Time for a mass redistribution of wealth

spiritualzombie
reply to post by eriktheawful

 

I stand by all my quotes and I have grown even more focused since then, thanks to many of the responses.

But I reject your interpretation.

You want a devil, so you see one in me. You are reacting to the hot button "redistribution", not to the actual content behind that statement.

I do have many many thoughts on greed and capitalism. And I am open to many levels of compromise, many possible solutions.

I say again, though, their investment in right wing media has definitely paid off.

It's not a "interpretation".

It's plain, written English.

If I say: "The boy jumped over the fence."

Then it means: A boy jumped over the fence.

However, what you have spoken in your arguments by trying to now deny the things that you have said speaks VOLUMES. It tells me and many others here on ATS, that:

1) You are willing to come out with some very outlandish ideas......but you won't stand by what you've said.

2) That if you are starting to loose an argument or debate: you will move the goal posts, and even lie about what you have or have not said.

3) That in the end, you claim to be so empathetic to all the poor, hard working people out there (remember those single mothers with 3 jobs you spoke of?), yet you desire to "hurt people", "cause them anguish", etc.

There is no one keeping you down. There is no one keeping you from getting ahead in this world. There is nothing and no one keeping you from becoming a 1% yourself.

Really, there isn't.

Oh....except one person. There is one person that is keeping you from doing that: you.

As many others on here have said: it sounds more like jealousy on your part.......

In any case (and has been mentioned many, many times in this thread): read history. Seriously. Sit down and read what happens every time what you are suggesting is attempted, either through force or legislation (Nazis were great at legislating wealth away from a group of people).

It never ends well.

reply to post by eriktheawful


False.

spiritualzombie

You want a devil, so you see one in me.

edit on 2-2-2014 by spiritualzombie because: (no reason given)

No different then what you are seeing in others who are "greedy" but you only call them the mentally ill which somehow makes you feel mightier then others.

Good for you.

reply to post by thesaneone


A lot of people would identify greed as a problem.

Clearly the idea cuts too close to the bone for many here.

Good night.

spiritualzombie
You're a liar or a blind man. If you read all my posts then you would have come to a very different conclusion about my motivations.

Nope, I have been here from page one and my conclusion of you are those first 7 words above.
Maybe you should reread all of your post and not just the first four pages.

spiritualzombie

ketsuko
you seem to think our same government will ride in on its legislative white horse any moment now and strike down the very people you claim are buying it.

I don't think this will happen at all. No where have I said, get ready, the government is going to go after the corruption and clean itself up. Nope, the rich are buying this country. They are buying the news, and many people support them doing so as The American Dream.

So my reaction, which I admitted was reactionary, was to say I vote for any law that redistributes wealth. Minimum wage go up, and those corrupt wealthy scream "no", I say yes. It's a personal choice.

It's not a dictator's choice. As benevolent dictator, my choice is to investigate those who think they can buy the government.

It's sad for you to think though that government can't repair itself. That's a sad thought indeed. That corruption cannot be fixed. The super wealthy can not be stopped from buying government and creating more distance between themselves and middle/lower classes.

What's interesting though is people aren't saying "it can't be done". People are accusing me of wanting to steal wealth. What I want is a fair system. I want to see these people investigated for plotting to take over the country, and I want laws in place to stop them from doing so.

From my point of view, a lot of people responding to my posts support protecting these individuals and even protecting their right to buy government.

edit on 2-2-2014 by spiritualzombie because: (no reason given)

So, you vote for policies advocated by the same people who are making laws that the 1% want?

Don't you see the problem with this?

spiritualzombie
reply to post by thesaneone

 

A lot of people would identify greed as a problem.

Clearly the idea cuts too close to the bone for many here.

