Stark inequality: Oxfam says 8 men as rich as half the world

[Sanguine]

Stark inequality: Oxfam says 8 men as rich as half the world

By PAN PYLAS
Associated Press

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) -- The gap between the super-rich and the poorest half of the global population is starker than previously thought, with just eight men, from Bill Gates to Michael Bloomberg, owning as much wealth as 3.6 billion people, according to an analysis by Oxfam released Monday.
....

If not, it warns, public anger against this kind of inequality will continue to grow and lead to more seismic political changes akin to last year's election of Donald Trump as U.S. president and Britain's vote to leave the European Union.

"It is obscene for so much wealth to be held in the hands of so few when 1 in 10 people survive on less than $2 a day," said Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International, who will be attending the meeting in Davos...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_DAVOS_INEQUALITY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-01-15-19-02-51

And, of course, their solution is to take more from these people and all those who have "more than they need".  We know what happens, but I suppose if you are living on $2/day it could sound plausible.  Or, if you do feel that you have more than you need and feel guilty.  What happens is that the "elite" are more enriched, governments can become more oppressive and intrusive, and poor people don't benefit.

[guitar4jesus]

Good for them.

[jmyrlefuller]

Divide all that wealth among 7 billion people, and you get a few hundred bucks for each one. Oh, by the way, that's all in stock and other theoretical money that you can't use to buy groceries.

[dfwgator]

Divide all that wealth among 7 billion people, and you get a few hundred bucks for each one. Oh, by the way, that's all in stock and other theoretical money that you can't use to buy groceries.

And in a matter of months, those 8 men would likely have all that money back.  Unless you took the Bolshevik approach and just shot them.