Oxfam Blames the Wealthy for Poverty

Oxfam (a UK based charity whose mission is "fight poverty") recently sent out this appeal (see below) in which they imply that poverty is caused by businessmen who are wildly successful. They are repeating the falsehood that wealth is a zero sum game -- that the less successful would be wealthier if, somehow , the really successful were less so.

The fact of the matter is that the number of people who are desperately poor (living on $1/day) has been declining steadily and significantly over the last fifty years -- i.e. the time frame over which all the wealthy people whom Oxfam disparages accumulated their wealth. The poor have become less poor precisely because of that wealth creation. Bill Gates wealth via Microsoft is not the reason the poor are poor; it is why they are less poor. Mr. Gates did far more for the world's poor by making Microsoft a success than he will ever do with his foundation (and the two are non mutually exclusive).

Oxfam's sloppy thinking (I'm being generous here) is deplorable.

	January Newsletter
	Just 8 people now have the same wealth as the poorest 3.6 billion
	Have you seen the news this week that just 8 men own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world's population? This news comes after the release of our new report "An economy for the 99%". Here at home and across the world, millions of ordinary people have been left behind by an economy for the 1%. We must take urgent action to reverse dangerous inequality – not accelerate it. The poorest people in our societies have been hit hardest – particularly women who suffer high levels of economic discrimination, work in the lowest paid jobs, and take on the lion's share of unpaid care work. Read more about staggering inequality and how you can take action >> Find out more