When did it become a crime to be successful?

[nat4900]

So how are the "rich" hurting society?

There is an economic theory labeled "zero sum base", where the sum of the gains equals the sum of the losses.

 

[JoeNormal]

It all goes together:

• You didn't build that, someone else made that happen
• You didn't earn that, you cheated or stole to get it
• You didn't work for that, it was given to you
  
• Your business didn't earn that, you took advantage of someone
• If you have it, it belongs to someone else
  
• You can't be successful, that rich guy over there won't let you
• You can't be successful because of your skin color
  
• Your failures aren't your fault, they're someone else's fault

All that is now part of our culture. Enjoy.
.

And apparently, your culture says that if anyone has a problem with these scumbags, it must be envy. Don't you guys ever get tired of defending the indefensible?

Well, at least you didn't try to deny my point. Good, that would have been silly.

And who, precisely, do you mean by "you guys"? Do you think I'm a conservative or a Republican, something like that?

Wanna try again?
.

Well, I have very limited interest in trying to remember the nuances of every poster's individual political leanings. Frankly, the difference in my mind between conservative and libertarian is vanishingly small when it comes down to it. What I HAVE seen is the general sentiments that you've expressed being listed time and time again. Maybe there's some talking point factory that everyone of your ilk subscribes to. They all fit on bumper stickers which appears to be of prime importance. Out of curiosity, what do you consider yourself?

 

[Votto]

So how are the "rich" hurting society?

There is an economic theory labeled "zero sum base", where the sum of the gains equals the sum of the losses.

Care to explain it? Then when you are done, care to prove it?

Of course, this sort of talk is why politics is akin to religion. Most of this is just taken on faith.

 

[Mac1958]

It all goes together:

• You didn't build that, someone else made that happen
• You didn't earn that, you cheated or stole to get it
• You didn't work for that, it was given to you
  
• Your business didn't earn that, you took advantage of someone
• If you have it, it belongs to someone else
  
• You can't be successful, that rich guy over there won't let you
• You can't be successful because of your skin color
  
• Your failures aren't your fault, they're someone else's fault

All that is now part of our culture. Enjoy.
.

And apparently, your culture says that if anyone has a problem with these scumbags, it must be envy. Don't you guys ever get tired of defending the indefensible?

Well, at least you didn't try to deny my point. Good, that would have been silly.

And who, precisely, do you mean by "you guys"? Do you think I'm a conservative or a Republican, something like that?

Wanna try again?
.

Well, I have very limited interest in trying to remember the nuances of every poster's individual political leanings. Frankly, the difference in my mind between conservative and libertarian is vanishingly small when it comes down to it. What I HAVE seen is the general sentiments that you've expressed being listed time and time again. Maybe there's some talking point factory that everyone of your ilk subscribes to. They all fit on bumper stickers which appears to be of prime importance. Out of curiosity, what do you consider yourself?

I'm just an independent.

And again, it's good to see you not trying to deny my points.
.

 

[johnedwards]

I was watching the first episode of a new Showtime series called 'Billions' last night. It's the story of the sole survivor of a financial firm that was decimated in the 9/11 attacks and now he's become a billionaire asshole. He had used his fuck you money to basically say fuck you to the people of New York and they were pissed. Sure enough, he pulled out that tired old conservative saw "When did it become a crime to be successful?"

I think I know when. It's when America's primary industry became finance - an industry that produces basically nothing. So while the rest of us are busy trying to invent/produce/sell something of real value, these guys divert the profits into their own hands and produce nothing in return.

The thinking is, there is a finite amount of money everyone is fighting over. Put another way, the amount of known money is a finite piece of pie that needs to be divided equally among everyone. Of course, that's just plum insane. As economies grow so does the amount of money available, so this thinking is blatantly false.

