Clueless Young Billion-Heirs Get Royal Treatment at White House
http://www.alternet.org/economy/clueless-young-billionheirs-get-royal-treatment-white-house
Are you young? Largely ignorant of what goes on in the real world? Is your name Rockeller or Marriott? Could you pass for Justin Bieber?
The President wants to see you, baby! Come on up in here.
As economist Thomas Piketty, author of a new blockbuster book on inequality, tours the East Coast warning that America will soon become a place in which inherited wealth means as much — or more — as it did in Downton Abbey Britain, the White House is wasting no time pandering to young people who have grown up in breathtaking privilege. The New York Times reported that the Prez recently invited a passel of fat kittens to an invitation-only summit to "find common ground between the public sector and the so-called next-generation philanthropists, many of whom stand to inherit billions in private wealth."
Like royal courts in time of yore, when the scions of the wealthy would preen and socialize with others of their ilk, todays oligarchs-in-training are coming to DC to see and be seen, to pay and accept tribute. In order to make things appear less crass than a simple handover of cash, these young folks are invited to indulge their ruminations about improving society — which, as you might imagine, does not involve things like a global wealth tax. Or larger inheritance taxes.
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as predictable as the sunrise. 
Orwell was right, that there is something vaguely comforting about the omnipresence of soothing pro-government voices. We must love the plutocracy and their good deeds on our behalf, just as the Oceanians loved Big Brother.
As efficient as a telescreen!
I think there are some nice kitty videos in the lounge.
You can pretend that I said FDR was Third Way all you want. I am merely pointing out how silly it looks to anyone who actually read my post.
I don't think you made a point above, apart from your absurd and transparent attempt to pretend that I said FDR was a Third Way Democrat. You did make a point below, which I answered directly. I agreed with you that Third Way politicians (and Republicans) want rich people to do good deeds when they feel like it.
So do Republicans.
"If they decide to" is pretty much the core of the Third Way/Republican philosophy when it comes to the rich.
That's how they justify giving them all the policies they want. And holding royal receptions for their children which are then bizarrely advertised as having them "invest in America."
And of course you feel that way about me. The talking point defense of brazenly plutocratic behavior by Democrats always comes with a free personal smear!
billionaires to use their family money to support our Democracy and if I had control of Congress I would insist on it.
Goosestepping them into jail or chiding them at this stage of their power would only rile them. The young have a better sense of equality from their mix with everyday other young people from school or social events.
That does seem to be the conclusion of this administration. So much safer and wiser to nuzzle up to them and hope that a loyal lapdog will merit an occasional bone.
The could like, invest in new bridges and stuff 
World's most dangerous road bridge. GPS: 56°13'20.39"N 115°43'54.06"E is 570 meters (1870 feet) Russia Siberia Vitim River crossing River Land Rover Discovery. The bridge is 15 meters above the water. It is the old railway bridge which are not attached sleepers.
Can you get a Paulbot reference in, too? That would make it complete.
Ruffling the feathers are you! Looks like you poked a hornets nest! Why can't you support American aristocracy? It is the liberal thing to do donchyaknow!
no matter which party is enabling it.
We have really gone around a bend here.
I can think of at least one family of multi-millionaires that produced a whole passel of kids, that grew up with "special attention" from the Whitehouse(s) and society, that the left continues to be enamored with.
Why is this any different? Oh, I get it ... 
so they probably missed that article. That said, the article doesn't surprise me. So a bunch of rich, up and coming plutocrats were invited to the white house to rub elbows and talk about how they can make more money and do good with it. Meh.
I tend to avoid that kind of reading because, bottom line, it brings out ugly envy. It doesn't involve me in any way. I'll never be invited to hobnob with their likes and I'll never have anything to "invest" anyway, other than in my own little life. The closest I may come to any of them is if they are vacationing up my way and land in the ED.
And nothing they do is likely to impact my life, or at least not likely to in a positive way. It never does. 
People are so evil apparently....
Hey, had to laugh at something in this otherwise infuriating article.
Honestly we have to get past this. Barack Obama has been exactly the type of president he promised in "the audacity of hope" - he explained in detail how he had to sell out to get where he is. And with the help of a very pleasant personality he got there. He is being the administrator - and he is doing what he is told.
He is better than the alternative, absolutely no doubt in my mind about that, but these kinds of articles underscore exactly what is wrong with capitalism.
Not only do we have capitalism but we have it running largely unregulated and we are not even slowing it down. The gap between the poor and rich grows wider every day, effectively squeezing out the middle class. In fact, if you look at true "middle" these folks are barely scraping by. The only people living the lifestyle that used to be considered "middle class" are the professionals making 6-figures, if they've been able to get their student loans paid off.
Worshiping the new tech gods at the castle is not the answer - TAXATION is the answer. Instead of serving these guys champagne I'd rather see POTUS meeting with the IRS to determine how we can raise both the inheritance and capital gains taxes.
It's a constant tension at this stage of the propaganda, the need to simultaneously deny the plutocracy *and* present it as the new normal that we should all be celebrating.
The transformation is tricky, because people still remember what a democracy is supposed to be about.
Things will be much easier for the telescreens when the memory holes are in place and they can just blare "2+2=5" without having to qualify it all the time.
Money and fledgling power. They really are different from the rest of us.
Long as the rich are allowed to run the universe (a.k.a. "capitalism"
they are the enemy.
What needs to happen is to redefine "rich." 10 times the average working salary is an enormous reward for extraordinary contributors to civilization and its prosperity. That's rich. Hundreds of millions and billions and tens of billions: that's not "rich." It's criminal plunder. Take it from them.
"My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks"
Real Liberals(tm) defend the clueless uber rich! Donchaknow!
These people have shown wisdom and foresight in picking wealthy and influential parents to be born to.
We should put their obvious talents to work organizing things so the rest of us can also be born to wealthy and influential parents.
