Posts Tagged ‘distribution’

Corporatist Network Exposed – How the 1% Rule

Monday, October 24th, 2011

The 99% of the world who’ve been getting the shaft by today’s system now have a definitive target on which to set their sights, thanks to a team of Swiss mathematicians.

An analysis of the relationships between 43,000 transnational corporations has revealed that a relatively small group of companies, mainly banks, control a disproportionate power over the global economy.

The team found that a core of 737 companies (mostly financial services companies) control almost 80% of the global economy. See #occupy haters? The world is controlled by just a few corporations!

To get a better understanding of what this corporatist network can look like, check out the excellent visualization tools available at theyrule.net. There you can delve into the US’s ruling class and explore the inner workings of the American oligarchy.

One of the criticisms of the Occupy movement is that most of the protesters who are speaking out against corporations are clearly consumers of corporate products themselves.

But the issue shouldn’t be about whether or not we need corporations. Instead, the discussion should be what kind of relationship with corporations do we want to have?

In the not so distant future, we won’t be so dependent on corporations like we are today. We’ll have the means to produce our own energy with residential renewable solutions. We’ll be able to grow our own food in automated greenhouses. And we’ll manufacture whatever products we need with our very own 3D printers.

Yet, until this day arrives, we will need corporations around to provide us with the stuff we need to live. We can’t simply get rid of them without devastating consequences. But that doesn’t mean we have to endure the tyranny of corporatism.

Instead, we can hold these international businesses accountable to the people. Treat corporations like part of the public commons. Make these big businesses a shared resource, necessary for our world to function, but kept on a very tight leash for our security.

Now that the face of our foe has been exposed, there’s nothing left to do but declare all out war. It’s time to take the power back and usher in a more just civilization for everyone, not just the lucky ones.

How the .01% rule us and what can be done about it

Saturday, October 8th, 2011

70,000 ultra-high net worth individuals – the richest 1% of the richest 1% – control the media, government and big business. This gives them tremendous influence over the lives of every single human.

The only way regular people have a chance is through unity. The more communities come together, the stronger they become. Thanks to the Internet and social media, humans everywhere can embrace solidarity like never before.

Evidence of this can be seen in the uprisings taking place all over the world. The Occupy movement, the protests across Europe, the Arab Spring – in every single case, it’s regular people simply wanting a more just civilization.

These localized movements are culminating in something greater, something global. Recognizing a common struggle, people everywhere are coming together as a world community, and by doing so, will eventually form a group with enough power to rival that wielded by the wealthiest 70,000.

Wealth will be redistributed more equally. Wars will no longer be tolerated. Humankind will be set free to limitless potential.

Keep Wealth and Power in Check

Monday, July 25th, 2011

The notion that the rich keep getting richer has gained new gravitas, thanks to a recent peer-reviewed publication. The study shows that wealth accumulation, if left unchecked, “can lead to unlimited concentration of wealth, such that the percentage of all wealth owned by a few entrepreneur eventually approaches 100%.”

In the US, the wealthy have been growing wealthier while the rest of the population has not. This trend has been happening for over 40 years, as per this diagram (click for a bigger version):

The wider the income gap grows, the greater the risk of democracy being comprimised. If left unchecked, a handful of people and entities might completely take over as the United States succumbs to tyranny.

But it’s not too late. If middle class Americans rise up soon and reclaim their lost voice, which they seem poised to do, then their economic system will not run away on them.

The clock is ticking, and what comes of it will impact the entire planet. Come on, people of America! Show the world what humans are capable of!

Squeaky Wheels Get More Grease

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

“We are tired of the Wall Street oligarchs and corporate elites having such a disproportionate amount of influence and power, and the only way we can deal with organized greed at the top is with organized people power below.”Cornell West

Just like esteemed Professor West says, the best way to shift the balance of power back into the hands of the people is with cooperation and coordination from millions of engaged individuals.

This is why it is so important that we collectively demand more from the establishment. We may not get everything we ask for, but the mere act of asking makes it likely that we’ll get more than if we don’t say anything at all.

Just look what has been happening with all the uprisings across the Middle East. Fearful of revolutions spreading to their own countries, several Arab leaders have pledged huge sums to help appease their populations.

How effective these payoffs will be remains to be seen. But one thing is certain – if there were no revolutions and uprisings, these billion dollar kick-backs would have never even been on the table.

The louder our voice, the more the system should reflect the will of the people. When populations are empowered, mega-institutions, like corporations and banks, will no longer be free to steal trillions from the public.

This is precisely what happened in the Netherlands this week. Upset with the big bonuses the financial sector gave themselves after being bailed out by the public, Dutch citizens took to Twitter and Facebook and mobilized a successful uprising. Now, politicians have voted to implement a 100% retrospective tax, effectively eliminating all the banker’s bonuses. Booyah!

When humans work together, there is nothing we cannot do. We can reclaim our systems from the corruption caused by a few powerful interests. We can ensure democracy throughout all levels of government. We can make our world everthing we know it can be.

All it takes is for you to take action. Speak out, tweet, Facebook. Get involved in the movement. Join up with millions of like-minded individuals and embrace people power to get everything you want from the establishment.

Tax Breaks for the People Who’ve Been Gaining the Most – The Super Rich

Monday, December 6th, 2010

In the US and all around the world, the wealthy have been getting richer while the middle and lower classes have gotten poorer. This trend has been happening for decades now.

Today it was decided: Americans will face several more years of the same trend thanks to the Senate passing more tax cuts for the very rich.

This is just ridiculous! Absolutely absurd!

There are strong ties between an empowered population and distribution of wealth. As the will of the people is increasingly heard, wealth gets more evenly distributed amongst the entire population. The more the people are silenced, the more wealth can concentrate into the hands of the few.

These latest tax cuts should be a wake up call for Americans and the world.

We’ve been too quiet for too long.

We cannot wait for our political leaders to take action. In the US, for example, both sides – Democrats and Republicans – share too much of the same agenda to effect real change. The same is true for most governments around the world.

We cannot wait for the talking heads in the mainstream news media to alert us to the growing threat. Most often the news media are part of the problem! The revolution is not likely to be televised. The biggest media corporations have too much vested interest in perpetuating the status quo.

If you value your freedom, you need to take action. Blog, tweet, Facebook, make videos, write or call your politicians, take to the streets in protest. Let your voice be heard.

The fate of a free humanity could very well be decided over the course of the next few years.

Seeing how it was the US Senate that passed the latest bill, here’s a clip of a former Senator Huey P. Long offering a sentiment we don’t hear enough of in the political spectrum.

How many men ever went to a barbecue and would let one man take off the table what’s intended for 9/10th of the people to eat? The only way to be able to feed the balance of the people is to make that man come back and bring back some of that grub that he ain’t got no business with! – Huey P. Long