Richest 1% of people own nearly half of global wealth, says report | Business. The richest 1% of the world’s population are getting wealthier, owning more than 48% of global wealth, according to a report published on Tuesday which warned growing inequality could be a trigger for recession. According to the Credit Suisse global wealth report (pdf), a person needs just $3,650 – including the value of equity in their home – to be among the wealthiest half of world citizens. However, more than $77,000 is required to be a member of the top 10% of global wealth holders, and $798,000 to belong to the top 1%. “Taken together, the bottom half of the global population own less than 1% of total wealth. In sharp contrast, the richest decile hold 87% of the world’s wealth, and the top percentile alone account for 48.2% of global assets,” said the annual report, now in its fifth year.
“These figures give more evidence that inequality is extreme and growing, and that economic recovery following the financial crisis has been skewed in favour of the wealthiest. Marxism 2013. Cuba to host international LGBT conference for the first time ever. Cuba will next week host an international LGBT conference for the first time ever. According to the Washington Blade, more than 400 people from across the world will travel to the communist country, for the sixth International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association for Latin America and the Caribbean (ILGALAC) Regional Conference. Although homosexuality has been technically legal in Cuba since 1979, it was not until Raúl Castro took power from his brother in 2008 that the first gay rights marches were permitted, and there are still no discrimination laws, or recognition of same-sex couples.
Mariela Castro, the daughter of Cuban President Raúl Castro, was part of the committee that helped organize the conference, to be held in Varadero, just outside the capital Havana. She has been a prominent supporter of gay rights in the past, openly praising Barack Obama for supporting same-sex marriage, and leading pro-gay protest marches. The Socialist Daily | News, Views and Rants from the Far Side of the Left. PSL Presidential Candidate Peta Lindsay completes N. California tour. Abrogation of Japan-U.S. Security Treaty Would Open Up New Horizon. Memorial lecture at the 32nd General Meeting of the National Forum for Peace, Democracy and Progressive Unity Friends from throughout Japan, good afternoon.
This year marks sixty years since the Japan–U.S. Security Treaty came into force. The National Forum for Peace, Democracy and Progressive Unity (National Kakushinkon) was inaugurated in 1981 shortly after the then Socialist Party of Japan removed itself from the progressive camp by accepting the Security Treaty and concluding an agreement with another party to isolate the JCP. For Kakushinkon, a unique united front movement consisting of a political party, various organizations, and individuals in support of progressive causes, the abrogation of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty has been a basic goal since its inception. The Japan-U.S. Serious contradictions of the U.S. military bases in Okinawa exceeding limit of endurance First, contradictions caused by the U.S. military bases in Okinawa have passed the limit of endurance. 1.
The U.S. Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo, Spain's 'Robin Hood' Mayor, Robs Supermarkets, Gives To Poor. * Rogue mayor to begin trek to promote protests * Supermarket sweep wins left-wing mayor support * Uncertain summer fuels discontent By Paul Day MADRID, Aug 15 (Reuters) - A Spanish mayor who became a cult hero for staging robberies at supermarkets and giving stolen groceries to the poor sets off this week on a three-week march that could embarrass the government and energise anti-austerity campaigners.
Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo, regional lawmaker and mayor of the town of Marinaleda - population 2,645 - in the southern region of Andalusia, said food stolen last week in the robberies went to families hit hardest by Spain's economic crisis. Seven people have been arrested for participating in the two raids, in which labour unionists, cheered on by supporters, piled food into supermarket carts and walked out without paying while Sanchez Gordillo, 59, stood outside. "There are people who don't have enough to eat. The conservative government says an official has no business flouting the law. Child Labor and Mises. Today in a debate on twitter with an Mises touting libertarian; she claimed that government regulation is a bad thing, that only prevents workers from building new businesses and just lines the pockets of government officials.
The debate continued until she came out and said that there shouldn’t be child labor laws. Then she sent me a link to the ridiculous cave of libertarian idiocy that is Lewrockwell.com and an article from the much maligned Ludwig Von Mises Institute. This is an article that actually DEFENDS child labor as a good thing, instead of the horrible evil that it was. Hold on to your seats dear readers, it’s time to destroy some libertarian bullshit with a good dose of logic, history and good old fashioned sarcasm.
“In Defense of Child Labor” The title alone is enough to make you want to punch a rich guy. “Just the other day, hard-eyed federal cops descended on young lawbreakers all across America. Let’s start here. Yes. “At the behest of Mrs. Raised the minimum wage? Marx: the return of the giant. Broadcast Yourself. Solidarity with Greek workers. Following the 6 May election earthquake in Greece, which saw a hammering of the pro-austerity parties and a huge rejection of the 'Troika' (European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund), the main parties failed to form a coalition government.
