What is wrong with the elite people of America?

[imanamerican63]

We have a president who lies about everything! We have politicians who buy votes and then lies to cover up everything among other things! We have actors and actress who are involved in scandals that will most definitely ruin their careers and land them in jail! Sport figures getting arrest for different reason ruining their careers!

Yes, we have seen many different people involved in a scandal or two, but man! Now it is an every day occurrence! Is it because they don't know better or is it that they have money and power to do whatever they feel, not think how what they are doing is breaking the law? All the glory of fame and fortune?

My parents always told my brothers and sisters while we were growing up, "always do the right thing, never cheat or lie, because in the end, someone will always find out if you are doing something wrong or illegal"! I guessing now days that might true in some ways, but yet some people still push the limits and try to get away with doing wrong!

[Sherman A1]

1. Two things

1). They have money

2). They don't believe that the rules (that we all have to live by) apply to them because of #1 above.

[2naSalit]

2. Exactly!

[Chin music]

3. Right there.

TOO much money...but they need more tax cuts.

[Raine]

8. and they (most) always get away with it. nt

[rickyhall]

22. What I've sayin for years: they're not paying enough taxes

[BigmanPigman]

4. Meanwhile "nice guys finish last".

[Dan]

6. My little brother used to say

Good guys only win in the movies....

[DontBooVote]

5. Where's the cavalry? That's what I wonder. Where IS everybody? Where are the protests? Where

are the songs of our times? Where are the sane voices, shouting to the masses to reject this march toward the abyss?

We have what seems like very little reaction by the good and evil seems to have cast a pall, a paralyzing darkness, over the land.

Where IS everybody? Are they scared?

[Sherman A1]

10. Where is everybody?

They are scrambling trying to make ends meet, working two or more jobs, worried about the student loans, mortgage, car payments, the kids, aging parents and health care.

[RKP5637]

7. They feel insular and above reproach to whatever might happen to America.

Many feel wealthy and privileged, many have not seen the ravages of war and are ignorant as to how they are destroying the country. Many feel life will go on as usual without any grasp of how bankrupt of morality this administration is. Many are willfully stupid.

Deranged capitalism at work. Win at all costs and fuck the country and the people if in the way of $$$$$'s.

Here is a fine example of some of the elitist! https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142284556

[philly_bob]

9. The influence of Ayn Rand in the 40's and 50's. /nt

[IronLionZion]

11. I'm only surprised they got caught and will be prosecuted

come on, we've always known there were people cheating and lying their way through life

[Wounded Bear]

12. Perhaps they are not really "elite"...

[Mr.Bill]

30. There are no elite people in America.

It's a founding principle that we are all equal. The sooner people realize this the better.

[malaise]

13. Simple - money or title means

entitlement - so what's new?

How else can a rich teenager kill a family of Latinos and a judge then dismiss DUI manslaughter as affluenza and set him free.

[world wide wally]

14. America voted to give them the courts.

I may be politically incorrect, but too many Americans are just fucking stupid.

[pwb]

15. They certainly don't think of their families when they do these things?

The family values party.

[ooky]

16. Look at all the corruption in the Republican Party.

They see that, so they rationalize its okay for them to use their money that way too.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

17. Greed.... The elites that don't speak out are greedy. . . . nt

[FiveGoodMen]

18. The fact that we let them pile up enough money to BE the elite

[Johnny2X2X]

19. Can you be an honest rich person?

Other than athletes, entertainers, and lottery winners, I ask myself, can you run a business and get rich while being honest. The truth is I am not sure. I know a lot of business owners, the ones who've gotten rich from it all cut corners and screw people over to get across that bridge from making a comfortable living to making a fortune. It's all about underpaying people and hiring good lawyers to maximize profits by cutting corners.

And you want to see the most self righteous individuals? Look to the people who inherited a small business from their parents and live off the labor of their employees. This group of people act like they split the atom on a daily basis when all they've really learned is a basic formula on how to get rich on the backs of others while getting creative with accounting.

[Act_of_Reparation]

20. The same things that are wrong with everyone.

They just have the money and the means to get up to shit we can't.

People are awful. A good system keeps them in check. Our system is, well... not good.

