Damn! I didn’t make the list, again!
Yes, Forbes is out with its 2011 list of the 400 richest Americans and, no matter how hard I worked this past year, I’m not on the list. In fact – given that the minimum income needed to qualify is $1.05 billion – I didn’t even come close.
Bill Gates is number one, again. Warren Buffet’s number two. Followed by Larry Ellison. And Charles and David, the evil Koch Brothers, are numbers four and five, with a combined wealth of $50 billion.
Now, here’s what’s interesting about the list.
First, even in these rocky economic times, the combined wealth of the top 400 increased 12 percent. So, it may sound like a cliché, but it’s true: In good times or bad times, the rich are, indeed, getting richer. And the rest of us are either losing ground, or barely holding our own.
Second, the Koch Brothers added $15 billion to their wealth, last year alone. And yet they’re leading the charge against President Obama because, they claim, he’s bad for business.
The truth is, they never had it so good. They should at least give Obama some credit.
That’s my parting shot for today.
