The rich get bigger yachts...the poor get less food

World Bank President Robert Zoellick said today, "While many are worrying about filling their gas tanks, many others around the world are struggling to fill their stomachs - and it's getting more and more difficult everyday." This is, in large, due to the rising price of fuel. Meanwhile, oil companies post record profits (Exxon shatters profit records). Zoellick is asking for $500 million to meet the poorest countries' emergency food needs. Well look no farther than the pay raises for Occidental Petroleum's Ray Irani ($500 million in the past 5 years) and XTO Energy's Bob Simpson ($215 million in 5 years). These two guys alone could bail out about a dozen countries and still have millions left over. Of course, their pay rising in the face of economic and food crisis is not an isolated incident. The average pay for CEOs rose 5% in 2007 to $11 million each! What do these fat cats do with their bundles of cash? Well, "as the economy slips, yacht sales skyrocket."

Yachts burn in Barcelona

Somehow strangely satisfying.