MooPig Financial Trends :: "Global Wealth Inequality"

Impartial Disparity? I don't think So.
Gathered by Pat Darnell  |  May 30, 2013  |  Bryan TX

[Picture LINK]

The New York Times states: "The distribution of the world’s wealth — things like stocks, bonds or physical assets like land — has become even more narrowly concentrated than income, according to a new report by the World Institute for Development Economics Research of the United Nations University."

[Picture LINK]

~ In 2000, the top 1 percent of the world’s population — some 37 million adults with a net worth of at least $515,000 — accounted for about 40 percent of the world’s total net worth, according to the report.
~ The bottom half of the population owned merely 1.1 percent of the globe’s wealth. The net worth of the world’s typical person — whose wealth was above that of half the world’s population and below that of the other half —was under $2,200.

In rummaging through pages on this subject, it looks like AlterNet has replaced NewsWeek and Time magazines as a place to go get juicy stories about current events. I have half heartedly looked for the source and origins of AlterNet... [Maybe someone can help with that]. I am, after all, just another lazy blogger.

About Alternet: " ... Since its inception in 1998, AlterNet.org has grown dramatically to keep pace with the public demand for independent news. We provide free online content to millions of readers, serving as a reliable filter, keeping our vast audience well-informed and engaged, helping them to navigate a culture of information overload and providing an alternative to the commercial media onslaught. Our aim is to stimulate, inform, and instigate. (LINK) ... "

This story from yesterday has been brewing since agencies released some information about wealth distribution around the globe. AlterNet's article has some key points about that.

The World's Richest 8% Earn Half of All Planetary Income | Alternet: EXCERPT  |  "For example, the World Bank's list of "GDP per capita (current US$)" shows that in 2011 this annual-income figure ranged from $231 in Democratic Republic of Congo at the Equator, to $171,465 in Monaco within Europe. The second-poorest and second-richest countries respectively were $271 in Burundi at the Equator, and $114,232 in Luxembourg within Europe. For comparisons, the U.S. was $48,112, and China was $5,445. Those few examples indicate how widely per-capita income ranges between nations, and how more heat means more poverty." (Eric Zuesse. May 28, 2013. LINK ) ... "

'via Blog this'
That means when you divide all living people into five equal groups:

1. Poorest
2. Second
3. Third
4. Fourth
5. Richest

... Eighty percent of the world's people don't have any wealth. The "Richest" control 94% of the wealth. Sources are from the UN says the author. (Jason Hickel. 2 Apr 2013. LINK ) The groups are far from equal when measuring wealth.

Why does the wealth gap increase over the years? For example rich countries give every year about $130 Billion in aid to poorer countries. However, corporations take about $900 Billion out of poor countries every year. And the poorer 80% pay $600 Billion in debt service to its richer neighbors. Poorer countries provide resources and cheap labor. $900 + $600 Billion is $1.5 Trillion each year flowing out of the poorer countries.

Enough people asking the right questions will help to illuminate this inequality. But the methods of usurping poorer countries through unfair trade rules, and exploitation of labor forces have to be changed. Wrestling the wealth out of the hands of the 2% who now control trillions is not a simple task.

CONCLUSION
Changing the rules of wealth exploitation is not going to be an easy task any way you look at it. (LINK) If you can't screw it, or throw money at it, most rich folks won't even consider it.

[Picture LINK]
__________________________Reference
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/worlds-richest-8-earn-half-all-planetary-income
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/indiaatlse/2013/04/11/global-wealth-inequality-what-you-never-knew-you-never-knew/
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/06/business/worldbusiness/06wealth.html?_r=0
http://www.gfmag.com/tools/global-database/economic-data/11944-wealth-distribution-income-inequality.html#axzz2UilO78bV
http://makewealthhistory.org/2013/04/16/global-wealth-inequality/
https://www.commondreams.org/video/2013/04/09
http://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/16/05/2013/global-wealth-inequality-%E2%80%93-what-you-never-knew-you-never-knew
http://www.therules.org/
http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/hot-topics/worldinequality.aspx
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/united_nations/index.html?inline=nyt-org
http://sdpeacejustice.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/does-inequality-hurt-the-rich-too/
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/03/21/rising-wealth-inequality-should-we-care

