The NYTimes of September 27, 1998 had a pictorial run-down of the high points of the then most recent UN Human Development Report in the "News of the Week in Review" section of the paper. The last item of the piece really struck me:

"It is estimated that the additional cost of achieving and maintaining universal access to basic education for all, basic health care for all, reproductive health care for all women, adequate food for all and clean water and safe sewers for all is roughly $40 billion a year - or less than 4% of the combined wealth of the 225 richest people in the world."

4% is less than half the traditional tithe (10%) and I bet that adequate funding for even one of these basic human needs would have synergetic effects that would tend to reduce each of the other costs considerably.

$40 billion in 1998 is $53.24 billion in 2010. I wonder what percentage that is of the combined wealth of the richest 400 people in the world today.

