Ultra-rich man's letter: "To My Fellow Filthy Rich Americans: The Pitchforks Are Coming"

I think one of the things that is fooling people in American and other societies is that they are mistaking the creation of currency by fiat for the circulation of currency. These are two quite different things.

Mr. Hanauer would like money to circulate which means that there must be a significant raise in the minimum wage, at least, in order to create customers for the businesses that the oners and .01ers own or manage.

The current system is similar to pumping plasma through a dying body until all of the red blood has been extracted from the body. Things go great until the body dies with the pumps still providing artificial "circulation" of a worthless fluid.

Nope. Not gonna happen.
We've had it too soft, for too long and we're gonna sit right here and keep takin' it in the ass like a good little drone.
Amerika - Land of the rich, home of the wage slave.

You show me a highly unequal society, and I will show you a police state. Or an uprising.

The two aren't mutually exclusive. However, an uprising in the US would not be successful. It's simple logistics. It would not succeed in the US because power is VERY decentralized. It's part of our makeup as states. This is the MAJOR difference between the US and other areas where we've seen such things happen. He's right though, and that's what is so frustrating. The coming police state isn't just a crackpot idea, it's the logical conclusion based on centuries of history, and yet we keep voting for the very folks to make it happen, instead of taking the opportunity to truly make a difference when we still can. Personally, my thinking is that it is too late.

I'm under no delusion that I can fight against a US police state. So instead, all I can do is try and be either ignored by it, or work with it when the time comes. The only way I'd rebel is from inside a camp (as once there, nothing else to lose). Sure, some will say this is cowardly, but I'm also not going to lose everything for some lofty ideal either. Dying an honorable death is still dying, and still isn't going to help my family, but NOT dying will.

i was told yes but when that day comes the people will have a revolution and everything will be balanced again the the cycle will resume

The one problem with most revolutions is that even when they succeed, the revolting folks have no good concrete ideas in mind with where to go from there. The original US revolution that founded our nation had such a plan, but recent examples haven't, and the chaos afterwards is abysmal. Then of course, you have the issue where the same system tends to work it's way back into place, as the basic structure hasn't really gone anywhere, just a few hands changed on the wheel.

Over the weekend I watched a fascinating BBC documentary that I would highly recommend to anyone who wonders how the .01ers react in an advanced western society when they come under serious pressure.

The Plot Against Harold Wilson makes it quite clear that when they become alarmed the tendency of the .01ers is to call out the troops and stage a military coup.

If things get to that point, it will be a case of who gets the drop on whom first. In the US the .01ers have been staging a coup by stealth for some time now, or perhaps a better way of putting it would be to say that they have been laying the groundwork for a coup (Alex Jones is all about this.) and would be likely to succeed in squashing any group reaching for the pitch forks.

Mr. Hanauer makes it perfectly clear that there is no reason for things to get to that point and no reason for the .01ers not to change the way they do things. It is in their interest to do so. It's not just good for business, it's better for business.

If you want to see .01er "knuckle-draggers" in action under pressure, watch the following.

The Plot Against Harold Wilson

By the way, read the whole article. One of the finest pieces on our current system, it's challenges, and solutions, that I've ever seen. I'm definitely picking up this guy's book. I just hope the .1 percent does too...because THEY are the ones who really have to read it.

Even in his theoretical police state, without a middle class, the wealthy have no customers, and thus, no more wealth. Something for folks to ponder while sunning on decks of their yachts.

OK, this is my first post, So, after many years of reading the mail, Greetings.

I Think often about all of these arguments against Capitalism. But is what we have now Capitalism? It seems to me that a good deal of what is wrong with our system is that the winners and losers are picked by our regulatory systems, regulators, bankers, and politicians, who of course are paid by the Super Rich corporations to make sure the ball always lands in their court. How can small time start ups compete with mega corporations. A regulatory body, i.e. say, EPA, comes in and says that is not within regulatory limits, boom, they are shut down, I work in agriculture, so let's use that as an example.

