The Real Destruction of Income Inequality – Ill gotten Stock Market Gains with help from OxfamAmerica

Dear Fellow Countrymen and Concerned Citizens and Ever Patient Foreign Leaders,

It is time we acknowledge and deal with the realities of the U.S. Economy or more appropriately “economies” and come to terms with our “gamed” “broken” stock markets, the extreme wealth and power it has afforded select few and the gross abuse of power and dominance of the peculiar visions of these few and the steps they take to preserve the status quo- while we have over half of our taxpayers living in a cycle of perpetual poverty- inability to get out of debt and gain wealth.  The “bump” in stock market income many of you have enjoyed in contrast to that of middle management and working class individuals needs adjustment but is not the main problem.

In our  Civilitiville USA, in our Money Money Money…and Hope memo last March we point out how “nothing companies” those that aren’t even going concerns benefit from going public, that the stock market is gamed and grossly over-valued- especially its extremes and that crypto is per se unconstitutional.  We have since decided to focus on recommendations for reform and the  undo societal influence and control by the extreme partakers of this never seen before wealth and wanted to break the myth of the “Bell Curve” with top 1% being $400K- $700K depending upon source when in fact the median individual income is $48 K and the tale of the curve goes right for miles- it is the top .0001 percent that perpetuate and benefit from the myth of the bell curve.  Census and payroll data were hard to find but we uncovered something better- work from  Oxfamamerica:

“The 12 richest billionaires own more wealth than half of the world.

Extreme inequality and poverty

Oxfam’s new global inequality report on what surging billionaire wealth means for your ability to speak up, make choices, and have real power over your own life.

In 2025, billionaire wealth reached a historic high. This massive surge in wealth accompanied a dangerous shift in political power, with billionaires 4,000 times more likely to hold political office than ordinary people. Now the super-rich are using their influence to shape our economy, politics, and society in ways that benefit them.

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Billionaires are accumulating extreme wealth

Nearly half of the world lives in poverty while a select few continue to gain extreme wealth and power. The amount of wealth owned by the poorest half of the world is less than the amount owned by just the 12 richest billionaires. This extreme concentration of wealth isn’t just making life less affordable for most of us, it’s creating harmful divisions. Billionaires, corporations, and politicians are taking away people’s basic ability to make choices about their futures and suppressing dissenting voices.

Oxfam’s January 2026 report, “Resisting the Rule of the Rich: Protecting Freedom from Billionaire Power,” examines how billionaires are driving political inequality and demands action before it’s too late. Our governments must take immediate action to radically reduce inequality, cut back the power of the super-rich, and build back the political power of the people.

How do billionaires exert their influence?  Billionaires are using their wealth to buy political influence and are aligning with authoritarian practices. When billionaires use their outsized wealth to shape government policies and institutions to their benefit that results in government by and for the ultra-wealthy few.   

• 1/6 of all federal campaign dollars spent in 2024 by U.S. political parties, candidates, and committees came from just 100 billionaire families.
• $88M Amount spent on U.S. lobbying in 2024 by companies associated with the 10 richest men in the world
• 1 in 7 citizens in Asia were offered bribes in exchange for votes, according to Transparency International’s 2020 Global Corruption Barometer.

What you read and hear

When sources of public information consolidate, society moves further away from a free press. Media plays an essential role in holding the powerful to account, but with billionaires at the helm of media companies, journalists’ ability to do so is in jeopardy. 

• 70% Percentage of the top 10 media and press companies with billionaire owners
• 6 Just six billionaires run nine of the top 10 social media companies.
• 80% Percentage of the top 10 AI companies run by billionaires your future

Billionaires now have a grasp over all our futures. This extreme concentration of wealth alongside the hardship of many is no accident. It is a product of decades of influence by the very wealthiest people and largest corporations over our politics and economy.

Here are just a few ways their power has manifested:

• Public services are underfunded and privatized in favor of corporate interests. Though one in four people faces food insecurity, as a share of total expenditure, government spending on agriculture has fallen by 10.6 percentsince 2019.
• Big pharma and health insurance companies are reporting massive profits for their rich owners and shareholders. In fact, nearly 50 new health and pharmaceutical billionaireswere created last year.
• All of this while regular people struggle to access affordable health care.
  Some billionaires are seeding a philosophy of dividing the working classand all others who oppose billionaire power by spreading racial, sexist, and anti-LGBTQI+ hate.”

