years.

 

[Sonny Clark]

Yep. I just read an article concerning the same in the New York Times. No surprise. The poor get poorer, and the rich get richer.

Actually, the past three decades have seen more people lifted out of poverty than at any other time in human history. UNESCO reports on this every few years.

Reality doesn't match the reports. In many cases, it's more of a meeting in the middle between the poor nations and the rich nations. The term "Global Economy" basically means "equalization to the lowest level". In other words, increased trade enables some nations to realize a gain in wealth, while others nations become less wealthy. A good example would be The United States. In the U.S., we've been forced to lower our standard of living, and work for less wages and company paid benefits. We have a large number of citizens receiving some form of government assistance, and a growing homeless population.

 

[September]

Eventually after many generations, they will evolve to become like gods compared to the rest of humanity.

​

 

[alanbmx123]

The question is why is the liberal solution more taxes? How does that help the 99% earn more? Tax and spend, redistribution for more government social programs do not help the wage gap. Again lots of talking points for both sides but no solutions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sonny Clark]

The question is why is the liberal solution more taxes? How does that help the 99% earn more? Tax and spend, redistribution for more government social programs do not help the wage gap. Again lots of talking points for both sides but no solutions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The question is why is the liberal solution more taxes? How does that help the 99% earn more? Tax and spend, redistribution for more government social programs do not help the wage gap. Again lots of talking points for both sides but no solutions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Most of what we use and consume is imported. Examples: Textiles, appliances, furniture, tools, toys, steel, farm equipment, electronics, automotive parts and supplies, etc. Check your local store shelves and see how many "Made IN U.S.A." labels you find. Go to any Wal-Mart and see if you can find shoes, shirts, bath towels, bed sheets, or electronics that was NOT made outside of this country. Go to your local Auto Zone and try to find a socket or end wrench made in the U.S. You may be able to find one or two out a couple of dozen on the shelf. Go to Rent-To-Own and see how many pieces of furniture are imported. Go to any appliance store and see how many U.S.A. made appliances there are compared to the imports. Go to a farm equipment supply store and see how many foreign made pieces of equipment they carry. The point is, we import most of what we use and consume. Some of our food is imported. We are import dependent.

What would happen if we didn't import clothes, appliances, toys, steel, automotive parts and supplies? What if the supply of those items suddenly stopped? What if we stopped importing everything that could be made, manufactured, and produced here in the U.S.? A little side note here, if I may. How many of our poor, less fortunate, disabled, and elderly, could afford to buy everything American made? How about the unemployed? Could they shop for "only" American made items and necessities? As it stands now, most Americans can not shop on Fifth Avenue. We are a poor and dependent society, and getting poorer by the day. Cheap imports enable consumers to buy necessities, and buy a few non-necessities. Why?

Back in the 50's and 60's, there were plants and factories on almost every street corner. We had jobs that covered all education and skill levels. Those were self-supporting jobs. Then unions got greedy, and American made goods became expensive, more expensive than imports. In addition, our government enacted unfair, unjust, and one-sided foreign trade agreements and policies, which made the situation worse. Then next, we closed the steel factories, the textile plants, we lost the electronics industry, and on and on and on and on. So, between the greedy unions asking for $20.00 an hour for the floor sweeper, and the unfair, unjust, and one-sided foreign trade agreements and policies, we lost industry after industry until we were out of work, standing in unemployment lines, and living off of government assistance programs. Now, we're import dependent, and produce very little of what we use and consume. As our population grew, there were fewer and fewer self-supporting opportunities available for our work force. In addition, we started importing labor, off-shore out-sourcing labor, and allowing millions of illegal immigrants to live and work in this country.

The net results is a poor and dependent society, living off of unemployment checks, government assistance programs, and charity. A lot of what we actually produce, is exported, and not purchased by Americans. Most Americans can't afford to buy what we produce. Part-time jobs, temporary jobs, low wage jobs, and side-line work can't pay the price to shop for American made goods. We have over 47 million on food stamps. Can they buy union made products that are produced here in America?

 

[R.D.]

Related article...Davos agenda Al Gore climate change. We saw this coming, but it's still disgusting.

