From: QueeneMUSE@aol.com
Date: Sun Oct 20 1996 - 10:57:26 MDT
[Suresh Naidu]
> a statistic I heard was that 358 people controlled 45% of the worlds
wealth.
[Mitch]
This is surely a mutated version of a statement from the 1996 Human
Development Report(snip)
"According to the Human Development Report 1996, the net worth of the358
richest people - _Forbes Magazine_ of the US puts the number at447 dollar
billionaires - is equal to the combined income of the poorest 45 per cent of
the world population, that is 2.3 billion people."(snip)
_West Africa_ lists global GDP for 1993 as $23 trillion. $447 billionis just
under 2% of that, so perhaps we can say that all those billionaires control
at least 1% of the world's wealth.
Saresh, in an earlier post you said that there was
more than enough to go around, now you've said
the opposite. : - )
Mitch thanx for the stats.
I, unlike John Clark, think that there proabably *is*
more than enough resource on earth to give most of
us (those willing to work for it) a decent living. Also,
I would be happy to help you build your house, if you
help me build mine (I probably won't be as tired as John because a lot of
friends will have helped me : )
As illustrated above, it is getting more and more
easy to make a lot of money, and with money comes the
ability to change things, really change them, not yak
about it. That was what the Million Man March was about, raising money!
Fine. Poor people need money. But do
they need *your* moeny? My money? Bill Gates'
money? : - ) No, they need thier own money. That is true empowerment.
I disagree that individualism means we won't
have community and social (not socialist) programs
and organized task forces. People, by and large, (with occasional
exceptions) are social animals. Even Extropians have parties.
You can expect some people to help other people. The difference is can you
FORCE people to help other people.
I understand your concern for the people who aren't so fortunate, and also
have compassion and doubts.
I have often argued that Libertarians advocate tough
love, but with out the LOVE > : )
Maybe some training systems or money and tools to
segue "laggards" into anarchy or Tony Robbins "How to
Get People Motivated to become Billionaires Once they
Cut Welfare" seminars are necessary before this thing
will fly.
Even if there is plenty of resource on this planet, how
can you make people *want* to work for them?
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