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[TheYenta]

"The country's leading think-tank has proposed a "survival strategy" - an exit from the current economic and political distress by transforming the country into a welfare state that would help bridge opportunity and income disparity.They believed this would address the root causes of the current political conflicts that have pushed the country to the brink.

The Thailand Development Research Institute led by TDRI chairman Dr Nipon Poapongsakorn said the institute's research had found that disparities in income and assets was the main cause of the ongoing political conflicts that could spiral into a crisis. He said the way out of the political crisis is to reform the economy by creating a welfare state that would help close the gap between the rich and the poor, and thus reduce social and political conflicts.

The research findings showed that the richest had 69 times more assets than the poorest. In addition to 10 per cent of the poorest people, about half the country's population lacked job security.

The current market economic system fails to bridge economic inequality and the state also adds salt to injuries for failing to provide equal opportunity for everyone to access financial credit, knowledge, natural resources because the state represents a large business conglomerate that monopolises businesses.

Only a handful group of politicians and businessmen access to business privileges and benefit from the monopoly. The current tax structure does not help reduce assets and wealth concentration.

Wealth concentration has a significant correlation to political power as the country has seen business tycoons enter political arena.Not only does political power protect business interests and concessions. Being politicians in power means they can write regulations to expand their own political and economic base and make rules that penalise business rivals.

This makes business of politicians distort the market economy. This is the case especially in a country that lacks political stability."

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/09/13...al_30112104.php

[Sexpat]

It's fine to say that money and power politics have corrupted the country but how do they propose to replace that with a welfare state - short of revolution !