"Dave Frightens Me" wrote in
message ...
On Tue, 23 May 2006 11:49:44 +0100, "Miss L. Toe"
wrote:


"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
.. .
Jordi writes:

That is a common western misconception. An extremely small percentage
are extremely wealthy, a good other percentage are simply wealthy and
most people are upper-middle class by western standards.

Not with a GDP of $12,900 (vs. $42,000 for the USA).

Those having a hard time in the KSA are, for the most part, foreign
workers in near slavery conditions and foreign students trying to
become muslim clerics. Those are the ones bringing the per capita
figures down.

Even after adjusting for foreign workers, I still get a per capita GDP
of $20,500, which is less than half the average of the USA.

US averages are more misleading than most, especially as Bill Gates has
as
much wealth as the poorest 47% of americans COMBINED.

Have you got a source for that?

I cant find the recent source where I spotted that but:

http://www.commondreams.org/pressrel...98/072798a.htm

and :
" Microsoft CEO Bill Gates has more wealth than the bottom 45 percent of
American households combined. "

http://www.cooperativeindividualism....ution1999.html

Also along a similar vein:

"In 1999, three men - Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Warren Buffet - had a net
worth greater than the combined GDP of the 41 poorest nations and their 550
million people. "

http://www.foodrevolution.org/havenot.htm