Navy Story from one of my Classmates

Wyatt's Inferno
by John Wyattcopyright 1976
(For those who are unfamiliar with Navy traditions, the Crossing the Equator ceremony occurs when those who have never crossed the equator (the slimy polywogs) are initiated by the forces of King Neptune (the Honorable Shellbacks). This a a true account of my initiation, though I may have embellished it just a little.)
I wake violently. Cries of "WAKE THE WOGS!" assault my sleepy ears. With a groan I turn over, flip on my bunk light, and peer at my watch. Six a.m. With an even greater groan I roll out onto the floor. Weary faces peer at me from behind green bunk curtains. The dead awaken.
A curious creature, dressed in early torture chamber, approaches; its right claw holding a formidable looking weapon formed from a two foot section of old fire hose. It cracks its weapon upon the floor and shouts "UP WOG!" This must be a dreaded shellback. With great difficulty I realize that this monster was once human.
I dress in the polywog uniform of the day: trousers on backwards, shorts on the outside. As I venture forth into the central area of our berthing compartment I see many other armed shellbacks running unfortunate wogs through a variety of tricks. I am directed to join the antics. Although I would rather return to bed, I hear myself cry “Yes most honorable shellback sir!” So begins my day in Purgatory.
After numerous activities, including wog-dog fights, meowing, rolling over and a personal tour of each and every floor tile, we are paraded up to breakfast on all fours. Shellbacks, all armed with weapons of cut fire-hose, line the way. They exercise these weapons vigorously upon my hindquarters.
I arrive at the breakfast line and am permitted to stand. The line stretches to infinity. An occasional shellback wanders by and is met with a stream of invective. Strength in numbers. The Royal Chicken walks by, wearing only shoes and shorts, covered head to toe with grease and feathers.
After breakfast I return to our berthing area, along with the rest of the dammed (on all fours, of course), to await the pleasure of his Highness King Neptune, whereupon I will be cleansed of all my slime and muck.
Our shellbacks are not present, thank goodness, being preoccupied with those poor wogs already before Neptunus Rex.
At last we are called. We are instructed to “Creep, crawl or slither up the starboard side to the foc'sle.” Upon arrival we all must lie on our bellies in several inches of salt water and are informed that we are the foulest, slimiest, lowliest wogs ever to venture into Neptune's realm. We must be cleansed.
Demons crack their weapons about my head and upon my rear. I must crawl upon my belly and up to an open fire hydrant, where I am told to swim upstream. Obviously these Hellhounds will be content with nothing less than my complete drowning!
After what seems like eternity, I am permitted to proceed onward. I meet a fiend who coats my face with grease. Through the cries of tormented wogs I hear the fiend inquire as to my well being. From his greedy look, I realize that it does not really want the truth, so I reply “Fine, most honorable shellback sir!” The fiend, its lust satiated, allows me to proceed.
I now must crawl on a non-skid surface. My knees protest, but I am too emotionally exhausted to heed them. Armed shellbacks line the path to the fantail. Their duties are painfully obvious.
At last I reach the fantail. My behind, thoroughly reddened, is granted a temporary reprieve. A demon wearing a friends face informs me that I am an especially slimy wog and must receive a shower. I force myself to follow it.
I am stood up in a stokes stretcher. I see a devil grinning horribly at me as it turns on a fire hose. Through the pounding torrent torrent of icy sea water I am instructed to hail King Neptune. For lack of anything better to do, I comply. Eventually it decides that I am clean enough and turns off the hose. Pleased, the devil allows me to return to the line of wogs awaiting audience with King Neptune.
As I wait, I wonder how I ever got myself into this situation. I can only conclude that I have some sort of mental aberration, bordering on the masochistic.
King Neptune will see me now. I propel myself, with total lack of dignity, into his august presence. The charges are read and sentence pronounced. I feel oddly unconcerned about my probable fate.
First, I must kiss the Queen's Royal Toe. Not very exciting, to say the least. Next my face is thoroughly immersed in the greasy belly of the Royal Baby. Then into the Royal Coffin: a trash can. The sides are beaten and I emerge half deaf. Then a visit to the Royal Doctor. Blue grease on my arm and a horrible concoction on my tongue cure whatever diseases to which polywogs may be susceptible. Through the garbage chute and I find, with weary astonishment, that I have survived to meet the final obstacle!
I am set upon the edge of a large tub of salt water. A shellback holds each arm firmly. Dimly, through the infernal cries and gnashing of teeth arising from this hellish nightmare, I become aware that one of these Vampires is asking me what I am. Wheels, sorely tried, revolve slowly in my head. I open my mouth and manage to utter a single word: “Shellback!” I am dunked and released from damnation.
As I remove my ruined clothing and revel in the shower erected for my benefit, it seems somehow strange that I should feel slimier now as a shellback than as a wog.
fin.
Thanks to John Wyatt for sharing that experience; I want to hear from polywogs....