Money is NOT Power.

The saying "money is power" gets thrown around a lot. Especially by people that have a problem with their status in the world. People that have an axe to grind with authority or anyone more successful than them.

I believe the saying is a misnomer.



The first example I will give are lottery winners who received large sums of money. If money = power, than the should be quite powerful after receiving their windfalls.

Jeffery Dampier - Wins 20 million dollars, sister in-law and boyfriend kidnap then kill Jeff end up with life sentences.

Evelyn Adams - Wins the lottery twice. 5.4 mill altogether, now lives in a trailer park.

William Post - 16.2 mill (I will let the article describe his story)

An ex-girlfriend sued him for a share of winnings and won, his brother hired a hit man to try to kill him hoping to inherit some winnings, and other relatives bugged him constantly for money. Within one year, Post was $1 million in debt and filed for bankruptcy. He now lives on food stamps and a $450 month stipend.

Read more: www.businessinsider.com...

Willie Hurt - 3.1 mill blown on addictions and ended up charged with serious crimes.

Source with additional stories

Now, if it were just as easy as -money = power- than you might see these people quite powerful once hitting their windfalls. But you don't. And it is actually a common theme among lottery winners. So much so, that some people call it a curse.

Curse in the media.




What I will present now is a variation of the saying that makes much more sense. Is more accurate. And should be understood by anyone with insight into the way the world works.

Power = Money

Money does not equal power, in fact it is reversed.

Take a look at people who have earned their fortunes, created them little, or increased their wealth greatly from a large one to begin with. Essentially, lets take a look at successful people. (Success being gaged by money earned.)

Conrad Black - Born into an elitist family, he took over the family corporation with cunning and wit, knocking out line ups of others that were planning to do the same.

Estimated

Net worth $80 million (2011) [1]

*

Why is Conrad important? Because he was thrown in jail.

The British lord himself told an interviewer last year that his first jail term, during which he cleaned latrines and tutored fellow inmates, had made him "humbler."

Black was dealt a prison sentence, something unheard of for people of his stature (he was knighted by the queen) and he went in and somehow managed to get by, but not only that, also played it of as a valuable, positive experience.

*

Still able to act like royalty while being locked up in prison?

Those inmates cooked for Black, cleaned for him, mopped his floor, ironed his clothes, and other similar tasks," Tammy Padgett said. "That is not at all frequent at Coleman."

In the document, Padgett quoted Black's assigned case manager as saying that Black had demanded to be called Lord Black the day he was released on bond last summer, awaiting the outcome of an appeal.

"Black told [her] words to the effect of 'I believe I should be addressed as Lord Black from this point forward,'" Padgett said.

In another filing, Carrie De La Garza, an education specialist who supervised Black as a tutor, claimed he was haughty and uninterested in those duties.

"He projected the attitude that he was better than others in the class, both faculty and students," she said in sworn testimony. "A lot of the inmates looked up to him, and there were some who saluted him each day in class."

De La Garza claimed Black was frequently late and often read or worked on writing what appeared to be a book while he was supposed to be teaching.

*


One example.

Compared to the lottery winners who were thrown a winning hand, Conrad was dealt a losing one and still managed to persevere.

It's not that money equals power, as the lotto winners had none over the people that attacked them. They tried to take them for what they had, and it seems not only did they have no power over those people, they had none against themselves. Money was an achilles heel for them. Because they didn't have the power to wield it.



Another example would probably be Mike Milken. Another high profile rich person, the one responsible for the Junk Bond disaster in the 1980s. He too was sentenced to jail, losing most of the fortune he amassed during his scheme, yet he was released, continued his life and eventually went on to have a net worth of 2 billion.

Conviction(s) Securities fraud
Penalty 2 years in Federal prison, $200 million in fines, $400 million in restitution
Status Released January 1993[1]

After being released, he went on to create a learning program for children, one that became a huge earner:

Founded by former junk bond king Michael Milken and his brother, Lowell Milken, in 1996, Knowledge Universe, which earned $1.6 billion in revenue last year, targets early childhood learning programs.

Read more: Knowledge Universe reaches $1.6 billion in revenue www.oregonbusiness.com...

The stories I could list to support Power ='s Money, could go on for quite awhile. We could talk about how many celebrities have gone from riches to rags in a matter of weeks. How many cannot handle money because they don't have the power to wield it.

Then we can talk about all the businessman, one's who were robbed by competitors or even partners, put out of business, or hammered down by governments. Only to come back and create something much larger and much more successful.

I believe it's a pretty simple concept, and a pretty simple variation on the confusing saying that has been backwards for so many years.

Essentially, if you have power, you will find money. When you have power to begin with, money is just leverage. If you have none, it's a liability.

reply to post by boncho


How come you seldom see any millionaires in jail?
Money buys freedom and exempts you from most ordinary laws....at least old money and the connections great wealth brings certainly buys you the best defense and sometimes the entire matter can be swept under the rug.


I agree it cannot on it's own make stupid people smarter.

