Eight people have the same wealth as the poorest half of the world’s population. Stop and think about this. It is a mind-boggling concept.
Last year we said we would have needed a double-decker bus to transport the 62 people we thought owned the same as the poorest 3.6 billion on the planet. In 2017, thanks to more accurate data, we find that in fact this group would fit in a single golf buggy.
Today nearly 800 million people – one in nine – across the world will go to bed hungry or undernourished. The adults will wake up uncertain when they will next eat, whether they will have work, fearful for their health and the costs that illness in the family might bring. The eight men – yes, they’re all men – and their fellow billionaires will wake up having slept rather better, and their wealth, invested across the world, will have increased by countless millions even as they slept.
So this is not an exposé of eight people, but of a broken economics. Narrowing the gap between the richest and the rest requires us to take on a more challenging task than asking eight men to change their behaviour. It requires us to create a more human economy; one that does not result in 1% of the world’s population owning the same wealth as the other 99%. One that encourages and rewards enterprise and innovation, yes, but one that also offers everyone, regardless of background, a fair chance in life and ensures when individuals and businesses succeed, they do so for the benefit, rather than at the expense, of others.
Who are the richest eight?
1. Bill Gates – $US75 billion
2. Amancio Ortega – $US67 billion
3. Warren Buffett – $US60.8 billion
4. Carlos Slim Helu – $US50 billion
5. Jeff Bezos – $US45.2 billion
6. Mark Zuckerberg – $US44.6 billion
7. Larry Ellison – $US43.6 billion
8. Michael Bloomberg – $US40 billion
Source: The Guardian.com
My comment:
Many “right-wing Christians” think capitalism would have been approved by the Messiah. Think again. Please read the book of acts, chapter 2 to 4. The followers of Jesus sold their processions, and had everything in common. They all lived simplistic life’s.
Acts 4:32-35.
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there was no needy person among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
New anti-trust laws should break apart the monopolies of the billionaires. No man should be permitted to pay less than 90 per cent tax, when his fortune bypass a billion USD. Simply because accumulating such an amount of wealth should be considered a robbery of us all. That this kind of social injustice will discontinue under the incoming Trump-regime, is wishful thinking. The branded anti-establishment President elect, has filled up his cabinet with likeminded men: From the board rooms of Goldman Sachs and Exxon Mobil. The grave injustice towards 4 billion people is expected to continue…….Till the day Jesus the Messiah returns, and bring justice and judgment.
Written by Ivar
Banjara Origin News 
I’ll bet you that all the churches so called world wide make more. According to ‘TheRichest’ list, the 10 richest are: The Church of Scientology, Freemasonry, Protestantism (as a whole), Tele-evangelism, Episcopalian, The Church of England, The Church of jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, Judaism, Islam, and the Roman Catholic Church. The Economist estimated that the annual expenditures of the Catholic Church exceeds 170 billion! That’s just in their spending. The Mormon Church takes in 7 Billion just from tithing (NBC News). These are ALL tax exempt. Lets not forget the worldwide charities that are not affiliated with any of these churches and the amount is staggering! A lot of our leaders either go to these churches and if they are atheists then they are affiliated with the ‘other’ charities. “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.” James 5:1-3
Dear Nanentte.
Shalom, and love in Jesus.
Thanks for your comment. Both Jesus and Paul the apostle, tells us not to be occupied with the affairs of this World. Friendship with the World, is a trap. You become an enemy of God.
2 Timothy 2:4
No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
Ivar, it was you that brought up the secular and I brought up the so called Christian wealthy. Your verse does not apply. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisiteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thu shalt have praise of the same. For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain; for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” Romans 13:1-5 As far as the religious wealthy we are to EXPOSE THEM who take advantage of the poor. Blessings.
Dear Nannette
Shalom, and love in Jesus.
The “religious wealthy” is first and foremost the Roman Catholic Church. With its multiple busineses, hundreds of billions of USD is Real Estates, and illumenati Order Brother systems. There are also “rich” people among the Protestant Christians, that think that having a gambling billionair in the White House, is a “God” sent gift to mankind. Some of them even claim Trump is a Christian brother. Did he not hold his hand on the Bible?
By the way, Our elected leaders claim to be Christian. They had ecumenical prayers at the inauguration. Including Rabbi Hier, Franklin Graham, R. Samuel Rodriguez (leader of the Latino Reformation), Paula White (heretic-false prophetess), Bishop Wayne Jackson (false Apostle) and Timothy Dolan (Roman Catholic Cardinal). Blessings!
Do not judge. When one of my wealthy friends died a couple years back it turned out he only used 10% of his income and 90% went to charity.