Good night.

edit on 2-2-2014 by spiritualzombie because: (no reason given)

Again how do you measure greed? How do you make greed illegal?

reply to post by spiritualzombie


Who is twisting words?
"You guys enjoy the corruption. You guys want the corruption. You guys call it the American Dream. You applaud people who buy multiple media outlets to intentionally mislead public. You guys support corrupt practices that create a demand for $7 trillion dollar ransom. "
Please post for us one illustration of where "you guys" voiced support for corruption, in government or anywhere else---just one post of someone saying that they want this to continue...
I gave you very specific examples and asked you very specific questions and never got any sort of specifics back.
How many of Oprah's billions do you want to take? Who will benefit from her downfall? She is very rich. She owns media outlets. She works in political causes and I'd bet my farm she gives money to political campaigns, (probably more money per election cycle that most of us here make in a year!) so please, please, tell us what should be done with this woman who is one of the mentally-ill rich folks.
The people here "attacking" you have patiently been attempting to explain to you why your non-plan, of which you seem so proud, will backfire in your face then turn you around and bite you on the behind. That's because as adults, we can think farther than "This isn't fair!" and we know that actions have consequences. You seem reluctant to learn, thus my educated guess about your age. But after your response, I have to say, attempting to reason with you is like attempting to reason with the 3 year-old who stamps her little foot and says, "I want ICE CREAM NOW!"
Now, I've given you a very specific example of the mentally-ill, greedy rich person who owns media and is politically active persona you hold up. What will you do with her billions and what will you do with her body when the capital punishment you prescribe is carried out?

reply to post by diggindirt


Hey Diggindirt, good evening! I thought I answered all your specific questions, numbered and everything. What did I miss?

Okay, let's see... You're bringing me Oprah, eh? Okay, what do you have on her in regards to using her power to undercut the power of the people? What legislation is she trying to pass that gives her more power than normal Americans? Do you have anything that would indicate massive defrauding, was she a recipient of the 2009 bailout, or any sort of evidence that she is using her power to intentionally misinform the public? Tell me what she's doing to destroy America.

If she's your example, I assume you have something more than just wealth, media, and interest in politics.

I'd like to take the money out of politics so that may help, but unless she's committing a crime, or conspired in some way to hold the country ransom... I think your example may be sh*t. Sorry.

Have a good night.

its not really up to people who wins the monopoly game, however the government shouldn't fall prey to the world elite they should literally do their job

if they are refusing to follow the constitutional laws the way they were originally instituted they shouldn't work for the government, if they wanna play evil corrupt corruption time babies they should join the nfl apparently , or perhaps the fast food business?

reply to post by spiritualzombie


I'm not the one trying to grab Oprah's wealth---you are. She's an ultra-wealthy media baroness who is very politically active, using her media resources to attempt to sway legislation and voters. That's what you say you want to stamp out. Let's stay on topic here. Remember, it's about:

"Classifying greed as a serious mental illness or addiction is another important step I feel. And every religious person should be onboard with that. I would say anyone who is stockpiling cash in mass amounts living in extravagant excess, and not putting the majority of their winnings back into the system for the betterment of mankind should have to face their problem.

Greed is the pursuit of self. The pursuit of self is the opposite direction we should be going. It's no wonder that the party that most pursues greed also has a tendency of blaming poor and unfortunate people for costing too much money. They wants the precious for themselves!"

So take a look at Oprah in that light. She is worth billions according to Forbes. She has massive media holdings---which she uses to promote "Oprah" (see your definition of greed above--"pursuit of self") and Oprah's pet politicians and policy ideas. I have no beef with Oprah, never watched her shows at all since I don't have tv. It was you who laid out descriptions of those you want to "hurt" and "tear down" which just happen to encompass Oprah.

