From: Gregory Brown To: undisclosed-recipients:; Bcc: [email protected] Subject: Greg Brown's Weekend Reading and Other Things.... 12/30/12 Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2012 19:14:29 +0000 Attachments: Could_A.I.G._Happen_Again_NYT_Editorial_December_23,_2012.pdf; It's_our system_on_the_cliff E.J._Dionne_TWP_December 23,2012.pdf; John_Boehner's_animal_House_Dana_Milbank_TWP_December 21,_2012.pdf; Celebrating_the_Prince_of Peace_in_the_Land_of Guns_Michael_Moore_Huff Post_12_2 4_12.pdf; Buying_Back_Greek_Debt_Rewarded_Hedge_ Funds_ Landon_Thomas_NYT_December_2 3,_2012.pdf; Why_France_could_become_the_biggest_danger to_Eu_ropelu2019s_single_currency_The _Economist_11_17_12.pdf; The top_10 olitical uotes of 2012 Aaron Blake TWP 12 28_12.pdf; . f; NYT_December 24,2012.pdf; The_Gun- Game_Complex_NYT Editorial_December 26,_2012.pdf; Republicans_rejecting_their_own_ideas_EJ_Dionne_TWP_December 26,2012.pdf; Crowdfunding_Will_Make_2013_The_Year_Of The_Gold_Rush_David_Drake_Forbes_12 _27_12.pdf Dear Friends As this is the last Weekend Reading of 2012, here are five issues and/or stories of great importance that didn't get the attention deserved in the mass media. The Concentration of Wealth and the Spread of Poverty One of the great underreported stories of 2012 is the accelerated spread of poverty and concentration of wealth in the United States. The richest 1% of Americans earnings has "almost tripled since 1980," and "we've wiped out 20 years of increases and wealth for the middle American" according to the Federal Reserve. While, not so for our political class. The Center for Responsive Politics reports Congressional wealth has increased 11 percent between 2009 and 2011. Forty-seven percent of Congress members are millionaires; in the Senate the number is 67 percent. Meanwhile the numbers living in extreme poverty are growing rapidly, as Peter Edelman told AlterNet writer Karen Dolan in an interview this year: "Extreme poverty means having an income