Because Being That Rich and That Clueless Is a Crime

Tom B over at They Gave Us A Republic .... has the best outburst of populist rage I've read since Molly Ivins died.

This is, of course, coming from a guy whose never CREATED a single penny of wealth, probably in his entire life. Look around you Nick. What the hell does a "financial services" company contribute to society in general?

Punished for making money? Bullshit... you're being expected to do something to EARN your hideously large piece of the pie... something of value to somebody besides yourself. If you haven't learned the difference between EARNING money and simply making it, there's no hope for this country. You don't fricking DO better than anyone else. You just get paid more for whatever it is that you DO do, that's all.

Wealth distribution??? This guy's entire career is built around "redistributing wealth". This guy has never created a goddamn thing but sits on his plush ass on some plush chair in some plush office somewhere, directing or "redistributing" the flow of wealth from the pockets of those actually creating it into those of those who think they're entitled to all of the wealth in the country simply by virtue of BEING wealthy. This circular logic is at the expense of everyone else in the damned country and for this, he gets to "redistribute" a little chunk of it for himself.

That's all he fricking does. He's never built anything, never invented anything, never healed anyone, never treated or rescued anyone, never pursued a criminal, never tried a case, never sold anything, hauled anything, fixed anything... in short he's never done a f**king thing that is of any intrinsic value to anyone except himself and the turdmaster bosses he works for. He's a parasite, plain and simple and, as often happens, the parasites now think they're more important than the hosts.

I have no idea how much damage these people think they can do to our economy and our society and still have the fricking unmitigated gall to look me in the eye and tell me they're somehow worth more than the guy driving that Sysco truck because they went to Columbia or Wharton but I have a feeling we're going to find out. My favorite Yogi-ism has always been, "It ain't over 'til it's over.", and this ain't over.

Read the whole thing.

Getting rich is the American Dream, and the self-made millionaire the American Icon, but both demand humility and gratitude for the American Opportunity.

One of the most insidiously destructive aspects of the Reagan Era, through which we are still suffering, is the profoundly un-democratic and un-American idea that rich people are somehow "better" and "more deserving" than non-rich people.

It's particularly disgusting coming from trust fund babies and Wall Street lottery winners whose billions appeared as if by magic, with no effort on their part.

It's a poison that kills every progressive initiative: single-payer health care, the living wage, workers' right to bargain collectively, top-flight public schools, social justice, public transportation, affordable college, regulation of corporations and of course clean (publicly funded) campaigns.

So don't let the rich fuckers get away with it. Challenge them at every turn. Get "How have you made the world better today?" tattooed on your forehead.