Quote:
Originally Posted by atomiczombie
1. The Top 1 Percent of Americans Owns 40 Percent of the Nation’s Wealth
2. The Top 1 Percent of Americans Take Home 24 Percent of National Income
3. The Top 1 Percent Of Americans Own Half of the Country’s Stocks, Bonds and Mutual Funds
4. The Top 1 Percent Of Americans Have Only 5 Percent of the Nation’s Personal Debt
5. The Top 1 Percent are Taking In More of the Nation’s Income Than at Any Other Time Since the 1920s
Link:
http://www.alternet.org/economy/1526..._of_americans/ |
Thank you for this AtomicZombie!!!
I like how people often do not internalize the ramification of distribution of wealth as it occurs landlocked in the top 1% of those who earn this type of wealth. And that's just it: They didn't earn it all on their own merit.
I'll give everyone an example of what I am saying, in case it's not clear to others.
Let's take Steve Jobs.
People are deifying this man as if he accorded all his wealth on his own. Yes, he was a vehicle that changed technological use. Yes, his company Pixar produced stellar movies. Did he do that all on his own? No. I have a good friend, from years past (when I practiced hair in the Hawthorne dist of Portland) who drew, animated and provided the logisitical framework for the characters of that movie. Was he compensated for his tremendous talent? No. But Steve Jobs capitalized on it. I understand that many people revere this man for the landmark technology that revolutionized how users now communicate across the digital divide; and it's that particular division, fissure, in society and how people (Steve Jobs, in particular) have capitalized on it.
I know my statement is provocative by nature, but I have never cared for how Steve Jobs capitalized on social need (dare I say, dependency on technology) or failed to treat his collaborative business partners equitably, with what seems to me as an elitist mindset.
~D