Knowledge is power.

One can have all the money in the world and not know what to do with it. If that was the case (as outlined in the op) said person should and may fail, and gain no power at all.

Now if someone has knowledge, that would allow said person to use their money advantageously, and more than likely benefit in return.

How do you reckon businessmen get so much power? They work their arses off. They have knowledge in their field. And as a result, they get power and money.

Knowledge is power.

S&F

Originally posted by daaskapital
Knowledge is power.

One can have all the money in the world and not know what to do with it. If that was the case (as outlined in the op) said person should and may fail, and gain no power at all.

Now if someone has knowledge, that would allow said person to use their money advantageously, and more than likely get more in return.

How do you reckon businessmen get so much power? They work their arses off. They have knowledge in their field. And in return, they get power and money.

Knowledge is power.

Yes, that pretty much fits in line with the OP.

If, knowledge is power and power = money, that would explain why people with knowledge (learned experience) are so adept at earning money.

I do hope you read the OP. oops

Originally posted by newcovenant
reply to post by boncho

 

How come you seldom see any millionaires in jail?
Money buys freedom and exempts you from most ordinary laws....at least old money and the connections great wealth brings certainly buys you the best defense and sometimes the entire matter can be swept under the rug.


I agree it cannot on it's own make stupid people smarter.

edit on 22-6-2012 by newcovenant because: (no reason given)

It's not the money that keeps them out of jail. As many rich people have been imprisoned. It is the power they exert with their influence, money is just leverage.

That's my opinion.

There are many people that have stayed out of jail without using money as well.

money is power for certain people. you have to be positioned for wealth to mean anything in the power structure.

as for those who were foolish with their money, they learned their lessons the hard way.

those who were murdered no longer have to worry about it.

kind of a silly, obvious subject.

Originally posted by aaaiii
money is power for certain people. you have to be positioned for wealth to mean anything in the power structure.

as for those who were foolish with their money, they learned their lessons the hard way.

those who were murdered no longer have to worry about it.

kind of a silly, obvious subject.

How is money power if you are not capable of handling it? I define it as leverage. Simply leverage.

If you have no smarts in handling yourself and your money, you are given a large amount, everyone and their brother will be trying to scam it out of you somehow.

The first thing you learn when you meet people with lots of money (which they earned through their influence -power-) is that they don't reveal the fact that they have much money in the first place.

Unless they are using it as leverage.

Originally posted by boncho

Originally posted by daaskapital
Knowledge is power.

One can have all the money in the world and not know what to do with it. If that was the case (as outlined in the op) said person should and may fail, and gain no power at all.

Now if someone has knowledge, that would allow said person to use their money advantageously, and more than likely get more in return.

How do you reckon businessmen get so much power? They work their arses off. They have knowledge in their field. And in return, they get power and money.

Knowledge is power.

Yes, that pretty much fits in line with the OP.

If, knowledge is power and power = money, that would explain why people with knowledge (learned experience) are so adept at earning money.

I do hope you read the OP.

Yes

One needs knowledge and discipline to gain power. Money is just a benefit of attaining power. Knowledge however is the pivotal point one needs to gain power, and in return, money.

Yes i did read the op ( hence why i referenced it for the failures )

reply to post by boncho


I disagree, there are many warlords, dictators, and cartels that beg to differ.
They all have tremendous power, the thing you are confusing is there is always a bigger fish.

reply to post by daaskapital

Yes i did read the op ( hence why i referenced it for the failures

)

Seems in my sleepy daze I missed that line when I read your post. Good work, good work.

< me

Originally posted by g146541
reply to post by boncho

 

I disagree, there are many warlords, dictators, and cartels that beg to differ.
They all have tremendous power, the thing you are confusing is there is always a bigger fish.

These people have power, regardless if they have money. They would not obtain those positions, or the top of the hierarchy without power/influence/knowledge. They could not be there simply because they have some cash lying around.

Originally posted by boncho

Originally posted by g146541
reply to post by boncho

 

I disagree, there are many warlords, dictators, and cartels that beg to differ.
They all have tremendous power, the thing you are confusing is there is always a bigger fish.

These people have power, regardless if they have money. They would not obtain those positions, or the top of the hierarchy without power/influence/knowledge. They could not be there simply because they have some cash lying around.

All due respect, I would not suggest that money has anything on knowledge, but it's a strange statement to suggest money does not, or can not equate to power. If you break it down, leverage could be considered a version, or at the very least an extesion of power. Many of the examples you gave are just people that blew their money, but for the time they had it, they were empowered, or "amplified" even if only within their own world, be it drugs, gambling etc. For the duration they had it, their choices/options were duplicated 100 fold.

I do understand your message for the most part, and I agree, money is not power in an all-encompassing sense, but in and of itself, money is definitely a form of power.

If you and I are thrown in an arena, with a man with a gun between us, and he vows to kill whomever can't pay him more, then whomever has less of an ability to pay him, is going to die. I myself have no issues with the rich, nor my own place in the world, but I can think of an infinite amount of ways that money can demonstrate power.

