Living large

As we all know the rich are getting richer. 

But the actual numbers are staggering. 

One man, Elon Musk, now has more money than the bottom fifty percent of the American public. 

It would be one thing if it was a square game but we all know that it is rigged.

Here is an interesting article on income inequality. 

...wealth inequality continues to grow. The top 1% saw their share of wealth increase from 31.7% to 32.5% just between the first and second quarters of 2026, a jump of over $8.5 trillion. That caps a steady climb from 30.9% in the last quarter of 2024 – and from 27.4% in 1999.

These recent gains come at the expense of the middle class – the 40% between the bottom half and the top 10% – who hold only 28.8% of all wealth despite being a group that’s 40 times larger than the top 1%. And the middle’s share is shrinking, down from 32.9% in 1999 and 30.2% at the end of 2024, according to the data.

But the ultra-wealthy, those in the top 0.1%, are pulling away even from the rest of the rich, the data shows. This tiny elite owns 15% of all wealth – almost half of all the wealth of the top 1%. Both the top 0.1% and the next 0.9% saw their share of wealth increase, but the top 0.1% captured two-thirds of the gains between the first and second quarters of 2026.

Even within the highest echelons of wealth concentration, these two groups are on different trajectories.

Crucially, the wealth of the top 0.1% is disproportionately boosted by corporate profits, which are up sharply overall. The top 0.1% reap the most from this growth because their portfolios’ value has soared on the promise of future increased profitability that’s driving up stock prices – especially thanks to the tech and artificial intelligence boom.

I wrestled with prop 40 but ended up voting for it. If you are a billionaire, giving 5% back should not kill you. And if you want to leave California and move to Florida to hang out with your Mar a Lago cronies, well be my guest.

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Shawn sent this graphic over.

Always blows me away how disproportionate the distribution of Private Jet traffic around the World is! This is from a 'live' feed called the "Apocalypse Early Warning System"! 😂

https://ews.kylemcdonald.net/

S.