Attempts by the Greek president to oversee a 'national unity' government or to form a 'government of technocrats' also failed. New elections will be held no later than 17 June. The supporters of Xekinima strongly supported the decision by the left-wing party Syriza to refuse to join any government with pro-austerity parties, such as Pasok, the former social democratic party, and the right-wing New Democracy. Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left) leapt from 4.6% to 16.78% (52 seats), to become the second largest party in the last elections, largely on the basis of its anti-cuts policies and call for a united left government. Democracy: Hated in America? Get into an argument with a right wing nut job, and it’s likely at some point he will mention how he hates democracy. It’s true! I honestly don’t remember how many times a conservative has told me in no uncertain terms that they hate democracy.
In fact, I’m about willing to bet that he will say some inane cliche such as “Democracy is two wolves and a sheep, deciding on what to have for dinner.” or something like that. Why do they actually hate democracy, and what is their alternative form of government? The Republic One common conservative habit is to wax poetic about the illustrious history of our great republic.
From media cesspool of stupid PJmedia: “Yet America is a republic, not a democracy. Or let’s try this one: “Democracy is like two wolves and a sheep voting on what is for dinner.” That last one heard just about fucking everywhere. Let’s first go to a dictionary (something I suspect many conservatives of never having done). Re·pub·lic noun \ri-ˈpə-blik\ Democracy What is democracy? America's Corporations Made A Record $824 Billion Last Year, As Conservatives Claim Obama Is Anti-Business. By Pat Garofalo on May 7, 2012 at 10:50 am "America’s Corporations Made A Record $824 Billion Last Year, As Conservatives Claim Obama Is Anti-Business" A favorite conservative attack on President Obama is that his policies — and even his personality — amount to an assault on American businesses. “President Obama himself is the most anti-business president in my lifetime. With rhetoric not befitting a president he has attacked oil companies, banks, airplane users, Wall Street and anyone who makes money,” wrote Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association.
However, according to the latest data, President Obama has been very good for America’s biggest businesses. The Fortune 500 generated a total of $824.5 billion in earnings last year, up 16.4% over 2010. Of course, that return to pre-recession level earnings hasn’t translated into job or wage growth for America’s workers. So what the fuck has occupy done so far? May Day marked by protests. Strasbourg Court declares Russia innocent of Katyn massacre. MOSCOW, April 12 - RAPSI. The European Court of Human Rights found Russia not guilty of the Katyn massacre, the mass execution of Polish nationals in 1940, the Moscow News reported on Thursday with reference to its source. The Strasbourg Court will pass its formal judgment on April 16, but the operative part of the sentence has been already passed. Poland has almost suffered overwhelming defeat in the Katyn case. However, it would be premature for Russia to celebrate the victory as the court declared it responsible for inhuman treatment of some of the applicants.
The case might be considered by the Grand Chamber of the Strasbourg Court and be eventually reviewed, the newspaper reports. The Soviet Union blamed the Katyn massacre on the Nazis, stating that the killings took place in 1941 when the territory was occupied by German troops. In November 2011, the lower house of Russia's parliament approved a declaration recognizing the Katyn massacre as a crime committed by Stalin's regime. Austerity: Cuts in Common Sense. The stories just keep coming back. Most of them from embattled Greece.
Families, unable to care for their children, abandon them. People desperate to find work, just enough to survive, trudge home day after day with empty hands, and empty hearts. People are suffering. I could go deeply into why, and how this has come about, but I’ll only touch on it briefly, because I want to focus on the human impact of these policies. Greece, like many European nations it would seem, has a debt problem. Sovereign debt is high, and the governments claim that they can no longer keep up the payments on this debt. What is happening to the people of Greece? And what has been the result of this austerity for Europe? Do you get the picture? Imagine working hard your whole life to earn a pension to retire on. Imagine that was taken away from you. From his suicide note: “I find no other solution for a dignified end before I start sifting through garbage to feed myself,” he allegedly wrote in red ink.
Like this: Share photos and videos on Twitter. Outlaw Occupy: US set to strangle protests with jail threats. Libya+before+and+after. Words and the war on women. Latest Afghanistan massacre will be remembered as tipping point in the war. High School Football Stats | Sports | Walton Volleyball Girls | Streaming Soccer at Psl.org. Japan: A Colony of the US. At the end of WW2, Japan lay in ruins. Cities destroyed, industry gone and millions dead.
