Does Anyone Think the Uber-Rich are Usually on Their Side?

[ThePainefulTruth]

Like any large coorporation, donations are made to both sides, in order to point at these red herrings and say “See how nice we are?” regardless of who wins, and regardless of their overall leanings.

Wow. Do you have problems with all the bits of strawmen getting stuck in your teeth? Even Ayn Rand is palming her face.

How is taking US liberal wishes global a strawman? It exposes the idiocy, so instead of posting a response of substance in defense of idiocy, you pluck a pejorative label from a tree and think your response be equivalent with what some would call the Word of God. **sarcastically prostrates self before your self-styled glory**

 

[ThePainefulTruth]

Does anyone think the uber-rich (people worth a billion or more) are usually politically or economically aligned with one's own best interests? Why or why not?

I worry more about multi-trillionaire governments who claim beneficence all the way to the Treasury--to whom said billionaires are still legally subject.

 

[sayak83]

Does anyone think the uber-rich (people worth a billion or more) are usually politically or economically aligned with one's own best interests? Why or why not?

Depends on the person. I can name Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Elon Musk etc. are.

 

[BSM1]

Depends on the person. I can name Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Elon Musk etc. are.

George Soros...

 

[Subduction Zone]

No...but I have been in contact with this Nigerian prince...

Hey! That happened to my friend Jim:

 

[sun rise]

They still aren't on your side. Their on their side which parallels you. If you were to change your beliefs tomorrow, they're not going to care what your new beliefs are.

Yes.

The US is no longer a democracy. It's a military empire, an oligarchy of the rich.
Where are today's Jacobins?

I'm watching a couple of shows on PBS where the residence of the ruling elite shows signs of being burned presumably by mobs of the downtrodden. They made the point that when the difference between those on the top and bottom gets too great and the bottom gives up hope of rising, as we're getting close to if not already there, the result can be "fire".

Most of the uber rich know that money is power and are using their money to mislead people and impose their will on the country - the essence of keptocracy/plutocracy.

And I've more and more come to support confiscating the wealth of any one person or family that's over $10,000,000.

 

[Lyndon]

Bill Gates is a parasite, fake liberal, same for Warren Buffett, he talks the talk but look at where he puts his money!!

 

[Revoltingest]

They still aren't on your side. Their on their side which parallels you.

Close enuf for me.
I need a T-shirt.....
Chuckie Kochie is okie dokie!

 

[Revoltingest]

Like any large coorporation, donations are made to both sides, in order to point at these red herrings and say “See how nice we are?” regardless of who wins, and regardless of their overall leanings.

I see Koch Bros donations as more ideologically directed than others.

 

[sayak83]

George Soros...

I don't know about him much.

 

[suncowiam]

A majority of Democrats tend to.



It happens occasionally, someone will go out of their way to help another person. Just not something I'd expect to happen.

I suppose the thing is, I don't expect it from government either. I expect the government to act in its own best interest as well, not mine.

I really don't want to blame politics here.

This is a fundamental rights issue as for as what is expected from each individual. It becomes arbitrary to allow some people certain expectations versus others.

Some say that the uber-rich is too powerful given all the resources they own. It's not just money, so let's just call it resources or property.

Do we inherently have the right to own property? If so, should there be a cap to the amount? If so, then how much? Who decides all this? I find it all an arbitrary mess. People should be able to own any amount of property they choose to or zero amount of property.

 

[Nakosis]

I really don't want to blame politics here.

I was joking.

This is a fundamental rights issue as for as what is expected from each individual. It becomes arbitrary to allow some people certain expectations versus others.

Some say that the uber-rich is too powerful given all the resources they own. It's not just money, so let's just call it resources or property.

Do we inherently have the right to own property? If so, should there be a cap to the amount? If so, then how much? Who decides all this? I find it all an arbitrary mess. People should be able to own any amount of property they choose to or zero amount of property.

I agree with it being a mess, and since everyone one has their own vested interest, any solutions folks come up with will likely be geared to benefit themselves.

 

[Sunstone]

How many people know a variety of billionaires to even form a meaningful response though, @Sunstone?

It's not whether you know a billionaire, Paul. It's whether you know of a billionaire. For instance, do you think you really needed to personally know Pete Peterson to know that he was until his recent death trying to privatize social security, which you might or might not see as in your best interests? If so, then please explain why you need to personally know him?

