Matt Taibbi writes, "Courtesy of good friend and Supreme Court of Assholedom justice David Sirota comes this revolting list of Marie Antoinettoid moments from recent years, in an article called The New 'Let Them Eat Cake!'"
Portrait, Rolling Stone contributing editor and author Matt Taibbi. (photo: Robin Holland)
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Interesting that Nancy Pelosi's net worth incresed by 62% last year -- from richer to filthy rich.
I'm on record here - that the top end of the tax cuts should have been reversed back in the mid-2000's or so. Still should.
I'd imagine that Pelosi is already in the same tax bracket as Schwarzman.
But not most of the other 82% of the Bush era stimulus, er, tax cuts. Why? Reversing them would greatly hurt the middle and lower classes as well - both directly, and as a result of further economic depression.
I guess you meant Reagan and someone else?
What a weird thing to say. Everyone has a lot to do with it - especially Clinton.
I'd never blame Clinton, personally, for looking the other way, as did Bush, as their respective bubbles blew out of control. The 90's would have been much the same w/ Bush at the helm, as the 2000's would have been with Clinton, or Gore, at the helm.
You seem to have all the answers. I'm surprised you are not aware that Donald Regan was Reagan's Secretary of the Treasury and Chief of Staff. No Oligarch 23 didn't mean Reagan and someone else.
But good luck with that dream of yours, there will be room for you in the welfare lines when the next recession hits , if you're not too proud. Or do you have some crazy notion that the 2nd amendment kicks in at that point? ... And we actually believed the Eastern Bloc used mind control on its citizens. (Call me a comrade any day, just don't call me a consumer.)
They (THE FAT CATS) are NEITHER RICH NOR WEALTHY! They are greedy, covetous, and pernicious! The so-called "redistribution of wealth" has STOLEN from the working and middle class to feed the FAT CATS! And now, when they are called upon to pay their fair share, they morph into Daffy Duck and declare his motto: "Fair sssharre of taxes? Me? NO! It's MINE! ALL MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! HU-HU-HU-HU-HA- HA-HA-HA=HA-HA- HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! !!!!!!!!! Besides, I, AM GREEDY!! Daffy says what most of these greedmonger say amongst themselves!
You have said it so well. This is the most intelligent comment I have read in some time. Do you have any solutions?
Today, I question if this obviously manipulated, massive poverty inducing recession/depre ssion, effecting millions of we the sheeple while the villainaires make unprecedented profits, is perhaps a ploy to keep we the sheeple inactive with revolting/prote sting. Too busy we are merely surviving. Could also explain the Kochsucking pols refusals to do what's necessary to bring us out of this recession/depression.
It's now absolutely obvious the villainaires wish to totally enslave us, and what better way to do it? Time we revolt and fight like hell to.....UNDO THE COUP!
I have known only one billionaire, the late Bill "Jeep" Daniels who made his money being the first to broker cable TV and should be an example of a good rich person. One of his more pertinent statements was "It was fun making a lot of money but it was even more fun giving it back!" which he did in too many ways to list here -and not just to get tax breaks. I have had relatively well-off times and that was the main pleasure; helping others including needy friends.
Excess and social imbalance is disgusting and is what is dragging this country down!
Of course everyone lost their health insurance coverage and after a few months I was diagnosed with cancer and now have no way to pay for treatment.
Here's my plan for this twerp, I'm going to come back and haunt that bastard daily for the rest of his life.
Go figure.
You are like a dry alcoholic. Because you "made it" whatever that means, you despise anyone who hasn't reached whatever mark you have set for them. I'll bet you don't know that there is less social mobility in THIS country now than there is in those "snobby European countries, which I'm sure you despise. You apparently have never traveled outside this country because you harbor so many ignorant delusions about the outside world. How have you avoided all the collapses in investments that cost other people so much of their savings? Have you ever been disabled? Have you or any member of your family ever had debilitating uninsured medical expenses? Have you ever lost a job? Nothing unfortunate has ever come along to knock the wind out of your sails? Well, aren't you lucky? You are a self-righteous ass. I find it astounding that someone like the hedge fund multi-billionai re John Paulson who made $4.9 billion last year (as much as the annual income of 184,000 average Americans) and you and he think he should pay 15% tax while all those families pay twice that. BTW Both Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg came from wealthy families and they both dropped out of Harvard. Don't think that the poor, socially unconnected will ever become Bill Gates. Many of us have worked our 30-40 years and just want to retire with the Social Security we paid for!
God Bless You!
