Forum Post: Why the richest 0,00001% is not that evil.
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 23, 2011, 7:08 a.m. EST by soloenbarcelona
(199)
from Barcelona, CT
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
What would you do if you inherited worth 500. 000 milion dolars? First, make sure this money never became a public knowledge. Then for the rest you would do what you believe is good and maybe try to maintain the power and influence because you believe that what you are doing the right thing and it will protect the ones you love and care for.
Just a thought.
30 people, some of them might be evil but not all of them. Evil people are the ones who design wars, finance wars, and control working class. They are architects of the illusions.
I believe the money cartel (yes roughly a few families), migth indirectly be behind lots of wars and unpleasant events, but also behind lots of progress and hapiness (Like now lots Of Chinese are way better of then 10 years ago). I don´t agree those that control the working class are evil (they always existed) I´m trying to understand why I am not having it anymore and why I feel so very angry when I read some information in the newspapers and you just believe it´s so wrong. We´ll see what will happen, but here in Spain (or Europe looking at Spain) lots believe in a real "risk" of an uprising of the working class.
If I were to suddenly receive $500 milliond dollars I would probably keep enough to insure a comfortable life and retirement for myself, my family, and my close friends. The remainder I would use for charitable contributions and investments in worthwhile small businesses.
To answer your real question though. No, I don't neccessarily find the .00001% "evil". Yet I do think there is something seriously wrong with their mindset. I really don't understand how any person can hold onto hundreds of millions, and even billions of dollars, and live confortably with a clear conscience in cities with sometimes hundreds of thousands of homeless, huge populations of children who go to bed hungry, and just overwhelming desperation.
That is why we need to get rid of the monetary system and sign the resource-based economy petition (aka "Venus Project Petition". Google it.)
Money creates fear of not having enough, divides us and makes us do loveless things to one another.
Are you working with Benjamin Fulford or David Wilcock and the White Dragon Society to help humanity in any way? Even information to these people is helpful. If not, why?
Very true. People cannot cast stones until they've walked the shoes. I have seen it with my own eyes, in the ranks of some of hte occupies, where people become power-starved and vengeful.
We are all human, which is forgotten alot.
They're not exactly evil because they're unaware of their actions most of the time and essentially are just greedy fucks. Watch Inside Job.
There's a difference between the Wall Street .000001% and the .000001% that make products for sale. Kind of.... Some are just as evil. But the Wall Street bankers and stockers generally have made a fortune at the expense of others.
And yes I made up the word "stockers."
Yes I´m just a little too deep into conspiracies theories lately, but they make more sence than the official news. I believe bankers and stockers are just some emplyees for the Banksters, and some control the world. I don´t believe Bin Laden was behind the terrorist atacks (or at least not the mastermind) and that is was the banksters, but still wandering if they are evil (I often believe so and wish them bad, but then I asked the question in this link to see if its defendable to try and rule the world, if the power is inherited)
9/11... a conspiracy theory?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuC_4mGTs98
lol, yes I love that one, posted it many times aswell! Best video I ever seen on the subject (todays mess) is this one, but a little long 32 min: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQT2K75auuU&feature=share
I personally do not think that the ruling class is evil. What I do think is that their material interests are different than that of the vast majority. Their material interest is for them to stay in power, and as long as that is true we will never have a genuine democracy,
Yes I hope the internet can lead to genuine democracy, but I dream more of pace and human friendly distribution of wealth. If in a democracy one family controls the media, lots could be worse of. Say the media tell your countrymen all gay need to be iliminated, you´ll be surprised how fast your democracy will decide to eliminate all gays. (And then you better wish you are not part of that group)
I didn't say anything about the internet leading to genuine democracy. If anything it keeps people at home rather than getting them out in the streets interacting with other people which is where real change happens,
It's not the regular people you need to worry about.
It's the psychopaths that biologically lack the capacity for compassion and empathy, the sociopaths that mimic such behavior, and the apologists that think killing, unbridled greed, and hateful vengeance are justified that we need to worry about.
Our Pathocracy promotes leadership by such people. And all forms of government can be infiltrated by such uncaring individuals if the masses fail to recognize how psychopathy affects society. Compassion and awareness are necessary for society to progress forward.
I think sudenly reading your post that the lack of religion might be a reason for our suffering. Not that I´m religious or anything, but the famous 10 rules used to promote compasion and other values that seem to evaporate and all that counts now is power and money (most of the western people posses that illness).
It is nice as a guide but as an organization religion is also not impervious to psychopathic individuals. (as seen by baby trafficking, sex abuse by certain religious figures, and the call for violence such as inquisitions and holy wars)
Anywhere positions of power exist psychopathic individuals have an advantage. The person that lacks compassion is willing to go to any lengths to obtain power and are not impeded by a conscience telling them such actions are wrong.
Those biologically born without empathy (psychopaths) are different from those that learn such behavior (sociopaths) and can't be 'healed'. But make no mistake that difference from and indifference for normal people have allowed them to co-opt society and hold positions of power, many covertly.
