callivert - 11:56 am on Sep 9, 2007 (gmt 0)

I'll answer the actual and the implied questions as well.

Do people own things they don't need? Yes, including vagrants who hold onto mementos, subsistence farmers who own hand-made art, and hermits with old books on a dusty bookshelf. Everybody has stuff they don't need according to a strict definition of need.

is this wrong? no.

are the resources of the world misplaced? no. "misplaced" implies that someone is to blame for how they are placed. Are the Swiss Alps misplaced?

is there a link between all the extra stuff that rich people own, and the need of poor people? no. It's pretty clear now that capitalist systems are better at helping the poor than well-meaning attempts to put the world's resources where they're "supposed" to be. Having said that, it's good to be aware that you are luckier than others, and be generous to people who are less fortunate.