25 years ago, there were hundreds of small farms that produced the products that I support. Now, a handful, comparatively are left. They are being swallowed by three competing corporations. They are unable to grow their business because of zoning laws, EPA, regulations, etc. They cannot grow, they cannot compete with the large corporations shear volume of product, they are required to meet tougher and tougher industry standards, which, interestingly enough, were developed by the worlds largest retailer, cutting deeper into their bottom line, finally, they succumb to market forces, sell the farm to one of the "Big Three" Then miraculously, that very same place is ordering a machine with three times the capacity, new complexes are being built, and one more family, business bites the dust. So, did the zoning laws change? I guess. Who got them changed? Did the EPA rules change? Probably not, but the big corps, can spend all the money in their coffers to accommodate the litany of useless, nonsensical regulations that are cast down on the little people on a farm in Ohio, from the suit wearing shills in an office in DC. Is this Capitalism?

The second part of my question actually relates to smaller corporations that employ a lot of little people, i.e. you and me. The company I work for is not huge, a few hundred people, tops, spread through the whole globe. The cost of doing business has increased exponentially over the last ten years. Why? Regulation. I am referring mainly to ACA, and a host of other governmental obligations that frankly, don't make any sense. This really started under another administrations enactment of the Family Medical Leave Act. I have worked for two companies since the enactment of this bill. I have seen it abused in the most obscene way by employees at both companies. I just had surgery, I will be back to work as soon as I am able, took vacation time to get my problem fixed, but in many cases, others in my shoes would have taken advantage, gamed the system, stuck it to the man, and left the company in a tight position from a human resources position. Greed, I think is a top down, bottom up poison nested somewhere deep in our culture? DNA? human condition? I don't know. But I know that when one games the system, it hurts the company, hurts the bottom line, hurts, all the other employees that go to work every day.

Sorry, this has turned into more of a rant and rambling of jumbled thoughts, just woke up this morning, lacking my normal mobility, and the brain had a bit of an overload on my keyboard.

This seems fake to me.

I just don't buy it. The rich don't give a damn about what the poor do, they got a bought and paid for government to protect them.

a reply to: HauntWok

Taxes. He is smart enough to know the tax base is shrinking.

originally posted by: HauntWok
This seems fake to me.

I just don't buy it. The rich don't give a damn about what the poor do, they got a bought and paid for government to protect them.

This is right, but Mr. Hanauer is not "the rich". He is a self made man. He is not the establishment. He is not "old money".

The problem lies with "old money". Those are the people who are completely cut off from practical considerations and habituated to reacting in one way to a challenge. They would and will cut off their noses, or their limbs if they feel threatened by them. They don't know what they are doing to themselves.

Mr. Hanauer's article is addressed to them. He is trying to talk to them in terms they understand, not compassion but profit.

a reply to: ipsedixit

i'm watching this video you posted. i'm so lost in the political intrigue part of it. are they saying the labor party there was infiltrated by communists?

At least he not that smug enough to not realize a fact that has happened in history, and shows he would like a proper investment. Instead of trying to pay a large amount of money to cops and weapons, to guard a castle.

Problem is that general labor is becoming cheaper and cheaper , especially when it can be done with machines. And raising minimum wage, just doesn't do anything, except making other job that get paid a little more, on the same level as general labor.

a reply to: undo
It is a complicated chain of events that starts to happen. The root of the problem was economic. One can debate the causes of this but Wilson came into office at the time of a large devaluation of the currency which caused a flight of capital out of the UK. This caused widespread social unrest, demonstrations, layoffs, etc. This situation began when Edward Heath was Prime Minister but reached a crescendo under Wilson.

The .01ers wanted Wilson out and started to make moves designed to make that happen. They had help from within the nobility, the military and the secret services (MI5). One of the things the security services did was to investigate labor unionists for connections to the Soviet Union, while ex-military people and people they recruited from within unions infiltrated union meetings to cause disturbances and make things seem worse than they were, or to guarantee that the paranoia of the upper classes was verified in the daily papers by chaos often precipitated by operators allied to the .01ers.

