[Via... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . .THE FILTHY RICH AND DESPERATE POOR Last week�s "Business Review Weekly" lists the "Rich 200" in Australia. Kerry Packer heads the list with a fortune of only $6.2 billion. The blurb under his listing comments that last year the Packers had a bad time as a result of the "tech wreck" and poor Kerry lost $1.5 billion off his fortune. Our heart bleeds for him. Then there is poor Frank Lowy at $3.5 billion who started off in Czechoslovakia, fleeing the Nazis during World War II. After the War he went to Israel to fight for Israeli independence (we wonder whether he supports the right of the Palestinian people to independence, their land and homeland?). Frank Lowy is the money behind Westfield shopping centres in Australia and the US. These filthy rich have investments all over the place. Richard Pratt is next with only $3.3 billion. He is the "cardboard king" known as Visy Industries and has just acquired the Asia-Pacific business of Southcorp with a cool $800 million. He also has a reputation for union bashing. Harry Triguboff is a Russian migrant from China who is the owner of Meriton Apartments. John Howard has been good to him. The increase in first homeowners� grants from $7,000 to $14,000 has been a boon to Harry Triguboff. He is involved in welfare work in Israel and Australia and wants more migration. We doubt that he is among the demonstrators demanding rights for the refugees held for years in Port Headland by the Federal Government. After the billionaires on the list come the lowly millionaires. Amongst them is Reg Grundy with $600 million. "Business Review "and" The "Wheel of Fortune" "spun him massive profits from quiz shows and soapies, much of which is now invested in properties, ecotourism and E*Trade, spinning more profits. He knows how to enjoy life, on his $90 million yacht seen moored at Roselle Bay during the Olympics." Another is Gina Rinehart ($260 million) -- Lang Hancock�s daughter. She receives half the royalties paid by Rio Tinto on the ore it ships from its Hammersley mines in Western Australia�s Pilbara region. Her cash flow is expected to be $20 million a year. Not bad for not doing one minute�s work to mine the ore. And that makes a point. In all the 200 listings of the wealthy there is not one word about those who do the work to make the wealth to make these people rich so they can continue to enjoy their lifestyles of parasitic luxury. All we hear of is the buying and selling of shares and companies. Needless to say, there is nothing in "BRW" about the desperate poor created as others climb up their backs to wealth, privilege, luxury and, of course, political power. These are the people who tell the government how to protect their wealth with anti-worker legislation and tax breaks and bailouts using taxpayers� money when a hash is made of things and bankruptcy faces. That�s what Howard did when his brother�s company faced "difficult times". It has become a cliche, but it is true, that as the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. Ask Saint Vincent de Pauls, the Salvation Army or the Smith Family about the dramatic increase in the poor. Howard, in the recent Budget, has thrown a sop of $300 to pensioners and some concessions to some self-funded retirees. But compared to the wealth that will flow to the already rich as a result of the drop in the company tax rate from 34 per cent to 30 per cent, these peanuts fade into insignificance. The Communist Party not only protests against this brazen class bias and discrimination. The situation will only be fundamentally changed when we have a new type of government that legislates for the majority of people not for the small minority of the already wealthy. Not only must we have a progressive taxation system that imposes higher taxes on those with higher incomes but we must ensure that the wealth created by workers remains in their hands. None of those on the "BRW" list would be anything if it were not for those who work for them. The great majority who do the work in the community can do without parasites on their backs. Let these parasites do an honest day�s work for a change. We can do without them but they cannot do without us�the working people. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
