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The wealthiest 0.001% of people control 3X more wealth than the bottom 50%. But there’s a catch . . .

Photo above - Al Jazeera, the middle east's pre-eminent news organization, has take the USA to task over "wealth inequality." (This photo may be an AI fake, I can't tell . . . )

Any way you look at it, the optics are bad. The top 10% of earthlings own 75% of homes, bank accounts, Teslas, etc. The average wealth of “north americans” (including you, Canada) is 340% greater than the rest of the people. See link below.

Upon reflection, this doesn’t look like a problem which higher Federal income tax rates can solve. That extra tax money is simply going to remain in America. A little will be shaved off the top by Congress and various agencies, and the rest redistributed (or spent on) deserving North Americans. That money will NOT be leaving the USA to help “the rest of the world”, like Somalia, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, or Mongolia.

Wait . . . it gets weirder. North American INCOME (paychecks) is already 300% higher than the rest of the world. We’re at the top for both savings and paychecks. How do we feel about redistributing it among ourselves now?

The Al Jazeera article doesn’t do a deep dive on things like car ownership, smartphones, and Roomba vacuums but I take on faith that we’re outperforming Mongolia on those metrics too.

I don’t want to seem churlish, but NONE of the American politicians screaming wealth inequality have any intention of helping out peanut farmers, goat herders, and subsistence fishermen in Africa. They want to redistribute our tax dollars in ways that swell the entitlement class and create loyal voters on election day. When we redistribute 300-340% among ourselves, the size of the pie doesn’t change. The only thing that happens is that somebody’s slice gets a little bigger of what is already the worlds largest pie..

This is why we have uncontrolled migration to America and Europe. Nobody aspires to be a peanut farmer or subsistence fisherman. They want iPhones, Netflix, and BMWs. Even complete regime change in the most despotic nations isn’t going to immediately usher in a golden age of prosperity and equality. Planet earth hasn’t had equality of living standards since the time of the Neanderthals. The first guy who chiseled a rock into a wheel was probably the first millionaire.

I don’t have an answer to fix the problem of global poverty. But I don’t think it will be increasing the top personal income tax rate by another 5%, or to keep expanding the national debt.

I’m just sayin’ . . .

Where in the world are wealth and income most unequal? | Business and Economy News | Al Jazeera

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Thinkerbell · 41-45, F

I'll be interested in hearing from Al Jazeera when they plan to do an analysis of the Saudi royal family's wealth and income relative to the rest of the Saudi population.

I won't hold my breath.

Crazywaterspring · 61-69, M

@Thinkerbell I'm not waiting on them to probe the wealth of Qatar's royals or wealthy.

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@Thinkerbell they are funded by various middle east despots. i doubt if al jazeera has ever printed a single word against the sheiks and imams who rule in those places.

Thinkerbell · 41-45, F

@SusanInFlorida

Bingo.

AthrillatheHunt · 51-55, M

@Crazywaterspring all gulf nations import slave labor . Some gulf states have more slave labor than citizens.

Crazywaterspring · 61-69, M

@AthrillatheHunt True. I was stationed there in the eighties.

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@AthrillatheHunt its only slave labor if they confiscate your passport on arrival, and refuse to pay you the agreed on contract wages..

done and done . .

22Michelle · 70-79, T

@Thinkerbell As per the original post you can't control what other countries do, but you can, and should, try to improve wealth distribution within your own country.
And, just possibly, reduce your national debt, which I'm sure all those wealthy mega / maga patriots would volunteer to assist in.

Nb I am very aware that my country has similar problems dating back to Thatcher. Somehow those right wing "wealth creating" policies just sucked money up and away, mothing ever "dripped down".

Thinkerbell · 41-45, F

@22Michelle

"...but you can, and should, try to improve wealth distribution within your own country."

That's exactly what I was suggesting Al Jazeera should do.

But of course they value their heads. 🤭

22Michelle · 70-79, T

@Thinkerbell So still on whataboutery, unless you live on one of those Gulf states.

Thinkerbell · 41-45, F

@22Michelle

Whataboutery is a powerful argument.

It doesn't deny that the problem alluded to exists, but it does show that the complainant (Al Jazeera in this case) isn't arguing on principle.

It's known more colloquially as the pot calling the kettle black.

