If you were rich....

[unkachuck]

....would you still be a Liberal/Progressive?....just curious....

[neverevergivein]

1. My family is considered rich

I'm certainly in pretty good shape, my parents have lots of money. My dad is a right wing nutcase. He and I don't talk politics too much.

[Redstone]

2. How do you define "rich?"

You need to do that before we can have a meaningful discussion in answer to your question.

Redstone

[unkachuck]

9. enough money....

....so as to never have to worry about money....enough money so as to be able to live off the power and influence it brings....

[Redstone]

15. OK, we don't have that kind of money, so I'm not qualified to answer

your question.

Although, if it helps, my business is successful enough that I can say that most of the people I know who are in my income range are repubs.

Why, I don't know. All I can tell you is that I will never be one. Maybe because I grew up poor, I dunno.

Redstone

[stevedeshazer]

3. No, but

I sure find it an unending source if amazement that so many poor and middle-class people think that if they vote Republican, they'll be rich, too.

[hopeisaplace]

19. You said it! This is my biggest pet-peeve about repugs/cons

that they vote like they're debutante-wannabes

[question everything]

25. Indeed. And this is why there will never be a revolution in this country

never a real demand for fulfilling basic needs of everyone. Too many believe in the "American Dream" that if they work hard they, too, can be industrial giants. And they are too ignorant - or just working too many hours to be able to stop and think - that those who control the pie are not going to share.

[shanti]

30. but you can always

make the pie higher! ;)

[SnoopDog]

4. It is what is in your heart....

You can be rich with money but also rich in honor and ethics in wanting all society to be healthy and prosperous.

The better the entire society is - the better for all. So yes...

[TomInTib]

16. Thank you. IMO "rich" is a broad brush too oft applied. My....

wealth does not make place me anywhere near one of "them".

[leftofthedial]

5. I was for a time

if anything I became more progressive

nothing like rubbing elbows with the wealthy frequently to make you hate repukes even more.

[thoughtanarchist]

8. Tell us about it some...

You don't have to get too specific but I'm curious...

Was it like the "Family Guy" episode where They inherit the mansion in Newport?

:bounce:

[leftofthedial]

23. maybe a little closer to beverly hillbillies

it involved spending way too much of my time in an old-money community

god what insufferably boring, venal and narcissistic people

they have no real problems so they invent them. then their imaginary, self-inflicted problem becomes the most important thing in the world

plus, most of them are stupid, shallow and incurious.

I've rarely had a stereotypical impression of a group proven out so thoroughly.

[badgerpup]

6. Honestly?

If i'd been born to wealth, I cannot honestly say what my political stance would be.
If I won the lottery tomorrow? :rofl:
I would have the same political alignment that I do now...which I guess is liberal...
only I'd be able to DO more about it...

[yorkiemommie1]

17. that's how i feel

i don't know how i would be if i had been born into wealth.

right now we are doing fine but i haven't lost my liberal values.

AND... I have friends who are trust fund babies , friends who are celebrities who are very liberal.

i agree w/ the poster who said that some vote w/ the repubs because they think that makes them part of the team. i also read an article that said the same thing.

i KNOW my husband votes repug because he feels it makes him a 'player'. what he and the others don't realize is that the GOP doesn't give a damn about anyone but those in power.

[Dem Agog]

7. ...

As one half of a couple that's making more money than we ever figured we'd make, with no kids on the way, or ones to support, I'd categorize us as "as close to rich as I could have ever expected".

And yeah, we're still liberal/progressives.

So's my father-in-law, who owns his own clinic and is very well off.

Being caring and honorable shouldn't be tied to money. And for good people, it's not.

[Cats Against Frist]

10. I'd buy an island and make man-animal hybrids

It's every liberal's dream, you know.

[tech3149]

11. Probably even more so

I got over the influence of wealth in my 20's. The best part of life is the people you share it with. I'd rather know that they have what they need than crow about how much more i have.

[MissWaverly]

12. Yes, yes and yes look at Bill Gates

[FloridaPat]

13. Yes. Been down on the bottom too many times and realize

that is doesn't take much to be down there. Just loose your job, get sick, get robbed. We had so much in this country. Everyone could have had enough to enjoy their lives and work toward a better society.

[kineneb]

14. well, I am not now rich

nor is there money on the horizon...

But if I were, sure, I would still be a Liberal. My personal belief system follows that of Buddha and Jesus, so I would be giving away lots of my money to make other people's lives better.

After basic needs are covered, what is the purpose of amassing vast sums of money? Is it a game to see how much one can get? (I won't say 'earn', since most of the very wealthy rarely earn their money by honest work). I guess I don't understand the greed of the very wealthy.

Right now, comfortable for us would mean not worrying about whether we have enough money to pay the monthly bills and have food stored up in the 'fridge. It would mean knowing there was enough in reserve to fix the car if it breaks. It would mean I didn't have to put off seeing the optometrist or the doctor.

