Inequality much worse than most think

[TBBNF]

[ProdigyofZen]

Re: Inequality much worse than most think

Very good TBBNF. TY.

It is disheartening to know that the pet dogs of the rich eat better than the majority of the worlds children.

[don]

Re: Inequality much worse than most think

rich man say:

pet dogs of the rich work harder, or would if they were asked, than the dogs of the rich . . .

[Forrest]

Re: Inequality much worse than most think

rich man say:

pet dogs of the rich work harder, or would if they were asked, than the dogs of the rich . . .

I am not rich, but my guard dog is fed well, and so are my rat-catchers, and are worth their pay.

The true difficulty of the world population is that even if all production of food were distributed evenly, the banditry, drug users and corrupt officials would still be causing the poor in every country to go hungry.

The problem is not that the rich have money, it is that their charity (and taxes) are diverted.

This is not a matter of who has wealth or how much is allocated to the poor, but who has honesty, integrity, and enforces the law.

[don]

Re: Inequality much worse than most think

This is not a matter of who has wealth or how much is allocated to the poor, but who has honesty, integrity, and enforces the law.

behind every great fortune is a great crime . . .

[lektrode]

Re: Inequality much worse than most think

behind every great fortune is a great crime . . .

uh huh...
i used to - somewhat naively - think that while pressin the envelope was the norm, ever since hanging out here, eye see that the envelope was blown apart decades ago (particularly since 1993 or so....)

sigh....

but i still blame most of the sitch on the political class - the political aristocracy that occupies not only the beltway but a lot of the state capitols as well (with the usual suspects of the bluestate universe the most odiferous...)

[Forrest]

Re: Inequality much worse than most think

behind every great fortune is a great crime . . .

I am grateful then not to have a great fortune.

[BadJuju]

Re: Inequality much worse than most think

The problem is not that the rich have money, it is that their charity (and taxes) are diverted.

This is not a matter of who has wealth or how much is allocated to the poor, but who has honesty, integrity, and enforces the law.

Yeah, those unfortunate wealthy people. All they are trying to do is help us, but us poor people just keep screwing it up.

[Forrest]

Re: Inequality much worse than most think

Yeah, those unfortunate wealthy people. All they are trying to do is help us, but us poor people just keep screwing it up.

Our current government does not have any trouble getting money from the wealthy when they want to. Our poor do not have trouble getting welfare, food stamps and charity...quite the opposite, in fact. If the government AND citizens were being honest, full of integrity, and following all the laws, the amounts currently allocated for those that cannot get work, or cannot work sufficiently to support themselves.

I have nothing against wealth...no one should. It is a mark of hard work, saving, and good investment management when accumulated honestly as well as legally.

But you are correct...a lot of poor people are screwing things up by lying, cheating and stealing from programs not meant for them, while the government spends the tax money on all the wrong things, or in the wrong proportion to what reality justifies.

[dcarrigg]

Re: Inequality much worse than most think

It is a mark of hard work

I question whether ever in the whole history of man there was a significant correlation between hard work and wealth. More likely the lazy old shaman ate better than the hard working hunter since day one. I know for a fact it's true now. If you think elbow grease and 70 hours per week will get you ahead of being born into the Groton/Philips -> Harvard/Yale pipeline, I've got a bridge to sell you. You can work hard, live honestly, save, and do things right your whole life without a mistake. The best it gets most people is a decade or two living under a roof that a bank or a landlord doesn't own and a social security check.

[Forrest]

Re: Inequality much worse than most think

I question whether ever in the whole history of man there was a significant correlation between hard work and wealth. More likely the lazy old shaman ate better than the hard working hunter since day one. I know for a fact it's true now. If you think elbow grease and 70 hours per week will get you ahead of being born into the Groton/Philips -> Harvard/Yale pipeline, I've got a bridge to sell you. You can work hard, live honestly, save, and do things right your whole life without a mistake. The best it gets most people is a decade or two living under a roof that a bank or a landlord doesn't own and a social security check.

Most Shaman's are not lazy at all...they spend a great deal of time learning their chicanery from an older Shaman, much as an apprentice does; they act as servant to the Shaman, run errands, and spy on everyone to keep a current up to date personal and social commentary to 'guide' their Master's shamaning. In addition, a Master Shaman then has to spend long hours observing omens, and the stars; schedule and conduct the rituals and festivals with skill and attention to detail, and must balance the power of the tribal Chief with a lot of indirect manipulation. In other words, a Shaman is a local Politician with a MD, and a CIA background. These are not easy professions to learn, much less to maintain.

