Panicked super rich buying boltholes with private airstrips to escape if poor rise up

a reply to: Jamie1

Costs money to get more education and skills. If you're living paycheck to paycheck barely paying bills and eating, you have no money to spend on education. Not everyone is privileged enough to have been able to go to college after high school. Some people didn't have the grades, some people had to start working immediately due to family situations, plus many other reasons where more education simply wasn't possible.

It's not so black and white as you make it seem.

a reply to: TrueAmerican

In this type of event the mob will lock on to any rich like a heat seeking missile and will murder and steal. You all seem so proud of it, expecting them to sit around while a mob strings them from a tree.

Mob pride is insidious.

originally posted by: Chrisfishenstein
Yeah maybe on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/SnapChat/etc....Man, people in this era are so effing lazy, this will never happen to the scale needed for change and believe me, the elite know this....This is the main reason it keeps on churning the way it has been and getting worse...Everyone wants the next person to take part and make a change for everyone while they sit on the couch and watch these events unfold on tv....You would need one powerful individual to open the eyes of most, to actually talk the lazy into taking part, I just don't see it...

I hear this a lot, but we have no way of knowing, for sure, if anyone has made a serious attempt to strike back at the elites, especially in the last 10 years. I believe that advanced surveillance tech, tightly controlled media and perfected subterfuge techniques are keeping ALL of us from knowing if new activist groups are springing up. How would any of us know if one of the "onwers of capital" was taken for ransom, hostage or assassinated? Do you really think it would be reported on the evening news? I'd argue the government today, nips such movements in the bud, sending the lead participants to jail, will-nilly, affording them no due-process like activists got in the 1960's and in turn giving these neo-revolutionaires horrible plea bargains. I think people ARE indeed trying to take action, but are quickly stomped out, rounded up by LEO's and NONE of it gets to the media, including the little guys like bloggers and Instagram journalists.

I'll give a simple example of something I thought for sure I would see in the streets during most riots, but have yet to see it happen. During Occupy for example, protesters from EVERY city were easily dispersed by tear gas and flash bangs. Why? Didn't Occupy participants have knowledge that such tactics would be used against them? Did they not prepare to neutralize the effects, especially with some ex-military people participating that had experience dealing with such? The rioters is Greece and Spain were not as easy to disperse, in fact they were not dispersed at all by LEO's.

So, we're supposed to believe that most protesters in the USA, NEVER, thought to prepare and have Goggles/eye-protection, body sized shields, or safety/chemical respirators with them at all times? ALL OF THIS STUFF IS OVER THE COUNTER, but NONE of the protesters I have seen, not since the 1990',s prepare with such equipment.

Another example, imagine if the UC Davis cop that started pepper spraying the student protesters passively sitting on the ground, found out that they ALL had respirators and goggles. Would he have started beating them with his night stick out of frustration because he wouldn't be able to effectively use the pepper spray? I would say, most likely, yes, he would have.

If you know you're going to get shot with rubber bullets and bean bag shotguns, a defensive formation like the Ancient Roman/Greek Phalanx should be Standard Operating Procedure, but nope, modern rioters and protestors just stand around until the SHTF and then start running in every direction, as if being shot at by LEO's was an impossibility.

So whats different about Millenial protesters versus Europeans? My guess is anyone that could teach them proper tactics to counter LEO's are quickly arrested on trumped up charges and are threatened to never return to help the activists again "or else". American protesters are so poorly organized that I can't imagine them EVER having an ounce of success, but at the same time I think surveillance tech, tightly controlled media and perfected subterfuge techniques are ENTIRELY responsible for said poor organization and preparation.

The FBI said Friday it has deployed about 100 agents to the St. Louis area ahead of the decision, in case demonstrators take to the streets

As noted in the above link, surveillance tech, tightly controlled media and perfected subterfuge techniques are keeping ALL of us from knowing if new activist groups are spring up with any degree of success.

originally posted by: Jamie1

originally posted by: infinityorder


Nobody demands everyone gets paid the same...they demand to make enough for food and shelter when they work 40 hours.

