Lifestyles of the rich and famous: Obscene wealth inequality at it's worst

reply to post by Crakeur

the banks weren't allowed to fail because the gov't feared that allowing one of those big banks to fail would result in multiple collapses which would bring the global economy to its knees.

So the solution to prevent us from having to bail out "The too Big to Fail" in the future is?

Breaking them up or restricting their size before their power and size becomes detrimental to the country at large.
Limiting their market share.

I'll never understand how some can look at a big and over powering government where power is centralized but have no problem with a Mega Corporation or Central Bank that has just as much if not more power over our lives.
Especially, due to the fact that they are large enough to buy out governments to serve them and pass policies beneficial to them and detrimental to everyone else.

The centralization of power and corrupt human beings at the wheel is the issue no matter if it is done by government or corporations and banks that are allowed to write their own policies.

reply to post by LewsTherinThelamon


Liberalism isn't socialism or communism. If you want communism you can find it in north korea and cuba which still practice it.

Liberalism is about superficial redistribution of wealth from the upper middle class and say the deep millionres to the lower middle class and poor. The billionares and trillionares evade taxation via all kinds of loopholes made just for them. In fact I think they consider themselves sovereign nationals and are exempt.

Socialism is a mild form of communism, where business has become nationalised and the public itself owns it. They share the profits or losses via the government which acts as administrator of the public.

Western europeans and even canadians were socialists. I remember the railroads, telephone lines, water supply and sewer, the airlines, shipping, electrical powerplants were nationally owned enterprises. Slowely these countries shifted away from socialism into liberalism. The older folks should know this, heck I am 38 and know it.

I am sick and tired of people confusing neoliberalism or plain liberalism with socialism and communism. There is no resemblance. I am not advocating for either socialism or communism either. Just saying socialism, communism and free market capitalism are the only ways to avoid being a slave to the rich.

reply to post by crazyewok

No what he is saying is that Apple or Microsoft et wants you home to put a shop or offices there they will go to your local authroties and slip some corrupt politican a few million and they will pass a law forceing you out most likley below its real value. Or they want to set up a similiar buisness to you but dont want the competition so again they slip some politician a few million and bang you hit with a load of permit "violations" and tax "disrepances" and bang you buissness goes.

Yes its the polictians fault for accepting those bribes or "party contributions" as they like to call them but the buissnesses should not be offering bribes either! To me both are guilty and both partys need locked up in jail.

THIS is my entire point.

If our governments actually feared us they wouldn't accept bribes

If they knew that they could possibly be hung by an angry lynch mob, chances are, they would choose to remain living and refuse any bribe.

reply to post by LewsTherinThelamon


Exactly though both the briber and bribe accepter needs to have the same fear!

Also what constitutes a bribe needs sorting out.

To me big compnays giving out "campaign constributions" is a bribe. Offering kids of politicians prime jobs in exchange for favours is a bribe.

I agree that this kind of wealth is extravagant, especially given that much of the world is impoverished and in need of just "the basics."

However, I don't blame capitalism at all. Capitalism is a fine system. The real problem here is human nature—people. The economic system or platform is not the real issue, in my humble opinion.

EarthCitizen07

No raise the tariffs on asian imports and put walmart out of business. Factories open up in america, people go back to work and pay taxes, more spending money and everyone is happy.

But then there would be less dividends per share for their portfolios from the cheap labor they use overseas.

I find it ironic that the ones that shout the loudest about Freedom and Independence from government have no problem, through their policies enslaving the Chinese so that can get more gold press latinum into their coffers.

Where is the "liberal media" CNN and "right wing media" FOX NEWS on the thousands of chinese loosing their land so private developers can build on it, and send them off to work in the cities? Where are the cries in America against these attrocities where these Chinese are loosing their independence and freedom on their own land?

en.wikipedia.org...

Forced eviction in the People's Republic of China refers to the practice of involuntary land requisitions from the citizenry, typically in order to make room for development projects. In many instances, government authorities working in collusion with private developers seize land from villagers, often with little to no compensation. Forced evictions are particularly common in rural areas, and are a major source of unrest and public protest.[1] By some estimates, up to 65 percent of the 180,000 annual "mass incidents" in China stem from grievances over forced evictions.[2] Citizens who resist or protest the evictions have reportedly been subjected to harassment, beatings, or detention.[3]

Sounds like what we are getting closer to in the US, with many, hopefully confused people supporting this model of collusion because it is making a few rich while everyone else stagnates. The commies are not the liberal media or the socialists, but the NEOCON Fascists supporting the "rich" they buy government.

rocktsar
Greed is an evil thing but what the op is suggesting is another kind of hell. Yeah, down with the rich individual, lets consolidate all power and wealth for the government, that always turns out great. Oh, there were a few mishaps with this approach but they veered from the ideal, this time we'll get it right guys, all you have to do is trust the government...

When did I say that?

I said we need to re-examine the way we look at freedom. You've been indoctrinated to accept the current system as being free when it only provides freedom for one class of people, and excludes everyone else. We need to develop a better free market system that encourages growth for the lower and middle class as well, and not just the upper class. Trickle down economics don't work.

reply to post by jacobe001


Neocons and Neoliberals are both globalist orientated WTO hacks supporting croney capitalism the world over. Neo means new in greek or latin and seems handy in *new world order* one world government disorder.

We need traditional liberals and conservatives, socialists, communists. Anyone thats against judeo-american globalism.

Let nations develop their own economies as much as possible, but its hard to do with private central bankers breathing down their necks all the time.

