What do you expect of Billionaires being the leaders?

[Luckyone]

View attachment 1051231

Please explain the meaning of the map. You put no explanation and no link.

 

[Picaro]

1) Mahatma Gandhi
2) Martin Luther King Jr.
3) Abraham Lincoln
4) Nelson Mandela
5) Winston Churchill

The first 4 were hardcore racists, mostly catered to the majority politically, and were corporatists. Churchill was an excellent writer and speaker, and a world class politician, and from an aristocratic family.

1) Augustus Caesar
2) Cosimo de Medici
3) Mansa Musa
4) Genghis Khan

All of them sere products of their culture and society. The Medici were no better or worse than their enemies, and lived in a vicious political climate. No real genius, just a cunning and shrewdness. 'Wealth' doesn't count as much as political clout and personal influence once one's status rises above a certain level. 1, 3, and 4 were able to pull together a dominant political consensus along with a fairly competent military expertise. Without that wealth wouldn't have had any effect.

 

[Luckyone]

The first 4 were hardcore racists, mostly catered to the majority politically, and were corporatists. Churchill was an excellent writer and speaker, and a world class politician, and from an aristocratic family.


All of them sere products of their culture and society. The Medici were no better or worse than their enemies, and lived in a vicious political climate. No real genius, just a cunning and shrewdness. 'Wealth' doesn't count as much as political clout and personal influence once one's status rises above a certain level. 1, 3, and 4 were able to pull together a dominant political consensus along with a fairly competent military expertise. Without that wealth wouldn't have had any effect.

Your points have already been hashed out and explained.

Those were "examples" that I gathered from Google and the reality is that I should not have given examples as those can be picked apart. What cannot be picked apart is the basic of the OP, which is:

Do you think that a Billionaire from a wealthy family can relate-to/empathize with the common person​

That is the basic principle of the OP. The results of the vote are 53.6% to 46.4% in favor of "no". Given that this message board has a 90% Republican-Trumper population and they still lost the vote of the poll, should tell you that the OP is totally correct. A rich person from a wealthy family CANNOT related to/empathize with the common person. As such, they should not be our leaders.

 

[hadit]

300 62 too close to the sun


NotfooledbyW ccclxii. to 361.: i’m sorry. I forgot Saint Donald Trump of the Republican Party. Sainthood can do no bad.

What could possibly go bad?

34 human beings with a net worth of $340 billion having a granted the opportunity to control the lives of 340 million Americans and essentially every human being on the planet

Is Trump flying too close to the sun with this crew?

Who will suffer when is fucking angel wings melt… if he is?

Business InsiderMeet the billionaires working with Trump on his second term4 hours ago

Dec 6, 2024. Politics & Policy
Trump's billionaires set to take government by storm. Zachary Basu

President-elect Trump has assembled an administration of unprecedented, mind-boggling wealth — smashing his own first-term record by billions of dollars.

That's even without counting the ballooning fortunes of his prized outside adviser and the world's richest man: Elon Musk.

Why it matters: It's not hyperbole to call this a government of billionaires. Whether it acts as a government for billionaires — as Democrats argue is inevitable — could test and potentially tarnish. Trump's populist legacy.

The big picture: Besides Trump, Musk and his fellow Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Vivek Ramaswamy, at least 11 billionaires will be serving key roles in the administration.

They've been picked to lead the departments of Treasury (Scott Bessent), Commerce (Howard Lutnick), Education (Linda McMahon), Interior (Doug Burgum), the Small Business Administration (Kelly Loeffler) and NASA (Jared Isaacman).

On Thursday night, Trump announcedthat tech investor David Sacks, an early executive at PayPal and top Musk ally, would serve as White House AI and crypto czar.

Financier Stephen Feinberg has been nominated for the No. 2 position at the Pentagon; Trump family in-laws Charles Kushner (ambassador to France) and Massad Boulos (Middle East adviser) were tapped for diplomatic roles alongside billionaire donor Warren Stephens (ambassador to the U.K.).