Then maybe they should get more education, more experience, and more skills so they can provide more value and get paid more money.

If there were enough decent paying jobs out there for everyone that did this you would have point.

There aren't though and you know it.

If one poor person does that and gets a job, it is because someone lost or and is now poor.....helps nothing.

There are not enough decent paying jobs....stop trying to act like everyone can be an investment banker or stock broker.

If someone works 40 hours they deserve to afford food and shelter.

originally posted by: Jamie1

originally posted by: infinityorder


Nobody demands everyone gets paid the same...they demand to make enough for food and shelter when they work 40 hours.

Then maybe they should get more education, more experience, and more skills so they can provide more value and get paid more money.

Many people did just that. Got the education, got a good job too. Then, the big boys at the top found they could outsource those jobs to a developing nation, employ equally well educated people, but at 25% of the cost to do so back home, and with zero benefits. So, they send all the jobs abroad, sack everyone at the domestic plants and get a big fat bonus package for making the investors another few percentage points. That, unfortunately is the reality.
Of course, the wider impact is to the entire economy. As those domestic workers can no longer find those well paid jobs as they have all been off-shored, the amount of tax they pay has decreased too. That equates nationally to a massive drop in tax revenue, revenue that would traditionally be used for domestic renewal projects, maintaining and upgrading infrastructure etc.

Of course, those at the top creating this economic turmoil don't care a hoot about any of this, as long as they continue making money hand over fist while crapping on the little guys. I know some people like to brush all this off as just jealousy, or people being lazy and not chasing the wealth, but maybe the reason is we are not given those opportunities, or are in fact too honest and ethical to participate in the schemes that make these people rich. Chasing wealth takes a ruthless mindset, especially when it means taking it from others and destroying so many lives along the way. Is that really anything to be proud of?
They are no better than drug addicts! The drug addicts chase the next and bigger high, the money junkies, likewise, chase the next opportunity, whatever the cost, even though they may already have more money than the inhabitants of a small town could ever spend in a lifetime.

OK wait...
The author of the article took this quote from the conference...

“I know hedge fund managers all over the world who are buying airstrips and farms in places like New Zealand because they think they need a getaway."

...and made this the title for his article?

Panicked super rich buying boltholes with private airstrips to escape if poor rise up

I think income inequality is an issue worthy of discussion, but, geez... that's one's a doozy.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

This is a problem of the riches own making. Eventually it will happen, it has to. I think murder, looting, ect is wrong. However, the rich have all this excess money they don't even spend most of it so it does that trickle down bullcrap. How long do you think people are going to struggle to live while the rich horde their money, never even spending it, and doing their damndest to see to it everyone else stays in the poorhouse.

You can call it theft, you can call it whatever you want, I honestly don't care, what the rich are doing is inhuman and sick, yes two wrongs don't make a right, but ignoring the state of the world, and the blood and suffering on the hands of the wealthy elite is no better. Something will break. Is how these things work.

A minority can only subjugate the majority so long and so far before the majority wakes up. It ALWAYS happens, it has every single time. Yet those with power NEVER learn. It's coming, they know it's coming, and it's a problem of their own making.

The thing I find sad is, they can fix this, they can stop it, is easy, stop hording wealth, start using it, let trickle down economics work, start paying rather than dodging their taxes, and either pay their employees enough to live on, or reduce cost of goods back to an affordable level. They do this, they will still live better than everyone else, STILL be rich as #, and people won't be getting desperate enough for mob mentality to take over.

The rich have been getting away with downright criminal activity, tax dodging, ect for too long. I don't want to hear crap about people wanting to steal their wealth when the only thieves are them, stealing from everyone and bleeding them dry. Putting everyone into economic slavery while they swim in their vaults of horded wealth like Scrooge McDuck.

originally posted by: Pimpish
a reply to: Jamie1

Costs money to get more education and skills. If you're living paycheck to paycheck barely paying bills and eating, you have no money to spend on education. Not everyone is privileged enough to have been able to go to college after high school. Some people didn't have the grades, some people had to start working immediately due to family situations, plus many other reasons where more education simply wasn't possible.

