“The fruits of toil of millions are boldly stolen to build up colossal fortunes for a few, unprecedented in the history of mankind; and the possessors of these, in turn, despise the republic and endanger liberty. From the same prolific womb of governmental injustice we breed the two great classes – tramps and millionaires.”
– From the People’s Party platform first convention in Omaha, Nebraska in 1892. The party won almost 9% of the presidential vote that year. They elected over 1,500 candidates, including three governors, five senators and ten congressmen. In 1884 they doubled their vote, electing seven congressmen and six senators. The Untold History of the United States by Oliver Stone & Peter Kuznick, 2012 (p.xxi).
- America Is The Poorest First World Country – In this edition of On Contact writer Chris Hedges interviews author and photographer Linh Dinh, author of Post Cards From The End of America. Dinh traveled the country, mostly by bus and on a shoestring budget, to document the growing poverty, despair, drug addiction and violence confronting half of the population scrapping along on less than living wages. The implications for the future of the nation and our children are serious. Link to 26-Minute Video
*****
Grotesque: The World’s 8 Richest Men Are Now As Wealthy As Half The World’s Population
In January 2017 the human rights organization Oxfam announced that the eight richest men in the world own as much wealth as the poorest half – 3.6 billion – of the world’s population. Obviously, in the face of the suffering of billions, the need to wrest most of that unearned and undeserved wealth away is clear and a necessary act of justice and global necessity.
At the time of the report, Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International, said:
“It is obscene for so much wealth to be held in the hands of so few when 1 in 10 people survive on less than $2 a day. Inequality is trapping hundreds of millions in poverty; it is fracturing our societies and undermining democracy.
“Across the world, people are being left behind. Their wages are stagnating yet corporate bosses take home million dollar bonuses; their health and education services are cut while corporations and the super-rich dodge their taxes; their voices are ignored as governments sing to the tune of big business and a wealthy elite.”
Oxfam went on to note:
“The richest are accumulating wealth at such an astonishing rate that the world could see its first trillionaire in just 25 years. To put this figure in perspective – you would need to spend $1 million every day for 2,738 years to spend $1 trillion.”
Link to Oxfam article HERE.
*****
Have You, Someone You Know, Left IBM in the Past Few Years? We Want to Hear From You
By Peter Gosselin
ProPublica, Jul. 7, 2017, 4:45 pm
For much of the past decade, IBM, once America’s premier technology company, has been scrambling to find its place in a world upended by newcomers such as Google, Amazon and Facebook.
In the process, it’s been upending its workforce, often with painful results for longtime employees. According to one estimate, IBM’s U.S. employment, which peaked at 230,000, had dropped to about 70,000 by mid-2015, largely the product of layoffs and retirements.
And six weeks ago, IBM told thousands of its telecommuting employees to start reporting to particular offices, which in many cases would involve long-distance moves. That, or resign.
As a result, hundreds, perhaps thousands, more IBMers are leaving the company.
IBM has long been a corporate leader in employment practices. That means the way it treats its employees speaks volumes about what lies ahead for working people everywhere.
But IBM executives won’t tell their workers or the public how many people are leaving this year. They refuse to provide the numbers for 2016, 2015, or 2014 either, to explain the logic behind who gets tapped to go, or exactly how the departures fit into a larger strategy.
We’re asking you to help us get the numbers and, with them, answers.
All information you provide on the form below will be kept confidential. The more of you who contribute – no matter your age or position – the more accurate a picture we’ll be able to get.