Filthy rich excess is not limited to US filthy rich.

[Skidmore]

This car is made from white gold--a king's ransom that could feed a whole lot of people and undoubtedy mined by men working in conditions close to slavery.






http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/03/white-gold-mercedes/

[DesertFlower]

1. appalling. nt

[mrdmk]

2. Wonder if a car alarm is an option?

Also, if qualifies for a good driver insurance discount???

[Cleita]

3. How long would one of our billionaires be able to drive that before

it's stolen and chopped into bits?

[RainDog]

4. vomit

reminds me of the excesses of the aristocracy before revolutions undid monarchies in the Age of Enlightenment.

[Cleita]

6. Actually, according to what I have read, they do try to share

the oil wealth among their citizens. Taxes are low or almost non-existent and wages are living wages.

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/United-Arab-Emirates-POVERTY-AND-WEALTH.html

I think if aristocrats are smart and don't take everything for themselves, the ordinary citizen doesn't care if the sheik rides around in a gold Mercedes as long as he has a nice SUV for himself and his family. This is something our billionaires and multi-millionaires need to keep in mind.

[RainDog]

7. Yes. That's what a "balance of economic powers" achieves

Too much power is vested in the interests of the wealthiest, around the world, and, imo, the world is "out of balance" because of this - and that includes the U.S.

The UAE has no income tax, but I can't speak for other oil-wealth nations. I know about the UAE because I know some people who went there to work at universities.

Benefits are also very generous, as is time off. The people I know who went there take their vacation time in other parts of the world where they can drink alcohol legally, dress as they please, and so on.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. Go find the answser to this question. Who builds their buildings and cleans their toilets?

The speak to me of their fair treatment of the worker. Enjoy.

[Cleita]

9. Just a brief answer.

I understand that 80% of their work force are immigrants and they average 18,000 a month of whatever their monetary unit is. Here's some pages you might want to look at if you are really interested.

http://www.indexmundi.com/united_arab_emirates/economy_profile.html

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/United-Arab-Emirates-POVERTY-AND-WEALTH.html

http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=227&loctype=1

I'm not in favor of monarchies, especially those who have extreme wealth. I'm only saying their wealthy sheiks seem to have a handle on the fact that they need to throw some bones to the proletariat if they plan on hanging on to that wealth, something Louis and Marie, King and Queen of France forgot back in the eighteenth century and that our billionaires seem to be forgetting here.

Other than that I was just making an observation. I'm not really that interested.

[snagglepuss]

10. That is purely self preservation. All these countries have zero immigration despite

massive wealth. A Pakistani co-worker lived most of his life in Kuwait and is well educated but neither he nor his brother who still lives there could never get citizenship and he told me that Pakistanis are treated like second citizens. His brother is desperate to leave.

[Cleita]

11. Yeah, they need a way to go. But comparing them to how the Saudis

distribute their oil wealth, they are ahead. But like I said, I was making an observation, and I don't really care. I care more about our car elevator wealthy with dancing horses and private jets who don't care if old people in the USA have enough to eat, or that there are people, including families with children living on the streets here. Something tells me that this is why your Pakistani's family left Pakistan for Kuwait because of the poverty and lack of opportunity in their homeland.

[snappyturtle]

5. Sick, sick, sick. nt

[Laelth]

12. This is an amazing thread.

And I mean that in a good way. Bookmarking for later.

-Laelth