There are 403 billionaires in the US. Their net worth = the GDP of Canada.

[Hannah Bell]

A Few Senators Would Like Billionaires to Pitch in with the ...Jun 24, 2010 ...

According to Forbes Magazine, there are only 403 billionaires in the United States with a collective net worth of $1.3 trillion....

goingconcern.com/.../a-few-senators-would-like-billionaires-to-pitch-in-with- the-deficit-problem/ - Cached


Gross Domestic Product, Canada
$1.34 Trillion US dollars at current prices - 2009
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicator



Tax them.

[rpannier]

1. Love to know how many inherited their wealth

Like Forbes

[Hannah Bell]

4. steve inherited the second generation of wealth. his father = also a heir.

[Courtesy Flush]

19. And those who did not risk anything

Conservatives love to say that wealthy people are wealthy because they took risks to build wealth. While that's true in many cases, others finished college, then got accepted in a junior executive program, and ended up being investment bankers with multi-million dollar packages before age 30. They never risked a dime, except maybe taking out student loans, but they're raping the economy for billions, and the Tea Baggers who are scraping by on a government check are voting in THEIR interests.

[daleanime]

2. Maybe if we ask really, really nicely....

:eyes:

[earth mom]

3. I'd like to see that list. Can you post it? TIA! nt

[Hannah Bell]

5. here's the list of some of them

http://www.forbes.com/wealth/forbes-400

here's the top 10

1. gates
2. buffett
3. larry ellison
4. christy walton
5. charles koch
6. david koch
7. jim walton
8. alice walton
9. robson walton
10. michael bloomberg


interestingly, all of them are in some way pushing ed deform.

[earth mom]

28. Thanks. It's good to know who actually owns the U.S.A.and all of us peons.

:grr:

[Major Hogwash]

6. I don't think all of those billionaires live in the US.

I looked the other day and there were only about 300 here in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

[Hannah Bell]

7. you looked where? Per Forbes March 2010 it's 403 in the US.

AP PhotoOpenRichest 25 American Billionaires

The U.S. now has 403 billionaires with a collective net worth of $1.3 trillion. Here is a list of the country's top 25 tycoons.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/09/united-states-richest-people-warren-buffett-michael-bloomberg-billionaires-2010-gates_slide.html

[xchrom]

8. recommend

[dkf]

9. This feels to me like the targeting of abortion doctors or something.

Is this really the focus of Progressives? Resentment towards people with money?

[Fumesucker]

10. Really..

People with money are smarter than us, more moral than us and only want what is best for us.

That's how they got all that money, looking out for the best interests of those of us who have less than they do.

[Hannah Bell]

11. no, obviously progressive resentment is better focused on muslims, immigrants, fat people, smokers,

people who breast feed their children unacceptably long, people who eat junk food, people who drive SUVs, and women who don't follow western dress customs.

Those are important targets of resentment.

Resentment at the people who crashed the economy & are stealing from everyone else to make up their losses -- totally beyond the pale.

Resentment at the people who are preparing to kill people by shutting off public services to 1/3 of a city -- why would that bother anyone?

[dkf]

12. It is one thing to believe something isn't right and another to assert it must be taken away

As if simply having money denotes wrongdoing and is in itself a crime or something.

I notice there is no assertion of peaceful intentions or a denial that this is a targeting of some sort.

[Hannah Bell]

13. what are you babbling about? pardon me, your post is full of straw.

[dkf]

14. It just feels to me like the way someone puts together a list of targets

to focus anger at certain individuals...like how the right focuses abortion anger at a list of Doctors or something. It's not just your post but a culmination of the posts asking for civil disobedience, celebrating the attack on Prince Charles, advocating something that feels menacing.

Recently I've seen quite a few posts pulled down for advocating violence. I just think the rage is getting out of hand.

[Hannah Bell]

17. people are simply trained not to see the violence the wealthy do, that's all.

every day.

most of the violence in the world can be laid directly at their feet.

starting with the us wars on 5 continents going on today.

[boppers]

15. Here, let me assert the injustice for you.

Keeping all their bread, when their fellow people are starving in the streets, is the injustice.

It is an injustice to community, to society, and to the very idea of equality.

To equate taxation with being "non-peaceful" leads me to think that you have never had family herded naked into a ditch and shot, for the crime of hoarding money.

Taxation is peaceful, guillotines and state-sanctioned murder is not.

[fmlymninral]

16. I believe that

if truth be known most of the people on this list pay $100's thousands in taxes plus give tremendous amounts of money to charity. so what the question comes to is what do you believe is their fair share.

[boppers]

22. Only a widow's mite.

That's their share.

[TBF]

18. We are resentful towards a system in which just a few are allowed to accumulate

so much. Yes, it's wrong. Do I personally blame Gates for having so much money? No, I don't, he's kin after all (yes, I'm related to Bill Gates as in a common ancestor about 12 generations ago - my side of the family tree not so rich!) It's not the individuals - we all do the best we can with what we get, under whatever system we're living.

The fault is the system that allows such immoral behavior. The system needs to go - I can't say that strongly enough.

[fmlymninral]

20. why is it immoral

to accumulate wealth. Bill started a company that provides a valuable service to his customers,employees thousands, has created many millionaires. his wealth is based on the value of that company.

[reformist2]

25. It's not immoral exactly, it's just ridiculous. Nobody is truly worth $1 billion+

I don't care what the "free market" says.

[Hannah Bell]

26. immoral as well.

[TBF]

27. If you don't understand why it is immoral to allow certain folks to keep

billions of dollars for their own use, while others are homeless I don't think there's much I can say to you. Does that not strike you as wrong on any level?

Bill has enjoyed great wealth his entire life. Sure he's a bright guy and he may even work hard occasionally, but does that still justify having so much more wealth than nearly everyone else on earth? I personally don't think so.

[Starry Messenger]

21. Wow, people here really love them some rich people.

It's like the cargo cult.

[mmonk]

23. Our job lords. Give them a break. Money will fall from heaven like manna.

[reformist2]

24. Anyone know how much they paid in taxes this year? /nt

[maryf]

29. Only the little people pay taxes...nt