An additional four top appointees are hundred-millionaires: Celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz (Medicare and Medicaid administrator), Fiserv CEO Frank Bisignano (Social Security commissioner), real estate executive Steven Witkoff(Middle East envoy) and fracking CEO Chris Wright (Energy Department).

By the numbers: Trump's projected Cabinet alone is worth at least $10 billion, according to research by Axios and the nonprofit Americans for Tax Fairness — an estimate that likely undervalues the true total.

With Musk, Ramaswamy and other wealthy appointees included, the top of the Trump administration's net worth is likely higher than the GDP of hundreds of countries, including Finland, Chile and New Zealand.

President Biden's Cabinet, by comparison, was worth an estimated $118 million when he took office, according to Forbes.

Between the lines: Trump's gilded Cabinet is the product of an election in which billionaires spent like never before. in U.S. history — mostly on behalf of Republicans.

And yet it was Democrats who shed major support among working-class voters, suggesting Trump's populist message — and the aspirational riches he represents — once again were underestimated.

What to watch: Still, by rewarding so many of his biggest donors and billionaire allies with plum postings, Trump could risk flying too close to the sun.

With every billionaire appointee comes a minefield of conflicts of interest and ethical concerns — exactly the kind of swampy conditions that Trump has vowed to drain.

The optics alone could turbo-charge the strain of populist left politics — championed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — that characterizes America today as an "oligarchy."

The bottom line: Musk already has previewed the kind of clumsy messaging that could allow Democrats to paint Trump's billionaires as woefully out of touch.

"We have to reduce spending to live within our means," Musk — whose PAC spent nearly $200 million to help Trump get elected — declared at town halldays before the election.

"And, you know, that necessarily involves some temporary hardship, but it will ensure long-term prosperity," the world's richest man added. nfbw 241207 Vdytta00362

The absolute terror on display at the thought of people in politics so wealthy that they simply cannot be bought and controlled by party power elites is overwhelming. Their greatest fear is to deal with politicians so wealthy that they literally do not care about the carrots and sticks wielded by those who seek to control them. What they REALLY want are politicians on the scale of QPJ and Cackles, wealthy enough to want more, but not so wealthy they can't be swayed by those offering more than they already have.

TRUMP! doesn't need wealthy donors. Musk doesn't need wealthy donors. This scares the crap out of the power elite, who are accustomed to buying control by flashing large amounts of money. How else do you think they got Bernie to drop out?

 

[Picaro]

Your points have already been hashed out and explained.

Those were "examples" that I gathered from Google and the reality is that I should not have given examples as those can be picked apart. What cannot be picked apart is the basic of the OP, which is:

Do you think that a Billionaire from a wealthy family can relate-to/empathize with the common person​

That is the basic principle of the OP. The results of the vote are 53.6% to 46.4% in favor of "no". Given that this message board has a 90% Republican-Trumper population and they still lost the vote of the poll, should tell you that the OP is totally correct. A rich person from a wealthy family CANNOT related to/empathize with the common person. As such, they should not be our leaders.

Trump's base is made up of more populist Democrats than old school Republicans. Trump has changed the Party's dominant base, so the comparison is not a valid one. There are still a lot of 'old school' Republican shills here and in the Party, enough to sway policy, and enough of them who can be easily bought, as with those who voted for Biden's 'IRA', and then 'retired' with billions of pork and corporate welfare for their 'retirement'. They weren't 'billionaires', either.

Not all 'rich people' are idiots, they have a lot of contacts and access others don't, and can be quite effective as public servants, more so than poor kids who rely on Party machines for success in politics. Trump is effective precisely because he doesn't rely on the Party,and he's already rich and not dependent on corporate support.

Not all rich families spoil their kids. I've personally been asked if I 'wanted fries with that' by three sons of local billionaires who had to get jobs if they wanted stuff, and knew another who worked as a field service tech for IBM, though he did live at home. It's true some do spoil their kids; TCU has a lot of 19 year old 'VP's' of well heeled oil companies making $200K a year while warming seats in college full time, as Daddy is writing off their allowances and fraternity expenses, but those rarely do well in politics, or business. Silly Con Valley is also full of those types, $1,000 a week allowances, in 10th grade, suicide attempts and drug rehab at 17 to 19 , i.e. Hunter Biden types.

