The managers at Oxfam, a charity, are no fools when it comes to garnering headlines for a cause they believe in. They have issued a press release, reminding the world that the globe’s eight richest people own half the world’s wealth, to coincide with the annual gathering of the rich and powerful at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week.
Oxfam says these rich men generally have corporate tax-dodging, mean wage policies and political power to thank for their riches. The names on the list will not surprise anyone, with Microsoft founder Bill Gates topping the list.
He is a philanthropist, giving away vast sums of his wealth; nevertheless, questions are raised about Microsoft’s ability to take advantage of weaknesses in the global capitalist system in the first place to amass huge sums. Investment sage Warren Buffett also features on this list as do global internet entrepreneurs Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder, and Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook co-founder and the company’s American chairperson.
