Multi-Millionaire Brian Williams Lectures Viewers on Income Inequality

NewsBusters.org ^ | January 21, 2014 | Kyle Drennan

[Kaslin]

On Monday's NBC Nightly News, anchor Brian Williams – who reportedly earned $13 million a year in 2012 – quoted Karl Marx while hyping a new report on global income disparity: "...the staggering news out today about the growing gap between the haves and the have nots." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Williams melodramatically recited the findings: "Some new figures came out today....And they are so shocking, it takes a while for them to sink in. A study commissioned by Oxfam says the world's richest 85 individuals have the same wealth as 3.5 billion people around the world. Once again, 85 people on this planet have the same amount of wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion people on this planet."

Multi-Millionaire Brian Williams Lectures Viewers on Income Inequality

As NewsBusters' Tim Graham reported in 2008, this is the same Brian Williams who "lives in one of New York's swankiest addresses in Manhattan with the chic restaurant Le Cirque on the ground floor, which offers high priced cuisine like an appetizer of terrine of foie gras with Gewurtztraminer gelee for $38. 'It's better than having an Applebee's in the lobby,' he joked to the New York Observer in 2006."

Williams has a history of hypocrisy when it comes to scolding others for their wealth or spending habits. In January of 2012, he actually had the nerve to hit then-Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney over his "unimaginable wealth." In August of 2012, he wrung his hands over the amount of money spent in that year's presidential race:

...spending on 2012 presidential radio and TV ads has now surpassed the half-billion-dollar mark....$500 million could feed 9.2 million malnourished children for 50 days. It could immunize 29 million children for life. It could provide clean water for 500 million children for 40 days. And it could buy 166 million antimalarial mosquito bed nets, two for every person in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

On Monday, after noting that "the top 1% of families own 46% of our total global wealth," Williams added that the annual World Economic Forum would "be focused in large part on this growing and dangerous income disparity."

Here is a full transcript of the January 20 news brief by Williams:

7:17PM ET TEASE:

BRIAN WILLIAMS: We're back in a moment with the staggering news out today about the growing gap between the haves and the have nots.

7:22PM ET SEGMENT:

WILLIAMS: Some new figures came out today, as we mentioned, on global wealth and income disparity. And they are so shocking, it takes a while for them to sink in. A study commissioned by Oxfam says the world's richest 85 individuals have the same wealth as 3.5 billion people around the world. Once again, 85 people on this planet have the same amount of wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion people on this planet. The top 1% of families own 46% of our total global wealth. Their share equals $110 trillion.

These numbers have come out on the eve of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which, while attended by the rich and powerful, is this year going to be focused in large part on this growing and dangerous income disparity.

[beandog]

I think the kid moping the floor is worth than Brian. At least the kid moping the floor is doing something useful.

[hosepipe]

[KC Burke]

Arrogant bastards think they are smart and moral enough to decide who and what is “equal enough”.

You are so right and that arrogance is propelling them to power and control -- their bottom line.

Marx and Engels had to rush through their economic study and publish it, because without it and its justifications and methods there was no way to fund the incredible costs of a government with socialist goals.

They lament "income" inequality, and then cite wealth instead of income. They cite wealth, truly property in general, and then want to manage every-ones' income.

It is thievery for power, plain and simple. Get one group lusting after some others property or earnings and then have that group give them the political power to TAKE and STEAL. We all know where that ends up.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Twisted face and twisted mind...

[Teacher317]

quoted Karl Marx while hyping a new report on global income disparity: ... Williams melodramatically recited the findings: "Some new figures came out today....And they are so shocking, it takes a while for them to sink in. A study commissioned by Oxfam says the world's richest 85 individuals have the same wealth as 3.5 billion people around the world

Income is NOT wealth!!!!

Do not let them keep hammering this lie!!!

A family making $100,000/year can have far less wealth than a kid making $30,000/year. Wealth is ASSETS (home, auto, stocks, land, investments, etc etc etc), it is NOT your periodic incoming revenue!!!!! (However, good assets do generate regular income streams, too.)

The 3.5 billion at the bottom of the WEALTH ladder likely all have a total wealth of about $0 (lots of folks below zero bringing down billions with just a little)... and so your neighbor's cat is likely just as WEALTHY as the bottom billion combined.

I'm not sure if it is the very pathetic educational level of most Journalism majors, or the continuing push from the Marxists (likely the usual combo shot utilizing American's generous supply of "useful idiots" as Stalin called the American Lefties), but we HAVE to have some way to counter these egregious and intentional misuses of terminology in their propaganda machines!!!

[allendale]

Brian Williams is simply too limited to realize just how ridiculous and foolish he is. The cameraman he is looking at while blabbering this banal Democratic talking point has a very difficult job. If he laughs hysterically as most people would , he would lose his job

[GeronL]

They probably have computer controlled camera equipment these days

[DBrow]

I bet he puts 90% of his $12,000,000 to charitable uses. $120K is enough to live on, eh, Brian?

[llevrok]

Genetic Code in Lear Jet Liberals - Don’t do as I do. Do as I say

[M Kehoe]

I wonder if Brian Williams is able to afford the presidential knee pads with the new presidential seal, and extra padding?

5.56mm

[ArcadeQuarters]

Looks like their fancy study has a bit of a flaw.

[WayneS]

Hey Brian, if “income inequality” bothers you so much, why not take some advice from the Red Hot Chile Peppers: “Give it away, give it away, give it away, now!”

But DO NOT lecture me about it.

[Kaslin]

No, thanks for another great reply from you

[WayneS]

You are misinformed. It’s actually red bananas that cause racism...

[GeronL]

a bit?

lol

Forbes 100 richest... I don’t think they come anywhere near a trillion in total.

http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/list/

[Stormdog]

“If the new DNC talking point was that green bananas causes racism, NBC will have a special about it.”

Just make sure that you don’t call it an NBC “White Paper”.

Racist, you know.

[jiggyboy]

Two different groups. Go back to the sentence with that $110T — that’s owned by the top 1% families.

[GeronL]

I guess I was reading too fast, lol

[RatRipper]

A study commissioned by Oxfam says the world's richest 85 individuals have the same wealth as 3.5 billion people around the world.

. . . so we need to suck all the financial wealth of the middle class and funnel it to the poorest to fix it. . . . ? ? ? Brian, those 85 individuals are paying you to say stupid things. Why don't you do an expose' on those 85 individuals and let us know how they obtained and added to their wealth.

[Cyber Liberty]

But Brian Williams has those John Kerry “Concern Eyebrows.”