Forum Post: "Being Rich is Relative..."
Posted 11 years ago on Sept. 18, 2012, 6:48 a.m. EST by elf3
(4203)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
I love when wealthy people tell me their wealth is relative because they have more stuff to buy and maintain. What a ridiculous notion. hmm the Lexus or the BMW it's a tough choice, we know you really wanted the Mercedes and had to compromise. When you have to decide between food or gas - you can say that, until then you deserve a pie in the face.
The only thing that makes one truly happy is love. When the 1% can find enough love in their hearts for the 99% is when change will take place. Greed is not love.
I don't want Wall Street to love us - I want Wall Street to crumble that won't happen with love ...that will happen when we end monopoly rule and government corruption. Wall Street doesn't care about human dignity they have removed themselves from the process, of thinking about the consequences to their actions - you see, the board decided, the shareholders needed; have a legal obligation to make them money, weren't involved in the decision, not responsible for the decisions of the corporation, the corporation will be fined. And so on and so on and so on - until we the people get angry enough to attach them to their decisions. One tax id, one name for every business. That's it all you get. Nothing more because we the people demand it. One can not teach Wall Street to behave better - I can picture this as some Carl Rovian-esque hatched propaganda for yet more slaps on the wrist (more like the flick of an elastic). Wall Street is not a person and thus can never know love nor not know greed. People should own their government and only people for that reason. People are inconsequential to a corporation and that will NEVER change - never. So we do not want our government (an institution designed to look after the needs of the people) to meld with an entity that does not care about people.
You are right, but the wealthy in this country are people. Wall Street is run by people. Greedy people.
but you just made their argument for them - in actuality if you think about the way they operate and the fact that they have no accountability - they not only have more rights than the individual, but they don't have to adhere to the same moral compass we would expect from human beings. So regardless of the people behind the entity the entity is not one person and does not behave like a person and so should not be regarded as a person. The only way to regard them as a person is if they have to operate like a person - one tax ID for every person's name - that's all they get. You can't operate as multiple individuals under different tax id's and be considered one entity. No separation of business and personal taxes; They should be one in the same.
I still think a lack of compassion and love is at the heart of all of our problems. I'm talking about the deep roots of living in a society that values individualism above all else. Me, me, me. That's not love. That's sick and it leads to a sick society with the symptoms you describe above.
You know, that's the entire thing & 'The Whole Nine Yards' right there, in a nutshell, 'bw'. I could not - nor would seek to top it & copy some words by Kahlil Gibran, as a further meditation on the matter :
~
"Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips."
~
from : http://www.katsandogz.com/onlove.html . I think that the entire book is there and the left hand column accesses all the other meditations too. "Greed" and 'Fear' manifest from the absence of Love.
amor vincit omnia ...
Very nice, Shadz. Thanks. :)
I spent a lot of time with 'LiveStream @ OWS#S17' yesterday and your comment above happened to be the very first I read today and it moved me with its cool, simple truth. So, 'bw' - you're very welcome and bearing in mind - 'Favour for a favour' and 'Fair Trade - No Robbery', for you :
pax, amor et lux ...
LOL. Sweet.
If a person has to be concerned about how much they have to pay to maintain a Lexus or BMW they can't afford one.
Just to change out a battery on the new BMW costs over $700.00. The on board computer is propietary so if you have a problem it has to go to a BMW shop for repairs $$$$$.
I have never heard anyone who could afford a BMW or Lexus complain about the cost of maintining it because they could afford it.
If a person complains about the cost of ownership of anything then it is apparent they shouldn't own it - that's typical of todays society though.
it's not specific to a Lexus or BMW - houses, rental properties they have to buy and sell, vet bills for their horses and boarding fees, their huge houses. You see "when they make more they spend more, which means their whole paycheck is gone before they spend it too, just like you." and thus the reason they deserve a pie in the face - thank you - and all the peace and love shit below is great - ...? but unless there is anger in this country nothing is going to happen - so I don't feel guilty for having anger nor will I accept this as my country. I refuse to live in a caste system or aristocracy - so you can give Wall Street a great big bear hug - I'd prefer to do something a little more permanent. And no I will not feel shame for feeling indignant or hostile that freedom is being stolen away day by day and replaced with an S&P rating.
It all goes back to what I stated - if you can't afford the maintenance then you couldn't afford it in the first place - regardless of how much you make and how much more you spend then you make - who's fault is that?
Anger in this country about what - people spending more money then they make?
How about anger in this country because there are no jobs and people have to take low paying jobs (2 ea) to survive - now that's something to be angry over.
And where are all the jobs that Obama said he would provide? He can't blame Bush for what's going on today. Starting out at 10.5 trillion now at 16 trillion going on 17 trillion and only 4 million jobs to show for it - that's pathetic.
Do you know how much each job costs the taxpayers. He would have been better off giving everyone $100,000 and we would be much better off now then we were when he took office.
But we aren't there are millions of people who have no other choice but to collect support from the government because of what he did - he bailed out the banks and big businesses instead of helping the working class.
He continually preaches about the middle class and how he wants to help them but he had his chance with the 5 trillion he spent.
He's allowing money to be printed now in an attempt to not help the people but again to help the banks by buying secured mortgages from them so they have more money to spend.
How about he buys mortgages directly from homeowners to help them out?
How about anger that 400 people in this country control as much wealth as 165 million people. The only way possible to have that vast a gulf in wealth is through corruption of the system.
So let me ask - how much control do these 400 people have over the 165 million people?
If you can justifibly say that they control these people in any way shape, form or fashion then I would say something needs to be done about it.
How about the fact that they have control over our government. They buy our politicians so they can make more money and then buy more politicians to make more money. It's a vicious cycle we must break if we want control of our government back.
You still didn't answer the question - do these 400 people have control over the 165 million people?
That was the answer. They control the government which has control of the people. They pass laws for their benefit which affects all americans.
The original post was simply an expression of envy.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/14/romney-middle-income_n_1883819.html