posted on Aug, 5 2012 @ 11:09 PM
reply to post by THE_PROFESSIONAL
Dear THE_PROFESSIONAL,
I was visiting a friend in Laguna Beach awhile back. We were having dinner and parking is limited so you pay to park in one of the lots. After dinner
we walked out and there was a Bugatti Veyron, a beautiful car. The car was parked in the red in front of a fire hydrant. He must have figured he could
afford the ticket and didn't really care about anyone's safety. Having said that, I had a friend who was a billionaire (he died recently), you would
have never known it. While I have no money or power, we always enjoyed our time together and he was a wonderful businessman. I also know that when he
was younger he let it go to his head a bit.
Great wealth, power or fame is tough and most cannot handle it well. My friend knew that I could sell him out and make lots of money for doing it, it
surprised him that I could have cared less. Many others would try to befriend him in hopes that some of it would rub off. Recently, it was reported
that in New Jersey (I believe it was there) some officers were paid by wealthy sports car drivers to allow them to race the freeways with a police
escort. I personally know of someone who paid off the California Highway Patrol to close down a part of a major freeway at night so that he could take
his car up to a very high rate of speed. They do things because they can get away with it, they can get away with it because we allow them to, we take
their money and let them get special privileges, sometimes it is okay and sometimes it is not.
I want to return to my friend for a minute. My friend and I were having a business lunch at a very nice chain restaurant near his office. He ate there
regularly because it was close to his office and he had a running bill (I didn't know this at the time, he was sneaky and I would always try and
catch the bill because I liked paying for a billionaires lunch, his response was to always want to eat at this particular restaurant where a bill
would never show up so I responded by giving outrageous tips and I mean $30 tip on a $10 sandwich). Anyways, we went to the restaurant and they
brought us a menu, he told me just to tell them what I wanted and they would go out and get it even if it wasn't on the menu. Anything. The fact that
he paid for the privilege of having whatever he wanted cooked for him was not an abuse of his money or influence. When politicians wanted to meet him,
he refused to even talk to them, he knew what they wanted, they wanted contributions in exchange for contracts and he wouldn't do it.
I can no more lump all rich people together than I can any other group. I have known a few very wealthy individuals, two who were the largest
employers in their counties. I watched one turn, he became wealthy and it corrupted him and I chose to no longer deal with him, we had been friends
and I helped him get there. We all have weaknesses and power allows us to indulge in them, it doesn't corrupt, it merely provides and opportunity to
highlight the corruption that is already within us.