As for elbow grease, most work is mental...even the fix-it stuff that get's your hands greasy. After all, you cannot fix something if you have not learned how to test, eliminate and diagnose the problems. Even the skills you learn and master are but tools for your mind to use to succeed in your life's journey.

All wealth begins, if not obtained by force/war by saving part of the money you make by living frugally, and then investing the saved amount into an honest investment vehicle that earns a return.

While working throughout one's life, one re-invests the profits from the investments, and adds to them by additional savings. None of this is elbow grease, but applied investigation, research, and study of investment techniques, and investment vehicles.

Expensive formal schooling and the accompanying contacts are helpful, but not a requirement. If you are good enough at what you do, you will meet the right people, and develop your own contact list.

Knowledge is available at your local library, and you can get great mentoring from bored retired people on the golf course, or at a chess club, or even a nursing home. All you need to be is interested, caring, and patient, getting to know those older people who have succeeded in some of what you wish to accomplish. They are a mine of information, advice, and counsel.

Working, saving, investing are the keys to wealth, and earned if accomplished honestly, morally, and in accordance with the law.

Owning your own home, providing for yourself and family as sovereign individuals, enjoying life while building up a portfolio to draw upon as one grows older is the epitome of human existence, not third prize in some foolish life contest.

If you can also help others while doing no harm to anyone, you will have even become a truly decent man, and have grown character worth having.

Your negative outlook on what is still available to anyone with energy, ambition and a quick mind is literally negating all the opportunities that exist in plenty, even in a terrible economy with bad government. With that attitude, you will indeed have only what you have described, if you even manage that.

Your best investment toward a better future might be to target variously successful men you admire, take them to lunch, and ask them how they did it. Most successful men enjoy a good lunch, and an attentive ear.

Whining about life's challenges will only chase those away that might help you, particularly as you seem to have forgotten that the journey of life is to be enjoyed because of the obstacles you must surmount, and that your success is not measured merely by how much money you have in the bank, but by how well you have triumphed over the difficulties and challenges you will face during your life, while living life well.

[dcarrigg]

Re: Inequality much worse than most think

Most Shaman's are not lazy at all...they spend a great deal of time learning their chicanery from an older Shaman, much as an apprentice does; they act as servant to the Shaman, run errands, and spy on everyone to keep a current up to date personal and social commentary to 'guide' their Master's shamaning. In addition, a Master Shaman then has to spend long hours observing omens, and the stars; schedule and conduct the rituals and festivals with skill and attention to detail, and must balance the power of the tribal Chief with a lot of indirect manipulation. In other words, a Shaman is a local Politician with a MD, and a CIA background. These are not easy professions to learn, much less to maintain.

As for elbow grease, most work is mental...even the fix-it stuff that get's your hands greasy. After all, you cannot fix something if you have not learned how to test, eliminate and diagnose the problems. Even the skills you learn and master are but tools for your mind to use to succeed in your life's journey.

All wealth begins, if not obtained by force/war by saving part of the money you make by living frugally, and then investing the saved amount into an honest investment vehicle that earns a return.

While working throughout one's life, one re-invests the profits from the investments, and adds to them by additional savings. None of this is elbow grease, but applied investigation, research, and study of investment techniques, and investment vehicles.

Expensive formal schooling and the accompanying contacts are helpful, but not a requirement. If you are good enough at what you do, you will meet the right people, and develop your own contact list.

Knowledge is available at your local library, and you can get great mentoring from bored retired people on the golf course, or at a chess club, or even a nursing home. All you need to be is interested, caring, and patient, getting to know those older people who have succeeded in some of what you wish to accomplish. They are a mine of information, advice, and counsel.

Working, saving, investing are the keys to wealth, and earned if accomplished honestly, morally, and in accordance with the law.

Owning your own home, providing for yourself and family as sovereign individuals, enjoying life while building up a portfolio to draw upon as one grows older is the epitome of human existence, not third prize in some foolish life contest.

If you can also help others while doing no harm to anyone, you will have even become a truly decent man, and have grown character worth having.

Your negative outlook on what is still available to anyone with energy, ambition and a quick mind is literally negating all the opportunities that exist in plenty, even in a terrible economy with bad government. With that attitude, you will indeed have only what you have described, if you even manage that.

Your best investment toward a better future might be to target variously successful men you admire, take them to lunch, and ask them how they did it. Most successful men enjoy a good lunch, and an attentive ear.

Whining about life's challenges will only chase those away that might help you, particularly as you seem to have forgotten that the journey of life is to be enjoyed because of the obstacles you must surmount, and that your success is not measured merely by how much money you have in the bank, but by how well you have triumphed over the difficulties and challenges you will face during your life, while living life well.

