THE CHASM OF CLASS

At a time in the USA when many members of the working class find themselves unemployed and their homes re-possessed it is worthwhile looking at how the American capitalist class are dealing with the economic downturn. Time-share mogul David Siegel and his former beauty queen wife Jacqueline have had to sell their Florida mansion for a mere $50 million. The 30 bedroom house and estate, named and modeled on the palace of Versailles in France, includes a boat house, a ballroom, an Olympic-size pool, a theatre and a baseball field. "The 23-bathroom house may appeal to a buyer so wealthy they do not even move in, said local estate agent Kelly Price. "Versailles will probably be a house that will appeal to the uber-wealthy who don't even think about the issue of money," she added. "It might be a second or third home. For all we know, it could be a seventh or eighth home." (Metro,27 May) Useful productive members of the working class are homeless while the useless parasite class have multiple mansions - that is capitalism for you. RD