 

[Luckyone]

Trump's base is made up of more populist Democrats than old school Republicans. Trump has changed the Party's dominant base, so the comparison is not a valid one. There are still a lot of 'old school' Republican shills here and in the Party, enough to sway policy, and enough of them who can be easily bought, as with those who voted for Biden's 'IRA', and then 'retired' with billions of pork and corporate welfare for their 'retirement'. They weren't 'billionaires', either.

Not all 'rich people' are idiots, they have a lot of contacts and access others don't, and can be quite effective as public servants, more so than poor kids who rely on Party machines for success in politics. Trump is effective precisely because he doesn't rely on the Party,and he's already rich and not dependent on corporate support.

Not all rich families spoil their kids. I've personally been asked if I 'wanted fries with that' by three sons of local billionaires who had to get jobs if they wanted stuff, and knew another who worked as a field service tech for IBM, though he did live at home. It's true some do spoil their kids; TCU has a lot of 19 year old 'VP's' of well heeled oil companies making $200K a year while warming seats in college full time, as Daddy is writing off their allowances and fraternity expenses, but those rarely do well in politics, or business. Silly Con Valley is also full of those types, $1,000 a week allowances, in 10th grade, suicide attempts and drug rehab at 17 to 19 , i.e. Hunter Biden types.

You didn't really address the post. You talked all around it. You talk about "people" and the question is basically "Do you think that Trump and Musk can relate to and be empathic of the poor and middle class needs" such as having no money to pay your bills, such as having good and affordable health insurance, such as being sure that your kids are not attacked by bullies or worse, being attacked by full of hate mass killers, etc.

 

[Luckyone]

I found a piece of news today that not only is in the parameters of this OP but also applies to several other OP;s put up recently, regarding Social Security, Medicare, and Trump's Dictatorship approach.

Here is the news:

Here is some data that needs to be considered

Trump selects record-breaking number of billionaires for his administration​

Here is the video with the news



One thing stated in the first few minutes of the video is that the amount of net worth of these individuals chosen by Trump is 84 times greater than the net worth of all Biden cabinet members or those chosen by Biden to run the country,

This OP is all about whether rich people can actually relate to and empathize with the problems of the middle and poor class, which is 98% of the population.

This news makes that question even more relevant

Nonetheless and within this news, another big issue is being bandied about and that is Social Security and Medicare and the future of those. This came out 3 days ago:

Republicans are far from done targeting Medicare, Social Security​

Donald Trump claims Social Security and Medicare will be left alone. Congressional Republicans appear to have a very different agenda in mind.

Part of the problem is that there’s often an enormous gap between what the president-elect says he’ll do and what he actually does. Making matters worse, his record on the issue isn’t nearly as sterling as he likes to pretend.

And then, of course, there are congressional Republicans to consider. Last week, for example, Republican Rep. Richard McCormick of Georgia also appeared on Fox Business and said, “We’re gonna have to have some hard decisions. We’ve gotta bring in the Democrats and talk about Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare. There’s hundreds of billions of dollars to be saved, and we know how to do it. We just have to have the stomach to actually take those challenges on.”

and then this article

Trump’s plan for Social Security risks undermining its future​

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to end taxes on Social Security benefits. Many seniors naturally responded positively to this idea, and he was rewarded with their votes. It’s easy to see why many would agree with this idea on the surface. After all, workers already pay taxes on their earnings throughout their careers. These taxes are used to fund future Social Security benefits. Retirees would be excused for thinking that they’re being taxed twice.

However, the reality is far more complicated — and potentially disastrous. By law, taxes on Social Security benefits are funneled back into the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. Ending this revenue stream would have serious financial consequences, accelerating the insolvency of both programs. This would put the benefits that millions of American seniors depend on at grave risk.

 

[Luckyone]

Trump's base is made up of more populist Democrats than old school Republicans. Trump has changed the Party's dominant base, so the comparison is not a valid one. There are still a lot of 'old school' Republican shills here and in the Party, enough to sway policy, and enough of them who can be easily bought, as with those who voted for Biden's 'IRA', and then 'retired' with billions of pork and corporate welfare for their 'retirement'. They weren't 'billionaires', either.