It's not so black and white as you make it seem.

Some people show up in the U.S. with nothing and within a year have their own business.

Yeah, it IS black and white.

Blaming rich people for having too much money does nothing to put more money in your pocket.

Working hard, getting experience, and learning new skills does.

Very black and white. Simple in fact.

Stop complaining and start doing something to improve your own life instead of waiting for somebody else to do it for you.

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
a reply to: TrueAmerican

In this type of event the mob will lock on to any rich like a heat seeking missile and will murder and steal. You all seem so proud of it, expecting them to sit around while a mob strings them from a tree.

Mob pride is insidious.

Want peace? Work for justice!

Malthusian theory proved that when a populous is deprived of food chaos follows. If the poor aren't fed in some manner, cities will burn.

economistsview.typepad.com...

originally posted by: infinityorder

originally posted by: Jamie1

originally posted by: infinityorder


Nobody demands everyone gets paid the same...they demand to make enough for food and shelter when they work 40 hours.

Then maybe they should get more education, more experience, and more skills so they can provide more value and get paid more money.

If there were enough decent paying jobs out there for everyone that did this you would have point.

Well then you better get busy and start your own business.

Create some jobs for people instead of demonizing those who did.

originally posted by: Puppylove
a reply to: LesMisanthrope

This is a problem of the riches own making. Eventually it will happen, it has to. I think murder, looting, ect is wrong. However, the rich have all this excess money they don't even spend most of it so it does that trickle down bullcrap. How long do you think people are going to struggle to live while the rich horde their money, never even spending it, and doing their damndest to see to it everyone else stays in the poorhouse.

You can call it theft, you can call it whatever you want, I honestly don't care, what the rich are doing is inhuman and sick, yes two wrongs don't make a right, but ignoring the state of the world, and the blood and suffering on the hands of the wealthy elite is no better. Something will break. Is how these things work.

A minority can only subjugate the majority so long and so far before the majority wakes up. It ALWAYS happens, it has every single time. Yet those with power NEVER learn. It's coming, they know it's coming, and it's a problem of their own making.

The thing I find sad is, they can fix this, they can stop it, is easy, stop hording wealth, start using it, let trickle down economics work, start paying rather than dodging their taxes, and either pay their employees enough to live on, or reduce cost of goods back to an affordable level. They do this, they will still live better than everyone else, STILL be rich as #, and people won't be getting desperate enough for mob mentality to take over.

The rich have been getting away with downright criminal activity, tax dodging, ect for too long. I don't want to hear crap about people wanting to steal their wealth when the only thieves are them, stealing from everyone and bleeding them dry. Putting everyone into economic slavery while they swim in their vaults of horded wealth like Scrooge McDuck.

Maybe you should put this much thought and energy and time into analyzing your own life choices and how you've come to be where you're at.

Then think of a plan on how you can get what you want for your life that doesn't include stealing from people who have earned more than you.

a reply to: Jamie1

And how is a new business owner supposed to compete with corporations who underpay their employees and can control the prices in the market?

He'll come in, try to do right, and then be forced to become just like everyone else or fail as the ones with money force them out of the business by taking advantage of their vast wealth to keep prices lower than they can afford. The sick thing is, their employees and others are forced to help with this, because they can't afford to pay for the higher cost merchandise because their corporate masters are keeping them too poor to do otherwise.

It's sick, psychopathic genius.

There's a fine line between being wealthy and hording wealth to the detriment of others. I have no problem with people having wealth if they pay their taxes, pay their employees and spend it so that trickle down economics work. They are not doing these things, therefore, they are as much criminals as the people you're calling thieves as far as I'm concerned.

originally posted by: Puppylove
a reply to: Jamie1

And how is a new business owner supposed to compete with corporations who underpay their employees and can control the prices in the market?

He'll come in, try to do right, and then be forced to become just like everyone else or fail as the ones with money force them out of the business by taking advantage of their vast wealth to keep prices lower than they can afford. The sick thing is, their employees and others are forced to help with this, because they can't afford to pay for the higher cost merchandise because their corporate masters are keeping them to poor to do otherwise.

