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> I'm sick of billionaires with megaphones blaring their virtues As a society, the US has shifted its values from intellectually sound principles, to what ever

> I'm sick of billionaires with megaphones blaring their virtues As a society, the US has shifted its values from intellectually sound principles, to what ever rich people shout out. I vomit in my mouth when I see videos of people showing currency, of people talking to you about "doing the hustle", etc etc. US has fallen into an abyss of moral decline, where the value of your words are directly proportional to the amount of wealth you have managed to gather, no matter the means.

saulpw 5y ago
Worthington's Law in action. More Money == Better Than.
Ansil849 5y ago
> As a society, the US has shifted its values from intellectually sound principles, to what ever rich people shout out. When has this not been the case? Politicians in America are traditionally wealthy people.
- asdff 5y ago
  Most of the presidents from the last century were not born into wealth.
  - Ansil849 5y ago
    > Most of the presidents from the last century were not born into wealth. Whether or not they were born into wealth is irrelevant to my claim, which is: > Politicians in America are traditionally wealthy people. Of the 17 presidents from the last century, only three (and just nine total) are listed as having a net worth of less than one million: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_United_States_by_net_worth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_Unit... America is a country ruled by the wealthy. Both by wealthy politicians and wealthy corporations.
    - haser_au 5y ago
      > Of the 17 presidents from the last century, only three (and just nine total) are listed as having a net worth of less than one million You might want to quote the sentence at the top of the Wikipedia table in your link, that says this is their "peak net worth" and "may occur after that president has left office". Read through the list in the link below. McKinley, Wilson, Coolidge, Hoover, Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Obama and Biden can't be considered to have been born into families of wealth. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/11/05/the-net-worth-of-the-american-presidents-washington-to-trump/114599966/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/11/05/the-net-wort... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden#Early_life_(1942%E2%80%931965) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden#Early_life_(1942%E2%...
      - Ansil849 5y ago
        > You might want to quote the sentence at the top of the Wikipedia table in your link > can't be considered to have been born into families of wealth And you, in turn, might want to quote the sentence at the top of my previous reply where I state that I am not talking about being born into wealth. 12, by the way, is still a small minority. The majority of American presidents were millionaires. It's pretty cut and dry.
    - freeflight 5y ago
      > America is a country ruled by the wealthy. Both by wealthy politicians and wealthy corporations. As much as that statement is usually decried as "edgy teenage take", it's actually backed by political science [0] [0] https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-poli...
sircastor 5y ago
I appreciate what you’re saying and agree with you, but I’m not confident that the US was ever not “whatever rich people shout out”.
- gremIin 5y ago
  Sure women couldn't vote and black people didn't have civil rights, but at least people were modest!
freeflight 5y ago
> As a society, the US has shifted its values from intellectually sound principles, to what ever rich people shout out. Nothing exemplifies this as much as the whole situation surrounding public transport in the US. A topic that's generally scoffed at "Everybody has a car, why would the US need a high-speed rail network?!" At least until some billionaire presents his newest "innovation" by putting people in some pipe or another and allegedly making them go 600+ mph with magic inertia dampeners, then everybody loses their their collective poop about this amazing idea, by that amazing entrepreneur! Then they end up with a bunch of cars being driven trough a tunnel, still no high-speed rail, but can't wait to chase after the next billionaire promising them to shoot people trough tubes at deadly speeds. Would be excellent satire if it wasn't actual reality.

saulpw 5y ago

Worthington's Law in action. More Money == Better Than.

Ansil849 5y ago

> As a society, the US has shifted its values from intellectually sound principles, to what ever rich people shout out. When has this not been the case? Politicians in America are traditionally wealthy people.

asdff 5y ago
Most of the presidents from the last century were not born into wealth.
- Ansil849 5y ago
  > Most of the presidents from the last century were not born into wealth. Whether or not they were born into wealth is irrelevant to my claim, which is: > Politicians in America are traditionally wealthy people. Of the 17 presidents from the last century, only three (and just nine total) are listed as having a net worth of less than one million: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_United_States_by_net_worth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_Unit... America is a country ruled by the wealthy. Both by wealthy politicians and wealthy corporations.
  - haser_au 5y ago
    > Of the 17 presidents from the last century, only three (and just nine total) are listed as having a net worth of less than one million You might want to quote the sentence at the top of the Wikipedia table in your link, that says this is their "peak net worth" and "may occur after that president has left office". Read through the list in the link below. McKinley, Wilson, Coolidge, Hoover, Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Obama and Biden can't be considered to have been born into families of wealth. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/11/05/the-net-worth-of-the-american-presidents-washington-to-trump/114599966/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/11/05/the-net-wort... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden#Early_life_(1942%E2%80%931965) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden#Early_life_(1942%E2%...
    - Ansil849 5y ago
      > You might want to quote the sentence at the top of the Wikipedia table in your link > can't be considered to have been born into families of wealth And you, in turn, might want to quote the sentence at the top of my previous reply where I state that I am not talking about being born into wealth. 12, by the way, is still a small minority. The majority of American presidents were millionaires. It's pretty cut and dry.
  - freeflight 5y ago
    > America is a country ruled by the wealthy. Both by wealthy politicians and wealthy corporations. As much as that statement is usually decried as "edgy teenage take", it's actually backed by political science [0] [0] https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-poli...

sircastor 5y ago

I appreciate what you’re saying and agree with you, but I’m not confident that the US was ever not “whatever rich people shout out”.

gremIin 5y ago
Sure women couldn't vote and black people didn't have civil rights, but at least people were modest!

freeflight 5y ago

> As a society, the US has shifted its values from intellectually sound principles, to what ever rich people shout out. Nothing exemplifies this as much as the whole situation surrounding public transport in the US. A topic that's generally scoffed at "Everybody has a car, why would the US need a high-speed rail network?!" At least until some billionaire presents his newest "innovation" by putting people in some pipe or another and allegedly making them go 600+ mph with magic inertia dampeners, then everybody loses their their collective poop about this amazing idea, by that amazing entrepreneur! Then they end up with a bunch of cars being driven trough a tunnel, still no high-speed rail, but can't wait to chase after the next billionaire promising them to shoot people trough tubes at deadly speeds. Would be excellent satire if it wasn't actual reality.