And once in power they shape and mold society in their own image as much as possible. The problem today is systemic; reflected in the wars, extreme wealth concentration, unjust legal structure, backwards healthcare system, and general focus on fear/hatred. This is the real affect of trickle down theory when psychopaths possess power. Our society grows just as callous and uncaring for the suffering it causes.
Compassion and awareness are necessary for society to progress forward.
interesting, thanks for sharing these idears.
At that level money loses meaning, they start collecting outrageously expensive art, a separate form of wealth for the wealthy only. There are different money systems in place, there's "corporate money", which are outrageous plane tickets and dinners that the companies write off as business expenses. Someone does pay in the long run, though--the 99%.
money does not solve anything, does not make someone better or worse, does not contribute to a better world, or create a worse one. it is nothing. literally and figuratively nothing. the uber rich are no different than us. they just think they are. it is the idea of money that needs to come crumbling down. not the people who revere it.
Its a shallow thought. Even AFTER their fake humanitarian crap, the richest 500 Americans are STILL worth MORE THAN THE LOWER 150 MILLION COMBINED. THATS RIGHT. THE RICHEST 500 AMERICANS OWN MORE PERSONAL WEALTH THAN THE ENTIRE BOTTOM HALF OF THE US POPULATION. THATS BEYOND DISGUSTING. ITS GOD DAMN BLACK HEARTED SELF CENTERED EVIL.
Say that reminds me.
The ugly truth. America's wealth is STILL being concentrated. When the rich get too rich, the poor get poorer. These latest figures prove it. AGAIN.
According to the Social Security Administration, 50 percent of U.S. workers made less than $26,364 in 2010. In addition, those making less than $200,000, or 99 percent of Americans (actually more like 98%), saw their earnings fall by $4.5 billion collectively.
The sobering numbers were a far cry from what was going on for the richest one percent of Americans.
The incomes of the top one percent of the wage scale in the U.S. rose in 2010; and their collective wage earnings jumped by $120 billion. In addition, those earning at least $1 million a year in wages, which is roughly 93,000 Americans, reported payroll income jumped 22 percent from 2009. Overall, the economy has shed 5.2 million jobs since the start of the Great Recession in 2007. It’s the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression in the 1930’s.
Another word about the first Great Depression. It really was a perfect storm. Caused almost entirely by greed. First, there was unprecedented economic growth. There was a massive building spree. There was a growing sense of optimism and materialism. There was a growing obsession for celebrities. The American people became spoiled, foolish, naive, brainwashed, and love-sick. They were bombarded with ads for one product or service after another. Encouraged to spend all of their money as if it were going out of style. Obscene profits were hoarded at the top. In 1928, the rich were already way ahead. Still, they were given huge tax breaks. All of this represented a MASSIVE transfer of wealth from poor to rich. Executives, entrepreneurs, developers, celebrities, and share holders. By 1929, America's wealthiest 1 percent had accumulated 44 percent of all United States wealth. The upper, middle, and lower classes were left to share the rest. When the lower majority finally ran low on money to spend, profits declined and the stock market crashed.
Of course, the rich threw a fit and started cutting jobs. They would stop at nothing to maintain their disgusting profit margins and ill-gotten obscene levels of wealth as long as possible. The small business owners did what they felt necessary to survive. They cut more jobs. The losses were felt primarily by the little guy. This created a domino effect. The middle class shrunk drastically and the lower class expanded. With less wealth in reserve and active circulation, banks failed by the hundreds. More jobs were cut. Unemployment reached 25% in 1933. The worst year of the Great Depression. Those who were employed had to settle for much lower wages. Millions went cold and hungry. The recovery involved a massive infusion of new currency, a public works program, a World War, and higher taxes on the rich. With so many men in the service, so many women on the production line, more currency, and those higher taxes to help pay for it, some US wealth was gradually transferred back down to the majority. This redistribution of wealth continued until the mid seventies. By 1976, the richest 1 percent held less than 20 percent of America's private wealth. The lower majority held the rest. It was the best year ever for the American middle and lower classes. And rightfully so. This was the recovery. A partial redistribution of wealth.
Then it began to concentrate all over again. Here we are 35 years later. The richest one percent now own over 40 percent of all US wealth. The upper, middle, and lower classes are sharing the rest. This is true even after taxes, welfare, financial aid, and charity. It is the underlying cause. No redistribution. No recovery.
Note: A knowledgable and trustworthy contributor has gone on record with a claim that effective tax rates for the rich were considerably lower than book rates during the years of redistribution that I have made reference to. His point was that the rich were able to avoid those very high marginal rates of 70-90% under the condition that they invested specifically in American jobs. His claim is that their effective tax rates probably never exceeded 39%. My belief is that if true, those rates were still considerably higher than the previous lows of '29' and the policies still would have contributed to a partial redistribution by forcing the rich to either share profits and potential income through job creation or share income through very high marginal tax rates. This knowledgable contributor and I agree that there was in effect, a redistribution but disagree on the use of the word.
