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Who Rules America
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Wealth Distribution

In the United States , wealth is highly concentrated in a relatively few hands. As of 2007, the top 1% of households (the upper class) owned 34.6% of all privately held wealth, and the next 19% (the managerial, professional, and small business stratum) had 50.5%, which means that just 20% of the people owned a remarkable 85%, leaving only 15% of the wealth for the bottom 80% (wage and salary workers). In terms of financial wealth (total net worth minus the value of one's home), the top 1% of households had an even greater share: 42.7%. Table 1 and Figure 1 present further details drawn from the careful work of economist Edward N. Wolff at New York University (2009).

Table 1T: Distribution of net worth and financial wealth in the United States, 1983-2007

 More at http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html

2009 Forbes 793 billionaires  http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/11/worlds-richest-people-billionaires-2009-billionaires-intro.html

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Billionaires

That's 25 out of 1,125 billionaires worldwide. The world's billionaires had a total net worth of $4.4 trillion US. That's more than Germany 's GDP. Remember, we're talking about just 1,125 people here. Canada 's share of the billionaire booty: $88.4 billion US.

  In Depth  Wealth  Canada 's super-rich  Last Updated March 6, 2008 CBC News

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/wealth/index.html

 Wealthiest Americans Have Reduced Charitable Contributions 70% Since 1998-2000 Period
Donations

Average 6 Percent of Annual Income

Represented 6.1 percent of annual income.

$5 million or more net worth

By: Spectrem Group

The wealthiest aren't giving nearly as much these days.

Charitable contributions from U.S. households with a net worth of $5 million or more, excluding primary residence, fell 70% from an average of $600,000 for the 3-year period 1998-2000 to $180,000 for the period 2002-2004, according to a new report from Spectrem Group released today. The average contribution for the most recent single year represented 6.1 percent of annual income.

The wealthiest segments showed the smallest percentage declines in giving, according to the Spectrem Perspective (TM) report "Charitable Giving and the Affluent Market." Households with a net worth of more than $25 million, excluding primary residence, saw their average donation decline 38% from 1998- 2000 to 2002-2004. Those with a net worth of $10 million to $25 million, also excluding primary residence, reduced giving by 79% over the period, and donations by the $5 million to $10 million group fell 93% on average.

"When the stock market began to crumble in 2000 as the Internet boom ended, the wealthy substantially cut back their charitable giving. While the market has regained most of those losses, our new data show that donations from wealthy households as a whole continued to fall. In fact, the only segment that showed any recovery in charitable giving from levels seen in 2000-2002 is households with a net worth of more than $25 million. And even those households remain far below their 1998-2000 giving levels," said Catherine S. McBreen, Managing Director of Spectrem Group.

The average charitable contribution for the much broader category of affluent households, those with more than $500,000 in investable assets, was $7,748 for the single year 2004. This represents 6.0% of annual income.

The report "Charitable Giving and the Affluent Market" is based on a Spectrem Group survey of affluent households as well as Spectrem Group's 2005 Ultra High Net Worth Study. The UHNW study was conducted in the spring of 2005, generating 500 responses to a mail survey of households with a net worth of $5 million or more, excluding primary residence. The UNHW data have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points  http://www.yubanet.com/life/Wealthiest_Americans_Have_Reduced_Charitable_Contr_22346.php  

National Debt by Presidents 

http://zfacts.com/p/318.html 

National Debt Graph: Bush Goes for WWII Stimulus
 
Click image below to enlarge.

History of Federal Individual Income Bottom and Top Bracket Rates

Historical Income Tax Rates & Brackets

http://www.ntu.org/tax-basics/history-of-federal-individual-1.html 

 

Tax Rates 1

Bottom bracket

Top bracket

Calendar Year

Rate
(percent)

Taxable Income Up to

Rate
(percent)

Taxable
Income over

1913-15

1

20,000

7

500,000

1916

2

20,000

15

2,000,000

1917

2

2,000

67

2,000,000

1918

6

4,000

77

1,000,000

1919-20

4

4,000

73

1,000,000

1921

4

4,000

73

1,000,000

1922

4

4,000

56

200,000

1923

3

4,000

56

200,000

1924

2 1.5

4,000

46

500,000

1925-28

2 1?

4,000

25

100,000

1929

2 4?

4,000

24

100,000

1930-31

2 1?

4,000

25

100,000

1932-33

4

4,000

63

1,000,000

1934-35

3 4

4,000

63

1,000,000

1936-39

3 4

4,000

79

5,000,000

1940

3 4.4

4,000

81.1

5,000,000

1941

3 10

2,000

81

5,000,000

1942-434

3 19

2,000

88

200,000

1944-45

23

2,000

5 94

200,000

1946-47

19

2,000

5 86.45

200,000

1948-49

16.6

4,000

5 82.13

400,000

1950

17.4

4,000

5 91

400,000

1951

20.4

4,000

5 91

400,000

1952-53

22.2

4,000

5 92

400,000

1954-63

20

4,000

5 91

400,000

1964

16

1,000

77

400,000

1965-67

14

1,000

70

200,000

1968

14

1,000

6 75.25

200,000

1969

14

1,000

6 77

200,000

1970

14

1,000

6 71.75

200,000

1971

14

1,000

7 70

200,000

1972-78

814

1,000

7 70

200,000

1979-80

814

2,100

7 70

212,000

1981

8 9 13.825

2,100

7 9 69.125

212,000

1982

8 12

2,100

50

106,000

1983

8 11

2,100

50

106,000

1984

8 11

2,100

50

159,000

1985

8 11

2,180

50

165,480

1986

8 11

2,270

50

171,580

1987

8 11

3,000

38.5

90,000

1988

8 15

29,750

1028

29,750

1989

8 15

30,950

1028

30,950

1990

8 15

32,450

1028

32,450

1991

8 15

34,000

31

82,150

1992

8 15

35,800

31

86,500

1993

8 15

36,900

39.6

250,000

1994

8 15

38,000

39.6

250,000

1995

8 15

39,000

39.6

256,500

1996

8 15

40,100

39.6

263,750

1997

8 15

41,200

39.6

271,050

1998

8 15

42,350

39.6

278,450

1999

8 15

43,050

39.6

283,150

2000

8 15

43,850

39.6

288,350

2001 8 15 45,200 39.1 297,350
2002 8 10 12,000 38.6 307,050
200311 8 10 14,000 35.0 311,950
2004 8 10 14,300 35.0 319,100
2005 8 10 14,600 35.0 326,450
2006 8 10 15,100 35.0 336,550
2007 8 10 15,650 35.0 349,700
2008 8 10 16,050 35.0 357,700

 


Title Goes Here
Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci taion


Title Goes Here
Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci taion


Title Goes Here
Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci taion