[americandream]

The top 1% have no interest whatsoever in upsetting the applecart that is globalising capitalism. Not gonna happen...it is way too much fun being rich. They co-operate behind the scenes and it is all mostly make believe. A wage earner, middle or working class, is just a grunt. So they aren't going to do much, saving the planet included.

Trump comes along and he wants to shake things up a bit as you do from time to time. It is about time. The Establishment has gotten too complacent and it gets messy. So we kinda live in hope that he will sort out the Muslims...all that headchopping shenanigans is a pain, especially if you want to get a plane to Dubai for a cocktail, darling. Plus the world is being overrun by a load of hairy looking refugees who should really be engaged in shopping, borrowing and working.

So we look to Trump to at least shake up things a bit so that we can carry on with the globalisation project.

[Plantagenet]

Follow the money-----The top 1% is strongly backing Hillary. She's got more CEO and superpac money then all the other Ds and Rs combined

[americandream]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', 'F')ollow the money-----The top 1% is strongly backing Hillary. She's got more CEO and superpac money then all the other Ds and Rs combined

[onlooker]

That is actually quite true the Elites like BAU. The problem is the planet looks like it is not going to cooperate much longer with BAU. Whether from resource shortages, life support systems malfunctions, AGW etc. Oh and the BAU only even benefited a minority population on this planet. So lets not be cheerleaders for 1% er policies, they look like they are going to doom everyone including those 1% ers. Oh and to clarify I think your really talking about the 000.1%, they are the ones who have really benefited by BAU.

[hvacman]

How close are YOU to the top 1%?

http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/income-rank/

The top 1% is $400K in annual household income. A lot of my clients are in that range - successful local small business owners. Most of them are NOT flying to Dubai for cocktails. They are NOT playing Wall St. financial games with derivatives. Their homes do NOT have gilded walls with cherubs. Mostly, they live in middle-class-looking homes below their means, as they tend to be a tight-fisted bunch who prefer to avoid debt if it isn't working for them at their business or is a relatively-safe investment with a good ROI. We don't talk politics much. My general instinct is they trend towards Republican, but more in the libertarian vein than the confused mess-of-a-candidate Trump or liberal-leaning Hillary. A significant percentage of them have installed PV systems at their homes. Did I mention they actually are pretty smart with their money? Funny thing about being in the 1%. They're smart. They're also tax-savvy, get the PV tax credits, get the long-term safe ROI of the minimal utility bills. They tend to be as interested in energy efficiency as the rest of us, but actually have the cash to do something about it in their own lives.

Here's a link to a book about the REAL 1% - "The Millionaire Next Door". This is the 1% I'm familiar with.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Millionaire-Next-Door-Surprising/dp/1589795474

[dohboi]

Shouldn't we be thinking globally?

"To make it into the richest 1 percent globally, all you need is an income of around $34,000"

http://foreignpolicy.com/2012/02/27/wer ... 1-percent/

The fact is that it is the top .0001% that has really left the rest, even the 'merely rich' millionaires and such, in the dust in the last few years.

[JV153]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('americandream', 'W')hen they look out their windows, they want to see a field of grazing contented consumers.

[americandream]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JV153', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('americandream', 'W')hen they look out their windows, they want to see a field of grazing contented consumers.

[ralfy]

Also,

http://www.globalrichlist.com/

[americandream]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/busin ... 07236.html

As one rises into the ranks of these people ones focus of course is on holding on, making more and keeping it in the family. Allied to that is the need for global stability so as one can fly off to distant parts to party. There is a great consternation amongst the wealthy at these mandarins of ours who seem to be doing rather stupid things in places such as the ME. Hence the phenomenon of Trump. The fact that you have a lot of unemployed and sellers of labour driving the guys popularity of course also represents concerns in the working and middle classes at their own woes of job insecurity.

The ranks of the wealthy are constantly under onslaught as well...from crook, hustlers, better innovators dah dy dah dy dah. As the Buddha said, it be impermanent.

[americandream]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('GASMON', 'G')lad to see you.re back AD. Read the thread above AD. One of the readers comments sums it up

What the rich need to worry about is people like me. There are a lot of us.

Interesting times ahead.

Gas

[vtsnowedin]

The widget says I'm a one percenter on a world income basis. Doesn't feel that way to me and just shows how many people in the world endure extreme poverty. Interesting to use the wealth vs. income side and see that others have gained more net worth then I have so I'm at 3.5 percent. That is partly due to having worked most of my working years at much lower wages then what I'm presently pulling in.

[onlooker]

I think what is useful in describing the 1% , meaning those of us in rich countries is the whole way of life and infrastructure that surrounds us and makes our lives a bit better than the poor in poor countries. Good Sanitation, running water, adequate shelter, basic necessities consumer goods. Also the fact that the ratio of our income relative to the cost of basic necessities is better than many people around the world who struggle to live on 1 or 2 dollars per day. Now having said that, increasingly over time inflation and stagnant wages have eroded purchasing power and debt has been oppressive for many households. Thus at present we in rich countries basically are getting by without having to much extra income for pure luxurious or entertainment. Yet our "getting by" as I stated is better than the getting by of the poor around the world.

[americandream]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('onlooker', 'I') think what is useful in describing the 1% , meaning those of us in rich countries is the whole way of life and infrastructure that surrounds us and makes our lives a bit better than the poor in poor countries. Good Sanitation, running water, adequate shelter, basic necessities consumer goods. Also the fact that the ratio of our income relative to the cost of basic necessities is better than many people around the world who struggle to live on 1 or 2 dollars per day. Now having said that, increasingly over time inflation and stagnant wages have eroded purchasing power and debt has been oppressive for many households. Thus at present we in rich countries basically are getting by without having to much extra income for pure luxurious or entertainment. Yet our "getting by" as I stated is better than the getting by of the poor around the world.

[americandream]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('GASMON', 'M')oney will decide, as usual, the top 1% control us all.

Gas

[americandream]

As a little sidenote. The UK is one of two nodes in the global circuit of capital. Thus membership of the EU was always going to be at best, symbolic. The system cannot have the powerful reserve that is Sterling subsumed into a largely mercantilist continent. The UK is quite advanced as a capitalist state...the Germans for example are not even remotely close...although given the interrelated nature of capitalism, every corner of this globe has a capitalist presence....with all pointing to London or NY

[Outcast_Searcher]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('hvacman', 'H')ow close are YOU to the top 1%?

http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/income-rank/

The top 1% is $400K in annual household income. A lot of my clients are in that range - successful local small business owners. Most of them are NOT flying to Dubai for cocktails.

...


Did I mention they actually are pretty smart with their money? Funny thing about being in the 1%. They're smart. They're also tax-savvy...

Here's a link to a book about the REAL 1% - "The Millionaire Next Door". This is the 1% I'm familiar with.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Millionaire-Next-Door-Surprising/dp/1589795474

[evilgenius]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('americandream', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('GASMON', 'M')oney will decide, as usual, the top 1% control us all.

Gas