Japan paid the ultimate price of their imperialism and fascism. Fast forward to present day Japan, and much has changed. Japan is now a constitutionally mandated pacifist country. They do not have a military, only a self defense force. They swore in their new constitution that Japan would forever renounce the right to attack any other country. Centuries later, and what is the greatest threat to Japan’s status as a peaceful and progressive nation? In a news story from Reuters, they announce that Japan will be cutting oil imports from Iran by 11% as the result of negotiations with the US government. This is just another example of why Japan needs to throw off their subservience to the blood thirsty dogs in Washington. Japan: Kick out all US troops now, close all foreign bases.
Like this: Like Loading... All capitalism is ‘crony capitalism’ Tim : Give a man a gun.... #p2 #... Myths About Socialism: Common Arguments Defeated « The Red Phoenix. If you’ve expressed interest in socialism at some point in your life, you’ve probably had an encounter ( it can be at a family dinner, at school, the break room at work or any number of other examples) that goes like this: You say something favorable about socialism, anything at all, and someone in the conversation dons a smug, wise-in–the-ways-of–the-world facial expression, then fires off a line of “bumper sticker wisdom.” Some of us have heard these arguments hundreds of times; indeed many of us remember being indoctrinated with these capitalist sentiments since high school. Some can be easily dismissed, but others are so profoundly ingrained that you must examine it from every angle, engaging each layer contained with the statement.
Why are anti-communist arguments important to examine and engage? It is because in almost every case, these common claims are straw man arguments advanced by people who do not have a knowledge of Marxism or the reality of socialist countries. Nope. The True Heroes of Libya. It has recently been reported that forces identified as “pro-Gaddafi fighters” have been fighting back against Libya’s National Transitional Council and have taken the town of Bani Walid. Al Jazeera stated that the pro-Gaddafi forces were “well-equipped and highly trained.” [1] Thus, it seems that while the US and NATO may have declared victory over Gaddafi, the people that support him are in the process of confronting the the US led military occupaiton of thier country. While Western governments may act as if the National Transitional Council has the support of the Libyan people and is the legitimate government of Libya, they are quite incorrect. In addition to the war crimes that were committed by rebels during the US-led war against Gaddafi [2], it is now being reported that according to UN officials, “More than 8,000 pro-Gaddafi supporters are being held by militia groups, amid reports of torture.” [3] Thus, things are not as what they seem.
Notes. US hands off Iran! The Good the Bad. I have a few things to talk about today, so let’s alternate between the good, the bad and the ugly. The Good: In an exciting bit of news from the infamous Huffington Post, Washington State (my home state) has secured enough votes in both houses of the state legislature to legalize gay marriage. Gov.Christine Gregoire has already promised to sign this bill if passed. If this law passes, Washington will become the 7th state to legalize gay marriage. It’s about time we started giving civil rights to our LGBT citizens.
Already the disgusting bigot organization known ironically as the “National Organization for Marriage” (Or the National Organization for Denying Marriage to People Whose Existence Our Religion Doesn’t Approve Of) has already promised to give $250,000.00 to a primary campaign to oust any GOP legislator who crosses the isle to vote with the democrats. The Bad: Drone strikes continue in Pakistan, a recent attack killing 4.
The Ugly: For the ugly category I have a couple of stories. The human cost of anti-immigrant policy. 2011: a year of attacks on reproductive rights. Health care: infant mortality. Hong Kongâs poor living in cages. Small enclosures line the room, leaving just enough headroom to sit up within the confined walls. Money is as tight as the spaces hidden among multimillion dollar high-rise apartments. In 2009, Australia-based photographer Brian Cassey flew to Hong Kong, where he had discovered people were living in nothing more than cages because of dire economic conditions. But nailing down the location of these caged dwellings proved to be harder than Cassey expected.
“The cage people are very well-hidden in dense, packed high-rise buildings,” Cassey said. “All cage homes are well-hidden behind several bolted doors.” This set-up doesn’t come as cheaply as one might expect, either. “No one wants to live here, but we need to survive,” a resident of one of these facilities told CNN in July. Cassey said he was looking for a project that “had the prospect of making a difference by bringing the situation to light.” “The atmosphere was one of resigned but controlled despair,” he said.
. – Elizabeth I. Tim : Found interesting pic: Kno... Why socialism polls well among young people and African Americans. Racist anti-ethnic studies law upheld in Arizona. Hands off the NHS! The case for socialism. The Communist Daily. What is socialism? Fair Housing Advocates Bristle At Banks' Proposals For Foreclosed Homes. PSL School for the Study of Revolution - Winter Schedule. Empty homes and homeless people. Mine owner ordered to pay record settlement. Once again: house burns while fire department watches. Tim : Interesting comic illumina... I Read Some Marx (And I Liked It) VotePSL. Occupy Oakland Live, Ustream.TV. Party for Socialism and Liberation. Money.