One thing is clear from recent events. The government won't step in and do what's necessary. Not this time. Book rates for the rich remain at all time lows. Their corporate golden geese are subsidized. The benefits of corporate welfare are paid almost exclusively to the rich. It's up to us. Support small business more and big business less. Support the little guy more and the big guy less. It's tricky but not impossible.
For the good of society, stop giving so much of your money to rich people. Stop concentrating the wealth. This may be our last chance to prevent the worst economic depression in world history. No redistribution. No recovery.
Those of you who agree on these major issues are welcome to summarize this post, copy it, link to it, save it, show a friend, or spread the word in any fashion. Most major cities have daily call-in talk radio shows. You can reach thousands of people at once. They should know the ugly truth. Be sure to quote the figures which prove that America's wealth is still being concentrated. I don't care who takes the credit. We are up against a tiny but very powerful minority who have more influence on the masses than any other group in history. They have the means to reach millions at once with outrageous political and commercial propaganda. Those of us who speak the ugly truth must work incredibly hard just to be heard.
The ugly truth is lots of us have very little or nothing to loose and a lot to earn, thats one reason we are here. Todays situation will lead to change, hopefully also good for the poorer Americans. I support you in your sort of fight for justice.
Then you should teach them how to eat money. When all the money is in only the hands of the few, it will become worthless as the rest of us learn to go about our business without it. That is the future if we let it happen. They can occupy wall street and we'll occupy the food. Start planting.
I don't think it's about "good" and "evil" it's just creating a system that can be sustained, even the NBA, NFL and baseball owners know that you have to have wealth redistribution to have a system that can be going
Quarter-evil, half-evil, full on evil. Who cares? They are still greedy sons of bitches.
Just a reply.
Yes I agree they look at least gready, but so does most of the 99%, well maybe not most, but I´ve had the honner of meeting some from all level of societies. What I start believing is that they believe it´s their right to "twist the rules" and I believe its an instinc to try to survive. If poor people start to fight for what they believe is right, history might picture them as bravehearts. It´s all a very weird time in our richer countries, and one thing I do believe is more then probable: Things will change.
Everybody is guilty of greed to some level, but yeah, some people get so big they entirely lose their empathy for the plight of others. They start 'twisting' the rules because they feel entitled to keep what they worked to gain. It's the system that allows this unchecked greed and bottom line - the system needs to change.
Just a little comment: I remember when I was 18 I travelled to Cuba on my own and you don´t want to know how it feels to have a Coca Coca on a terrace and believe many are obsering you with these eyes seeming to say: "I want to know that boy, he´s rich!" Or other trips that I travelled in very poor countries and you just feel happy you can suddenly affort a lot more then most others, but I never got the need to try and help all the poor people in those countries. And I don´t consider myself greedy and manage every few years to hit bottom again :(
Was there a profound life lesson in there somewhere you were trying to communicate? If so, it went right over my head. It's not all about you, you do get that, don't you?
lol, you´re right, maybe what i´m trying to say is our values should change. Dont know.
My key personal values 1) trust 2) honesty 3) persistence - those three values guide me more than any others in my decision making. Of course, I don't always live up to them, but its the ones I personally feel are the most important to try to live up to. Does greed ever creep up on me and interfere with the values I want to live up to, sure, it's human nature.
In other words, I agree with you - our values need to change at the collective level. Values are so very important in guiding us and defining what ideals we try to live up to.
Setting greed as a collective core value to live up to is fraught with inherent danger, wouldn't you agree?
Well yes, core value of corporations are: Be the best and fuck the rest. And thats whats happening even if they say: Be the best and that way you´ll help the rest.
Wise words, my friend. Wise words.
Hey, there are a large group of those in the top bracket that have signed a petition to pay higher taxes. :D
But yet a token amount and nothing stops them from stroking a check......
Pre-Reagan taxes are sufficient.
So what is stopping them from handing it over?
I read Warren's NYT article months ago and recall that he indeed stroked a token check although I haven't heard about any of the rest of them doing so.
have you?
Not looking for token checks. Not interested in token checks.
No marginal rates are sufficient with the loop hole riddled tax code, with no end in sight, of the code becoming more biased towards tax experts, if marginal rates are increased.
Pre-Regan, like 1950 when it was like 90% over 1,000,000? Very few super wealthy paid 20% even then. However, the working man has almost always paid 20% or more.
And increase the capital gains tax. :D
Well, that's progress, however, what about other forms of untouched wealth? Taxing only income is easily circumvented, legally, by those who obtained those elite educations.
Well, we tried to stop it from moving overseas but Deutsche Bank is having a conipshit over the paperwork.
LA's worst landlords think it is too much paperwork. They can leave and take a few other banks with them. They can have MF Global, too.
Hey, let's build some gallows and braid the hell outta some hemp! I like positive and effective problem solving solutions.
[Removed]
I'm getting the visual of a dragon here. Your stash doesn't do much for anybody it's just all yours, and it was probably pillaged from the peasants at one time or another. Of course any attempt to change ancient ways of capitalism, that make your stash possible, are met with flame throwers. Is this where the reptilian analogy comes from?