In The Meantime

NYTimes (01.29.06):

"New government data indicate that the concentration of corporate wealth among the highest-income Americans grew significantly in 2003, as a trend that began in 1991 accelerated in the first year that President Bush and Congress cut taxes on capital. In 2003 the top 1 percent of households owned 57.5 percent of corporate wealth, up from 53.4 percent the year before, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis of the latest income tax data." Corporate Wealth Share Rises for Top-Income Americans

"The top group's share of corporate wealth has grown by half since 1991, when it was 38.7 percent." "In 2003, incomes in the top 1 percent of households ranged from $237,000 to several billion dollars." For the record, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (NOTE: this is a zip file, so you'll have to unzip it to get the Excel spreadsheet (it's called national_dl.xls) with the data), the 90th percentile wage as of November, 2004, was $69,300.00. Which means that 90% of us made this much, or less. Oh and there were 129,146,700 folks in this survey, which means you're probably included. Along with everyone else you know. Won't you tell me if you can, 'Cause life's so hard to understand. Why's the rich man busy dancing, While the poor man pays the band?