It's sick, psychopathic genius.

New business owners do it all the time.

Where do you live? The U.S.?

What's sick is people complaining about other people having more of what they claim to want instead of getting up early, and working late on making a life for themselves.

I have dozens of friends with their own businesses.

I will guarantee you 100% that you're chance to have the life you want is greater if you put all your effort into starting your own business rather than complaining about those who did.

originally posted by: Jamie1

originally posted by: Pimpish
a reply to: Jamie1

Costs money to get more education and skills. If you're living paycheck to paycheck barely paying bills and eating, you have no money to spend on education. Not everyone is privileged enough to have been able to go to college after high school. Some people didn't have the grades, some people had to start working immediately due to family situations, plus many other reasons where more education simply wasn't possible.

It's not so black and white as you make it seem.

Some people show up in the U.S. with nothing and within a year have their own business.

Yeah, it IS black and white.

Blaming rich people for having too much money does nothing to put more money in your pocket.

Working hard, getting experience, and learning new skills does.

Very black and white. Simple in fact.

Stop complaining and start doing something to improve your own life instead of waiting for somebody else to do it for you.

It really isn't that black and white though is it? I have my own business but I don't for a second believe that everyone is lucky enough to be born and raised with the capability of doing the same.

Sure I have worked hard but no harder than my mum who worked 2 jobs on minimum wage and struggled to feed us and heat our house. I just got lucky, I am wired up to take risks and was born with the ability to do OK at school.

originally posted by: Jamie1

originally posted by: Pimpish
a reply to: Jamie1

Costs money to get more education and skills. If you're living paycheck to paycheck barely paying bills and eating, you have no money to spend on education. Not everyone is privileged enough to have been able to go to college after high school. Some people didn't have the grades, some people had to start working immediately due to family situations, plus many other reasons where more education simply wasn't possible.

It's not so black and white as you make it seem.

Some people show up in the U.S. with nothing and within a year have their own business.

Yeah, it IS black and white.

If this has happened in the last 10 or even 15 years with any regularity I would be surprised. Can you find even one example of this? I have my doubts that you can. You say this happens but I have never seen it. I see plenty of people busting their humps and breaking their bodies and barely able to afford necessities though. If this miraculous something from nothing because of hard work pipe dream still happens I think it has more to do with luck than work ethic (or conservative spending and general savvy, or whatever lucky people tell themselves so they can feel deserving).

I can show you a few wealthy people who came from "nothing" who are fully cognizant of the fact that it is Better To Be Lucky Than Good though; including my own family. Most people in that upper tier sell themselves a pretty good line about how hard they work but if you really press them most admit to an inheritance, general windfall, or really lucky break. They don't have any better work ethic than the working class though. They. Just. Got. Lucky.

originally posted by: Scouse100

originally posted by: Jamie1

originally posted by: Pimpish
a reply to: Jamie1

Costs money to get more education and skills. If you're living paycheck to paycheck barely paying bills and eating, you have no money to spend on education. Not everyone is privileged enough to have been able to go to college after high school. Some people didn't have the grades, some people had to start working immediately due to family situations, plus many other reasons where more education simply wasn't possible.

It's not so black and white as you make it seem.

Some people show up in the U.S. with nothing and within a year have their own business.

Yeah, it IS black and white.

Blaming rich people for having too much money does nothing to put more money in your pocket.

Working hard, getting experience, and learning new skills does.

Very black and white. Simple in fact.

Stop complaining and start doing something to improve your own life instead of waiting for somebody else to do it for you.

It really isn't that black and white though is it? I have my own business but I don't for a second believe that everyone is lucky enough to be born and raised with the capability of doing the same.

Sure I have worked hard but no harder than my mum who worked 2 jobs on minimum wage and struggled to feed us and heat our house. I just got lucky, I am wired up to take risks and was born with the ability to do OK at school.

Yeah, it is that black and white.

Working hard at something is better than complaining about others who have succeeded.

