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posted by martyb on Saturday January 27 2018, @12:43PM   Printer-friendly
from the I-got-mine!-And-Yours.-And-Yours.-Annnnnd-yours,-too. dept.

The 1% grabbed 82% of all wealth created in 2017

More than $8 of every $10 of wealth created last year went to the richest 1%.

That's according to a new report from Oxfam International, which estimates that the bottom 50% of the world's population saw no increase in wealth.

Oxfam says the trend shows that the global economy is skewed in favor of the rich, rewarding wealth instead of work.

"The billionaire boom is not a sign of a thriving economy but a symptom of a failing economic system," said Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International.


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  • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Saturday January 27 2018, @04:30PM (7 children)

    by Gaaark (41) on Saturday January 27 2018, @04:30PM (#628934) Journal

    Up until the advent of the Internet, speech was not remotely free-as-in-beer if you wanted anyone outside shouting distance to hear it. Thus the absolute necessity to involve money in the process.

    But now, is not so necessary. Your speech can be gotten out much more cheaply today.

    Every citizen should be free to speak as widely and often as their means allow them to.

    But i don't think they should be allowed to 'speak' with big money in the political frame (zone? arena?)
    There, it should be 'by the people, for the people', not just some people. Each person should be able and allowed to 'speak' equally, or you get, by nature, inequality

    I guess, to me, freedom of speech does not include bribery of politicians. Political bribery causes inequality and takes away from the whole U.S. Constitution thing:
    "establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity"
    You can't have Justice if there is inequality of representation, and laws are made to favour one group over another.

    I understand where you're coming from, i think we differ in that (maybe because of my son) i favour the needs of the many over the needs of the one, whereas you see it as more of a "I earned this, let me keep it" thing.
    I'm not communist, i just see that laws should be for everyone and that they should not be able to be bought.

    Meh, two different sides to each sphere: outside and inside, lol.

    Sounds good to me if that's their choice. If you don't demand it of one person, you shouldn't demand it of another though.

    But i do demand it of everyone! :)
    When growing up, watching Star Trek (TOS), the thing that struck me was "Maybe someday, we'll be like this. Better than we are today". Hasn't happened yet, sadly, and won't probably before i die. Kind of sad. I wanted to be on the Enterprise and be surrounded by 'better', lol.

    "Live long, and prosper".

    --
    --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
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  • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday January 27 2018, @06:03PM (3 children)

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Saturday January 27 2018, @06:03PM (#629003) Homepage Journal

    But now, is not so necessary. Your speech can be gotten out much more cheaply today.

    Agreed. I'm as yet unsure how things should be approached in the current era. It's necessary to keep in mind though that corporate censorship of speech would be a significant factor as well though.

    But i don't think they should be allowed to 'speak' with big money in the political frame

    Why? They've not necessarily done anything immoral to warrant slapping a muzzle on them. Individual cases will of course vary.

    I agree with the whole "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one" as a personal philosophy. I disagree strongly with it as a matter of civic policy though. Down that road are things like killing those indians over there because they're on some land we want to for the good of the US. Ask around a prison, it's not that far a stretch from theft to murder. Or just read up on any communist regime, paying particular attention to the death tolls that were necessary "for the greater good".

    --
    My rights don't end where your fear begins.
    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Gaaark on Saturday January 27 2018, @06:25PM (1 child)

      by Gaaark (41) on Saturday January 27 2018, @06:25PM (#629020) Journal

      It's necessary to keep in mind though that corporate censorship of speech would be a significant factor as well though.

      Agreed.

      Down that road are things like killing those indians over there because they're on some land we want to for the good of the US

      That's one reason to keep big money out of politics: better chance for individuals and groups who are a minority/poor/whatHaveYou to have a voice..... why we need better governance than 'we' currently have.

      Damn.... James T. Kirk for President! :)
      --Paid for by the James T. Kirk for President and getting lots of green female action Committee

      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
    • (Score: 2) by acid andy on Saturday January 27 2018, @08:20PM

      by acid andy (1683) on Saturday January 27 2018, @08:20PM (#629116) Homepage Journal

      Down that road are things like killing those indians over there because they're on some land we want to for the good of the US.

      That's why a good ethical system should place a very high weighting on avoiding the intentional creation of significant harm. Harm is being inflicted on a small group of people to increase the wellbeing and comfort of another.

      Perhaps someone might argue that people were otherwise dying in the US, so we probably need a clause that people should just never be murdered or, more realistically, people should only be killed if they are already the aggressor in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

      A separate point is that its an example of meddling with someone else's already established society when they had previously had zero involvement in yours.

      --
      If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
  • (Score: 2) by acid andy on Saturday January 27 2018, @08:07PM (2 children)

    by acid andy (1683) on Saturday January 27 2018, @08:07PM (#629102) Homepage Journal

    i favour the needs of the many over the needs of the one

    Hey it's funny that we both posted [soylentnews.org] about exactly this (and referenced Trek) within 14 minutes of each other! Mine is 3rd paragraph from the bottom. : )

    --
    If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
    • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Saturday January 27 2018, @09:35PM (1 child)

      by Gaaark (41) on Saturday January 27 2018, @09:35PM (#629159) Journal

      One of the things that attracts me to TOS is the idea that 'we could be better'.

      Corruption makes that not possible, which to me is the real problem with the 1%: making things go THEIR way which is the exact opposite of TOS.

      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
      • (Score: 2) by acid andy on Saturday January 27 2018, @10:36PM

        by acid andy (1683) on Saturday January 27 2018, @10:36PM (#629187) Homepage Journal

        Yes, Kirk, McCoy and Spock all seem to be men with strong moral values and they're all inquisitive, deep thinkers. Picard too. It's worth noting that Captain Kirk's two best friends are both scientists.

        Some of the other Starfleet higher-ups Kirk has to deal with aren't always so great. They tend to be more preoccupied with rules for their own sake. Kirk sometimes lies to them as a shortcut I suppose because he believes it's in the greater good. Spock does the same too of course, eventually. Kirk also cheated on his Kobyashi Maru but I don't think he's inherently a selfish person. He rarely screws other people over.

        I struggle to think of any examples of corruption high up in Starfleet. Maybe Matt Decker, but then he had just lost his entire crew? Any corrupt humans I can think of seem destined to become renegades like Harry Mudd.

        So it seems that they created a society where moral fiber, intelligence and inquisitiveness are what gets you to the top, rather than greed, corruption and thirst for power.

        Most of my examples were of Starfleet personnel. We don't see much of Earth politics outside of Starfleet, which is unfortunate.

        --
        If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?