Why in the hell do people think rich people are smart & make good representatives?

[AnArmyVeteran]

Just because people have money does not make them smart or good leaders. And it doesn't mean rich people would make good representatives for the average, hard working American.

Just the opposite is true. To get their money the rich have to think only about themselves and the wealth they were accumulating. So the rich are generally the WORST people to be the representatives of average, hard working people. But campaign finance laws are so corrupt they only allow the rich, or whores to the rich, get elected. And face it, most people are just too stupid to figure out if they vote for a third party candidate they would get better representation. If for no other reason it would force the two corrupt major parties to listen to the voices of the people for a change.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So why do people keep blindly voting for democrats and republicans??? And why do people vote for a candidate who has more yard signs or television ads than the other guy? Thomas Jefferson said, "No people can be both ignorant and free". But most people are totally ignorant of the candidates and the issues they are voting for. Mike Royko, a Chicago columnist, said only 1% of the people have educated themselves properly about the issues and candidates to make a qualified decision. It's sad how ignorance seems to be the driving force in American politics.

The solution is TOUGH campaign finance reform. Here are a few changes that are a must to change the current corrupt system:
- We need to limit the amount any person can give to a candidate to $500 per election.
- NO ONE should be allowed to donate to a candidate unless THEY CAN VOTE FOR THAT PERSON.
- NO money can come in from any outside sources to pollute and corrupt local and state elections.
- All elections should be publicly financed.

Until we make the changes above we will continue to have a revolving door of whores and prostitutes flowing into government. The worst candidates are the richest candidates. They made their money by denying others, by cheating others, and by stepping on others so why should they be trusted to represent anyone but themselves? Greed begets greed and corruption. Wake up people...

[aikoaiko]

1. Some business folks are successful because they do well by customers and employees...

and sometimes stockholders, too.

[AnArmyVeteran]

4. You mean like increasing your stock value by not complying with mining standards?

And letting people die, just because it is cheaper to pay the fine that it would be to install the safety measures to protect the worker's lives? I get your point, but corporations are inherently unholy. They ONLY care about the bottom line and they do not care how they get to it, even if it means using slaves, endangering their workers or selling defective products. Quick term big profits are almost always preferred over long term, responsible & moderate gains.

[aikoaiko]

5. I wouldn't consider safety non-compliance doing well by one's employees.

I'm glad you get my point. I get yours as well.

[Greyhound]

13. True, but successful does not equate to rich by today's standard. n/t

An argument can be made for Warren Buffet, I suppose, but he is an exception. The system itself precludes the accumulation of vast wealth by simply making things better.

[Better Today]

2. I mostly agree, except you have a conflict within your list as I see it.

Either one can limit contributions as suggested, or one has public financing, I don't see how both exist.

So exclude that one and I'm on board. Well, it'll never happen, particularly with the recent SCOTUS decision, but yeah, good ideas for restrictions that make sense.

[AnArmyVeteran]

3. I realize that conflict.

100% public financing would be ideal, but a mix between public financing and very limited contributions from ONLY people who can vote for a candidate would be the next best thing. It's hard to write a long comprehensive list of conditions without overwhelming the typical reader.

[Cleita]

6. Or you could limit it to individuals from the private sector who can be finger printed

or identified as biological individuals in some way. No organizations representing a business sector allowed. No businesses, no matter how much personhood they are supposed to have are allowed.

[Uben]

7. Sorry dude, you missed i t on this one

The rich don't get their money by thinking of themselves and the wealth they accumulate, and they are not necessarily the worst advocates for average Americans. It's my experience that the rich make their money by being good judges of people, making prudent decisions about business, and sticking their necks out a bit. A little luck doesn't hurt either. I don't necessarily think a person's wealth dictates what kind of a leader they are. Leaders are the ones who take charge when no one else will. They assume responsibility with the intention of success, although it doesn't always work out that way. Rich people fail too. But, they get back up and try again, and again, and again. Determination, a good logical mind, a sense of business, and the ability to inspire others are attributes of a good leader, and it doesn't matter how much money they have.

I have failed a few times in my life, but that never stopped me from trying again. Nothing ventured, nothing gained has never been more true than today. You can't paint the rich with such a broad brush. Yes, there are crooks, eggsuckers, shysters, and greed mongers among the rich, but the same holds true amongst the poor and middle class as well.

It's not the rich that are our enemies, it's the congressmen we elect who are in it for themselves and not us. Joe Biden is a wonderful example of a guy who is not rich and has been an advocate of the working guy in politics. People like Bush and Cheney lack concern for what the everyday Joe is feeling. They are the ones you describe. But if they weren't rich, they would still be the same.

[Greyhound]

14. That's funny, the rich disagree with you.

"There is class war, alright, and it's my side, the rich, that are waging it and we're winning." - Warren Buffet

[AnArmyVeteran]

19. I agree, Joe Biden is a true advocate of the regular guy...

I didn't mean to portray all rich people as being that way, but from what I have experienced in life and in working in several corporations, the best and brightest do not succeed. If you work harder, they demand you work even harder. They tap people like they are oil wells, and at any time they produce one less drop they are fired. Becoming part of the elite upper management in a typical corporation means you have to tow the party line, be a yes man, sell yourself out. No, I am not saying this happens in every corporation or business, but it happens with great frequency.