Everybody has the ability to take action to improve their life.

And yes, there are consequences for smart decisions and bad decisions.

I don't want a lot, no desire for it. I'm a simple person. I also know there are lots of others like me, simple people wanting to make a living. Willing to work for it, but not willing to kill themselves spending their lives slaving away for pennies. I'm not greedy, I don't need a Mercedes, a mansion, a pool, a tennis court, 10 big screen tvs, my own private theater.

There's enough resources, and enough workers, that everyone slaving their lives away for basic simple lives lacking in major extravagance is completely unnecessary. You're arguing for economic slavery. Not everyone has the will or desire to step over everyone else and become corrupt psychopathic monsters.

That people can hold down a full time job and still fail to live comfortably is ridiculous this day and age. Even worse, to work full time most need two jobs while juggling employers that do everything in their power to prevent you from having the second job you need to survive.

The world has more than enough resources to eliminate economic drudgery. Why is society not allowed to advance? Why do we insist on keeping things as bad as we possible can for everyone unnecessarily?

So that's sorted then, work hard and you shall get rich, piece of cake. Tell that the 3rd world, bunch of lazy good for nothings busting their guts from year 5.

originally posted by: Jamie1

Then maybe they should get more education, more experience, and more skills so they can provide more value and get paid more money.

Well then you better get busy and start your own business.

Create some jobs for people instead of demonizing those who did.

Ahh...this old parable again.

Once again it seems that "regular people" are just are not familiar with how wealth is made today.

Before Junior High School I lived in a low income city, but went to a good Catholic school, where poor kids had informed, supportive parents and a good educational foundation. When I was in Junior High school my mother got remarried and I then attended a good public high school, with rich kids that had informed and supportive parents and a similar educational foundation as the one I had in the Catholic School in the poor neighborhood (NOTE: the richest kids were there purely for exposure in Athletics because because the local private schools were all in small divisions at the time and playing on those small league teams would have affect their chances of getting into division I college sports).

Here is what I have concluded based on that experience:

When I look at the Forbes 400, I see 350+ people whom came from wealthy families. Note, some of them certainly acquired more wealth than their parents had given them to begin with, but VERY FEW, if any, came from what I would consider a Lower Middle class backgrounds or less. I would even ague that to get on the Forbes 400 list, coming from “at least” an Upper Middle class family is the BARE minimum requirement.

I typically use four well known examples, where, being from the Upper Middle class, was a base requirement to enter a particularly new and burgeoning industry, with even an inklings chance for financial success:

1) Bill Gates had access to a mainframe computer, housed at his High School in 1969. My parents of same age didn’t use or see a computer until the early 1980′s and even then, it was something they only experienced and got trained to use at their jobs. Is it really that surprising that Bill Gates was able to enter that market before many others and make money?

2) Mark Zuckerberg got his first computer around 12 years old and at some point his father hired someone to tutor him in computer programing. That computer adjusted for inflation would probably be worth close to $3,000-$4,000 today, not including tutoring costs. To put things into perspective my father had a computer in the early 1990′s, in his home office, that cost him about $3,000 and I was not allowed to touch it, EVER. My used car in high school cost less than half that, to buy at the time. Is it really that surprising that Mark Zuckerberg was able to enter that market before many others and make money?

3) Jeff Bezos claims he paid for college on his own dime and at some point, started Amazon with his own money, HOWEVER, he admits there was a point where he needed financial help, in the form of a loan, to keep the business afloat. Eventually he went to his parents who then loaned him $300,000, after taking out a second mortgage on their home. How many parents posting comments here, would give their children a $300,000 loan, leveraged against their previously paid off home, for a questionable start-up business? Is it really that surprising that Jeff Bezos was able to enter that market before many others and make money?

3) Donald Trump, well what do I need to say here, he inherited his fathers $40 million dollar real estate business and got to learn the business under the guidance of his highly experienced father. Its certainly not surprising that he was able to enter that market before many others and make money?

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying any of the above people were not smart, hard workers, whom to date, have not earned their “keep”, but lets also not also fool ourselves about the financial FOUNDATION they came from.

