“Barack Obama has 10,000 times the wealth of the poorest half of his relatives.” Yes, and Kobe Bryant makes ~35,407 times the average annual per capita income in Kenya, where average life expectancy is ~57-60 years. Reportedly, a significant portion of the Kenyan population of ~43 million make ≤ 1 dollar a day. So Kobe’s >30 million/year salary could increase the income of 300,000 of these poor people by 100 times. All of this is true, but what do these statistics mean? What are the causes of poverty, and what are the solutions? Is poverty measured by money, how many square ft. your living space is - if you have living space? Is it measured by whether you have indoor plumbing? etc. etc. The world has tons of hurts and injustices in it, but personally I haven’t seen anything that works better than a free marked capitalist approach combined with societal embracing of spirituality and charity for those in need.
Those people aren’t living on <$1 per day because of capitalism. They are largely there because of socialism, war, corruption and power hungry dictators.
Just what these 85 want for us. Dont forget those 85 approved the publishing of this story.