 

[Steven_R]

If only there was some way for the poor to own things like land and buy stocks and bonds and save money and get an education. Alas, the 99% have no choice but to buy big screen TVs and bigger and shinier rims and get degrees in gender studies and English lit instead of engineering and chemistry.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

The question is why is the liberal solution more taxes? How does that help the 99% earn more? Tax and spend, redistribution for more government social programs do not help the wage gap. Again lots of talking points for both sides but no solutions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The question is why is the liberal solution more taxes? How does that help the 99% earn more? Tax and spend, redistribution for more government social programs do not help the wage gap. Again lots of talking points for both sides but no solutions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Most of what we use and consume is imported. Examples: Textiles, appliances, furniture, tools, toys, steel, farm equipment, electronics, automotive parts and supplies, etc. Check your local store shelves and see how many "Made IN U.S.A." labels you find. Go to any Wal-Mart and see if you can find shoes, shirts, bath towels, bed sheets, or electronics that was NOT made outside of this country. Go to your local Auto Zone and try to find a socket or end wrench made in the U.S. You may be able to find one or two out a couple of dozen on the shelf. Go to Rent-To-Own and see how many pieces of furniture are imported. Go to any appliance store and see how many U.S.A. made appliances there are compared to the imports. Go to a farm equipment supply store and see how many foreign made pieces of equipment they carry. The point is, we import most of what we use and consume. Some of our food is imported. We are import dependent.

What would happen if we didn't import clothes, appliances, toys, steel, automotive parts and supplies? What if the supply of those items suddenly stopped? What if we stopped importing everything that could be made, manufactured, and produced here in the U.S.? A little side note here, if I may. How many of our poor, less fortunate, disabled, and elderly, could afford to buy everything American made? How about the unemployed? Could they shop for "only" American made items and necessities? As it stands now, most Americans can not shop on Fifth Avenue. We are a poor and dependent society, and getting poorer by the day. Cheap imports enable consumers to buy necessities, and buy a few non-necessities. Why?

Back in the 50's and 60's, there were plants and factories on almost every street corner. We had jobs that covered all education and skill levels. Those were self-supporting jobs. Then unions got greedy, and American made goods became expensive, more expensive than imports. In addition, our government enacted unfair, unjust, and one-sided foreign trade agreements and policies, which made the situation worse. Then next, we closed the steel factories, the textile plants, we lost the electronics industry, and on and on and on and on. So, between the greedy unions asking for $20.00 an hour for the floor sweeper, and the unfair, unjust, and one-sided foreign trade agreements and policies, we lost industry after industry until we were out of work, standing in unemployment lines, and living off of government assistance programs. Now, we're import dependent, and produce very little of what we use and consume. As our population grew, there were fewer and fewer self-supporting opportunities available for our work force. In addition, we started importing labor, off-shore out-sourcing labor, and allowing millions of illegal immigrants to live and work in this country.

The net results is a poor and dependent society, living off of unemployment checks, government assistance programs, and charity. A lot of what we actually produce, is exported, and not purchased by Americans. Most Americans can't afford to buy what we produce. Part-time jobs, temporary jobs, low wage jobs, and side-line work can't pay the price to shop for American made goods. We have over 47 million on food stamps. Can they buy union made products that are produced here in America?

Most of what we use and consume is imported.

That's just a silly claim.
Last year we imported less than $2.3 trillion in a nearly $17 trillion economy.

 

[Sonny Clark]

The question is why is the liberal solution more taxes? How does that help the 99% earn more? Tax and spend, redistribution for more government social programs do not help the wage gap. Again lots of talking points for both sides but no solutions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The question is why is the liberal solution more taxes? How does that help the 99% earn more? Tax and spend, redistribution for more government social programs do not help the wage gap. Again lots of talking points for both sides but no solutions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Most of what we use and consume is imported. Examples: Textiles, appliances, furniture, tools, toys, steel, farm equipment, electronics, automotive parts and supplies, etc. Check your local store shelves and see how many "Made IN U.S.A." labels you find. Go to any Wal-Mart and see if you can find shoes, shirts, bath towels, bed sheets, or electronics that was NOT made outside of this country. Go to your local Auto Zone and try to find a socket or end wrench made in the U.S. You may be able to find one or two out a couple of dozen on the shelf. Go to Rent-To-Own and see how many pieces of furniture are imported. Go to any appliance store and see how many U.S.A. made appliances there are compared to the imports. Go to a farm equipment supply store and see how many foreign made pieces of equipment they carry. The point is, we import most of what we use and consume. Some of our food is imported. We are import dependent.

What would happen if we didn't import clothes, appliances, toys, steel, automotive parts and supplies? What if the supply of those items suddenly stopped? What if we stopped importing everything that could be made, manufactured, and produced here in the U.S.? A little side note here, if I may. How many of our poor, less fortunate, disabled, and elderly, could afford to buy everything American made? How about the unemployed? Could they shop for "only" American made items and necessities? As it stands now, most Americans can not shop on Fifth Avenue. We are a poor and dependent society, and getting poorer by the day. Cheap imports enable consumers to buy necessities, and buy a few non-necessities. Why?