If ANY of the above people had come from a lower class background than they actually did, their greatest achievements in life would have been inversely diminished because their “spring boards” would also be lower.

The people you see today talking about "how to make money" ALL started out on third base, but for some reason are credited with Home Runs today, in hind sight.

Bill Gates, at best, would be a 6 figure VP or President at a software company today, Mark Z would be a 6 figure star programmer at Google or Riot games etc, Jeff Bezos would be a top Costco regional or district manager pulling in 6 figures and Donald Trump would be a small time developer working with much less capital.

I’ve seen this play out many times in life, you can’t be a dummy and turn inherited wealth into more wealth; but being smart, in turn, also won’t allow to you to rub two nickels together, with no family connections, nor any financial support, therein, turning those two nickels into a multi-million dollar company, in some number of years. Certainly not circa 1999-2013.

Now, I do believe a person certainly could have done the above after the war in 1945, but that was a TOTALLY different world in terms of codes, regulations and financial polices. We don’t live in that world anymore. If you want to see how money is actually made today, look up how the “Riot Games” founders got their first $1 million via venture capitalist investor. I’ll give you a hint, it was just like the way Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg Donald Trump way and Jeff B did it, via family help.

If a rich kid has one lick of ambition and knows how to work, MODERATELY hard, they can achieve almost anything they want, with the way the current economy is set up. Starting from nothing today means something very different than it meant 20+ years ago. If you come from a family that does not have a "pot to pi$$ in" circa 2015, you're likely not going nowhere fast and no amount of ambition is going to change that.

What all this means, is that there is a clearly defined age range, where family wealth has a greater influence over a persons ability to become a millionaire later in life, DUE to the increasing costs of starting up a successful modern business. If a Boomer, for example, started a hardware sales operation in the 1970's, that persona had a MUCH greater chance of becoming a millionaire, 30+ years later by 2014, than say an X'er starting a similar business in the 1990's or Millennial starting one in 2015.

In fact, Bank of America has published a white paper outlining EXACTLY what I have described. So even though the report is generated by a corrupt corporation, you can guarantee it has a certain degree of accuracy, due to the type of customers they are targeting with the message it contains. Its highly doubtful, that Bank of America would do poor research on one of their target, high income, customer demographics, most likely to generate profits and buy shares.

The studies title is:

"2013 U.S. TRUST INSIGHTS ON WEALTH AND WORTH Annual survey of high net worth and ultra high net worth Americans"

originally posted by: redhorse

originally posted by: Jamie1

originally posted by: Pimpish
a reply to: Jamie1

Costs money to get more education and skills. If you're living paycheck to paycheck barely paying bills and eating, you have no money to spend on education. Not everyone is privileged enough to have been able to go to college after high school. Some people didn't have the grades, some people had to start working immediately due to family situations, plus many other reasons where more education simply wasn't possible.

It's not so black and white as you make it seem.

Some people show up in the U.S. with nothing and within a year have their own business.

Yeah, it IS black and white.

If this has happened in the last 10 or even 15 years with any regularity I would be surprised. Can you find even one example of this? I have my doubts that you can. You say this happens but I have never seen it. I see plenty of people busting their humps and breaking their bodies and barely able to afford necessities though. If this miraculous something from nothing because of hard work pipe dream still happens I think it has more to do with luck then work ethic (or conservative spending and general savvy, or whatever lucky people tell themselves so they can feel deserving).

I can show you a few wealthy people who came from "nothing" who are fully cognizant of the fact that it is Better To Be Lucky Than Good though; including my own family. Most people in that upper tier sell themselves a pretty good line about how hard they work but if you really press them most admit to an inheritance, general windfall, or really lucky break. They don't have any better work ethic than the working class though. They. Just. Got. Lucky.

Yes, this took me about 9 seconds using Google.

articles.latimes.com...

www.dailymail.co.uk... anicure-industry.html

Here's the difference.

People in other cultures are taught to work hard, not complain. They are not taught that business owners are bad people, or that the rich are evil.