 

[Sunstone]

Depends on the person. I can name Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Elon Musk etc. are.

But as a class, are billionaires overall usually aligned with your best interests or not? Of course, "usually" is meant to be a key word here -- something that several posters in this thread are over-looking.

It would be easy to say that billionaires as a class are sometimes aligned with your best interests and sometimes not, but that's both an obvious thing and a wishy-washy response.

 

[Nakosis]

Bill Gates is a parasite, fake liberal, same for Warren Buffett, he talks the talk but look at where he puts his money!!

Maybe true, who really knows their motivations. You just support the right talking points and many when look the other way when your peccadillos are showing.
Cough, cough... Schneiderman, cough.

 

[suncowiam]

Bill Gates is a parasite, fake liberal, same for Warren Buffett, he talks the talk but look at where he puts his money!!

Are you talking to yourself again?

Uhm, you don't know his voting history, would you? You think money has anything to do with him being a liberal? Or how he votes?

Where do you put your money since you're so interested in how others do it? Why don't you share your credit card bill, savings and so on, here?

 

[Sunstone]

People should be able to own any amount of property they choose to or zero amount of property.

Given how obvious it is that ownership can -- and often does -- translate directly into how much power and influence you have over other people, your government, and society, would you be prepared to say that any one person should be able to have enormous power and influence over others, the government, and society, while most everyone else has relatively tiny power and influence?

If so, do you value "representative democracy", or would you prefer some other form of government, such as some sort of dictatorship?

 

[Lyndon]

Bill Gates business practices have been entirely predatory, anyone that's used Microsoft knows what an *** he is, as to Warren Buffet, he invests in oil companies and Apple, another entirely predatory business, they may not be as bad as the Koch Bros, but they're bad nonetheless

 

[YmirGF]

It's not whether you know a billionaire, Paul. It's whether you know of a billionaire. For instance, do you think you really needed to personally know Pete Peterson to know that he was until his recent death trying to privatize social security, which you might or might not see as in your best interests? If so, then please explain why you need to personally know him?

I suppose, but are we seriously expected to drill through each damned billionaire's positions, on a host of issues, analyze their stock profiles to follow the money, rather than their mouths and then score card that with our own, often fuzzy, perceptions? Heck, I know a couple of multi-millionaires and agree with some of their ideas and disagree with other of their ideas. My interests versus their interests doesn't really enter into the picture. We tend to form our relationship on areas of common interest.

The idea behind the thread seems to be little more than drumming up hatred against the wealthy. Why not ask billionaires if they think the common folk have their best interests at heart? You will get almost as meaningless an answer.

 

[Daemon Sophic]

How is taking US liberal wishes global a strawman? It exposes the idiocy, so instead of posting a response of substance in defense of idiocy, you pluck a pejorative label from a tree and think your response be equivalent with what some would call the Word of God. **sarcastically prostrates self before your self-styled glory**

Let’s review....
Not that I would speak for @Quintessence directly, but on the subject that was at hand “poorly regulated capitalism” being the cause of existence for the “uber-rich”; you said......

Meaning what, "poorly regulated" redistribution of wealth/legalized theft? In a SJW's just arbitrary world, everyone would be making $3000 a year, the global average--with the "poor" in the US squawking the loudest, while the actual poor in the would only see a 2 cents on the dollar, if that.

Where does this concept of beneficent governments come from? 150 million were killed in the 20th century by their own governments.

So you jumped from setting up regulatory standards for high income earners in a representative capitalistic democracy ......to ........government instituted mass murder (democide). Because, ya know, it’s a slippery slope, and one always leads directly to the other.

But I was primarily pointing out your ?purposeful? mischaracterization of the “US liberal wishes” (and how they would enslave the world ). Going far beyond even the most extreme interpretations of dysfunctional communist dogma. Damn those hippies!

Let’s stay within the boundaries of reality here, eh? The current lack of regulations in the US economy has resulted in wage disparity, and the developement of disparate economic classes (i.e. - aristocrats vs peasants) the western world has not seen since Louis XIV lost his head.
The US government was set up as a way to even that playing field/field of battle, and stop the bloodlines of wealth from constantly crushing the hopes and dreams of the hard-working non-aristocrats at a whim.

No so called “Social Justice Warrior” (possibly with the exception of the movement’s founder, Jesus the Christ), ever came close to your histrionic overextension of a term.....a strawman.