The Walton Family has as much wealth as lower 40% of Americans

That is one of the most staggering statistics I've ever seen.

 

Those Walton's worked hard for their wealth. If those 40% of American's worked as hard as the waltons they too could get that wealth.

 

That is exactly the America I've been raised to believe in. Not necessarily trickle down economics (It works to a degree, but has limits, i.e. the super rich can not be expected to trickle down).

Sam Walton created one of the most successful businesses in history. His successors are wealthy from that.

 

How many of those 40% do you think are working for barely-subsistence wages, no benefits at all, part-time (because of a 38-hour a week) jobs at Wal-Mart?

 

Stop being jealous.

 

Hightop, you're doing it wrong.

HATERS GONNA HATE.

(but in the case of the Waltons who got their money through inheriting a fortune amassed by crushing Chinese labourers, haters are hating for the right reason. Those Randian parasites.)

 

This is the conservative party line.
People are poor because they didn't work hard enough while everyone that is rich worked 400 times as hard as everyone else.

 

Would the Sam Walton's American Dream be stifled if his heirs had only 40 billion dollars rather than 90 billion? Probably not. Would the America you've been raised to believe in be diminished if there was better distribution of wealth through more robust taxes? I can't imagine it would because taxes are now much lower than they were during your formative years. Wealth is power (though not completely analogous), and when few families have most of the power in the country it stinks of oligarchy. Is that also part of your American Dream or is it just an unfortunate consequence we must accept? How about inter-generational mobility, is that part of the America you have been raised to believe in? Well, that is at an all-time low for Americans as well.

What if the Waltons had as much combined wealth as the bottom 50%, 60%, or 70% of Americans? Is there some point where you might think that income inequality is too high? Is there some point where you might think that inter-generational mobility is too low? Would there be a point where you would be able to say, this is not the America I believe in, that there is something wrong with the current system? When one family surpasses the wealth of so many citizens of a country, that's not indicative of the American Dream to me, it appears more like a symptom of a failing system. I don't begrudge the Waltons their wealth, but I certainly won't look at a symptom of a failing system and applaud it as the essence of the American Dream.

 

An economic system that leads to this kind of obscene concentration of wealth is deeply flawed. It distorts our politics and destabilizes society. The bootlicks here that cheer it on are truly pathetic.

It's possible to have an free market economic system that encourages hard work and initiative, allows for the accumulation of wealth, but where wealth is also distributed far more broadly.

 

Sometimes... when a select few have something that really does not belong to them.... you have to take it by force....

 

Half this country has little to no net worth.

I would bet the bottom third of this country has a 0 or negative net worth so someone that has $10 in the bank and no debt could have as more wealth than the bottom third of this country.

Glynch do you have a positive net worth? If so The Glynch Family has as much wealth as the lower 30% of Americans.

That is disgusting glynch!!!!!!!! You fatcat!

 

To all the people that replied how disgusting it is.


I think any one of you that has a $1 positive net worth are just disgusting because you have as much wealth as at least 25% of our population combined.

Damn you fatcats.

Glynch, Air Langhi, Thadeus, Northside Storm, Nook???

I think you all need to admit the idiocy of this thread.

 

A VERY Good Night John Boy

Rocket River

 

So what is Romney hiding? Why won't he release his income tax returns?

 

These are the individuals/business interests our elected officials truly serve:

The .1%

 

You people are despicable. No one stands up to say it was a really stupid comparison as ANYONE with a $1 positive net worth is worth more than combined 25% of all Americans!?

Just admit its wrong, silly and is fueling class warfare.

75%+ of the Forbes richest Americans built their wealth themselves. Now you have to have a lot of factors go your way to become a billionaire but a very few (like the Waltons) are inherited wealth. I'm really not a fan of 'old money' and inherited wealth or class but this thread is so ridiculous and its sad that all these people like Nook saying 'take it by force' is so wrong as if he is worth $5 then he is almost just as bad!

 

It's fascinating to see such a successful case of brainwashing.