Another falsehood is, the more money that is taken from the rich and put in government will help pay for more things for everyone else. But if the truth be known, they run massive deficits every year and will spend a certain amount no matter if no taxes were gathered. As Dick Cheney once said, deficits no longer matter, it's all monopoly money.

The real crux of the situation is, government does not like citizens to be independent. Dependency creates power and slaves to the state. That's why they focus on taxing income. Notice they never talk about taxing wealth. That way no one ever messes with the rich like themselves.

 

[johnedwards]

So how are the "rich" hurting society?

There is an economic theory labeled "zero sum base", where the sum of the gains equals the sum of the losses.

Care to explain it? Then when you are done, care to prove it?

Of course, this sort of talk is why politics is akin to religion. Most of this is just taken on faith.

I really love what you just said. Your Statement is at the center of what is wrong in America. No one wants any of their politicians to have to prove anything. What ever comes out their mouths is the gospel.

 

[2aguy]

I was watching the first episode of a new Showtime series called 'Billions' last night. It's the story of the sole survivor of a financial firm that was decimated in the 9/11 attacks and now he's become a billionaire asshole. He had used his fuck you money to basically say fuck you to the people of New York and they were pissed. Sure enough, he pulled out that tired old conservative saw "When did it become a crime to be successful?"

I think I know when. It's when America's primary industry became finance - an industry that produces basically nothing. So while the rest of us are busy trying to invent/produce/sell something of real value, these guys divert the profits into their own hands and produce nothing in return.

The thinking is, there is a finite amount of money everyone is fighting over. Put another way, the amount of known money is a finite piece of pie that needs to be divided equally among everyone. Of course, that's just plum insane. As economies grow so does the amount of money available, so this thinking is blatantly false.

Another falsehood is, the more money that is taken from the rich and put in government will help pay for more things for everyone else. But if the truth be known, they run massive deficits every year and will spend a certain amount no matter if no taxes were gathered. As Dick Cheney once said, deficits no longer matter, it's all monopoly money.

The real crux of the situation is, government does not like citizens to be independent. Dependency creates power and slaves to the state. That's why they focus on taxing income. Notice they never talk about taxing wealth. That way no one ever messes with the rich like themselves.

There are real limits to the amounts of physical resources that can be produced. And if you've ever tried innovating anything, you'll know that there are limits to how much can be done there as well. After a couple of decades in the engineering trenches, it became obvious to me that the money being paid to financial parasites is increasing much faster than the real economy.

We live in an infinite universe, so our limitations on resources are self imposed.

All it comes down to are the rich and powerful trying to exert power over the current natural resources currently in their grasp. It's just a thing called greed

Quite true. Well, the greed part anyway. As for limitations, they are real since we don't have access to the universe - only our tiny blue ball.

Yeah....what part of self imposed limitations didn't you understand.......our space travel is in it's infancy but one day we will be travelling around the galaxy because people used money to finance their inventions that will get us there........

 

[Mac1958]

No one wants any of their politicians to have to prove anything. What ever comes out their mouths is the gospel.

I've never understood this.

There is nothing special about these people, yet their followers treat them like royalty.

Weird.
.

 

[2aguy]

Conservatives who actually defend billionaires for not too sane reasons, either forget or never read about what led to the French Revolution.

Except most billionaires are democrats. Fail.

No...a corrupt government led to the French revolution.......you know...where the rich controlled the government and used it to control people....like the democrats dream of doing.....

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

"When did it become a crime to be successful?"

This stupid question is a crime.

 

[JoeNormal]

It all goes together:

• You didn't build that, someone else made that happen
• You didn't earn that, you cheated or stole to get it
• You didn't work for that, it was given to you
  
• Your business didn't earn that, you took advantage of someone
• If you have it, it belongs to someone else
  
• You can't be successful, that rich guy over there won't let you
• You can't be successful because of your skin color
  
• Your failures aren't your fault, they're someone else's fault

All that is now part of our culture. Enjoy.
.