Back in the 50's and 60's, there were plants and factories on almost every street corner. We had jobs that covered all education and skill levels. Those were self-supporting jobs. Then unions got greedy, and American made goods became expensive, more expensive than imports. In addition, our government enacted unfair, unjust, and one-sided foreign trade agreements and policies, which made the situation worse. Then next, we closed the steel factories, the textile plants, we lost the electronics industry, and on and on and on and on. So, between the greedy unions asking for $20.00 an hour for the floor sweeper, and the unfair, unjust, and one-sided foreign trade agreements and policies, we lost industry after industry until we were out of work, standing in unemployment lines, and living off of government assistance programs. Now, we're import dependent, and produce very little of what we use and consume. As our population grew, there were fewer and fewer self-supporting opportunities available for our work force. In addition, we started importing labor, off-shore out-sourcing labor, and allowing millions of illegal immigrants to live and work in this country.

The net results is a poor and dependent society, living off of unemployment checks, government assistance programs, and charity. A lot of what we actually produce, is exported, and not purchased by Americans. Most Americans can't afford to buy what we produce. Part-time jobs, temporary jobs, low wage jobs, and side-line work can't pay the price to shop for American made goods. We have over 47 million on food stamps. Can they buy union made products that are produced here in America?

Most of what we use and consume is imported.

That's just a silly claim.
Last year we imported less than $2.3 trillion in a nearly $17 trillion economy.

Who were the people that purchased those American made goods? Were most of them purchased by middle and low income citizens? And, does dollar amount equate to volume? Are you talking about diamonds, furs, expensive cars, private jets, mansions, etc.? How much of that $17Trillion was exported? How much was sold in Wal-Mart? How much of it was purchased by those receiving some form of government assistance and those receiving unemployment checks? Have any clue? Any hard data to support your claim? What is the percentage of high-end stores compared to stores like Target and Wal-Mart? How much of that $17Trillion was actually purchased here in America, and not exported?

 

[Toro]

Yep. I just read an article concerning the same in the New York Times. No surprise. The poor get poorer, and the rich get richer.

Actually, the past three decades have seen more people lifted out of poverty than at any other time in human history. UNESCO reports on this every few years.

Reality doesn't match the reports. In many cases, it's more of a meeting in the middle between the poor nations and the rich nations. The term "Global Economy" basically means "equalization to the lowest level". In other words, increased trade enables some nations to realize a gain in wealth, while others nations become less wealthy. A good example would be The United States. In the U.S., we've been forced to lower our standard of living, and work for less wages and company paid benefits. We have a large number of citizens receiving some form of government assistance, and a growing homeless population.

There has not been a meeting in the middle. Other nations have not become less wealthy.

 

[candycorn]

Yep. I just read an article concerning the same in the New York Times. No surprise. The poor get poorer, and the rich get richer.

Actually, the past three decades have seen more people lifted out of poverty than at any other time in human history. UNESCO reports on this every few years.

I roll my eyes hearing about the 1%. If the OP would be so kind, can someone point out the last time it was 50/50 where you had 1/2 "haves" and 1/2 "have nots"? Or maybe even 25/75 or even 10/90? I don't know but I would suspect that the books have always been "balanced" around 5/95 or 2/98....

I agree, the more important thing is the other end of the spectrum.

 

[theHawk]

Yea we keep hearing how the 1% own all of our shit, yet I own all my own property and have a savings and indebted to no one. I didn't receive any welfare and paid over a third of my income to the Feds and still accomplished this. What am I supposed to be outraged by again?

Can any of you witless progressives give an example of a one percenter that has stolen from the rest of us?

 

[Katzndogz]

Liberal policies make it harder to accumulate wealth. Savings and investment is discouraged. Spending and debt are encouraged. The gap continues to widen.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

The question is why is the liberal solution more taxes? How does that help the 99% earn more? Tax and spend, redistribution for more government social programs do not help the wage gap. Again lots of talking points for both sides but no solutions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The question is why is the liberal solution more taxes? How does that help the 99% earn more? Tax and spend, redistribution for more government social programs do not help the wage gap. Again lots of talking points for both sides but no solutions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Most of what we use and consume is imported. Examples: Textiles, appliances, furniture, tools, toys, steel, farm equipment, electronics, automotive parts and supplies, etc. Check your local store shelves and see how many "Made IN U.S.A." labels you find. Go to any Wal-Mart and see if you can find shoes, shirts, bath towels, bed sheets, or electronics that was NOT made outside of this country. Go to your local Auto Zone and try to find a socket or end wrench made in the U.S. You may be able to find one or two out a couple of dozen on the shelf. Go to Rent-To-Own and see how many pieces of furniture are imported. Go to any appliance store and see how many U.S.A. made appliances there are compared to the imports. Go to a farm equipment supply store and see how many foreign made pieces of equipment they carry. The point is, we import most of what we use and consume. Some of our food is imported. We are import dependent.

