I thought that this month I would simply share a few links that I found interesting. I would like to preface them by saying that whether you agree or disagree with the protests, if you're reading this, you're part of the 99% that these people are talking about. And, if you're part of the 1%, we need to get together and discuss real estate investment opportunities. A statistic was just released from the CBO that the wealth of the top 1% of the US population (that make $344,000/year or more on tax returns) has grown by 275% since 1979, while the bottom 20%'s (individuals who made $25,000/year or less) wealth grew by just under 18%. This is a very hot button issue and people have very strong opinions on the topic, and there are always "deadbeats," "troublemakers," "and "losers" that take part in any kind of protest or cause that tend to yell louder and spoil it for others (i.e. Tea Parties), so I thought that I would just share these links to also expose the idea that these "Occupy" movements are going on all over the world. I'm not taking sides or trying to convince anyone of what to think or not to think, but the distribution of wealth is the basis for a strong democracy, and that is just a fact agreed upon by any economist on any political side. And, currently the US ranks just above Uganda, Cambodia, Iran, and Cameroon. So, take a look, it's pretty interesting...
Graph and article about the CBO growth of wealth study:
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/income-doubles-top-percent-1979/story?id=14817561
"Occupy" opinions from around the globe:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/oct/21/occupy-wall-street-whyoccupy-conversation
Map of the "Occupy Protests":
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2011/oct/18/occupy-protests-map-world
Country's of the world distribution of wealth comparison:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2172rank.html
Feel free to share your thoughts, but please, play nice!
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Anyone who works for a wage is considered 99% to me. Many Americans were bumped from their homes by lenders that were allowed to get away with predatory practices, and then these banks got bailed out. As a homebuilder, I identify with this movement because I've seen what has been allowed by the 1% to be inflicted upon the rest of us. www.homesbyvanderbuilt.org/
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