They started rumors to the effect that Wilson was a Soviet mole (several moles had been already revealed) and that he was in fact "the 4th man" (actually it was Anthony Blunt). The operators acting in the interests of the .01ers caused a sort of reverberation of panic among .01ers, to the point where there was serious talk of a military coup, including a trial run of military deployment at Heathrow Airport. Lord Mountbatten even contacted the plotters and told them they could count on him for support. The Queen Mother was also involved.

The Soviets may well have been involved in agitating among the labor unions but when you have both the Soviet agents agitating and the paramilitaries/MI5 types agitating (on behalf of the .01ers), the disturbance and danger was amplified to the point that there could have been a coup.

Wilson resigned early under great physical stress.

There were certainly serious problems in the UK but they were exacerbated by panic among the .01ers, much of it caused by people acting misguidedly on their behalf.

a reply to: ipsedixit

I'm still not buying it.

Sorry, not only will the rich not let anything happen to themselves but conservatives won't either.

conservative poor believe they just aren't rich yet. They aren't going to do anything to "job creators".

Sorry but I call BS.

originally posted by: Gazrok

Even in his theoretical police state, without a middle class, the wealthy have no customers, and thus, no more wealth. Something for folks to ponder while sunning on decks of their yachts.

Even without the middle-class they can continue to squeeze taxes and raise prices on essentials for living.

People can live without bling, but they can't live without working, shelter, food, and water all of which can be taxed and manipulated.

a reply to: ipsedixit

I just watched the entire video. Thanks for posting it.

I was a kid when all this went down - and knew nothing about any of it. My parents did a good job of keeping world events out of earshot of us 3 kids.

Recently I read Dr Zhivago - and the old saying "There is nothing new under the sun" seems more apropos than ever.
I don't know where this country is heading (the US), but - it does scare me.

There is a story about a big welfare woman on a soup line or a supermarket line ( one or the other) going through the counter with some meager goods.

In answering a question from the counter girl about her survival remarked pointedly referring to the elite:

“We’ll eat them M_____F_____S

The elite better remember the French revolution

Heads rolled….

originally posted by: NoRulesAllowed
His premise is to increase the minimum wage and in general to create again a more-affluent middle-class since without a affluent middle-class companies go out of business. As simple as that.

He is correct there and I entirely agree, HOWEVER raising minimum wage alone won't cut it as long as outsourcing and abroad manufacturing is going on. Worse, companies may/will take the higher minimum wage just as another reason to outsource even more. India, Pakistan, China ... This is how I see it.

No the companies and CEOs needs to learn that billions in profits is ludicrous when their workers are making them those sick profits but yet can barely put food on their plates.

If I were president all U.S. companies would be shut down until they got all their factories overseas moved back to America. Build a 3 miles deep Constantia wire fence on our southern border after the Rio Grande is loaded full of Alligators and Crocks lol. Bring all our troops home and only have a few large bases in Canada, England, Japan and Israel. Stop this free trade madness, NAFTA and any other U.S. trade agreement. Shut down, seize all the Federal Reserve assets and tell the world bank to go suck a big fat one!

Finally, sell our oil and gas to Americans first and only then export some to supply Israel and England for profit. The rest of yall bitches can go suck it from the mid-east.

a reply to: Patriotsrevenge

So...no rampant protectionism there then?

You do realise, that doing so would make your economy more restricted than that of Russia? Are you SURE you want to do that?

originally posted by: undo
a reply to: Chiftel

actually if you listened to the "wall street funded the bolshevik revolution" video i posted a few posts back, you would hear that it is corporate socialism, so yes, it's socialist. you just haven't come to grips with the reality of socialism yet.

That old dude is simply a bald faced liar. And an idiot. He's just making # up as he goes. The soviet union had plenty of original equipment that bears no resemblance to US or NATO counterparts. For instance the closed cycle rocket engines they build for NASA because NASA preferred this to attempting to build their own after the Russian plans.

See:



As well as the plethora of other military equipment.

And what does 'corporate socialism' even mean? You're just making stuff up as you go.

The reality of socialism is that civilized society is socialist. The more socialist, the more civilized and vice-versa.

The less socialist, the more barbaric.