5 ms·

The lives of the poor are of equal value to the lives of the rich. So the calculation must include the suffering throngs created by privileged and selfish nepot

The lives of the poor are of equal value to the lives of the rich. So the calculation must include the suffering throngs created by privileged and selfish nepotists and cronies. Literal guillotines are unnecessary. Just take away their money, prosecute the criminals, and hold meritocratic elections free from the media circus. Creating a better world is common sense. Tie the hands of the psychopaths among the superrich, discredit the mentally ill Christian fascists, and use scientific reasoning to fix the government and economy. There is no shortage of resources when you recognize that the vast wealth of the superrich is unearned and won throug bribery, cronyism, nepotism, monopoly, and oligopoly. Wealth amassed through those methods is illegitimate.

deadc0de 15y ago
Totally agree, man! Education is always the key.
tsotha 15y ago
>There is no shortage of resources when you recognize that the vast wealth of the superrich is unearned and won throug bribery, cronyism, nepotism, monopoly, and oligopoly. I don't see any evidence this is true as a general rule. In some cases, yes, but not the general case.
- forensic 15y ago
  Then you're blind. The far majority of the superrich inherited their wealth. This is called nepotism and it's bad for meritocracy. The far majority of corporate and government leaders are there through cronyism. This is corrupt. Mega corporations like halliburton enrich themselves with no bid contracts which they get by bribing officials. This is bribery. Cellular networks and ISPs form oligopolies instead of competing with each other. The medical industry does this causing death and poverty. The wealth of the superrich was inordinately acquired by combining monopoly, oligopoly, cronyism, bribery, and nepotism into one big ball of corrupt selfishness. This wealth is not earned legitimately through production and competition, it is stolen by distorting the market and corrupting the government both of which are fundamentally immoral. Criminals must be stripped of their loot and sent to prison. Start with Lloyd Blankfein who scammed his own clients and made his riches by exploiting the trust inherent in the client-professional relationship that is a pillar of civilized society.
  - learc83 15y ago
    >The far majority of the superrich inherited their wealth. Not true at all. 69% of US billionaires earned their fortunes. http://moneytipcentral.com/self-made-vs-inherited-billionaire-fortunes http://moneytipcentral.com/self-made-vs-inherited-billionair... The numbers are similar for US millionaires.
    - forensic 15y ago
      It's bullshit. They were born into connected families and simply built on the advantages they already had. It's not meritocracy when one person goes to an inner city ghetto school and another goes to an elite private school. It's not meritocracy when the children of aristocrats are given bank loans while the working class get nothing. Meritocracy and social mobility is the way to move society forward. Inherited opportunity, aristocracy, nepotism leads to stagnation. Equal opportunity is not just an ideal, it is essential to economic growth.
      - tsotha 15y ago
        >Equal opportunity is not just an ideal, it is essential to economic growth. Again, assertion without evidence.
        forensic 15y ago
        This is hacker news not Nature. You provide no evidence either you hypocrit.
        tsotha 15y ago
        Well, I don't mean evidence in the sense of a scientific cite. But this is just an assertion - at least you can back it up with some argument as to why you think it might be true.
      - learc83 15y ago
        Just a quick history on some of America's wealthiest people Larry Ellison--born to unwed mother, raised middle class George Soros--poor immigrant to England, worked as a porter and waiter through college Sheldon Adelson--son of a cab driver and immigrant Michael Bloomberg--worked as a parking lot attendant to pay his college tuition Carl Icahn--father was a cantor, mother was a schoolteacher Leonard Blavatnik--Soviet Immigrant Harold Simmons--parents were teachers Harold Hamm--worked his way up from pumping gas and car repair Andrew Beal--worked through high school fixing televisions Ray Dialo--son of a jazz musician Charlie Ergen--started out as a door-to-door salesman Eli Broad--father was a housepainter, mother was a dressmaker These are just the people who come from the middle classes and below. Most of the rest had parents who were only doctors or lawyers, or small businessmen (not what I'd call well connected power brokers), and most of them where only 2 generations away from lower class families.
dnissley 15y ago
> Literal guillotines are unnecessary. Just take away their money I agree with your ends but surely you don't think this is a simple thing to accomplish. I think that assumption is why people are downvoting you.
- forensic 15y ago
  When 51% of the population decides that taking the money is legitimate and a good idea, it will happen. The poorer people get the more people hop on board.
  - learc83 15y ago
    What happens when 51% decides they want a theocracy? Fortunately our system is set up to dampen the whims of the majority.
    - forensic 15y ago
      The current ruling elite are flaming the fans of theocracy. They are responsible for pushing the slave morality of evangelical Christianity on the pathetic and miserable masses. If we don't disrupt the growing master/slave relationship occurring between the superrich and the Christian fascists, we WILL see the majority voting for theocracy and they will get it. The solution is to promote reason and science as tools of social improvement - meritocracy - not fatalistic laissez-faire capitalism which is nothing more than plutocracy.

deadc0de 15y ago

Totally agree, man! Education is always the key.

tsotha 15y ago

>There is no shortage of resources when you recognize that the vast wealth of the superrich is unearned and won throug bribery, cronyism, nepotism, monopoly, and oligopoly. I don't see any evidence this is true as a general rule. In some cases, yes, but not the general case.

forensic 15y ago
Then you're blind. The far majority of the superrich inherited their wealth. This is called nepotism and it's bad for meritocracy. The far majority of corporate and government leaders are there through cronyism. This is corrupt. Mega corporations like halliburton enrich themselves with no bid contracts which they get by bribing officials. This is bribery. Cellular networks and ISPs form oligopolies instead of competing with each other. The medical industry does this causing death and poverty. The wealth of the superrich was inordinately acquired by combining monopoly, oligopoly, cronyism, bribery, and nepotism into one big ball of corrupt selfishness. This wealth is not earned legitimately through production and competition, it is stolen by distorting the market and corrupting the government both of which are fundamentally immoral. Criminals must be stripped of their loot and sent to prison. Start with Lloyd Blankfein who scammed his own clients and made his riches by exploiting the trust inherent in the client-professional relationship that is a pillar of civilized society.
- learc83 15y ago
  >The far majority of the superrich inherited their wealth. Not true at all. 69% of US billionaires earned their fortunes. http://moneytipcentral.com/self-made-vs-inherited-billionaire-fortunes http://moneytipcentral.com/self-made-vs-inherited-billionair... The numbers are similar for US millionaires.
  - forensic 15y ago
    It's bullshit. They were born into connected families and simply built on the advantages they already had. It's not meritocracy when one person goes to an inner city ghetto school and another goes to an elite private school. It's not meritocracy when the children of aristocrats are given bank loans while the working class get nothing. Meritocracy and social mobility is the way to move society forward. Inherited opportunity, aristocracy, nepotism leads to stagnation. Equal opportunity is not just an ideal, it is essential to economic growth.
    - tsotha 15y ago
      >Equal opportunity is not just an ideal, it is essential to economic growth. Again, assertion without evidence.
      - forensic 15y ago
        This is hacker news not Nature. You provide no evidence either you hypocrit.
      - tsotha 15y ago
        Well, I don't mean evidence in the sense of a scientific cite. But this is just an assertion - at least you can back it up with some argument as to why you think it might be true.
    - learc83 15y ago
      Just a quick history on some of America's wealthiest people Larry Ellison--born to unwed mother, raised middle class George Soros--poor immigrant to England, worked as a porter and waiter through college Sheldon Adelson--son of a cab driver and immigrant Michael Bloomberg--worked as a parking lot attendant to pay his college tuition Carl Icahn--father was a cantor, mother was a schoolteacher Leonard Blavatnik--Soviet Immigrant Harold Simmons--parents were teachers Harold Hamm--worked his way up from pumping gas and car repair Andrew Beal--worked through high school fixing televisions Ray Dialo--son of a jazz musician Charlie Ergen--started out as a door-to-door salesman Eli Broad--father was a housepainter, mother was a dressmaker These are just the people who come from the middle classes and below. Most of the rest had parents who were only doctors or lawyers, or small businessmen (not what I'd call well connected power brokers), and most of them where only 2 generations away from lower class families.

dnissley 15y ago

> Literal guillotines are unnecessary. Just take away their money I agree with your ends but surely you don't think this is a simple thing to accomplish. I think that assumption is why people are downvoting you.

forensic 15y ago
When 51% of the population decides that taking the money is legitimate and a good idea, it will happen. The poorer people get the more people hop on board.
- learc83 15y ago
  What happens when 51% decides they want a theocracy? Fortunately our system is set up to dampen the whims of the majority.
  - forensic 15y ago
    The current ruling elite are flaming the fans of theocracy. They are responsible for pushing the slave morality of evangelical Christianity on the pathetic and miserable masses. If we don't disrupt the growing master/slave relationship occurring between the superrich and the Christian fascists, we WILL see the majority voting for theocracy and they will get it. The solution is to promote reason and science as tools of social improvement - meritocracy - not fatalistic laissez-faire capitalism which is nothing more than plutocracy.