Ebert's entry The One-Percenters talks about the issues with the greed in amassing huge fortunes through questionable business practices (and, to a certain degree, about the amusement and glorification of such greed by the US).
It's interesting to see how others deal with the fact that most of some countries' fortunes are held in the selected hands of a selected few. It reminded me of how here in Ecuador we have a similar issue. Long ago, I heard that 20% of all Ecuadorians (back then numbered around 13 million) had 80% of the country's wealth.
Maybe the data is false; the real ratios might be different. Maybe. However, they reflect a latent reality: wandering outside the pompous mansions of Samborondón is very different than walking in Pistishí or Río Verde. They are actions existing in different realities and the same country.
This trend is not unique. If there is something the heads and figureheads of XXI Century Socialism (Socialismo del siglo XXI) are correct is that the bulk of the financial richness of their countries is property of a small elite.
This discrepancy is of global proportions, considering that most of the World's money is held by the "rich" countries (that, in turn, are outnumbered by the "developing" ones).
One wonders what will be the effects of such discrepancies. During the Age of Imperialism and in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, a similar trend could the seen. They lead (between other reasons, obviously) to the Great War. That was almost a century ago. Where will we end, then?
