An Injury to One is an Injury to All
Income & Wealth Inequality!
An article entitled “Inequality Against Democracy” by Richard Eskow provides shocking facts. Below is a summary. You can read the full article here.
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/02/08/inequality-against-democracy-10-facts-about-1-percent
“The 0.01 percent – a tiny group of people – controls a vast amount of wealth. 16,000 Americans hold as much wealth as 80 percent of the nation’s population – some 256,000,000 people – and as much as 75 percent of the entire world’s population. A few billionaires are even wealthier. In the United States, 536 people had a shared net worth of $2.6 trillion at the end of 2015.
“CEOs are taking up a bigger piece of the pie, and workers are getting less. Fortune 500 CEOs earned about 42 times as much on average as the typical worker in 1980. Today they earn 373 times as much. In fact, seven of this country’s 30 largest corporations paid their CEOs more than they paid in taxes.
“The average American household is falling behind on wages. The median household income in the United States fell by more than 7 percent between 1999 and 2014. The average American owns less wealth than people in many other developed countries. The median wealth of an American adult is roughly $34,316. That’s far below that of adults in countries like Japan ($78,862), Luxembourg ($78,453), the United Kingdom ($75,734), Norway ($54,362), the Netherlands ($52,649), Switzerland ($43,700), and Australia ($47,477.)
“More than one child in five lives in poverty. The U.S. poverty rate for children is over 20 percent, higher than that of all other major developed countries. Overall, more than 48 million Americans live in poverty.
The Challenge
“A government controlled by wealthy individuals and large corporations will be much more likely to harm the environment and subvert democratic processes. It will cater to the defense industry abroad and the for-profit prison industry at home. It will hamper racial justice…”
That is why runaway inequality is one of the most important issues of our time. It stifles democracy, breeds violence and wars, and leads to a more dangerous world. The time for action is now! Rise up. Unite as the 99.9%. A system that has created this kind of inequality needs to be fundamentally changed. It can be done. We are the many. They are the few. Don’t let the few continue to divide us. In unity there is strength. Never give up!
Stop Runaway Inequality!
Build a Movement for Justice, Peace and the Earth!
1. Mourn all victims of violence. 2. Reject war as a solution. 3. Defend civil liberties.
4. Oppose all discrimination, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, anti-Hawaiian, etc.
5. Seek peace through justice in Hawai`i and around the world.
Contact: Malu ‘Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action
P.O. Box 489 Kurtistown, Hawai’i 96760
Phone (808) 966-7622. Email: ja@malu-aina.org
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Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet (Feb. 12, 2016 – 751st week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office
