http://www.vanityfair.com/society/featu ... rc=nl_wonk

I would love to know what you guys think about this issue. Is it a problem in need of a solution? Is Stiglitz' analysis sound? What should be done about it, if anything?

-Oz

I agree and disagree.
I agree that wealth comes to those who work towards it. In some cases (I enthesise SOME here as in most cases it purely isnt the case just terrible luck) poor wealth is due to poor lifestyle choices. I think though that wealth is passed down through the generations so it's no surprise that the wealth is concentrated within a select few. It's ironic that America has this kind of situation considering that Monarchy has this prevailent problem...

A important fact is missing. Most of the money is in corporate hands.
Sooner or later the countries will only be puppets of the corporations. They will do everything to ensure that the corporations build factories and create jobs.

This problem is not only an US problem, similar things happen in Germany.
I don't know the exactly situation in the United States, but here in Germany our biggest problem is lobbyism. Our politicians govern mostly for companies and corporations, not for the benifits of their people.


What can we do?
As long as we depend on money, nothing will change.
People who are greedy for money will make every effort to get into leadership or other important positions. Where they can make more money.
Actually, it's time to eliminate capitalism.

In the US, corporate allegiance is a big problem, too. And lobbying. As well as exaggerated consumerism. The corporate/govt-controlled media does a great job of convincing the masses that they need to consume more and more and not pay any mind to the man behind the curtain. They also do a good job dividing everyone. People stand against each other as democrats and republicans or straights and gays or blacks and whites when these officials are all really two sides of the same coin, and we should be uniting as one. I think that the economy will eventually collapse on itself, though. The US dollar has been steadily decreasing in value for decades. As far as eliminating one economic system in favor of another... I don't know if it really matters in the long run. What really needs to happen (as with most social problems) is for a sense of understanding of the truth to be passed down through generations. You have to change the way people think about the world and each other. Replacing an economy or government with another doesn't really seem like a good solution in the long run. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Do kind things for others. That's one of the best things we can do for each other in the meantime. Inequality is inevitable, but we can ease one another's suffering and do the best we can.

Nothing will be done about it, because the balance of power between labor and capital has changed.

i don't know about other countries, but the states will collapse on itself. white americans are constantly looking for a scapegoat when the problem all along was them. immigration - blame the immigrant for coming here when there is work for them here. blame them for you hiring them because they'll work twice as much for half as much & they can't complain to the better business bureau or file sexual harassment cases due to thier "crime" for working for you. the economy - it was the credit card companies fault you had to file for bankruptcy when you spent so recklessly last december. they should have known better than to give whitey a card in the first place. the bank never said anything about a zero interest for an x amount of years loan suddenly collecting interest now that it's been that many years so it's the banks fault you had to file for foreclosure and not whiteys for knowing they couldn't afford that. jobs - why the hell should whitey, someone with a communications / business degree have to work fast food? ewwww. whitey went to university so they should make six figs from the day they got thier diploma and be able to retire at the age of forty. if they hear anything contrary they'll liken it to geezers and thier walking in the snow uphill both ways to school jokes. education - if it doesn't come easily to your kid then it's not thier strong point and should be overlooked for something that is instead of trying harder at things that don't come naturally to them. and it's the government's job to educate your kids not yours, even though they want the government to but out of thier personal life. voting - everyone except whitey knows that voting doesn't matter, as soon as these asshats are elected they'll replace you the people with big business / big brother so why bother pretending you are that important still? things like welfare, drugs, race, religion are just diversions to keep the dumb distracted from any real solution as to how things can get better in this soon to be mexico version 2.0.

Fuck Yeah ZEITGEIST!

But yeah, realistically...