[saymaListserv] Where's the Money? Economic Social Concerns

[Steve Livingston]

> The question has been asked "to increase the incomes of the poor in
> the rest of the world, are we willing to have less and buy less?"
> Well, are we? 
>   Best Regards, Janet Minshall

I think this is an excellent question for us as Friends, Janet. I would be 
very interested in hearing what Friends are currently doing, either as 
individuals or as groups, to make that happen.

Statistics indicate that most Americans are indeed "having less", 
whether they want it that way or not. Janet refers to statistics that show 
"between 1980 and 2000 75% of the world's population achieved an 
enormous increase in bothaverage incomes and living standards". For 
your perusal I offer these statistics

http://www.faireconomy.org/research/wealth_charts.html

that show that in America, during approximately the same period, 
concentration of wealth has fled from the lower and lower middle 
classes, into the hands of the upper class. In 2001, the latest year for 
which the statistics were analyzed, the wealthiest 1% of Americans 
controlled 32.7% of total wealth. At the same time, the lowest 50% of 
Americans controlled only 2.8%. From 1983 to 1998, the lower and 
lower middle classes lost over 75% of their net worth.

Clearly, the majority of Americans have already sacrificed a great deal 
of their share of accumulated worth and buying power. However these 
statistics show that it has not been entirely sacrificed in the manner that 
Janet suggests, and with which many of us Friends would eagerly unite.

How do my purchasing decisions enable people of developing nations to 
enjoy a better quality of life? How can I divert the flow of my capital from 
the wealthiest 1% of my fellow citizens to the less wealthy 99.9995% of 
the world's citizens? Does "living simply" assure that others may "simply 
live", or am I called to do more? These are questions I ask myself often, 
and Friends I admit to you that my self-assessment is not very good. I 
find that my lifestyle and my condition are not conducive to my 
testimony. I don't think buying "Fair Trade" coffee is enough for me.

How is it for you, Friends?

Steve