Well, my point was YOU are in the 1% on the global scale so are you running the world like you're part of an international crime family?

Turns out I am WRONG about this now as wages have increased dramatically so you'd need to be earning around $700,000 a year to qualify as being in the top 1%.

Even so my point was that the few at the very top are kept there by those below them. I don't for a second think they are all criminals though. I do think they have too much potential power though. The fact that lobbying is allowed in the US make the situation worse in that country.

Probably the 1% are not the evil power elite, they are too visible. I think in this dialogue however we do not have the same concerns. I am concerned about America's crimes against humanity, its true mafia-type behaviour internationally. So I'll bow out here. This one percent through, must be tied tightly to the corporate world.

Probably the 1% are not the evil power elite, they are too visible. — boagie

There does seem to be a certain restraint exercised by Gates, Musk, Buffet, Bezos, et al. They have the money to hire the best advisors on how the game is really played, and they then seem to mind their manners.

This leads me to believe that money, while providing access to power, is not power itself. I think intelligence is power and, while money can buy some intelligence, the important intelligence is being withheld. Nation-states and the power-elite (no, not politicians; they are puppets) that control them (big oil) are where the real power is. They know something.

I've said this before, but it also seems that (with the exception of Donald Trump) every POTUS that I've ever seen walks out of the swearing-in ceremony a more docile and restrained man than when he walked in. It's not the gravity of the new responsibility finally coming home to him. I suspect someone whispers something in his ear. Trump probably got the whisper too, but he's so full of himself he didn't hear it. He probably just answers directly to Putin so the message got through that way.

I'm going to start my own version of Q if I get enough positive feedback. Send me your money. :strong: :death: :party:

How Economic Inequality Inflicts Real Biological Harm. Scientific American

Yikes! I forgot that @Xtrix don't like me spamming links. :snicker:

I'd like to gather some perspectives on the issue of wealth inequality in this country. There's always much talk about the 1%, and I wonder if anyone has read or researched extensively who exactly these people are and if there are trends in their philosophies or religious outlooks.

I think it's often forgotten that behind major corporations there are real people making the major decisions, with real thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and values. Since they're the "masters of the universe," it's worth understanding exactly who they ar — Xtrix

It has everything to do with inequality: 99 % vs 1%. It's a natural human reaction to feel stressed to see privileged snobs who inherit billions of dollars (or assets/wealth) get all the societal benefits (such excellent schooling and healthcare) based on capitalism which prioritizes money above all else. The rest of us have to struggle hard to pay for basic things: healthcare, college, rent, etc..

Excellent, but, alas, I am a poor man. The nearer to god I be - - lol!!

Excellent, but, alas, I am a poor man. The nearer to god I be - - lol!! — boagie

You're in good company.