[Innocent Smith]

18. If?

:hide:

[ObaMania]

20. Yep I would..

.. and I'd do alot of philanthropic things with the cash.

Saw a story on CBS about the founder of Oracle who is filthy rich (tens of billions) and has a daily spending habit of 50K. Makes me sick. Can you imagine how 50K spent on a good cause daily would affect change in this country/world? Albiet a bit at a time, but it would make a difference. And all this asshole does is blows it on himself.

[Mnemosyne]

21. One of my younger repugnant sisters told my Mom

she needs to set up a trust fund for what I will inherit so I won't *blow it*. It's not a huge fortune, but I will be comfortable enough to survive (like the economy will:sarcasm:) and able to do some financial good some day. My sister(s) believes that I should buy fine leather couches, hairdos and SUVs rather than help the poor or save the whales and the rain-forests.

There are 5 sisters. Three are complete repugnants, one is kind of a centrist and then there is me on the far left.

Mom is registered repugnant, but always votes dem. She despises * and says she has never seen such a horrible president. She is 72, one of the most charitable people I know and very worried.

Dad changed parties like his shirt. Every time one pissed him off he would switch. He didn't vote for * in 2000 though, couldn't stand "that little sob", and wasn't voting for him in 2004 either. He leaned repugnant in his attitude toward welfare for the poor, but would send money to disaster victims and never take the charity deductions on his income taxes.:crazy::-)

As for me I'm dead ass broke most of the time but have always been and shall ever remain a liberal progressive.

In peace and hope,
V;)

[Lindacooks]

22. Yep. Because money can't buy everything.

A few people being rich doesn't do anything for a clean environment, cures for diseases, a healthy society, good schools, etc. You have to live in the world no matter how rich you are. I have some wealthy relatives who are scared to death to go out at night. But they don't connect the dots - they're right wing and have no problem with people being poor, yet they can't see that that poverty is helping cause the crime they're so afraid of.

[question everything]

24. Kerry is rich. So is Kennedy, and Sorus

and many liberal and progressive.

As a matter of fact, most progressive movement in our history were aided by wealthy individuals. Simply, being rich releases you from having to work hard and being too tired to think about the good of the people.

[radwriter0555]

28. Unless you're Oprah Winfrey, Bono, Bill Gates, Angelina Jolie,

and every other wealthy celebrity that puts their money where their mouth is! And bless their hearts for it!

[nemo137]

26. I'd hope so.

Background in economics, lower middle class upbringing, have half a brain - yeah, i'd hope so.

[Yollam]

27. I'm a millionaire and I'm a progressive.

No, actually I'm not. But that's what all the trailer trash who hang at FR and Yahoo always say.

They're full of crap obviously, since NO MILLIONAIRE WITH BUSINESSES TO RUN AND LIVING THE GOOD LIFE WOULD SIT AROUND POSTING MISSPELLED RIGHT-WING SCREEDS!


But seriously, If I made a bundle, I'd still be a progressive. A stable, peaceful society with less poverty and disease benefits EVERYBODY, including the rich, if for no other reason than they don't have to squander so much on security, gated communities.

Look at Mexico. Their upper classes live in walled fortresses and have to go shopping in bulletproof SUVs to protect them from the starving throngs.

Our right-wing friends see that as a something to ASPIRE to.

[insanity]

29. My family is rich

We are all about as liberal as they come. I think a lot of rich people understand that they owe the system that gave them so much and the people that helped them get there. Unfortunately, our leaders don't.

[dchill]

31. What? I AM rich...

I've got $500 in the bank... My wife and kids love me, and I might actually be able to pay the HEATING BILL - if I don't go out too much. I'm so wealthy I can't stand it!

Seriously, it won't be long before these "investment class" Republicans find out that they're not rich, either.

[Cleita]

32. I'm sure I would be.

Truthfully, I could have been rich. The opportunities came my way, but I really wasn't willing to make the commitments or the compromises. My problem has always been that I don't really care that much about money unless I don't have enough to take care of my needs.

I wish in a way though that I had socked away more for old age than I did, especially if I had predicted that we were going to allow these laissez faire capitalists to dismantle our checks and balances.

[Zinfandel]

33. I'm positive I wouldn't...Cuz I know, I would otherwise be a sick greedy,

never satisfied, lying, money hungry, Cheney!!!!

I wouldn't allow myself, never, ever, to become an evil, lying, diabolical monster...I know positively, I wouldn't...

However, I suppose the sickness does slowly evolve...

Still...

And I don't really understand it, but I'm sure the sickos would encourage and explain it to me as being my duty, to go for more...

No! There are always variations and levels of wealth which will always be subjective...that's where one has to be sure of ones self, but again...One has to agree, it has to come from your soul...does one lose it? Not recognize that its upon you?

And then its too late?

I'm still positive, for me, NO!

[renate]

34. my husband knew a guy who became mega-rich

Hundreds of millions of dollars kind of thing, when the Internet got big but before it crashed.
The guy said that money doesn't change who you are, it just makes you more that way. He was okay, so I guess he became extra okay.