Not all 'rich people' are idiots, they have a lot of contacts and access others don't, and can be quite effective as public servants, more so than poor kids who rely on Party machines for success in politics. Trump is effective precisely because he doesn't rely on the Party,and he's already rich and not dependent on corporate support.

Not all rich families spoil their kids. I've personally been asked if I 'wanted fries with that' by three sons of local billionaires who had to get jobs if they wanted stuff, and knew another who worked as a field service tech for IBM, though he did live at home. It's true some do spoil their kids; TCU has a lot of 19 year old 'VP's' of well heeled oil companies making $200K a year while warming seats in college full time, as Daddy is writing off their allowances and fraternity expenses, but those rarely do well in politics, or business. Silly Con Valley is also full of those types, $1,000 a week allowances, in 10th grade, suicide attempts and drug rehab at 17 to 19 , i.e. Hunter Biden types.

Please look and address/answer what is provided in post #407

 

[Moonglow]

I truly have a question that I would like to discuss. It is more of a general question but it does apply now.

What do you expect from Billionaires that are leaders, especially those that grew up in wealthy homes having everything they needed from the get go? Do you expect them to understand the travails, obstacles, hardships, needs of the middle and poor class? Be able to relate empathize to them in a way that is real?

In the case of Trump and of Musk, these are two leaders that were born rich and never had to experience the travails of a poor man or even of the middle class person. Can such a person understand and feel what the poor and middle class person had to go through to pay their bills, take care of their family, make sure there was food on the table, that they had health insurance and that the medical bills got paid? Did they ever have to experience racism, bullying, injustice, and life's pain as they grew up? Ever have to have 2 or 3 jobs just to make ends meet?

I want to now talk history and about some of the great leaders history has brought us.

Here are 5 that I found on Google

1) Mahatma Gandhi
2) Martin Luther King Jr.
3) Abraham Lincoln
4) Nelson Mandela
5) Winston Churchill

Did any of these people come from wealthy families? were they wealthy themselves? No, they weren't!

On the other side of the coin, here are 4 leaders that were among the richest of all time and see the havoc they wrought on their people

1) Augustus Caesar
2) Cosimo de Medici
3) Mansa Musa
4) Genghis Khan

I am not saying that wealthiness prevents someone from being a great leader, given that JF Kennedy was born to a rich family and was rich himself and was a good president. Nonetheless, there are several things that are "rarely" taught in rich families that are necessary ingredients that a leader must have. They are:

1. Character and Integrity: Great leaders have unwavering character and integrity. They stick to their values and principles even when the decision is tough. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln exemplified this and led their followers with honesty and moral courage.
2. Vision and Strategy: A great leader has a clear vision for the future and the strategic thinking to make it happen. Jeff Bezos, for example, has disrupted the retail industry with his long-term view and innovative strategies at Amazon.
3. Empathy and Emotional Intelligence: Leaders who understand and connect with their followers’ emotions can inspire and motivate like no one else. Martin Luther King Jr.’s empathetic approach and communication skills were key to the civil rights movement.
4. Resilience and Perseverance: Great leadership requires the ability to withstand tough times and persevere through adversity. Nelson Mandela’s commitment to justice and equality despite decades of imprisonment shows incredible resilience.
5. Impact and Legacy: Ultimately, a leader’s greatness is measured by the impact they have on their organization, community, or the world. The greatest leaders leave a legacy that continues to inspire and influence long after they are gone.

Of these 5 attributes, there are two that neither Trump nor Musk possess and that is Character and Integrity and Empathy and Emotional Intelligence. Without those two, the leader is very limited in what he will be able to accomplish "for the people"

As such, my view is that these two leaders we now have cannot become great for our nation. Having said that, I want to hear your views but your views need to be based on the fact that both of these men were born to wealthy families and never had to go through what you and I went through. How can they empathize with us without having some personal benefit to themselves as first priority? Have money, fame and power as their top priority?