While we are successful by most people's standards, I have (due to my hobbies) the pleasure of knowing quite a number of LIBERAL but very wealthy elites. ALL OF WHOM favor income taxes, and fair ones. Even for me - and I am successful, but not ludicrously wealthy by any stretch, I see the inequity and consider it gross. My secretary would pay a higher percentage of her income (adequate but considerably less than half of my salary, say nothing of the income I get from our additional business - which is growing) than I pay of mine, if I allowed my tax accountant to do everything he says he could do. THAT is gross.
Reyn
Robert? It's a principle based on morality, gratitude and CLASS! Wealthy people who have more than enough money by inheritance or dilient work practice this out of gratitude for being fortunate, empathy for others and a as a call to civic duty because they are decent human beings who know that noone "deserves" good things more than anyone else. Why? Because we are all interconnected as human beings and real generosity and caring about others is what being a good person and living a good life is all about.
In this status of society of which I am in will always thrive, because we are always finding means out of our meager income to help others less fortunate than we are.
BAD- Are those who try to demoralize the poor and disadvantage.
UGLY- Are those who are very selfish and prideful !! They splash their millions around on frivolous things like $400 crabs and $5 million dollar birthday splashes. They ran to the gov't to bail their tails out of hot water and turnaround to critize the poor who seek sincere gov't help for their health care, housing and financial help. How twisted can this UGLY society be!
WELL SAID!
That's right, go away. If it's too expensive, move to where your dollar buys more. Ahhh, but that means getting away from all those nice clubs and restaurants and Broadway shows and....oh yes, the big money game is in NYC. If they are having problems with the cost of being greedy, they should look at the main drivers...look up. The billionaires drive the prices up because they are paying those prices.
And to the trolls who think the NYT whine article justifies their comments...I ask, how many billion people live on less than 2 dollars a day? Go F@#K yourselves!
There’s a remarkable study showing that about half of American social program beneficiaries believe that they "have not used a government social program." It's the "Keep your government hands off my Medicare" phenomena battle cry: a society of people who subsist on mutual aid and redistributive policies who've been conned (and conned themselves) into thinking that they are rugged individualists and that everyone else is a parasite.
Sounds like you.
http://government.arts.cornell.edu/assets/faculty/docs/mettler/submergedstat_mettler.pdf
The following is from The Naval Academy website: "The Navy pays for the tuition, room and board, and medical and dental care of Naval Academy midshipmen. You also enjoy regular active-duty benefits including access to military commissaries and exchanges, commercial transportation and lodging discounts and the ability to fly space-available in military aircraft around the world. Midshipmen pay is $864.00 monthly, from which laundry, barber, cobbler, activities fees, yearbook and other service charges are deducted. Actual cash pay is less than $100 per month your first year, increasing each year to $400 per month in your fourth year. Midshipmen may voluntarily sign up for the Midshipmen Investment Fund (MIF), which will allow you to invest a portion of your monthly pay into your choice of participating mutual funds."
Your son must have been a fine young man to qualify for the Academy, but I must say, that was a nice leg up.
~ U.S. President Abraham Lincoln,
Nov. 21, 1864
'I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered..'"
~ Thomas Jefferson, 1802
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."
~ Sinclair Lewis
Irritatedly, Hostilely and in Great Haste,
The Mostly-Honorabl e and NEVER-Vanquished
Christina "Harlow" Marlowe
RAPE VICTIM of the QUISLING U.S. Government and it's CORPORATE WHORE-MASTERS
SHAME ON YOU ALL!!!!!
At a 15 tax rate, the guy who makes 5,000,000 is left with $4,250,000 to squeak by on, and the teacher or social worker making $50,000 gets after taxes $45,000. This is "equalizing the rich guys success back to that of the teacher?? Hardly. After taxes he has $,4,205,000 more than the teacher. Under communism the'd both be making $45,000.
Which of these citizens makes a more valuable and significant contribution to the knowledge, health and well-being of the society? The teacher, the social worker, or the guy who move money around and gets filthy rich on commissions and bonuses while producing no product or service?.... and is pzid ONE HUNDRED TIMES the compensation of college-educate d professionals working in the arts, science, government industry, humanities, education and social services. You identify with and defend this rich guy because his brilliant contribution to society is so necessary and valuable to that he should be exempt from paying the taxes at the same rate of people who have real jobs? Give me a break.
~ John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006) Canadian-Americ an economist, author, professor, U.S. Ambassador to India, and two-time recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom (1946, 2000) for contributions and service to economics.
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