Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Divergence at the top

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Divergence at the top – the 0.01%

Click here to access article by David Ruccio from Real-World Economics Review Blog.

This chart portrays graphically the natural tendency of the capitalist system toward concentration of wealth by the few. While viewing it, one should keep in mind that especially under capitalism, wealth=power. It also shows that neoliberalist policies made possible by dramatic advances in technology, all of which has come under the "ownership" of the capitalist class, have added steroids to this natural tendency.