Christopher Hitchens on Chechnya, Financial Inequality in the U.S., Corporate Welfare (1996)

• published: 23 Dec 2014
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The Chechen Republic (/ˈtʃɛtʃɨn/; Russian: Чече́нская Респу́блика, Chechenskaya Respublika; Chechen: Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika), commonly referred to as Chechnya (/ˈtʃɛtʃniə/; Russian: Чечня́, Chechnya; Chechen: Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria (English: Land of Minerals), is a federal subject (a republic) of Russia. It is located in the North Caucasus, situated in the southernmost part of Eastern Europe, and within 100 kilometers of the Caspian Sea. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny. As of the 2010 Census, the republic had a population of 1,268,989 people, predominantly of the Chechen ethnic group with a notable Russian minority. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Chechen-Ingush ASSR was split into two: the Republic of Ingushetia and the Chechen Republic. The latter proclaimed the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, which sought independence. Following the First Chechen War with Russia, Chechnya gained de facto independence as the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Russian federal control was restored during the Second Chechen War. Since then there has been a systematic reconstruction and rebuilding process, though sporadic fighting continues in the mountains and southern regions of the republic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chechnya Income inequality in the United States has grown significantly since the early 1970s,[1][2][3][4][5] after several decades of stability,[6][7] and has been the subject of study of many scholars and institutions. While inequality has risen among most developed countries, and especially English-speaking ones, it is highest in the United States.[8][9][10] Income inequality (as measured by the Gini coefficient) is not uniform among the states: after-tax income inequality in 2009 was greatest in Texas and lowest in Maine.[11] Most of the growth has been between the middle class and top earners, with the disparity becoming more extreme the further one goes up in the income distribution.[12] A 2011 study by the CBO[13] found that the top earning 1 percent of households increased their income by about 275% after federal taxes and income transfers over a period between 1979 and 2007, compared to a gain of just under 40% for the 60 percent in the middle of America's income distribution.[13] Other sources find that the trend has continued since then.[14] In spite of this data, only 42% of Americans think inequality has increased in the past ten years.[15] In 2012, the gap between the richest 1 percent and the remaining 99 percent was the widest it's been since the 1920s.[16] Incomes of the wealthiest 1 percent rose nearly 20 percent, whereas the income of the remaining 99 percent rose 1 percent in comparison.[16] Scholars and others differ as to the causes, solutions, and the significance of the trend,[17] which in 2011 helped ignite the "Occupy" protest movement. Education and increased demand for skilled labor are often cited as causes,[18] some have emphasized the importance of public policy; others believe the cause(s) of inequality's rise are not well understood.[13] Inequality has been described both as irrelevant in the face of economic opportunity (or social mobility) in America, and as a cause of the decline in that opportunity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_inequality_in_the_United_States Image By Русский: Фото: Михаил Евстафьев English: Photo: Mikhail Evstafiev (Mikhail Evstafiev) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons