One person should only be so rich.

Originally posted by IAMIAM
reply to post by UfoFaker

 

Mankind is a team. We should be helping the weak rise, not making them climb on each others shoulders to get ahead.

You made it! Great!

You did not do it on your own.

You did it because of what you were given in life, and nothing more.

With Love,

Your Brother

First off, the weak are weak for a reason. Usually, it is because they are lazy. I have tried to hire multiple people that are looking for work and do you want to know what I have found? They feel like they are entitled to make what someone else that has been working for me for years makes. Without proving they can do the work. They also tend to show up when they want and after a week on the job leave a little earlier and earlier.

As for the "what you were given in life" BS.. Here are some people who started in a mailroom and worked their way up to be worth close to or more that 100 million and they were not given a damn thing.

Simon Cowell. EMI Mailroom, now worth 85 million

Wally Amos, famous Amos cookies. William Morris Agency mail room

and some more

from rags to riches


I have an idea. Why dont you give your money to the less fortunate.

Originally posted by UfoFaker
it isn't a struggle, it's called working your butt off.
I love what I do.
The real struggle is when you take away that waitresses shot at writing Harry Potter, which is exactly what you want to do. What they want you to want.

Harry Potter was a lovely story my friend, but writing a story is no reason for ONE person to have an Empire while another starves on a planet given to us all.

You may think this is justice, but that starving child will one day grow to cut your throat for his own survival.

Then, maybe then, you will have seen the wisdom of helping each other up rather than pushing each other down.

Your choice really.

As for what I want, you have no idea.

I want your child to never have to struggle as you did.

If I allow that to happen they will become used to being someone else's beast of burden, and be equally as glad of their condition.

There is another way.

And they should not fear it.

With Love,

Your Brother

reply to post by UfoFaker


You are confusing income with wealth.

Wealth is homes, yachts, cars, toys, airplanes, jewelry, art and the like.

If you could pull off earning a billion in a year ethically and legally, more power to you, but once you did, you're retired.

You got your share, now go away, enjoy it and leave some for everyone else.

If you think somehow that it isn't enough, I suggest strong look at your priorities in life is in order.

reply to post by s12345


I tend to agree with this premise. The problems that this idea will inevitably encounter are multitudinous. Most obviously, who are you, me or anyone else to say how much is too much? Should the cap on personal wealth be placed at $1 billion, 500 million, 100 million, 50 million, lower? Should some government entity be given the power to define in very explicit, clear language the monetary value of a given profession? Should profits by companies be arbitrarily capped? If so, how much for each industry, and who decides?

I like you, I think, OP, anguish over humanity's greed. But there will never be a consensus among men on what is fair, especially with MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY. Personally, I tend to think as a general rule of thumb that more government oversight is not the answer (to anything!).

What is obscene wealth to you? Personally, I don't begrudge the cardiologist who makes $400,000 a year or the actor who make millions--because generally speaking someone is deciding to pay these people for their services, and people are buying them. I don't despise Peyton Manning for signing a $100 million dollar contract. But it is troubling to me that the economies that we humans developed allowed for billionaires to emerge to offer such money in the first place. You probably won't agree with some (or any) of what I said, and I hope you don't because that's just my point. Men will not come to a consensus on this. I wish we lived in a world where the richest of humanity was worth a lot less than $1 billion dollars.

The only way for economic equanimity to emerge is through the actions of a self aware, less materialistic, more spiritual populace. More government is not the answer.

reply to post by Unrealised


Communism is the future? I can equally claim National Socialism is the future. But it's not, and neither is Communism. Capitalism isn't the future either, something else will fill the void but won't adhere to what any of us see as communism, national socialism or any other government-ism.

Also, to the OP of the thread. Guess what, it's not up to you. The problem isn't that someone has an insane amount of wealth, it's the fact that others want a part of that persons wealth, so they bend the rules, take bribes or do *other* things in order to get in on the deal. So instead of trying to impose some sort of fascist restriction on how much a person can earn/accumulate over a period of time, why not make damn sure those who are willing to take those bribes get a harsh punishment instead of some luxury slap on the wrist that doesn't stop anything?

HURR DURR Communism is da future!

Originally posted by tide88
As for the "what you were given in life" BS.. Here are some people who started in a mailroom and worked their way up to be worth close to or more that 100 million and they were not given a damn thing.

Simon Cowell. EMI Mailroom, now worth 85 million

Wally Amos, famous Amos cookies. William Morris Agency mail room

and some more

from rags to riches

Oh show me some more of your idols of success. Those who made it up the pyramid.

Do you know how a pyramid is built?

The base always has more blocks than the top.

The bottom always bears the greatest of the weight.

It is impossible for all at the bottom to be placed on the top and the structure still be a pyramid.

The system is DESIGNED to keep some below and allows for certain select members to rise.



But keep denying these obvious truths because you are a few blocks up over the other guy.

Mean while you are unaware of your true position within the pyramid.

Originally posted by tide88
I have an idea. Why dont you give your money to the less fortunate.

I give ALL that I have to the less fortunate. Even this body and the blood that courses through my veins is for their defense.

Get to know a man before you judge a man.

With Love,

Your Brother

reply to post by apacheman


I simply know far too many examples of people pushing through to "success," despite horrendous setbacks, to accept your experience as anything more as your own personal callousness. You must consider, even for a moment, that your preconceived notions in this matter are your biggest enemy/hurdle. Careful, being jaded/bitter often poisons the entire well. Keep on pushin' on.

people should be as rich as they can be. the problem lies in the concentration of wealth in a few families. when a rich person dies i think the bulk of his estate should be taxed and taken by the government and redistributed back into the economy. leave the family a small percentage for inheritance but the rest goes back into circulation and families dont get the concentration of wealth they have now.

Originally posted by Unrealised
To me, Communism is the way of the future.

According to this site, Ignorance is frowned upon, but it is the prehistoric-like fear of Communism that, to me, is a blatant red-flag that people do not understand the true miracle that Communism could be for the World.

The biggest secret of economics is that Communism is a very powerful system.





Of course, in a sick and perverted system such as Imperialism, it is called, basically, The Devil.


Get educated and elect people who aren't in it for the money.

Or perhaps the fear is because communism has failed terribly everywhere its went? But i suppose all these people who fled from the eastern block to escape communism were merely brain washed like us too . I mean they just lived in an actual environment where the ideology was placed into the governing bodies of their country and all. If only they knew what a miracle it was..

Any man or woman should be able to make as much money as the damn well please, In a time where our rights are being restricted we want to actually take away more? Wheres the cut off point exactly? first it's money then people are stripped of this and that.

But we at least we get to stick it to those rich folks

I respectfully disagree...

No what person earns is there's to keep... Period.... Take the risk and the rewards belong to those who take them...



Communism is wrong...

No amount of labor will turn mud into pizza....

if it will I will provide the mud to watch you work and find the capital to start our own business....


the other problem with the idea is how is it determined... who enforces the limit and how...

does the limit of 157 million dollars count cars, houses, jewelry, states, museums


As for why I need more money...

Water Desalinization plants....
related distribution....

Junkyards and dumps for recycling facilities....
r d...

Space Travel development
r d...

Medical treatment improvements...
r d .....

Buy underwater mortgages cutting people deals so they can keep there houses....

Rebuild the car industry so working people can have reliable personal transportation...

Medical treatment plans and medications to reduce sickness and boost productivity

I want you to know that I would not be meaning this as the empty platitudes offered now by politicians
I told someone today if I actually just ended up with the money ... I would not be resting on my laurels... I would starting businesses.... put people to work... I would use profit merely as a measurement of if it is working right....


The more money I had the more money would be spent doing good....

communism/socialism is more flawed then democracy... in that the issue being argued over is power... and who controls what... so no I disagree with the platitudes offered on it... it is about control...

The idea of a democracy is to spread the power to all... not focus it in the hands of one group...

Originally posted by Unrealised
The biggest secret of economics is that Communism is a very powerful

yes. Just ask anyone living in North Korea

Originally posted by paganini
Any man or woman should be able to make as much money as the damn well please, In a time where our rights are being restricted we want to actually take away more?

Wheres the cut off point exactly? first it's money then people are stripped of this and that.

But we at least we get to stick it to those rich folks

Money, or rather ownership takes away your freedom.

When you believe you own something you must have a government to enforce your right to have that ownership. If you need a government to enforce it, then you never really owned it.

To have a government, you must give up your rights. Governments being formed by groups of people to protect from other groups of people, the group decides what is right within the group at the cost of individual liberty.

Governments become a self sustaining entity which demands growth like any other life entity.

But, it has no life other than the life, We the people, give it.

The larger it grows, the smaller your individual role in the grand scheme of things becomes. In the end, you are just a part subject to the will of the whole.

So, as long as you need money you will need a government which will eventually grow to the point of devouring your own children.

Don't believe me if you dare.

You WILL see this proved so very soon.

With Love,

Your Brother

reply to post by s12345


I say something like that is reasonable, our precious capitalism and free enterprise has been raped and taken advantage of. Money is power, and our constitution grants primarily the wrong type of people (greedy) this power. The idea of this economic system was nice in theory, but we forgot to add the "human" factor.

Totally bad idea. I really hate numb skulls that worry about how much money other people have. If you really cared you'd only worry about how much money people don't have. In other words, worry about how to make people have more money, not less.

If I build a company from the ground up, with a revolutionary new product or service, and find out that the reward for my effort is going to be taken from me, the I won't start the company to begin with. I will relegate that idea to the trash bin of history.

Not to mention, Communism goes against human nature at it's very basic level. Sounds good on paper, but has never worked and never will. Why would I be satisfied with my daily loaf of bread (if there is any left) and bowl of stew under Communism, when I know I can take my talents elsewhere and have the big screen HDTV, two cars and own a home?

That's why the Communists never want you to escape."No no, you aren't going anywhere comrade. You are going to stay here and live the dream."

Dont underestimate greed and the need of power.

We have some greedy rich people in this world that wouldnt give a needy man a 1 dollar bill.

Originally posted by UfoFaker
How about a cap on wasting time?

Video games are $60.

The video game business is huge.

The average gamer is in his mid 30s to early 40s.

Video games take about 80 hours to finish each and the hours spent on FPS online games is unlimited, as the new version simply replaces the old.

Cap wealth?
If you cap something, put a cap on wasting your money, time and health
and time and go do / make / be what you're really supposed to be doing.

So... video gaming is a fair comparison to predatory capitalism?

If there were a finite amount of fun to be had playing games and me playing a game took away from the fun factor you could have by playing that same game, then you might have a fair analogy. No, not even then.

Let's try this: if my playing video games caused the subjugation of 3rd world nations who can't even find water to drink, encouraged the welfare bailouts to the tune of trillions of dollars paid for by your taxes, caused war, famine, and evil all around the world, then yeah... I guess gaming is like being retardedly wealthy.

reply to post by s12345


People will jump down your throats and call you a communist. But don't bite back, communism had several good ideas. Now, the dictators that executed it didn't do it so well.

The way of the future is living together, in villages, in COMMUNES.

Each person will have their job and each will benefit from others.

And i hope it does happen, money will be a thing of the past if it does.

It's going to be a ROUGH transition though. The power elite will do anything to keep their dirty little hands on all their green.

Originally posted by cuervo

Originally posted by UfoFaker
How about a cap on wasting time?

Video games are $60.

The video game business is huge.

The average gamer is in his mid 30s to early 40s.

Video games take about 80 hours to finish each and the hours spent on FPS online games is unlimited, as the new version simply replaces the old.

Cap wealth?
If you cap something, put a cap on wasting your money, time and health
and time and go do / make / be what you're really supposed to be doing.

So... video gaming is a fair comparison to predatory capitalism?

If there were a finite amount of fun to be had playing games and me playing a game took away from the fun factor you could have by playing that same game, then you might have a fair analogy. No, not even then.

Let's try this: if my playing video games caused the subjugation of 3rd world nations who can't even find water to drink, encouraged the welfare bailouts to the tune of trillions of dollars paid for by your taxes, caused war, famine, and evil all around the world, then yeah... I guess gaming is like being retardedly wealthy.

hahaha, absolutely brilliant.

I wish there was a clapping emoticon.

COME ON ATS GET SOME NEW EMOTICONS

reply to post by dannotz


you just proved my point for me,

yes it is, because your wasting time is literally killing us.