As an extension to the "What Do you Consider Wealthy" poll (
http://www.conservativecave.com/index.php?topic=21596.0) the DUmmies decide to drop any pretense of their class envy:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4954678#4955634The OP is rather bland and innocuous:
Political Heretic (1000+ posts) Sun Feb-01-09 01:05 AM
Original message
Rather than shouting "we hate rich people!" maybe DU could shout "we hate income disparity!"
Advertisements [?]Income disparity.
This is the real evil.
The problem isn't that some people have more money than other people. The problem isn't that some people have been very well rewarded in their careers. It's pointless and counter productive to start making sweeping generalizations about every person out there who has more money than you do (which is the closest definition of "rich" DU has so far been able to agree on)...
The real problem is the ever-widening gap between richest and poorest Americans. The real problem is that wages have de-coupled from productivity where they used to parallel each other. Under "Reaganomics" wages continue to decline, while the economy "grew." The 400 wealthiest Americans saw their incomes double under Bush (I'll find the source in a second - reported in AP article yesterday). But DU needs to focus its anger - that wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that it happened while wages and worth for the bottom 80% of America were stagnating or declining. That's the problem. The gains of wealthiest Americans in THIS economy have been at the expense of the working-class and middle-class Americans.
That's in contrast to a time when the rich got richer at a slightly more modest pace, that kept in synch with the gradually ever-rising wages and living standards of everyone else.
Irrational sweeping generalization doesn't help anything. We need to talk about income disparity. We need to talk about the de-coupling of wages and productivity. Our goal isn't to "stick it" to rich people - our goal should be to return to a social structure in which everyone has a real shot at "making it big" if that's their desire, and where everyone can see their wages and worth grow over time.
I'm ok that I, working (currently) part time as a night desk person, only make 12$ an hour while my friend, who has been to school and specially trained, and worked his way up in a company for ten years as a computer engineer makes .... um, more. That seems fair to me. What isn't fair, is when our government's economic policy benefits him at MY expense.
We should be talking about that.
And then we are off to the races with the jealousy:
Confusious (223 posts) Sun Feb-01-09 01:08 AM
Response to Original message
2. Well then I would be lying
because I do hate rich people. I think the lying part is worse.
Political Heretic (1000+ posts) Sun Feb-01-09 01:16 AM
Response to Reply #15
17. Obama got some pretty big bonuses for his book - and several million from the circuit
Do you hate him?
Or is it perhaps not that someone has X amount of money but HOW they get that money that you dislike?
Rosa Luxemburg (1000+ posts) Sun Feb-01-09 01:17 AM
Response to Reply #17
21. probably
Oregone (1000+ posts) Sun Feb-01-09 01:54 AM
Response to Reply #28
49. Speaking for myself...
Edited on Sun Feb-01-09 02:01 AM by Oregone
Id say probably that I hate him because he has a guaranteed existence of absolute luxury till death (not just sustenance), and money and means beyond such (collecting interest and appreciating), yet some of his assets collect dust as people around him starve. Fine, he will probably make a good president, but as a human, how can one be so blind (including Warren Buffet even)? How can someone hold the keys to some other child's ability eat, to learn, to have shelter...how can someone know that giving such a key would in no way hurt them self with their massive amounts of wealth, and yet, how can they still bank it as people starve and suffer?
But the real question for the night...how can someone question other's justification to hate the rich? Thats is really ****n sickening, you know.
BTW, while you are sitting here making excuses for the rich and deriding the People's criticism, They are sitting in private making fun of your slave ass and talking about how they can manipulate you to vote for them. Yeah, you may think Im outta line but maybe I had an opportunity to crash one of those private functions for a few years, and maybe I know a bit how this shit works, you think? Oh yeah, there are two Americas you there, and be assured, one of them doesn't give two ****s about you, as long as you buy their shit, work at their plants, and vote for them. Cynical, or realistic, take your pick.
How dare you ask why a DUmmie has an irrational hatred of an imaginary foe? That's what get's them out of bed in the morning.
valerief (1000+ posts) Sun Feb-01-09 01:11 AM
Response to Original message
7. Nah, I hate the rich. You know why? They don't share. nt
undergroundpanther (1000+ posts) Sun Feb-01-09 01:12 AM
Response to Reply #7
11. Same reason I hate them
And not only do they not share they take as much as they can from those who have much,much less and are shameless about it.
valerief (1000+ posts) Sun Feb-01-09 01:22 AM
Response to Reply #11
25. And the richer they are, the more they hate to pay their bills. nt
Political Heretic (1000+ posts) Sun Feb-01-09 01:15 AM
Response to Reply #7
14. Actually, many people with means do share. A lot.
Edited on Sun Feb-01-09 01:15 AM by Political Heretic
I know the concept of "philanthropists" isn't something you hear a lot about in western corporate media but, you should look into it.
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valerief (1000+ posts) Sun Feb-01-09 01:17 AM
Response to Reply #14
18. No, more rich people should share. nt
By share, do you think they mean "give me free stuff"? Yeah, I thought so too.
MrSlayer (1000+ posts) Sun Feb-01-09 02:17 AM
Response to Original message
57. I hate the rich and I hate income disparity.
Of course, given the option, I'd rather be rich and hated than not rich and hated.
Political Heretic (1000+ posts) Sun Feb-01-09 02:52 AM
Response to Reply #57
68. Ah so you hate the rich because you aren't?
I appreciate the honesty.
MrSlayer (1000+ posts) Sun Feb-01-09 03:42 AM
Response to Reply #68
94. Absolutely.
Rich is when you never have to work and can just do what you want, whenever you want. Who wouldn't be envious of that? I'd much rather be lounging around on a beach in the Caribbean, drinking electric lemonades and reading than freezing my balls off running pipe 100' in the air in the dead of winter. I have a good job and it still sucks. Not being rich sucks.
Blue Dog Dominion (218 posts) Sun Feb-01-09 01:11 PM
Response to Reply #94
165. So you really must hate the Kennedys
I doubt Ted has ever gotten dirt underneath those manicured nails of his.
Ted had some dirt under his fingernails, but he found a river to wash off his hands.
The whole thread is worth reading, just for the comedic effect. A handful of crazy commie Marxist vs. a few people who have some concept of working, saving and amassing wealth. Plus the normal bottom-feeders with their hands out.
