Thursday, June 1, 2017

Eight Rich People Own As Much Wealth As Half the World

I have posted this before and it needs to be shared again and again. This is truly breathtaking in the scope of its immorality, greed, power, evil, and enormity of suffering that this fact embodies. The profound tragedy is that there is enough abundance on Earth for all to have access to clean water, food, housing, healthcare. The vital changes needed will not happen, however, as long as we are ignorant and don't know truths such as this, or are apathetic and assume this is normal, or tolerate that just eight men own same wealth as half the world. Another world is possible. Tag, we are all it! - Molly
 

The eight richest people in the world — all men — together own about $426 billion, according to an Oxfam report. Top, from left: Bill Gates, Amancio Ortega, Warren Buffett, and Carlos Slim. Bottom, from left: Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, and Michael Bloomberg. 

Just eight people own more wealth than half of the world, according to a new analysis that highlights the massive gap between the haves and the have-nots.
The eight richest people in the world, all men, together own about $426 billion, according to the report from the charity Oxfam.
On the opposite end of the spectrum: The poorest half of the world’s population, some 3.6 billion people, collectively own about $409 billion in wealth, said the report, the latest installment in a series of annual inequality reports.
“It is obscene for so much wealth to be held in the hands of so few,” said a statement from Oxfam executive director Winnie Byanyima. 
“Across the world, people are being left behind,” added Byanyima. “Their wages are stagnating yet corporate bosses take home million dollar bonuses; their health and education services are cut while corporations and the super-rich dodge their taxes; their voices are ignored as governments sing to the tune of big business and a wealthy elite.”

The world's 8 richest people
Collectively, they own an estimated $426 billion. Meanwhile, the poorest half of the world owns an estimated $409 billion.(Note: Five of the billionaires listed below — Gates, Buffett, Zuckerberg, Ellison, and Bloomberg — have each pledged to give away at least half their wealth to charity either during their lifetime or in their will.)
Bill Gates 
American founder of Microsoft
 $75b
Amancio Ortega 
Spanish founder of Inditex which owns the Zara fashion chain
 $67b
Warren Buffett 
American CEO and largest shareholder in Berkshire Hathaway
 $60.8b
Carlos Slim Helu 
Mexican owner of Grupo Carso
 $50b
Jeff Bezos 
American founder, chairman and chief executive of Amazon
 $45.2b
Mark Zuckerberg 
American chairman, chief executive officer, and co-founder of Facebook
 $44.6b
Larry Ellison 
American co-founder and CEO of Oracle
 $43.6b
Michael Bloomberg 
American founder, owner and CEO of Bloomberg LP
 $40b
Please continue this article here: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/01/18/rich-people-own-much-money-half-world-report-says/y6az3Wtasd5TIf9Q6k3I4K/story.html
 

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