AthrillatheHunt · 51-55, M

@SusanInFlorida that’s kinda exactly what they do (if it was sarcasm sorry I missed it ).

22Michelle · 70-79, T

@Thinkerbell The point that has been made, and I agree with is that I don't expect you or I to fix the issue in Qatar, Dubai, etc. However we can try to improve wealth distribution, reduce poverty in our countries or we can just say other countries should do it first aka whataboutery. Do you want to make things better as regards wealth distribution in your country?

Thinkerbell · 41-45, F

@22Michelle

"...or we can just say other countries should do it first aka whataboutery."

No, I don't insist they do it first; I just said Al Jazeera is in no position to criticize other countries.

"Do you want to make things better as regards wealth distribution in your country?"

Sure, we should be doing better. I checked a listing of poverty rates in countries of the world, and found that the US (17.9%) and the UK (18.6%) both have rates above western European countries, with Denmark and Norway doing best at about 12%, but surprisingly, Sweden has a rate of about 17%.

But then, much to my astonishment, I found the country that has the very LOWEST poverty rate in the world: the People's Republic of China (0.6%)! 😲

Maybe we should adopt their methods, eh?

https://www.datapandas.org/ranking/poverty-rate-by-country

22Michelle · 70-79, T

@Thinkerbell So you're sticking with the whataboutery. Maybe start by comparing the 50 US states.

Thinkerbell · 41-45, F

@22Michelle

Ok, as you wish. Here are some 2025 figures by U.S. state.

The worst is Louisiana, at 19.6%.

And 15 states are doing quite well, 11% or below (California and New York are not among them, btw).

And the overall poverty rate for the US
is about 41.4 million/348 million = 11.9%

Hey, we've improved a lot!

You should be pleased, Michelle.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/poverty-rate-by-state

22Michelle · 70-79, T

@Thinkerbell well there you go. For the apparently richest in the country in the world that's really not that great, and something you should try and improve on. But it is a start to consider those figures.

Thinkerbell · 41-45, F

@22Michelle

Well, we can only determine what's really "all that great" by comparing one country against another, but you said that's a no-no. 🤭

P.S. the per capita wealth of adults in Switzerland is considerably higher than that of the U.S. (about $710,000 vs $565,0000), and the Swiss poverty rate is 15.8%.

22Michelle · 70-79, T

@Thinkerbell I did not say that comparing cojntries is a no-no. My comment was directed at the USA claims of being the greatest country given it's poverty rates and distribution of wealth. The point remains that what should be of interest to you is how can the US distribution of wealth be improved. That other countries may not be trying to improve really shouldn't be something to points score over.

AthrillatheHunt · 51-55, M

@Thinkerbell Switzerland is a very well managed civilized country

Thinkerbell · 41-45, F

@AthrillatheHunt

And yet their poverty rate is not particularly good vis-a-vis other western European countries, even though the Swiss wealth per capita is much higher.

Thinkerbell · 41-45, F

@22Michelle

"That other countries may not be trying to improve really shouldn't be something to points score over."

And yet, that is exactly what you are trying to do. 🤭

"Practice what you preach" is yet another variation of the pot calling the kettle black.

22Michelle · 70-79, T

@Thinkerbell Well you've lost me. We started off with you basically saying why should you fo anything about improving your country when Al Jazeera seem not to be. And that's when I said whataboutery is never a good look. Since then you keep trying to find some way to justify you not having to fo anything about the poor distribution of wealth in the USA. Either you think people, including yourself, should try and improve such things in your own country or you don't. I have no idea how you're getting this points scoring thing from me. My country has a poor wealth distribution, and it's been getting worse, so where I"m scoring points I have no idea. Anyway, you feel free to draw your own conclusions.

Thinkerbell · 41-45, F

@22Michelle

"We started off with you basically saying why should you fo anything about improving your country when Al Jazeera seem not to be."

I didn't say that. I said "I'll be interested in hearing from Al Jazeera when they plan to do an analysis of the Saudi royal family's wealth and income relative to the rest of the Saudi population.

I won't hold my breath."

NOT that I would not try to do anything about the US until they fixed the Gulf states.

"My country has a poor wealth distribution, and it's been getting worse, so where I"m scoring points I have no idea."

This quote was only the second time you mentioned your country. The rest of the time you tried to score points by doing nothing but criticize the US.