tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post4721595138272366553..comments2024-03-18T13:27:42.621-04:00Comments on CURMUDGUCATION: What They DeservePeter Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511193640285760299noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-14943832750049891682017-07-10T10:01:27.083-04:002017-07-10T10:01:27.083-04:00"Rich people have more choices; that's su..."Rich people have more choices; that's supposed to be the point of being rich. To use government support or subsidies or tax dollars to give poor folks those same kinds of choices as rich folks is giving them something they don't deserve, that they didn't earn fair and square."<br /><br />Yes, that is a pretty good encapsulation of the conservative world view. So someone needs to explain to me then how vouchers are a conservative position? Since when have conservatives ever been in favor of handing out money to the undeserving so they can "have the same choices as the rich"?Diennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04570040547158789834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-76757850738493245112017-07-09T13:35:16.764-04:002017-07-09T13:35:16.764-04:00Metta, you and Peter have described perfectly two ...Metta, you and Peter have described perfectly two world views that are usually diametrically in opposition to each other. I honestly cannot understand the notion that government should reinforce a system based on social Darwinism, that it must not try to break down the socio-economic divisions that separate us. Our culture and many of our organized religions adhere to this "value", and it makes little sense to me.Rockhoundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01299693670102907901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-49876435637616876592017-07-09T13:14:08.645-04:002017-07-09T13:14:08.645-04:00I really like your take on this. Most of the few ...I really like your take on this. Most of the few well-off people I know work really hard. But they don't work harder than me. And they for sure don't work harder than my father, who was dirt-poor most of his life. The difference is mostly that their backgrounds, connections and the confidence induced by a secure safety net has allowed them to leverage that hard work into much greater success than the rest of us. This whole piece reminds me of the Greg Brown song "Just a Bum" where Greg reminds us that "time ain't money when all you got is time."Dave Eckstromhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13521336850803352134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-55371852678149724742017-07-09T10:14:09.497-04:002017-07-09T10:14:09.497-04:00The thing about a lot of wealthy people is, most o...The thing about a lot of wealthy people is, most of them did NOT inherit their current wealth. What they likely did get was a leg up by their parents doing perhaps a few small things for them - paying for college, giving them a downpayment (or the entire payment) for a new home, leaving them a decent chunk of cash (not millions but perhaps a few hundred thousand) when they died, etc. In other cases, they were just enormously lucky - maybe they grew up when college and homes and cars were relatively inexpensive and growth was practically exponential. <br /><br />So, they started the game on 1st or 2nd base and all the while begin with the premise that everyone is either A) more or less on equal footing from the start or, B) that anyone can simply pull themselves up by their bootstraps if they just have the will to do so. Sure, they work hard and build their wealth over time but they were gifted some pretty major advantages that they either downplay or outright refuse to acknowledge. This creates a sense of "I wasn't handed anything and had to earn my own way" which, like most canards and stereotypes, has a kernel of truth to it so cannot be completely dismissed but is backfilled mostly with smug self-indulgence and grandstanding.<br /><br />Ultimately, they want to believe that everyone can recreate the circumstances of their own life (which is, in their mind, hard-fought and won; not necessarily false in it's own way but not nearly as impressive considering the advantages they had from the start) and do what they did if they just weren't so damn lazy/incompetent/immoral. It really is a new form of aristocracy and serfdom - those of "low breeding/stock" are just not good people or they would be more wealthy and successful. To them, it's just a natural system and government should be used to reinforce that system, not break it down. Metta World Newshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16998589160429079725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-335207438237973972017-07-09T09:17:53.758-04:002017-07-09T09:17:53.758-04:00Brilliant piece, just love it - you nailed it once...Brilliant piece, just love it - you nailed it once again. Wish I could get everybody I know to read and reflect on this whole big idea here, that we really do so need to be mindful of today in the U.S. Mrs.S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06459882623910067594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-4419191516436382792017-07-08T17:13:23.133-04:002017-07-08T17:13:23.133-04:00Or the guy who lives off his inheritance while run...Or the guy who lives off his inheritance while running a grifters epic long con into the White House. <br />I am so stealing that.11811https://www.blogger.com/profile/07771545817287201747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-86704461331293430082017-07-08T17:00:24.556-04:002017-07-08T17:00:24.556-04:00Great analysis! Isn't it ironic that more and ...Great analysis! Isn't it ironic that more and more of the wealthy who feel they clearly deserve more because they earned it did NOTHING to earn that wealth. They inherited it, which in their mind, obviously entitles them to more! Yeah, that makes sense!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02460639229043860740noreply@blogger.com