Monday, December 16, 2013

AMERICA'S PHANTOM LIMB

THE INVESTOR

Johann Wagener 12-16-13

 

Who are these "investors" we hear about almost endlessly in news and financial circles? 

At first I thought they were referring to me or my neighbors. I have a few investments (shares) in Ford, GE, and one that I can't remember the name of, but do receive a check for .43 cents every few months. I often wonder how they are able to make a profit, spending way more than the .43 cents to cut me a check? 

It turns out that, just like most of the BS that flows from Wall Street, these investors we are constantly hearing about are made up of mostly the same 1% who have become infamous since the near collapse of our country in 2008. 

 

How did I come to find out who they were?

 
Quiz: What percentage of Americans own stock?

 

It's international quiz time on the Marketplace Morning Report. Stephan Richter, editor-in-chief of the online international affairs magazine, The Globalist, brings us the question below.

What percentage of Americans own stock?

 

 Answer: B. 47 percent of Americans own stock,

 

Not bad you say? Not quite the majority, but pretty darn close. 

 

Well, don't let those numbers fool you because when the smoke clears here's what we end up with ; wealthiest 10 percent owning 81 percent of all stock assets. 

 

 

That leaves 19% of the market to divide among the other 37% of us, which I suppose includes me. Not so good after all when you then consider that another 53% of Americans don't even own any stock at all. 

 

So why all the fuss about the market going up or down or sideways for that matter?  As it turns out this is another of those elaborate cons that the wealthy use to spook the rest of us by constantly pointing to the Market and it's jitters, and it's optimism or pessimism which in reality is nothing more than a "phantom limb" to most American's. 

 

Whereas we believe that somehow this has something to do with us and we should be worried when it drops and elated when it rises. It's just another one of the cons that include "trickle down economics" and "keep big government out of our lives." And, when Americans buy into that line here's what we end up with;  

 

The Wealth Distribution

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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