I'm pretty content with my life. I've raised a mess of kids who are all weaned and living the lives they've determined for themselves. They're productive, happy folks. What more could I want or need.
I feel compassion toward those who don't have the same quality of life that I enjoy. I remember well wondering if my paycheck would stretch to the end of the month. I also remember angels who came to help me. Finding a Benjamin in my pocket just after learning that my car was going to need $75 in work to keep getting me to work. Yeah, I worked with a very rich man, one could afford to hand out those hundred-dollar bills to struggling people and do it anonymously. Of course, I knew who put it there but when I tried to thank him, he raised his eyebrows, looked over his half-glasses and said, "I have no idea what you are babbling about. Angels visit earth and do nice things for people all the time. In time the beneficiaries of the angels become angels themselves and pay it forward."
Today, I'm happy that I can be an angel from time to time. It makes people smile and that makes me smile.
Again I challenge you to turn off your tv for a month or two, shut the pretty people on the screen out of your head. They are attempting to raise your misery index so you will buy the products featured on their broadcast in a vain attempt to feel less misery. For this 2 month period buy only things are are necessary to your life; food and shelter. No entertainment that costs money, turn off the internet along with the tv and get out and get your information from the world around you. Take the money you've saved by only purchasing needs, not wants, and give that money to people who have need of it.
It might your local food bank---you do know where it is don't you? It might be your local homeless shelter. Or it might be the old, "I think you dropped this $20 bill" to the person in front of you who's trying to decide which of his groceries to put back. I guarantee you that if giving of yourself to someone else doesn't reduce your misery index, nothing will. Not being bombarded by the pretty people on the screen with how miserable you should be today will help your brain to heal.

Every last man Jack and woman Jill of us who have disagreed with your proposed solution to the misery you find yourself suffering would stand and cheer if we could see the crooked politicians and lobbyists, wealthy or broke, banksters or brokers do the perp walk in cuffs. There are laws for that today. But we live with those laws and try to have happy lives despite the fact that life isn't fair and there are a certain percentage of the human population who don't have our best interests as their focus in life.

Looks like a lot of people who didn't like the super bowl, worship wealth, think the rich should be above the law, and see greed as a virtue.

Talk about getting whupped.

Ouch.

Not all 99% are hardworking and downtrodden just like all the 1% are not baby-killing sociopaths with a Bigfoot-sized carbon footprint.

Of course the game is rigged. Just because you have not learned to cheat the cheaters yourself does not justify your attempt to remove by force the winnings of the minority. That minority by the lottery of childbirth and the meiotic dance of zygotes have enabled themselves to separate their lives from the morass of seething humanity.

Chatter rule is a noble experiment. But, the USA is not a democracy. Though some of our societal rules have a democratic process, we are a representative constitutional republic. Our form of government was designed specifically to legally prevent exactly what you have described.

Even a theory cloaked in altruistic garb that insists the majority has a right to take from the minority is a violation of the very frame supporting the right of that majority to attempt this discrimination. This practice is also proscribed by the originators of that framework we like to call a constitution and bill of rights.

Therefore, either change the rules of the game by constitutional amendment, revolution, immigration to a different playing field, or instead hire someone with the IQ and determination to play the game as she be done and win a seat at the 1% table.

Whining about the unfairness of a process to which all are subjected does not denote maturity or successful behavior. If you can't bring yourself to win a rigged game better than the cheaters, then may I suggest submitting yourself for evolution.

Good thing the founding fathers of the US didn't think like so many on this thread, that we shouldn't complain about the greed of the PTB, or we would still be subjects of the king.

If you people think it is such a bad thing to speak out against greed and corruption, abuse of power, think that the rich and powerful can do no wrong, why don't you move to the third world dictatorship of your choice, where speaking out against inequitable distribution of income isn't allowed.

poet1b

Good thing the founding fathers of the US didn't think like so many on this thread, that we shouldn't complain about the greed of the PTB, or we would still be subjects of the king.

If you people think it is such a bad thing to speak out against greed and corruption, abuse of power, think that the rich and powerful can do no wrong, why don't you move to the third world dictatorship of your choice, where speaking out against inequitable distribution of income isn't allowed.

Can you point out the posts where anyone was denying 1st Amendment rights concerning individuals complaining about greed and corruption?


The thread title here is "Time for a mass redistribution of wealth".

Thanks in advance.

reply to post by beezzer


Could you point out where I said anything about the 1st amendment?

I do not oppose your right to claim greed is a virtue.

I just completely and firmly disagree.

poet1b
reply to post by beezzer

 

Could you point out where I said anything about the 1st amendment?

I do not oppose your right to claim greed is a virtue.

I just completely and firmly disagree.

I never said greed was a virtue.

If I thought greed was a virtue, I'd probably be supporting wealth redistribution instead of endorsing individual attempts at prosperity.