[Magoo48]

21. Avarice and greed are social diseases pandemic amongst the world's 1%.

The rich are convinced that their wealth is for their benefit regardless of the law. If they can find a way to use it to their advantage then it is acceptable behavior.

[Johnny2X2X]

25. Agree

And after they cheat and steal to get ahead, they go to great lengths to congratulate themselves, like they're the king of the world for being smart enough to be dishonest.

[WyattKansas]

23. This country is actually the United States of Fraud.

The transformation has been going on for many years to shift regulated capitalism to Vulture Capitalism, where the wealthy can exploit whatever the Hell they want. The problem isn't only at the top, because it has actually trickled down to most people as well. Why else would we allow 'fake realities' in our lives, fake everything without question, adulting classes at colleges for a more 'enlightened' generation, everyone jumping on stupid fad ideas on the net, and everyone is worshiping the Giant Circus (complete with freak and horror shows) this Century has become, because the financial portfolios (until the next republican crash) are remarkable today?

[Meowmee]

24. Part of the problem

Is the stupidity of so many people here. Another is that the educational system is not really merit based and it costs too much to get into the so called elite schools- this is regarding the recent scandal. If you can't bribe your way in monetarily or in some other way then you at least have to be smart enough unless you are going to risk cheating on exams etc. which plenty of people do, not only in elite schools.

[SWBTATTReg]

26. I think that a lot of this is due to rump and his ignorant treatment of others. rump has done...

more damage to the so called 'elites' (and I don't call them this, I call them something else worse, they don't deserve the title 'elite'). The true elites of this country are those who volunteer, who help others without a thought or hesitation, who don't hide and play games, who would without a thought, give the shirt off their back to help others, and who don't have nothing to hide.

rump has brought out simply the worse in these so called elites for all of us to see upfront and personal, what they really are like.

A disgusting snapshot of what predatory capitalism is all about. They (mostly republicans) rant and rave if any kind of rules or laws are made to protect others from the ravages of these predators. They hem and haw at any kind of restrictions and then try to preach to us their ethics and say that their behavior is best for the whole world, when in fact, it's one of the worse behaviors our beleaguered planet needs at this time.

[no_hypocrisy]

27. They want more. They are insatiable.

My father came from nothing. But he moved into a comfortable tier of upper middle class. And it wasn't enough. He wanted status as close to nobility as possible. He cultivated relationships at one of the most exclusive country clubs in the U.S., hoping to be inducted into British Society. I kid you now. That's what he was aiming for. As his status rose, he became alienated from me and my siblings as he believed we were holding him back and not supporting his delusions. He was aghast when my brother converted to Islam, especially when it put him in an uncomfortable place to reveal this to his WASP elite friends.

When he died, he disinherited all of us. Which made him lower than the Elite he admired.

[amywalk]

28. Several things. A lot of the very richest families in our country

committed a lot of crimes to amass their fortunes. “Behind every great fortune, is a great crime.”
Also, the very, very rich tend to behave the way the very, very poor people do. They don’t follow the rules. The very rich because they have everything to lose and the very poor because they have nothing to lose. It’s the people in the middle who work hard and play by the rules and keep the country chugging along. As Bill Clinton used to talk about on the campaign trail. Now, of course, that’s a grand generalization. Most people play by the rules.

[tclambert]

29. I think a lot of this attitude will be fixed when Donald Trump goes to prison.

I don't expect that to happen until the year 2021, though. I had hoped it would happen when the Obama Justice Department turned George W. Bush over to the Hague tribunal on war crimes, but alas, that did not happen. I hope we learned our lesson from that, too.

[ancianita]

31. Your question is best answered by "Winners Take All -- The Elite Charade of Changing The World"

I love your question; it's one we have to really think about from a lot of angles.

Anand Giridharadas does a great job of explaining how elites -- with all their "influencers" from Davos to philanthropic foundations to TED Talks -- will eat us alive if we keep believing and trusting them.

He was on Chris Hayes' segment this past Tuesday, commenting on the college admissions scandal.


Overall, Anand best explains the charade that elites put on for us. Here he puts a humorous veneer on the billionaires who help make our appalling situation.

[snowybirdie]

32. I think its a good thing

that they are NOW getting caught! It's starting to turn and they are getting caught. Perhaps we've turned a corner on allowing such behaviors?