On Poverty Pt. 1, or, "Who Wants A Piece of the Dark Fantastic?"

Transnational corporations have taken control of much of the production and trade in developing countries: For example, 40 percent of the world's coffee is traded by just four companies; the top 30 supermarket chains control almost one-third of worldwide grocery sales.


A trade surplus of $1 billion for developing countries in the 1970s turned into an $11 billion deficit by 2001.


The income ratio of the one-fifth of the world's population in the wealthiest countries to the one-fifth in the poorest went from 30 to 1 in 1960 to 74 to 1 in 1995.


Of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 are corporations; of those, 47 are U.S.-based.


The overall share of federal taxes paid by U.S. corporations is now less than 10 percent, down from 21 percent in 2001 and over 50 percent during World War II; one-third of America's largest and most profitable corporations paid zero taxes -- or actually received credits -- in at least one of the last three years (according to Forbes magazine).


Back in 1980 the average American chief executive earned 40 times as much as the average manufacturing employee. For the top tier of American CEOs, the ratio is now 475:1 and would be vastly greater if assets, in addition to income, were taken into account. By way of comparison, the ratio in Britain is 24:1, in France 15:1, in Sweden 13:1.


Pre-Civil War slaves received room and board; wages paid by the sweatshops that today serve many U.S. industries will not cover the most basic needs.

Smoke clears my sinuses, but not in the same way that hot tea does. I love the way a good bottle of green tea feels early in the morning, especially on overcast days like today.

But I don't like the fact that in order for me to drink my favorite kind of tea, people get paid thirty cents a day to roll the leaves and put them into boxes. So I stopped going to Starbucks for a long time, knowing that I was denying myself of one of the few drinks that I have during the day that is worth any minor nutritional value. Add to that the more pertinent idea that something I enjoyed was causing someone anguish, and its no surprise that I'm branching out in my attempts to locate free trade food and drink for regular consumption.

My boy here at the Activist Haven had a job with a grocery store (a UNION grocery store no less) making good dough. But it was killing him. We could all see it in his face and how it was fucking with his brain. We all urged him to quit and he knew it was time. So he quit, like a champion. It's hitting him in the pockets something awful, and he's financially hurting for about five minutes, but he'll soon find something better (and may already have.)

Combined we make about as much as my mom. Twenty five years ago. After taxes for her, before taxes for us.

I don't feel poor, but I imagine I am.

More later. This is a developing idea.