Driving into town the other day I caught an interview on our ABC, of a couple traveling on the Queen Mary 2. They had been on the current cruise for 4 months, had some months yet to go, & were quite enjoying themselves.

It is to be hoped that they were enjoying themselves, apparently their monthly bill is greater than my gross annual income.

It appears some passengers are paying more than my annual income a week.

I compared this to my expenditure when I was cruising around, & working in the islands in my yacht. I was not spending more than A$100 a month, with perhaps another $100 a month put by for maintenance. Then I started wondering;

Was i jealous, no.

Would I rather swap my experiences for theirs, no.

Did I mind that some could afford such luxury, no.

How could people with such disposable income take 6 months off? no idea, perhaps they are retired, or inherited it.

Would I want to take such a cruise, I don't think so.

What did others think? A number I spoke to thought it was obscene that someone could "waste" so much money, some didn't care, some didn't want to know.

Is it obscene? Is it a waste? Many are earning their living, building & crewing these ships, to relive the mega rich of some of their money.

Sure if you are at the bottom of the trickle down effect, you'll only get a trickle, but often that is quite enough, it is for me. After all I earned my living in the tourist industry for some years, & those I catered to had to be richer than me, to pay what we had to charge them.

How do others OLO's view the world of the mega rich

Hasbeen,
Firstly,
I can't see how one can become so obscenely wealthy in a morally right way.
Just look at some of these princes & sultans or those electronic & sporting goods giants with their sweat shops.
Secondly, if someone becomes so wealthy through initiative then good on them, no jealousy from this lad.
Thirdly, when I see public servants on $6000 plus benefits per fortnight & collecting frequent flyer points whilst the show is crumbling all around then I do have a huge problem.
I'll certainly do my bit for Queensland come March 23.
Air Australia passengers are stuck overseas whilst the federal hierarchy got a huge pay rise. How about ordering other airlines to bring them back. After all Air Australia probably went broke on account of huge Government fees & charges etc.

the mega rich will go to the grave like everyone else. To whom much is given much is expected. I have met generous rich people and stingy poor people and vice versa. Compared with most of the world those on the dole are filthy rich. That is why so many illegals want to come here. Australia is the Queen Mary for many. The end is the same for all. The judgement will not be.

runner,

You never fail to entertain me : )

How very (un)Christian of you to put the boot into those "filthy rich" people on the dole as first recourse on this thread....and all those "illegals" who funnily enough are deemed genuine refugees.

You're right, however, that those who inhabit Western industrialised nations are the royalty of the world. We're saturated with wealth and opportunity - and, judging from your comments, we don't particularly like sharing either of them.

Hasbeen,

The very wealthy have always been with us. Nothing really changes as far as human nature goes. I've heard that being rich enables one to experience one's dysfunction in a much more comfortable manner : )

Well currently wealth creation is the wanted out come for most western governments.
We are not socialists.
So what other way, if indeed we wish to, can we fix the imbalance.
Tell you what, I do not care.
But I do,that mega rich can avoid paying tax.
If tax was fixed, on every dollar, same figure, say 25% for every one every dollar?
Remember this, usually money is earned, not given.
And some mega rich employ thousands of others.
We see here, complaints about social security, and an end to health tax breaks for well of, can not have it both ways.

Belly,

"We are not socialists."

But we do inhabit a social democracy - one where the less affluent are supported. Capitalism depends on an orderly society who spends up big. If it hadn't been for social democracy, capitalism would have floundered and been consumed by revolution. This way, however, most people exist anesthetised and in reasonable comfort while the mega-rich keep adding to their coffers.