And apparently, your culture says that if anyone has a problem with these scumbags, it must be envy. Don't you guys ever get tired of defending the indefensible?

Well, at least you didn't try to deny my point. Good, that would have been silly.

And who, precisely, do you mean by "you guys"? Do you think I'm a conservative or a Republican, something like that?

Wanna try again?
.

Well, I have very limited interest in trying to remember the nuances of every poster's individual political leanings. Frankly, the difference in my mind between conservative and libertarian is vanishingly small when it comes down to it. What I HAVE seen is the general sentiments that you've expressed being listed time and time again. Maybe there's some talking point factory that everyone of your ilk subscribes to. They all fit on bumper stickers which appears to be of prime importance. Out of curiosity, what do you consider yourself?

I'm just an independent.

And again, it's good to see you not trying to deny my points.
.

I've denied them all wholesale by denying the underlying assumption that these criticisms are based on envy.

 

[Votto]

So how are the "rich" hurting society?

There is an economic theory labeled "zero sum base", where the sum of the gains equals the sum of the losses.

Care to explain it? Then when you are done, care to prove it?

Of course, this sort of talk is why politics is akin to religion. Most of this is just taken on faith.

I really love what you just said. Your Statement is at the center of what is wrong in America. No one wants any of their politicians to have to prove anything. What ever comes out their mouths is the gospel.

Hitler once passed a steep tax upon the top 4% of Germans back in the day. It did not do a whole lot to cover the massive debt Hitler created but it did give the average German a warm fuzzy feeling they liked. Shrug, it increased the popularity of Hitler which all boils down to our tendency to covet.

 

[Mac1958]

It all goes together:

• You didn't build that, someone else made that happen
• You didn't earn that, you cheated or stole to get it
• You didn't work for that, it was given to you
  
• Your business didn't earn that, you took advantage of someone
• If you have it, it belongs to someone else
  
• You can't be successful, that rich guy over there won't let you
• You can't be successful because of your skin color
  
• Your failures aren't your fault, they're someone else's fault

All that is now part of our culture. Enjoy.
.

And apparently, your culture says that if anyone has a problem with these scumbags, it must be envy. Don't you guys ever get tired of defending the indefensible?

Well, at least you didn't try to deny my point. Good, that would have been silly.

And who, precisely, do you mean by "you guys"? Do you think I'm a conservative or a Republican, something like that?

Wanna try again?
.

Well, I have very limited interest in trying to remember the nuances of every poster's individual political leanings. Frankly, the difference in my mind between conservative and libertarian is vanishingly small when it comes down to it. What I HAVE seen is the general sentiments that you've expressed being listed time and time again. Maybe there's some talking point factory that everyone of your ilk subscribes to. They all fit on bumper stickers which appears to be of prime importance. Out of curiosity, what do you consider yourself?

I'm just an independent.

And again, it's good to see you not trying to deny my points.
.

I've denied them all wholesale by denying the underlying assumption that these criticisms are based on envy.

Of course.



The first quote, of course, came directly from Obama. The rest have all been said in multiple ways.

But you keep denying, I know how the game is played.
.

 

[nat4900]

Care to explain it? Then when you are done, care to prove it?

Of course, this sort of talk is why politics is akin to religion. Most of this is just taken on faith.

Good point....Would you deny, then, that the middle class has lost a percentile of expected income while the wealthier class has dramatically gained their income?

 

[nat4900]

No...a corrupt government led to the French revolution.......you know...where the rich controlled the government and used it to control people....like the democrats dream of doing.....

Wow......You just well-described the Citizen United decision...Congrats !!!

 

[BluesLegend]

Democrats are failures so they need the 'rich' to be their scapegoat.

 

[JoeNormal]

And apparently, your culture says that if anyone has a problem with these scumbags, it must be envy. Don't you guys ever get tired of defending the indefensible?

Well, at least you didn't try to deny my point. Good, that would have been silly.