What would happen if we didn't import clothes, appliances, toys, steel, automotive parts and supplies? What if the supply of those items suddenly stopped? What if we stopped importing everything that could be made, manufactured, and produced here in the U.S.? A little side note here, if I may. How many of our poor, less fortunate, disabled, and elderly, could afford to buy everything American made? How about the unemployed? Could they shop for "only" American made items and necessities? As it stands now, most Americans can not shop on Fifth Avenue. We are a poor and dependent society, and getting poorer by the day. Cheap imports enable consumers to buy necessities, and buy a few non-necessities. Why?

Back in the 50's and 60's, there were plants and factories on almost every street corner. We had jobs that covered all education and skill levels. Those were self-supporting jobs. Then unions got greedy, and American made goods became expensive, more expensive than imports. In addition, our government enacted unfair, unjust, and one-sided foreign trade agreements and policies, which made the situation worse. Then next, we closed the steel factories, the textile plants, we lost the electronics industry, and on and on and on and on. So, between the greedy unions asking for $20.00 an hour for the floor sweeper, and the unfair, unjust, and one-sided foreign trade agreements and policies, we lost industry after industry until we were out of work, standing in unemployment lines, and living off of government assistance programs. Now, we're import dependent, and produce very little of what we use and consume. As our population grew, there were fewer and fewer self-supporting opportunities available for our work force. In addition, we started importing labor, off-shore out-sourcing labor, and allowing millions of illegal immigrants to live and work in this country.

The net results is a poor and dependent society, living off of unemployment checks, government assistance programs, and charity. A lot of what we actually produce, is exported, and not purchased by Americans. Most Americans can't afford to buy what we produce. Part-time jobs, temporary jobs, low wage jobs, and side-line work can't pay the price to shop for American made goods. We have over 47 million on food stamps. Can they buy union made products that are produced here in America?

Most of what we use and consume is imported.

That's just a silly claim.
Last year we imported less than $2.3 trillion in a nearly $17 trillion economy.

Who were the people that purchased those American made goods? Were most of them purchased by middle and low income citizens? And, does dollar amount equate to volume? Are you talking about diamonds, furs, expensive cars, private jets, mansions, etc.? How much of that $17Trillion was exported? How much was sold in Wal-Mart? How much of it was purchased by those receiving some form of government assistance and those receiving unemployment checks? Have any clue? Any hard data to support your claim? What is the percentage of high-end stores compared to stores like Target and Wal-Mart? How much of that $17Trillion was actually purchased here in America, and not exported?

Who were the people that purchased those American made goods?

People. Corporations.

Were most of them purchased by middle and low income citizens?

Probably.

And, does dollar amount equate to volume?

Of course not.

How much of that $17Trillion was exported?

We exported almost $1.6 trillion last year.

How much was sold in Wal-Mart?

Last year, WalMart sold about $476 billion in goods.

How much of it was purchased by those receiving some form of government assistance and those receiving unemployment checks?

???

Any hard data to support your claim?

Which claim do you feel requires "hard data"?
The fact that we imported $2.3 trillion?
Or that GDP was almost $17 trillion?

What is the percentage of high-end stores compared to stores like Target and Wal-Mart?

???

 

[Sonny Clark]

The question is why is the liberal solution more taxes? How does that help the 99% earn more? Tax and spend, redistribution for more government social programs do not help the wage gap. Again lots of talking points for both sides but no solutions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The question is why is the liberal solution more taxes? How does that help the 99% earn more? Tax and spend, redistribution for more government social programs do not help the wage gap. Again lots of talking points for both sides but no solutions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Most of what we use and consume is imported. Examples: Textiles, appliances, furniture, tools, toys, steel, farm equipment, electronics, automotive parts and supplies, etc. Check your local store shelves and see how many "Made IN U.S.A." labels you find. Go to any Wal-Mart and see if you can find shoes, shirts, bath towels, bed sheets, or electronics that was NOT made outside of this country. Go to your local Auto Zone and try to find a socket or end wrench made in the U.S. You may be able to find one or two out a couple of dozen on the shelf. Go to Rent-To-Own and see how many pieces of furniture are imported. Go to any appliance store and see how many U.S.A. made appliances there are compared to the imports. Go to a farm equipment supply store and see how many foreign made pieces of equipment they carry. The point is, we import most of what we use and consume. Some of our food is imported. We are import dependent.

