by Pa Rock
Trash Collector
I would like for the Walmart heirs, particularly the four richest ones: Christy, Jim, Alice, and Rob, to know that they can rest easy because I have been walking the local roadways picking up the trash generated by their stores. It's not an easy task, considering my advancing years and all, but I feel a moral and social responsibility to keep the roadways clean of trash - especially those that run along land which I own. People who own something should take care of it.
Christy, Jim, Alice, and Rob - if you are unfamiliar with the term "social and moral responsibility," google it.
All across America people take time out of their busy days to clean up the messes generated by corporate America - whether its picking up trash, fighting for clean air and water, dealing with toxic landfills, campaigning for re-forestation or land reclamation from strip-mining, or begging for an opportunity to live in peace. They take the initiative because they (we) have to if the world is to survive the onslaught of greed and pollution that is routinely and relentlessly foisted upon up by the uncaring one percent.
I shouldn't have said "uncaring." True, you seldom see billionaires walking along the side of the road picking up trash, but a few are charitable. The richest couple in America, Bill and Melinda Gates, have given over nine percent of their net worth to charitable causes, and the second richest person, Warren Buffett, has donated over twelve percent of his net worth to charity.
The four pillars of the Walton family, on the other hand, have been much less charitable with their cash. Christy, the in-law, gave the most at .04 percent of her net worth, Alice did a little less with .01 percent, and the two men, probably ever-mindful of their financial responsibilities to their families and not their fellow man, did far worse when it came to giving. Rob donated .00003 percent of his net worth to charity, and brother Jim, who also owns Arvest Banks, kicked in just .00004 percent of his pile of wealth to those less fortunate than himself.
Surprisingly, the ultra-rightwing Koch brothers outperformed the Waltons in charitable giving by a considerable amount. David Koch donated .50 percent of his net worth to charity, and Charles Koch managed to let loose of .44 percent for charitable purposes.
One other way of looking at the math would be thus: Bill and Melinda Gates gave 429 times more to charity than did the Walton family. Warren Buffett outshines them by 472 times, and David and Charles Koch each gave more than ten times the amount to charity than the Walton's were able - or willing - to cough up.
So rest easy, Walmart heirs. State and local governments are helping to subsidize the low wages that you pay your employees, other people are stepping forward to take care of the world's needy, and Pa Rock is still picking up your trash.
The four pillars of the Walton family, on the other hand, have been much less charitable with their cash. Christy, the in-law, gave the most at .04 percent of her net worth, Alice did a little less with .01 percent, and the two men, probably ever-mindful of their financial responsibilities to their families and not their fellow man, did far worse when it came to giving. Rob donated .00003 percent of his net worth to charity, and brother Jim, who also owns Arvest Banks, kicked in just .00004 percent of his pile of wealth to those less fortunate than himself.
Surprisingly, the ultra-rightwing Koch brothers outperformed the Waltons in charitable giving by a considerable amount. David Koch donated .50 percent of his net worth to charity, and Charles Koch managed to let loose of .44 percent for charitable purposes.
One other way of looking at the math would be thus: Bill and Melinda Gates gave 429 times more to charity than did the Walton family. Warren Buffett outshines them by 472 times, and David and Charles Koch each gave more than ten times the amount to charity than the Walton's were able - or willing - to cough up.
So rest easy, Walmart heirs. State and local governments are helping to subsidize the low wages that you pay your employees, other people are stepping forward to take care of the world's needy, and Pa Rock is still picking up your trash.
1 comment:
Eureka! You have just calculated the rates at which we can expect the 1% to allow wealth to trickle down! Not even 1% of their disposable incomes leaves their voraciously self-indulgent covetous hands. That's brilliant!
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