People who make this accusation ignore the BILLIONS of dollars given by the Catholic Church to charities every year. The Church has always been at the forefront of compassion and giving.
No other government or organization gives more in aid to the poor.
The art and property also belongs to the poor. The poor have contributed to maintaining the art and buildings.
If the Temple in Jerusalem could be richly ordained in order to glorify God and to inspire human worship, the universal Church of God can be richly ordained for the same purposes
Think about it: Only the “haves” can take care of the “have-nots”.
The only Apostle that ever complained about how much money was spent on the glory of God was Judas. Just something to think about.
Ivar, by the way, I agree with you!
Ivar, if Nanette’s post qualifies her as being occupied with the world, wouldnt your posting about the 8 riches men in the world, qualify as well? I appreciate what you both have to say, but I think you were missing the point of what Nanette was saying.
Dear Kelly Foster
Shalom, and love in Jesus.
I agreed with Nanette’s comment. Anyhow: We have to be in this world, even if we are not in this world. Thousands of books have been written about this topic. I personelly think there is a fine balance in our life. Not to be indulged in he affairs of the secular people, but work and worship with Jesus and other Christians, to rather populate Heaven.
You think taking 90% away from rich people would solve the problem of so called “social injustice”?
I bet, if today you redistribute all the money of the world equally to all, in one year time there would be haves & havenots again.
Men are corrupt and incapable to solve this problem. Only God can do it. I’m sure you agree.
Anyway, expressions like
– 90% tax,
– accumulating such an amount of wealth should be considered a robbery of us all.
– social injustice
remind me the thinking of many communists I know. Them and Roman Catholic Church, they both have this in common – hate of capitalism and free market
They both hate success of mostly protestant nations which through capitalism helped middle class to come about, and they do their best to discredit and corrupt it. They are quite successful too. Most colleges in the west have many professors sympathizing with communism. Most of world leaders are educated by universities run by Jesuits – creators of communism.
Through them was created US corporatism (nothing to do with free market, true capitalism).
Thanks to them you hear OSN and Vatican talk about wealth redistribution, which is nothing, but form of stealing.
Didn’t God meant for every man have his property, house etc?
Didn’t He bless some men with great riches?
But He also commanded:
Exo 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male slave, or his slave-girl, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything which belongs to your neighbor.
Regarding Book of Acts.
Communists like to think it as prove, apostles were first communists. Such a misleading lie.
I’ve read parts of Marx’s Manifesto, and it goes directly against God’s commandments.
Regarding selling your possessions for good of others,
let one understand context of why this happened:
Act 2:5 And Jews were living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation of those under the heaven.
– there were many foreigners in Jerusalem at the time, because Pentecost (Shauvot). Those people most probably had limited means, to stay only certain time, and because of great things happening through work of God’s spirit they stayed longer, perhaps. I’m sure they could use financial or material help.
One more thing to consider, they were new members of one Church, they all helped those in need among themselves, at those extraordinary times.
Act 4:32 The assembly of those men who were believing had but one soul and one mind, and no man among them concerning the possessions that he possessed would say that they were his. Rather, everything that they had was in common.
It’s one thing to donate everything you have voluntarily and from sincere heart, but completely different to be forced to do so.
Socialists, communists and fascists do this by their laws, even by force. In their conviction that they know the best, they actually steal from people.
Dear Pdvor2
Shalom and love in Jesus.
I am not for “taking 90 per cent away from the rich”. I am pro-simplistic life, and that all people should have a job and something to eat.
To tax people who already have a fortune of 1 billion USD with 90 per cent tax, ABOVE that one billion, is not communism. In communism, all property belongs to the state. And the state has only one political party, who de facto is the owner of all things.
Related to the ongoing debate on the difference between Putin and Trump: It is minimal. Facism or not. The US is lead by an elite of a few thousand people. Just like Russia. The large majority of them billionairs.
Sorry Ivar,
But your last reply is wrong how sincere it might look. Under what law is a government allowed to take 90% of someone’s possessions. It is against the right of ownership, the bible is clear of to be protected. This so called sympathetic over 1 billion idea is still coveting.
By which law and standards should it be redistributed? I can guarantee it will be something against the will of God might this ever happen
God is righteous and stealing is not right, for an individual as for a government.
We should not judge the situation that a person has more than a billion, it is what people do that is most important, whether you are rich or poor.
I can only encourage these people to do good with the goods they have temporarily at their disposal.
Honestly I don’t want the burden of a billion.
Proverbs 30: 7-9 has a good view on being rich or poor
Bless you
Erwin