Civilitiville USA has clearly identified that this is ill gotten gain from U.S. Stock Exchanges- a phenome that started in the 1980s by the use of Deterministic Statistics/”predictive modeling” for “predicting stock prices- which is now common place.  Determinist Statistics was invented by NASA to solve for unknown variables and “drives”/determines.  It is in this time frame that “billionaires came into being and the number grew exponentially, facilitated by growing computer power. It is stock market money that has facilitated this extreme wealth.

Factors contributing to the markets’ gross overvaluations include:

• Machine trading/Predictive Modeling/Deterministic Statistics
• Constant supply of new “agnostic money” handled in a concentrated manner through 401 K plans- which are “sticky” downward- tax penalties for early withdrawal and give power and make money for the fund management and promote a culture of separation of citizens from their purchasing power
• The absence of payable interest rates for savings accounts- a necessary, meaningful and more stable and egalitarian economic component and an historic stable and secure form of garnering wealth
• The lack of analysts, auditors and government officials focusing on “fundamentals”
• A gross spirit of intoxication from those who benefit in the short term by cashing out- even a billion in one day and others who just see their 401 K grow without understanding the true market dynamics. Talk about a unicorn and meme and theatre of the absurd all in one!

We have previously given most of the following- what we deem to be our best recommendation:

• The markets be shut down for a period of 30 days and companies given the chance to voluntarily de-list
• Good old fashioned audits of all listed corporations- where an “officer” of the auditing company has to sign off- We need to bring back accounting partnerships.
• A Separation of Banking and Securities and a break up of Big Banks, and Large Head Funds
• An encouragement of investment vs trading by instigating a buying and selling fee per share at a set percentage of share price- this will substantially handle gross over-valuations from gaming
• For publicly held companies CEO and CFO compensation should be equal. No one in a publicly held company- which is a privilege not a right, should make more than the President of the United States-
• We think $5 million should be the salary of the President of the United States with all outside income for fitted while in office and limited once out of office. No employee of a publicly held company should make more than the President of the United States
• There should be no publicly held companies in healthcare- Healthcare is sacred and a “calling” and the inordinate money has proven to be a lethal distraction in multiple ways- Quantity and Quality of care.
• The Sabbath should be honored. There should be a day of rest- non essential stores closed.  There are creative ways this can be handle to acknowledge different “Sabbaths”.
• For individual income we see $75K as the goal, for couple with children $150K as goal incomes to break the cycle of poverty. The U.S. reality is about half that.
• If you are the President of the United States and you put your face on a “foreign”- non U S currency- that is Treason. Ignorance cannot be an excuse.
• Claw backs and prison sentences are in order

Our research tells us that if presented properly most Americans will be in favor.

CBS News commented recently that “$20 for most of us is $87 million for Elon Musk!”

Mr. Jamie Dimon, CEO and Chair of JP Morgan Chase has recently predicted that the next generation of employees could “work a 3.5-day work week due to advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).” Mr. Dimon is also the one that gave the go ahead for crypto securities a few years ago- they were against his better judgement but “the market wanted it”.  Mr. Dimon commented on the proposed 10% interest rate cap on credit cards for a year saying it would be a “disaster”for restaurant owners and small businesses- has he no empathy for the reality of those paying 39% while they get essentially nothing in a savings account? And making less than the need to pay their basic living expenses? We see Mr. Dimon as out of touch and as a part of the “Culture of Death” as are Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg who envision colonizing Mars, Recreational Space Travel, and a Virtual Reality Life.  Mr. Dimon has failed us and Mr. Bezos, Musk and Zuckerberg have nearly destroyed us.

The obscene stock market returns have created false expectations and self-serving strategies among the chief beneficiaries at the expense of the common man.  As most Americans, especially the young are a perpetual cycle of poverty to the point that normal God given dreams of meeting a nice person of the opposite sex, getting married and having a family are squelched.