It's exactly this type of thinking that lets both the finance execs and the peasants sleep well at night. But one only has to look at statistics and look around at his fellow man to realize the truth. Most people work hard. Many save and invest. The lucky few are wealthy. The hunter always worked harder than the shaman. The builders of pyramids always worked harder than pharaohs. The plebians always worked harder than the patricians. Hell, even the workers in far off Siberian gulags worked harder than the central committee. Governments and economic systems don't change this age-old truth. Hard work might get you from the very bottom to just above the very bottom. Maybe in a really mobile society it could take you from the bottom to high in the middle ranks before you die. But from getting to the top crust is straight luck and birthright. Always has been. Probably always will be. It's just the truth. You can see it empirically in any statistic you like, although the video this thread began with is a decent primer. It's nothing to get bitter, angry or despondent about. Getting upset about it serves no more purpose than yelling at the stars in the sky. But that stairway to heaven's merely a legend so peasants dream well. The only "sovereign individuals" in the real world are born with silver spoons and crowns.

[lektrode]

Re: Inequality much worse than most think

+1 dc
but in the interest of holiday brevity....



and this one about sums things up, eh?

[jiimbergin]

Re: Inequality much worse than most think

I question whether ever in the whole history of man there was a significant correlation between hard work and wealth. More likely the lazy old shaman ate better than the hard working hunter since day one. I know for a fact it's true now. If you think elbow grease and 70 hours per week will get you ahead of being born into the Groton/Philips -> Harvard/Yale pipeline, I've got a bridge to sell you. You can work hard, live honestly, save, and do things right your whole life without a mistake. The best it gets most people is a decade or two living under a roof that a bank or a landlord doesn't own and a social security check.

I am sure that is true in many instances, but far from all. I know many people who have done well even though they came from meager beginning. For example my wife (we have been married for 7 years after both our spouses went Home to the Lord) was a single mom working more than one job, including paper routes, part time mail carrier, etc.). All 4 of her children have done very well, including one who is the CEO of a medium size chemical company. They all did it by hard work, absolutely nothing was handed to them.

[jiimbergin]

Re: Inequality much worse than most think

Most Shaman's are not lazy at all...they spend a great deal of time learning their chicanery from an older Shaman, much as an apprentice does; they act as servant to the Shaman, run errands, and spy on everyone to keep a current up to date personal and social commentary to 'guide' their Master's shamaning. In addition, a Master Shaman then has to spend long hours observing omens, and the stars; schedule and conduct the rituals and festivals with skill and attention to detail, and must balance the power of the tribal Chief with a lot of indirect manipulation. In other words, a Shaman is a local Politician with a MD, and a CIA background. These are not easy professions to learn, much less to maintain.

As for elbow grease, most work is mental...even the fix-it stuff that get's your hands greasy. After all, you cannot fix something if you have not learned how to test, eliminate and diagnose the problems. Even the skills you learn and master are but tools for your mind to use to succeed in your life's journey.

All wealth begins, if not obtained by force/war by saving part of the money you make by living frugally, and then investing the saved amount into an honest investment vehicle that earns a return.

While working throughout one's life, one re-invests the profits from the investments, and adds to them by additional savings. None of this is elbow grease, but applied investigation, research, and study of investment techniques, and investment vehicles.

Expensive formal schooling and the accompanying contacts are helpful, but not a requirement. If you are good enough at what you do, you will meet the right people, and develop your own contact list.

Knowledge is available at your local library, and you can get great mentoring from bored retired people on the golf course, or at a chess club, or even a nursing home. All you need to be is interested, caring, and patient, getting to know those older people who have succeeded in some of what you wish to accomplish. They are a mine of information, advice, and counsel.

Working, saving, investing are the keys to wealth, and earned if accomplished honestly, morally, and in accordance with the law.

Owning your own home, providing for yourself and family as sovereign individuals, enjoying life while building up a portfolio to draw upon as one grows older is the epitome of human existence, not third prize in some foolish life contest.

If you can also help others while doing no harm to anyone, you will have even become a truly decent man, and have grown character worth having.

Your negative outlook on what is still available to anyone with energy, ambition and a quick mind is literally negating all the opportunities that exist in plenty, even in a terrible economy with bad government. With that attitude, you will indeed have only what you have described, if you even manage that.

Your best investment toward a better future might be to target variously successful men you admire, take them to lunch, and ask them how they did it. Most successful men enjoy a good lunch, and an attentive ear.

Whining about life's challenges will only chase those away that might help you, particularly as you seem to have forgotten that the journey of life is to be enjoyed because of the obstacles you must surmount, and that your success is not measured merely by how much money you have in the bank, but by how well you have triumphed over the difficulties and challenges you will face during your life, while living life well.

+1