Like putting the fox in charge of the hen house.

 

[Luckyone]

I expect them to act like poor white trash with a bigger expense account.

Please look and address/answer what is provided in post #407

 

[Luckyone]

those are not extremes Lucky, lack of them is an extreme, which has resulted in economic damage Trump is planning to remedy
~S~

Talking about extremes. Please look and address/answer what is provided in post #407

 

[Luckyone]

I admit, he is a bit eccentric, I wouldn't say insane, but he is certainly self absorbed.

He can do the job though, that's what counts.

Please look and address/answer what is provided in post #407

 

[Moonglow]

I found a piece of news today that not only is in the parameters of this OP but also applies to several other OP;s put up recently, regarding Social Security, Medicare, and Trump's Dictatorship approach.

Here is the news:

Here is some data that needs to be considered

Trump selects record-breaking number of billionaires for his administration​

Here is the video with the news



One thing stated in the first few minutes of the video is that the amount of net worth of these individuals chosen by Trump is 84 times greater than the net worth of all Biden cabinet members or those chosen by Biden to run the country,

This OP is all about whether rich people can actually relate to and empathize with the problems of the middle and poor class, which is 98% of the population.

This news makes that question even more relevant

Nonetheless and within this news, another big issue is being bandied about and that is Social Security and Medicare and the future of those. This came out 3 days ago:

Republicans are far from done targeting Medicare, Social Security​

Donald Trump claims Social Security and Medicare will be left alone. Congressional Republicans appear to have a very different agenda in mind.

Part of the problem is that there’s often an enormous gap between what the president-elect says he’ll do and what he actually does. Making matters worse, his record on the issue isn’t nearly as sterling as he likes to pretend.

And then, of course, there are congressional Republicans to consider. Last week, for example, Republican Rep. Richard McCormick of Georgia also appeared on Fox Business and said, “We’re gonna have to have some hard decisions. We’ve gotta bring in the Democrats and talk about Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare. There’s hundreds of billions of dollars to be saved, and we know how to do it. We just have to have the stomach to actually take those challenges on.”

and then this article

Trump’s plan for Social Security risks undermining its future​

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to end taxes on Social Security benefits. Many seniors naturally responded positively to this idea, and he was rewarded with their votes. It’s easy to see why many would agree with this idea on the surface. After all, workers already pay taxes on their earnings throughout their careers. These taxes are used to fund future Social Security benefits. Retirees would be excused for thinking that they’re being taxed twice.

However, the reality is far more complicated — and potentially disastrous. By law, taxes on Social Security benefits are funneled back into the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. Ending this revenue stream would have serious financial consequences, accelerating the insolvency of both programs. This would put the benefits that millions of American seniors depend on at grave risk.

Currently the GOP doesn't have the numbers to change much more than Trump's diapers.

 

[sparky]

Talking about extremes. Please look and address/answer what is provided in post #407

All i get outta that is you've a serious problem doin' the math Lucky...... ~S~

 

[Luckyone]

All i get outta that is you've a serious problem doin' the math Lucky...... ~S~

Enlighten me

 

[sparky]

Enlighten me

that isn't going to happen in one post, not sorry.....~S~

 

[Luckyone]

that isn't going to happen in one post, not sorry.....~S~

What a normal excuse for a Trumper. Make a "bold" statement and then offer nothing to prove the statement.

Let me do the same. Trump was taught by Roy Cohn, who was a fan of Hitler but didn't like how Hitler ended up and did not agree with Hitler's desire to kill so many people. As such, Cohn copied Hitler's successful tactics and taught Trump how to be a dictator without Hitler's mistakes that got him defeated and killed.

Trump is our new Hitler but without the losses or the killings but with the same result. A strong dictatorship with millions of believers.

How is that for a believable but unsupported by fact statement, eh?

 

[sparky]

How is that for a believable but unsupported by fact statement, eh?

somebody needs a checkup from the neckup......~S~

 

[Luckyone]

somebody needs a checkup from the neckup......~S~

are you looking in the mirror as you say this?

 

[sparky]

~S~