In manufacturing and in the Midwest- we know that a problem properly identified is more than half solved and promotes solution oriented thinking.  We also know compromises are not solutions.  I am pleased to share that the 60 MN CEOs that wrote the open letter on ICE in January are now a part of our audience.

We can continue to ignore the mess and preserve the status quo at our own peril or we can be leaders and problem solvers and come to terms with it in a just and equitable manner.  I am glad to have the MN coalition involved!  We need every citizen stepping up with their gifts, talents and prayers and uniting in a quest for restoring our nation.

God Speed,

Susan Lein,

Co-Foundress, Secretariat, Artist-in-Residence

Civilitiville USA

5832 Lincoln Drive #263, Mpls MN 55436 U.S.A. http://civilitiville.us/ 1-(952-426-3720)

cc:  Abby Maxman, President & CEO Oxfam and her staff- With great gratitude. Mr. Jamie Dimon, President Trump, Vice President Vance, Chief of Staff Wiles, The Entire Trump Cabinet

 

Minnesota NICE

In response to the two deaths of U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by inappropriately aggressive ICE agents in January, 60 Minnesota CEOs wrote an open letter which can be found on our website and throughout the web. Themes of leadership and problem solving were mentioned- themes that dominate well run companies and themes that I am going to elaborate now and following I will present a realistic view of the economy from the “supply side”/ U.S. income distribution of which the implications suggest the need for a new approach/”systems out of control” and a vision for an economy that allows for a more just, stable and wealthier society. The 60 CEOs have been sent a thank you letter and will now incorporated in this audience.

 

On Leadership/Good Business Solutions and Solidarity vs “Deal Making”

The recent death of former Gopher (U of MN) and Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz brought about a replay of an interview with him a few years back on EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network). Coach Holtz said that he made his decisions through prayer and that when the MN opportunity came up, he wanted to take it but his family was not in favor. He asked everyone to go to their rooms and pray about it and when they reconvened, everyone was in favor and that is when he thought of adding the clause that if he took MN to a bowl game if the coaching job at Notre Dame were offered (a lifetime dream of his), he would be free to go.

I subsequently learned in sharing this with my Dad, who was the CFO at Jostens at that time that an innovative approach involving the MN business community was created for Coach Holtz’s compensation in that companies were asked to take out life insurance policies for Mr. Holtz that he would own were he to fulfill his contract, and as Coach Holtz decided to go to Notre Dame, he forfeited the policies. Although sad to see him go, everyone in Minnesota was happy for him too and saw him as a leader of great integrity.

The above story is worth sharing!

This is not “deal making” which is transactional in nature but rather an edifying and dignified approach to “doing business”, problems solving and allowing for dreams and building solidarity. Industrial manufacturers in particular know not to “make deals” but rather develop partnerships with their ecosystem of channel partners, employees, customers, striving for win win solutions. An historic generalization about International business is the Western European Corporations strive for longterm relationships where the business is good for all parties concerned why as the East, perhaps excluding Japan, are “transaction” oriented.

I started my professional career in 1986 and “Quality” was in vogue- initiated first by the Japanese who integrated “quality” into their organizations and were leaders in innovation in consumer electronics. They then went on to ride the “Supply/Demand” curve in conjunction with their ability to reach new scales in manufacturing and it was a feat to behold. They charged premium prices until they gained greater scale and then were able to sell a magnificent tv for $400, a price accessible to the majority of American households at the time.

This is a far cry from Amazon retail and Tesla that still struggle for “core business” profitability, excluding government subsidies and their essentially “dumping” and their disruptive components “free immediate delivery” and “autonomous vehicles nested in ev defy reason and there is little regard for their ecosystem and channel partners- even the U.S. Post Office which started working on Sunday’s- creating a culture of unrealistic expectations by pricing below cost and “gaming the stock market through the inappropriate use of predictive modeling/deterministic statistics and calling themselves “Tech” companies so as to manipulate alpha and beta-yielding gross gross overvaluations and 2 of the “richest” men on the planet.

Developers may be “businessmen” but historically they have been “Deal Makers” often going bankrupt and moving on to the next deal, living communities to clean up the mess they leave behind.