What would happen if we didn't import clothes, appliances, toys, steel, automotive parts and supplies? What if the supply of those items suddenly stopped? What if we stopped importing everything that could be made, manufactured, and produced here in the U.S.? A little side note here, if I may. How many of our poor, less fortunate, disabled, and elderly, could afford to buy everything American made? How about the unemployed? Could they shop for "only" American made items and necessities? As it stands now, most Americans can not shop on Fifth Avenue. We are a poor and dependent society, and getting poorer by the day. Cheap imports enable consumers to buy necessities, and buy a few non-necessities. Why?

Back in the 50's and 60's, there were plants and factories on almost every street corner. We had jobs that covered all education and skill levels. Those were self-supporting jobs. Then unions got greedy, and American made goods became expensive, more expensive than imports. In addition, our government enacted unfair, unjust, and one-sided foreign trade agreements and policies, which made the situation worse. Then next, we closed the steel factories, the textile plants, we lost the electronics industry, and on and on and on and on. So, between the greedy unions asking for $20.00 an hour for the floor sweeper, and the unfair, unjust, and one-sided foreign trade agreements and policies, we lost industry after industry until we were out of work, standing in unemployment lines, and living off of government assistance programs. Now, we're import dependent, and produce very little of what we use and consume. As our population grew, there were fewer and fewer self-supporting opportunities available for our work force. In addition, we started importing labor, off-shore out-sourcing labor, and allowing millions of illegal immigrants to live and work in this country.

The net results is a poor and dependent society, living off of unemployment checks, government assistance programs, and charity. A lot of what we actually produce, is exported, and not purchased by Americans. Most Americans can't afford to buy what we produce. Part-time jobs, temporary jobs, low wage jobs, and side-line work can't pay the price to shop for American made goods. We have over 47 million on food stamps. Can they buy union made products that are produced here in America?

Most of what we use and consume is imported.

That's just a silly claim.
Last year we imported less than $2.3 trillion in a nearly $17 trillion economy.

Who were the people that purchased those American made goods? Were most of them purchased by middle and low income citizens? And, does dollar amount equate to volume? Are you talking about diamonds, furs, expensive cars, private jets, mansions, etc.? How much of that $17Trillion was exported? How much was sold in Wal-Mart? How much of it was purchased by those receiving some form of government assistance and those receiving unemployment checks? Have any clue? Any hard data to support your claim? What is the percentage of high-end stores compared to stores like Target and Wal-Mart? How much of that $17Trillion was actually purchased here in America, and not exported?

Who were the people that purchased those American made goods?

People. Corporations.

Were most of them purchased by middle and low income citizens?

Probably.

And, does dollar amount equate to volume?

Of course not.

How much of that $17Trillion was exported?

We exported almost $1.6 trillion last year.

How much was sold in Wal-Mart?

Last year, WalMart sold about $476 billion in goods.

How much of it was purchased by those receiving some form of government assistance and those receiving unemployment checks?

???

Any hard data to support your claim?

Which claim do you feel requires "hard data"?
The fact that we imported $2.3 trillion?
Or that GDP was almost $17 trillion?

What is the percentage of high-end stores compared to stores like Target and Wal-Mart?

???

Are you sure Wal-Mart sold that much in American made goods? So, people here purchased the majority of what we produced? If so, what were those products?So, you're guessing that most of the American made goods sold here in this country, we sold to middle and low income consumers? Am I correct? You're guessing, assuming? So, you really don't have the answers? Am I correct?

 

[Toro]

Yep. I just read an article concerning the same in the New York Times. No surprise. The poor get poorer, and the rich get richer.

Actually, the past three decades have seen more people lifted out of poverty than at any other time in human history. UNESCO reports on this every few years.

I roll my eyes hearing about the 1%. If the OP would be so kind, can someone point out the last time it was 50/50 where you had 1/2 "haves" and 1/2 "have nots"? Or maybe even 25/75 or even 10/90? I don't know but I would suspect that the books have always been "balanced" around 5/95 or 2/98....

I agree, the more important thing is the other end of the spectrum.

I'm not saying that inequality isn't rising nor is it a problem. Society generally operates better when the gains are broadly distributed.

But people often confuse that with "the poor getting poorer." The poor rarely get poorer. They are usually getting less poor, even if the people above them are gaining at a faster rate.