As a previous poster mentioned, there are dictators, juntas, and organizations all over the world that dominate simply because they have more resources, while the more empathic, intelligent, and advanced mind spend their days trying to mend the damage done.

While I totally understand your point, I have to disagree that money does not equal power, because it does equal leverage, and leverage is a form of power.

Great idea for a post OP.

Originally posted by boncho

Originally posted by g146541
reply to post by boncho

 

I disagree, there are many warlords, dictators, and cartels that beg to differ.
They all have tremendous power, the thing you are confusing is there is always a bigger fish.

These people have power, regardless if they have money. They would not obtain those positions, or the top of the hierarchy without power/influence/knowledge. They could not be there simply because they have some cash lying around.

In addition, intelligence is not always the factor that lands a position in this imperfect world. Look at politicians, some pull strings to get elected, pay-offs etc...then they get a position of power..

Money buys people. People influence or buy others on behalf of their benefactors. Oh look its our political system! Technically speaking money is not power in and of itself but often money is used to slant the system in favor of one side or the other. The saddest fact here is that we are the ones that ultimately give money its value. The powers that be tell us this is our currency and it has value and we believe it and use it. Sending out a positive vibe! Just to add the hording of knowledge is power in my opinion.

reply to post by BS_Slayer

While I totally understand your point, I have to disagree that money does not equal power, because it does equal leverage, and leverage is a form of power.

That's fair but you can also leverage yourself negatively. Which means, if the person isn't adept at handling money, it is more of a burden or a leverage in the wrong direction. Kind of like over leveraging a trading account with no funds to back the margin call.

As a previous poster mentioned, there are dictators, juntas, and organizations all over the world that dominate simply because they have more resources, while the more empathic, intelligent, and advanced mind spend their days trying to mend the damage done.

Dictators, Juntas and the like do not buy their way into power though. Usually it's through violence and influence. I am yet to see many military coups that were done with bank transactions.

Also, I do not believe money can be made or maintained without power. Therefore, even if someone were to buy there way into something, they are using the residual value of their power.

Thoughts?

-

Room with the person killing the person with the least amount of money is interesting. I'll have to think about that one.

Originally posted by TRGreer
Money buys people. People influence or buy others on behalf of their benefactors. Oh look its our political system! Technically speaking money is not power in and of itself but often money is used to slant the system in favor of one side or the other. The saddest fact here is that we are the ones that ultimately give money its value. The powers that be tell us this is our currency and it has value and we believe it and use it.

Sending out a positive vibe!

Those people are "bought" long before any money is given to them. And one could say it is the politicians that are the ones exerting their power. A quid pro quo to pay a politician money is very similar to extortion. While everyone runs around thinking politicians are "bought", why are you not considering that they are selling something?

what a great post! thanks for sharing that ...gives me something to think about today

reply to post by BS_Slayer

In addition, intelligence is not always the factor that lands a position in this imperfect world. Look at politicians, some pull strings to get elected, pay-offs etc...then they get a position of power..

There ability to get there is their power though. That's my whole point. If they can do that, they can apply themselves in any situation.

Intelligence is relative to what you are gauging it in.

Originally posted by boncho
reply to post by BS_Slayer

While I totally understand your point, I have to disagree that money does not equal power, because it does equal leverage, and leverage is a form of power.

 

That's fair but you can also leverage yourself negatively. Which means, if the person isn't adept at handling money, it is more of a burden or a leverage in the wrong direction. Kind of like over leveraging a trading account with no funds to back the margin call.

As a previous poster mentioned, there are dictators, juntas, and organizations all over the world that dominate simply because they have more resources, while the more empathic, intelligent, and advanced mind spend their days trying to mend the damage done.

Dictators, Juntas and the like do not buy their way into power though. Usually it's through violence and influence. I am yet to see many military coups that were done with bank transactions.

Also, I do not believe money can be made or maintained without power. Therefore, even if someone were to buy there way into something, they are using the residual value of their power.

Thoughts?

-

Room with the person killing the person with the least amount of money is interesting. I'll have to think about that one.

Great points...I guess it comes down to how we define power...Perhaps you remember the line used by Thulsa Doom in Conan... "What is steel, without the hand that weilds it?".. In a sense, the steel/sword is in and of itself "power", but in the wrong hands it is useless, as we have seen with drug addicts. In a way, both stances are right, but because of how tight the statement: "money does not equal power" is, I had to take that into consideration. Even between two simpletons, that sword is one hell of an advantage....

Originally posted by boncho
reply to post by BS_Slayer

In addition, intelligence is not always the factor that lands a position in this imperfect world. Look at politicians, some pull strings to get elected, pay-offs etc...then they get a position of power..

 

There ability to get there is their power though. That's my whole point. If they can do that, they can apply themselves in any situation.

Intelligence is relative to what you are gauging it in.

Certainly fair enough, but let me ask...would money make that journey smoother?