9/27    Mexico has more billionaires than England, and yet...
        'Bill could bring relief for U.S.-Mexico border hospitals'
        http://csua.org/u/320
        'Dealing with the High Cost of Health Care'
        http://csua.org/u/31f
        \_ some of the richest people in the world live in some of the
           worst-off countries in the world.  this is by no means a
           coincidence.
           \_ But only a handful overall.
        \_ "In Mexico, the top 1 percent own 50 percent of the wealth."
            http://www.lalabor.org/Mayor_Riordan.html
            The URL is largely irrelevent, but that fact is from there.
            And there are many more and crazier statistics than this. Its
            called the growing gap between rich and poor. Learn about it.
            In fact, statistics like the one you mention often only attest
            to things being worse not better since it says more about how
            rampant corruption there is than how rich the nation is.
            \_ In the US, nearly 50% of the population pay no federal income
               tax.  That's scarier, IMO.
               \_ For reference: "Taxpayers in the bottom half paid only 4
                  percent of income taxes in 1999, according to the IRS."
                  http://www.papillonsartpalace.com/taBx.htm
                  Here I don't know whether "taxpayer" means people/couples who
                  filed fed tax returns, or people/couples who actually had to
                  pay some tax.  Either way, it probably doesn't include those
                  who didn't file returns.
               \_ So what?  They still have to pay payroll taxes.
                  \_ The point is a voting majority who can impose more taxes on
                     the voting minority with no consequence (indirectly of
                     course, since voters don't introduce legislation federally,
                     but since more and more the answer of the day is
                     policy-by-poll, I'm worried).
                  \_ The point is a voting majority who can impose more taxes
                     on the voting minority with no consequence (indirectly
                     of course, since voters don't introduce legislation
                     federally, but since more and more the answer of the day
                     is policy-by-poll, I'm worried).
                     \_ Yea, the number of votes should be based on the
                        amount of tax paid.
                        \_ Who was it that said democracy is only ok until the
                           voting slobs figure out they can vote themselves
                           goodies at other people's expense?  We're at that
                           point in history right now.  I know you're being
                           sarcastic but it doesn't work when there's a huge
                           disconnect between the power to vote and influence
                           government and the costs associated with those same
                           votes.  Something to chew on.
                           \_ Alexander Tyler.  I think.  ~peterm/.plan
            \_ There's *always* been a huge gap between the rich and poor.
               When exactly do you think this wasn't so?
               \_ It has grown larger in the last 50 years:
                  http://epinet.org/datazone/01/incshare.pdf
                  \_ Not the last 50 years.  I meant through all of recorded
                     history.  The last 50 years is barely a statistical blip.
        \_ The real issue is why do we need to spend more US taxpayer dollars
           to take care of some other country's ill citizens?