http://www.lewrockwell.com/williams-w/w-williams24.html
Bill Gates is the world’s richest person, but what kind of power does he have over you? Can he force your kid to go to a school you do not want him to attend? Can he deny you the right to braid hair in your home for a living? It turns out that a local politician, who might deny us the right to earn a living and dictates which school our kid attends, has far greater power over our lives than any rich person.
Rich people can gain power over us, but to do so, they must get permission from our elected representatives at the federal, state or local levels. For example, I might wish to purchase sugar from a Caribbean producer, but America’s sugar lobby pays congressmen hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to impose sugar import tariffs and quotas, forcing me and every other American to purchase their more expensive sugar.
Politicians love pitting us against the rich. All by themselves, the rich have absolutely no power over us. To rip us off, they need the might of Congress to rig the economic game. It’s a slick political sleight-of-hand where politicians and their allies amongst the intellectuals, talking heads and the news media get us caught up in the politics of envy as part of their agenda for greater control over our lives.
The sugar lobby is just one example among thousands. Just ask yourself: Who were the major recipients of the billions of taxpayer bailout dollars, the so-called Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)? The top recipients of TARP handouts included companies such as Citibank, AIG, Goldman Sachs and General Motors. Their top management are paid tens of millions dollars to run companies that were on the verge of bankruptcy, were it not for billions of dollars in taxpayer money. Politicians preach the politics of envy whilst reaching into the ordinary man’s pockets, through the IRS, and handing it over to their favorite rich people and others who make large contributions to their election efforts.
Do you agree or disagree?
You (and the article you cite) have framed the issue incorrectly. Liberals are correctly emphasizing a basic problem in our government. The policies that tend to favor the interests of the wealthy and those of big corporations over those of the American public are a problem in our politics. This is supposed to be a government of the people, by the people and for the people.
You correctly point out the influence of lobbyists on government. For each and every member of Congress there are many lobbyists from each of various industries. Their influence is undue. Obviously they are representing their own interests and not those of the general public.
We need to counter that undue influence from those entities that have huge concentrations of wealth and demand reform in the system that aids this influence.
We elect the politicians. We therefore are at fault for letting this situation continue.
Unfortunately, our efforts are being further undermined by the conservatives on the Supreme Court who issued a decision allowing corporate entities even more, and probably overwhelming, influence on the political process.
March 12th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
I think that your question is full of sweeping generalizations and discounts the real issues at hand.
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March 12th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Progressive liberals do, yes, you bet they do.
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March 12th, 2010 at 7:15 pm
i absolutely agree with that.big government sucks.
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March 12th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Mostly because of history, seeing that the rich have never really been kind to the poor and all. But never mind history, all corporations want to do is make a society a better place at no one’s expense. The early 1900s are just misrepresented, in reality the corporations were out for the common man.
Most of the rich could give two shits about you, me, or anyone else. If there were no regulations we would all be living in shacks, working 80 hours a week in unsafe conditions, and be slaves to our bosses. It is bad enough when I am required to carry around a cell phone, so that my job can dictate when I do and do not work. If you give them an inch, they will walk all over you.
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March 12th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
You answered your own question. Who benefitted the most from TARP? The rich. Do you think government just did that on a whim? They were bought and paid for, both parties.
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March 12th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Correct. We have to make a choice to allow a corporation to control any aspect of our lives.
Obama is trying to force that with mandated insurance
Government is the invasive part of society
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March 12th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
Progressives believe in Socialism. They do not believe in personal freedom or self reliance or any of the individual rights our Constitution guarantees. Thus, they must destroy Capitalism, since it is the force that enables us to be free. He who controls the means of production controls everything. You may have rights but without the means to make choices that personal wealth and property provide, you are not truly free.
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March 12th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Your so small in your thinking.
Bill Gates is the richest listed person but by no means the wealthiest.
Look at the wars and follow the money.Who gained?
Not the poor man who died.
Whos made money off of Iraq? Afghanistan?
Who stands to make money from the future wars in Syria, Venezuela, N. Korea and Iran?
Your thinking so small. As if the US IS the entire world.
Do you really think the recession is anything but on purpose?
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March 12th, 2010 at 10:56 pm
my boss has 10 times more power over me than any politician… (I’m not saying he is restricting my liberty, but he can do it)
and that’s where the rubber hits the road…
where is your confusion?
my insurance company can tell me which doctor to go to, and I don’t have a choice in that, it’s the insurance my company provides and really, how many people can afford their own?
I can quit technically, but I guess I could move if I didn’t like what the gov. was doing?
that’s not much of an excuse for bad behavior is it?
do you have a job or health insurance?
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March 12th, 2010 at 11:05 pm
You (and the article you cite) have framed the issue incorrectly. Liberals are correctly emphasizing a basic problem in our government. The policies that tend to favor the interests of the wealthy and those of big corporations over those of the American public are a problem in our politics. This is supposed to be a government of the people, by the people and for the people.
You correctly point out the influence of lobbyists on government. For each and every member of Congress there are many lobbyists from each of various industries. Their influence is undue. Obviously they are representing their own interests and not those of the general public.
We need to counter that undue influence from those entities that have huge concentrations of wealth and demand reform in the system that aids this influence.
We elect the politicians. We therefore are at fault for letting this situation continue.
Unfortunately, our efforts are being further undermined by the conservatives on the Supreme Court who issued a decision allowing corporate entities even more, and probably overwhelming, influence on the political process.
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March 12th, 2010 at 11:22 pm
A common liberal stance is that the wealthy should be heavily taxed to support the poor. I’m jealous and angry too when I find out the people who caused the financial crisis not only kept their jobs, but got bonuses that eclipse what most of us would earn in a lifetime. The companies and their shareholders should be holding these fat cats responsible, not the government. I’ll never do business with AIG or Bank of America because of their actions, but that doesn’t mean all companies are purely evil and greedy.
A good example is Ford, who rejected bailout money and did the responsible thing. There are plenty of wealthy CEOs and business owners who donate tons of money to charity, like Warren Buffet. Target is a huge into supporting local communities and charities and they don’t even use it for positive PR.
However, you know when a politician offers or gives you something, there are strings attached. They don’t care about you, they care about your vote.
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March 12th, 2010 at 11:50 pm
That article does a nice job of twisting reality. The wealthy few have power over the rest of us precisely because they can buy legislation and legislators to get what they want. "Don’t burden us", they cry, "with laws that protect consumers and worker’s rights and safety, or the environment" – because those laws cut into their profits. When the rich CONTROL the government, they ARE the government.
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