And who, precisely, do you mean by "you guys"? Do you think I'm a conservative or a Republican, something like that?

Wanna try again?
.

Well, I have very limited interest in trying to remember the nuances of every poster's individual political leanings. Frankly, the difference in my mind between conservative and libertarian is vanishingly small when it comes down to it. What I HAVE seen is the general sentiments that you've expressed being listed time and time again. Maybe there's some talking point factory that everyone of your ilk subscribes to. They all fit on bumper stickers which appears to be of prime importance. Out of curiosity, what do you consider yourself?

I'm just an independent.

And again, it's good to see you not trying to deny my points.
.

I've denied them all wholesale by denying the underlying assumption that these criticisms are based on envy.

Of course.



The first quote, of course, came directly from Obama. The rest have all been said in multiple ways.

But you keep denying, I know how the game is played.
.

What would you do if you had to take statements in context? Your head would probably explode because that thought would no longer fit on a bumper sticker.

 

[FA_Q2]

It all goes together:

• You didn't build that, someone else made that happen
• You didn't earn that, you cheated or stole to get it
• You didn't work for that, it was given to you
  
• Your business didn't earn that, you took advantage of someone
• If you have it, it belongs to someone else
  
• You can't be successful, that rich guy over there won't let you
• You can't be successful because of your skin color
  
• Your failures aren't your fault, they're someone else's fault

All that is now part of our culture. Enjoy.
.

And apparently, your culture says that if anyone has a problem with these scumbags, it must be envy. Don't you guys ever get tired of defending the indefensible?

Well, at least you didn't try to deny my point. Good, that would have been silly.

And who, precisely, do you mean by "you guys"? Do you think I'm a conservative or a Republican, something like that?

Wanna try again?
.

Well, I have very limited interest in trying to remember the nuances of every poster's individual political leanings. Frankly, the difference in my mind between conservative and libertarian is vanishingly small when it comes down to it. What I HAVE seen is the general sentiments that you've expressed being listed time and time again. Maybe there's some talking point factory that everyone of your ilk subscribes to. They all fit on bumper stickers which appears to be of prime importance. Out of curiosity, what do you consider yourself?

I'm just an independent.

And again, it's good to see you not trying to deny my points.
.

I've denied them all wholesale by denying the underlying assumption that these criticisms are based on envy.

Not really. Envy really is not the base of these criticisms - it is the loss of personal responsibility or individualism.

Every single one of these is a shift from individual accomplishment or loss to something else.

 

[FA_Q2]

No...a corrupt government led to the French revolution.......you know...where the rich controlled the government and used it to control people....like the democrats dream of doing.....

Wow......You just well-described the Citizen United decision...Congrats !!!

If you think that governmental powers were not controlled by the wealthy before citizens united then I have bridge over here that is on prime real estate.

 

[Mac1958]

Well, at least you didn't try to deny my point. Good, that would have been silly.

And who, precisely, do you mean by "you guys"? Do you think I'm a conservative or a Republican, something like that?

Wanna try again?
.

Well, I have very limited interest in trying to remember the nuances of every poster's individual political leanings. Frankly, the difference in my mind between conservative and libertarian is vanishingly small when it comes down to it. What I HAVE seen is the general sentiments that you've expressed being listed time and time again. Maybe there's some talking point factory that everyone of your ilk subscribes to. They all fit on bumper stickers which appears to be of prime importance. Out of curiosity, what do you consider yourself?

I'm just an independent.

And again, it's good to see you not trying to deny my points.
.

I've denied them all wholesale by denying the underlying assumption that these criticisms are based on envy.

Of course.



The first quote, of course, came directly from Obama. The rest have all been said in multiple ways.

But you keep denying, I know how the game is played.
.

What would you do if you had to take statements in context? Your head would probably explode because that thought would no longer fit on a bumper sticker.

You folks always have to make stuff personal when you get pissy.


.