The new ‘Gilded Age’
Posted on July 15, 2007
Filed Under All, Politics |
From a NYT front-page story about the ‘New Gilded Age’:
“Only twice before over the last century has 5 percent of the national income gone to families in the upper one-one-hundredth of a percent of the income distribution — currently, the almost 15,000 families with incomes of $9.5 million or more a year”
We live in an era of billionaire tycoons - Sanford Weill, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet -Â not seen in the U.S. since the turn of the century produced the likes of Rockefeller, Carnegie and J.P. Morgan. And these new tycoons see themselves very much in the same light as their predecessors. Most are committed to giving back - in the form of philanthropy - to the community that allowed them to become so rich.
While I applaud philanthropy, I am of the opinion that the real way to improve communities would be to raise wages. When you look at, say Nordic countries with a $15 minimum wage, very low crime rates and almost no prisons in sight, you have to wonder if the huge gap between what the heads of companies make, and what’s paid to the people who actually do the work, isn’t at least partly to blame for America’s social problems.
The tycoons argue that they’re special, one-of-a-kind people, unlike commodity workers available at market rates and deserve the obscenely-large wage spread. Some smart people, including the likes of Paul Volker and American Airlines’ Robert Crandall, quoted in the story, aren’t so sure. Anyway, article well worth reading IMHO….
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7 Responses to “The new ‘Gilded Age’”
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Robert Kiyosaki seems 2 have a good explaination of why Feudalism is re-emerging. Basically technology and our love of entrepreneurs is making workers obsolete. In the next 30 years, working for someone else will cease to be profitable. Even toilet cleaners are probably going to be entrepreneurs.
You won’t read about the Nordic oil surplus on any blog. It definitely helps if you have an oil surplus.
No one will argue that the Nordic economies are not wealthy.
America is clearly the nation of inventors: we do indeed have a thing for the entrepreneur, and you can imagine a future world where whole nations are dedicated to a pursuit in which they excel.
I still think we should be looking at wages at the bottom of the social structure as a way of bringing our society into greater equilibrium. Some folks are never going to be entrepreneurs, and that’s probably a good thing.
[…] YouTube Link to Article bill gates The new ‘Gilded Age’ » Posted at www.gulker.com on Sunday, July 15, 2007 From a NYT front-page story about the ‘New Gilded Age’: … - Sanford Weill, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet - not seen in the U.S. since the turn of the century View Entire Article » […]
Excuse the change of subject, or should I claim reference to your prior days blog post on your press passes. I wanted to alert you to a very interesting article in the Datebook section of today’s (7/17/07) SF Chronicle on digital vs. film photography by Edward Guthmann and some interesting comments by current SF based photographers and the SFMOMA photography curator. I believe you can find this on SFGate.com also. I think you would find this rich in parallel views to those you have formed on this subject to which you have alluded from time to time.
Thank you,
Thank you for the opportunity, within this moden world, followers and leaders, crew and captains, there always are, people mostly are crew as every one else
born to consume, then to expire, mating patten of, humanusbuyagus.
Found forgotten, grazing in a landscape of trailer trash kings the last thinking exscapee continues, most of your information is from some one else, you dont
have that experience, reading only comic books, this is your truth if comics are the only veiw you have been given on the world.
People are not the worlds problem, the organistion , of those communities, groups, famlies, professions, this is never bigger better, but repeat each group.
small towns less crime, every one every one elses pocket, over a area
each profession exclusive to that population and location, butcher’ baker’candel maker, etc.
The individual can not be invisible within small groups, every thing done shall be known, may not want to do some thing can not walk away from as never ‘ lost ‘ as in larger cities.
Small groups, a better way, What does it matter, who’s going to know, cities this is true, the more people, more invisible the individual becomes, action without reaction.
People need to be small communities, Cities are isolated out side communities, resentment’ hostile’ sad’ dismissed, very lost, within someones gun sights.
Simonsaid-Australia-West- 2
Every one because of every one else.
Laws never reflect true crime committed, each part should be represented, making a total, thus a out come and sentence equal to parts of the particulur crime committed.
Maths could add up to a level thus penalty, total score, 10, etc different from, total, 100, at ten, the following will, happen to you, but because you added to
the total by, not only, 2 points were threatening - 1 point swearing - etc.
23 points shot in shoulder - etc, part, things done, have a number attached
total every thing, etc.
What do you think. ?
Simonsaid-Australia-West- 3
What is it like, your life as a American or person living in America, is it all like, propaganda, is your experience, red white and blue, is it what you do, yes, it rhymes.
Australia is not a culture, but a life style, Nice place raise children or retire, very urban, small population, mining’ resouces’ imports from other places
mixed mostly easten sea board, Melbourne ‘ etc -
Simonsaid-Australia-West- 4
There is a program I am putting togeather called, Languages Without Words ‘
this I will be teaching, but also looking for others to understand and teach also
this is just so much, understanding, that people say more without words, than with them.
Do you think there is a difference between old man sitting in wheel chair and sexy beautiful babe walking slow motion towards you as the theme music
plays?
Many have yes, this a Language communicated to you, but without any words spoken, A Language without words, you relate react one way
they do, things positive draw you close, negitive away from, emotion reaction communicated.
Etc- Every man because of every woman - etc.
The most important person you will know always someone else - etc
To value yourself is to value others- etc
Thank you for the time it has taken you to read this, you are more important then I shall ever be, enjoy ….
Lamar-
Thanks for the tip/link…!
Chris