Yes chinesse government is very corrupt. Not only are they authoritarians, since most communists are by nature, but they are now using their unchallenged authoritarianism to force croney capitalism on the chineese economy.

The russians on the other hand have a much more ballanced approach to capitalism.

reply to post by DeadSeraph


We are ALL guilty. If you live in a place where there is electricity, internet, and a grocery store, you are living better than 99 percent of the people on this planet. Be honest, when you bite into an apple, do you ever stop to think about the life of the fruit picker who picked that apple? How poor they must be, and how their kids live? Again, if you live in North America or Europe, by most of the worlds standards you are rich beyond belief. There are always going to be rich people, and inequality. What we need to do is see how each of us as individuals can try to make the lives of less fortunate people better, because its virtually guaranteed that we are doing better than someone in this world, and we can help them in some way. Take your anger and volunteer for a non profit organization. You will be surprised what a difference you can make. Good post S&F

reply to post by openminded2011


True to some extent, but the cost of living can be radically different from nation to nation, thus negating low income problems. In china you can survive with $100 for weeks whereas in the states its good for about a few days at most.

reply to post by openminded2011


Granted. That is sort of what I was trying to get at in my OP. But just because I have it better than a lot of people in the world, doesn't mean we shouldn't try and fix the current state of events. Does one person really need 76 billion dollars? Couldn't we find a better system so that everyone is a little better off? If everyone was better off, wouldn't that help the economy anyways, since there'd be more consumers buying the products the wealthy are selling anyways?

Crakeur
reply to post by ldyserenity

 

pretty much, yes. there's no way we're "growing out of this" as Obama keeps saying will happen.

in order for us to turn things around, we need to cut spending, raise revenue, and come up with a budget that works. It's all doable but it will hurt and our politicians are too frigging stupid to balance their own checkbooks so we can't expect them to do anything right here.

Politicians have made promises to their cronies and they are arguing between themselves that consist of the top .5% on where the cuts will be made. Healthcare and Big Pharma are at the top of the list when it comes to lobbying so the "Fix" is in for them at our expense.

No matter where they cut, they will be hurting one of their cronies and it has nothing to do with the bottom 95% of this nation.

The bottom 80% of the country account for 12% of the wealth and is a drop in the bucket compared to where the real source of wealth is in this country. They can tax the 80% more but it will amount to nothing. Its hilarious watching them arguing amongst themselves (politicians, bankers and corporate heads in bed together)

reply to post by EarthCitizen07


In my research into sucessfull countrys. For example Singapore, Cayman Islands, Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Hong Kong, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden which are a mix of Free captlists and socialists is one thing.

They are small countrys either in size or population.

I think the key is the bigger the country in population or size the bigger and more faceless the goverment and the more easier for corruption and everything we hate to set in.

The key may be breaking down large countrys or at least descentraliseing there goverments into a mix of Free captlists and socialists states. Depending on the person depends on were you choose to live and the many smaller states have more chance of succeding or at least not holding too much power so if one state fails it dosnt bring the rest down.

reply to post by DeadSeraph


I agree with you, I used to get angry over the obscene disparity we now see. But I sort of realized that realistically its NOT going to change, and the only thing we can do is join organizations that help people. Someone that is ungodly rich is usually(but not always) spiritually poor. They just cannot fathom what its like to not have money. So they don't have empathy. Although there ARE many very wealthy people who are very charitable. We just cant wait for them to change, we have to change the world ourselves, IMHO.

crazyewok
In my research into sucessfull countrys. For example Singapore, Cayman Islands, Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Hong Kong, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden which are a mix of Free captlists and socialists is one thing.

Define successful.
2nd.

reply to post by peck420


Sustaible national debt.

Sustaible growing econemy.

High standard of living.

reply to post by DeadSeraph


Before holding Carlos Slim in the wrong light you should know that among many things he has personally supported more than 165,000 young people in attending university and given billions to charities. You should also know that he started with nothing and built what he had through his personal efforts.

No one in this world should starve to death. I know that logistics are difficult, but these butt ass rich people should at least TRY to help feed and vaccinate the third (and fourth world). Props to Bill and Melinda Gates. I come from an upper middle class family, and have ended up on Medicaid for medical costs due to a terminal illness. My family would and does help me out and have sometimes gone hungry a night or two. Obama care is not gonna catch up to me. I hope it works out. But these self proclaimed Pharohs should have to be made Wolverines in reverse. Melt the Gold and dunk them in it like a cop at Dunkin's and dropped into a nuclear storage site.

reply to post by LoneGunMan

We need job creation not wealth creation. The western world is being fleeced so the people building the eastern world can become so rich they are above all laws of man.

You have it figured out.

The Neocon Fascists (The top .5% rich) like the Soros, the Romnies, The Obama's, The Bush's, The Goldman Sachs, The Koch Brothers, The Jp Morgans etc want everyone else to take a pay cut so that they can build a Globalist Utopia where they and their ilk are at the top and everyone else below them, and Freedom and Independence is not in their vocabulary.

DHS, NDAA, Patriotic Act, Medical Database etc are safe guards to ensure people are kept in line.

crazyewok
reply to post by peck420

 

Sustainable national debt.

Sustainable growing economy.

High standard of living.

You have just described the majority of the Western world, aside from the past 5 years.

Don't let a minor (yes, minor) economic blip jade your judgement.

Besides, if the US economy tanks, not one of the countries you listed will be standing (economically) before the US even finishes crashing.