March 16, 2016 The Mayan Lesson Human nature does not change; it only repeats itself. The ancient Maya, a singularly gifted civilization that peaked, declined and collapsed almost simultaneously with the Roman Empire, left a vast historical record. It is the tale of an unholy alliance of kings, priests, and … Continue reading
Category Archives: Inequality
OXFAM Inequality 2016
January 18, 2015 According to a new report from OXFAM: • In 2015, just 62 individuals had the same wealth as 3.6 billion people – the bottom half of humanity. This figure is down from 388 individuals as recently as 2010. • The wealth of the richest 62 people has … Continue reading
COP21 And The Distribution Of Wealth
January 1, 2016 Background COP21 is a pragmatic face-saving agreement for politicians, nothing more. Essentially, signatory nations have agreed only to commit individually and severally to maximum annual carbon emissions. Reporting the results is mandatory, but unlike global lending institutions that routinely force helpless quasi-bankrupt governments into painful austerity programs … Continue reading
President Obama on Inequality
October 23, 2015 Excerpt of President Obama’s full remarks on mobility and inequality on December 4, 2013. …I believe this is the defining challenge of our time: Making sure our economy works for every working American. It’s why I ran for President. It was at the center of last year’s … Continue reading
The Caribbean
G-20 Infrastructure Commitment On November 16, 2014 leaders of G-20 nations in Brisbane, Australia presented a plan to boost global GDP by more than $2 trillion over five years by investing in infrastructure and increasing trade. Presumably the infrastructure they have in mind will include projects to reduce the use … Continue reading
Distribution of Wealth
There’s a rapidly widening gap in the distribution of income and wealth. The latest census data depict a collapsing middle class (this video details how it happened and its ramifications), high underemployment, low (and declining) labor participation, and rising outlays for disability, food stamps and low-income tax credits. Alarming as … Continue reading
Poverty and Wealth
“The first man who, having fenced in a piece of land, said “This is mine,” and found people naïve enough to believe him, that man was the true founder of civil society. From how many crimes, wars, and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not any one have … Continue reading