The harder you work doesn't always equate to more success. There are a lot of good businesses ran by people who have good hearts and minds. But our country would not be in the perpetual mess we find ourselves in if not for our political process being nothing more than a typical whore house. I would trust my plumber, carpenter and lawn mower to be my representative than anyone who runs for office just because they made a lot of money, or they sold out to their corporate pimps.

BTW, an illegal farm worker produces more for society in one hour of work than all of Wall Street does in their lifetimes. Wall Street produces absolutely nothing of substance for society. The farm worker who picks fruit or vegetables produces food we must have to survive. Wall Street goons sit behind computers producing NOTHING for society or their fellow man. They could vanish tomorrow and true production in America would not notice their absence.

Capitalism at its finest: One opportunistic, greedy thug makes 5 billion in a year, producing nothing. Right wingers must have wet dreams every night glorifying the inequity in our economic system. A real producer in this country, like a teacher, firefighter or migrant worker would have to work 150,000 to 250,000 years to make that much money. That is obscene and any system that allows such inequality is not just unjust, it is immoral and evil.

When I was 16 I realized that those who produced the least, got paid the most, and those who produced the most, got paid the least. That is as true now as it was when I was growing up, but it's far worse today. The division between the rich and the hard working poor is greater now than at any time since the Roaring 20s.

[Go2Peace]

8. Our system enables authoritarian personalities and represses cooperative members

That is one of the reasons most all of our institutions, including government, are falling apart. It is simply getting rarer for anyone but the more agressive to be placed in positions of leadership. This is also reflect and part of the problem with government leadership.

But I agree, the best answer is getting real DEMOCRACY. Democracy changes the paradigm. And we do not currently have a democratically operating system.

[louis-t]

9. I don't know. Why do repubs always pick

the dumbest person in the room to vote for? I believe they are threatened by anyone who is smarter than they are.

[ipaint]

10. Tommy Douglas, the man who laid the foundation for

Canada's health care system agrees with you.

The Story of Mouseland
As told by Tommy Douglas in 1944

It's the story of a place called Mouseland. Mouseland was a place where all the little mice lived and played, were born and died. And they lived much the same as you and I do.

They even had a Parliament. And every four years they had an election. Used to walk to the polls and cast their ballots. Some of them even got a ride to the polls. And got a ride for the next four years afterwards too. Just like you and me. And every time on election day all the little mice used to go to the ballot box and they used to elect a government. A government made up of big, fat, black cats.

Now if you think it strange that mice should elect a government made up of cats, you just look at the history of Canada for last 90 years and maybe you'll see that they weren't any stupider than we are.

Now I'm not saying anything against the cats. They were nice fellows. They conducted their government with dignity. They passed good laws--that is, laws that were good for cats. But the laws that were good for cats weren't very good for mice. One of the laws said that mouseholes had to be big enough so a cat could get his paw in. Another law said that mice could only travel at certain speeds--so that a cat could get his breakfast without too much effort.

All the laws were good laws. For cats. But, oh, they were hard on the mice. And life was getting harder and harder. And when the mice couldn't put up with it any more, they decided something had to be done about it. So they went en masse to the polls. They voted the black cats out. They put in the white cats...

cont.

http://www.dcf.ca/en/mouseland.htm

Cats (less than 3%) will NEVER do what is best for the mice population (97% of the US). They need to be regulated with tough finance reform just like our major corporations should be and forced to do what is in the best interest of the mice majority. Unfortunately for those of us who see the problem, regulation in any effective form is a forgotten art. Dead and buried until the mice wake up, open their eyes and demand it. None of this compromise/bipartisan bullshit they've used for decades to push a radical right wing agenda on all of us.
Waiting around for that once in a century filthy rich multi millionaire (another FDR) to do the right thing is a proven losing strategy.

[AnArmyVeteran]

20. Awesome mice story, thanks!

[LonePirate]

11. The typical American is envious of the rich and doesn't understand ...

that the rich are only concerned about preserving their way of life. Helping others achieve that way of life only lessens the way of life for the rich since it increases their numbers and thus reduces the status of the rich. The rich will never allow that to happen yet the masses are too ignorant to realize that. They keep chasing that carrot at the end of the stick instead of pursuing changes in their lives or in their government that actually benefit them.

[Greyhound]

12. Well over a century of propaganda. n/t

[Initech]

15. Since Raygun got elected, ALL electoins have been boiled down to a worship of money.

It's quite sickening really, we live in a society where pretty much anything can be bought and sold, even our elected officials.

[gristy]

16. Your premise may be false

I'm not so sure that any large percentage of people think that rich people are smart, let alone would make good representatives, solely because they are rich.

[Bitwit1234]

17. Public funding for elections is the way to go but it won't happen

because the more money you raise to pan and lie about your opponent the more you win the nomination.

[OmahaBlueDog]

18. There is a mindset that believes the wealthy are smarter and more beloved by God

Despite what Jesus taught about the poor being blessed, many subscribe to a belief that was promoted by folks like Oral Roberts -- that wealth is a manifestation of great faith or God's grace.

Many others take to heart this simple philosophy of life..."If you're so smart, why ain't you rich?" Thus, the converse must be true... a multi-millionaire with a 5th grade education IS smarter than a PhD making under $100,000 per year. After all, he has all that book-learnin', but it ain't makin' him no money.