One of the biggest fallacies in this country is that people with wealth must be smart...

[WCGreen]

There is a very large percentage of people who come to the their success through happenstance, being in the right place at the right time and also having access to the social network exposed it's members to wealthy investors and so allows for innovation.

Remember, for every self made man there are probably twenty Steve Forbes...

This fawning over some one who made it big and thinking they have all the answers is nothing more that stifling the market place of ideas...

[Jack Rabbit]

1. Exhibit A

Just look at the last few presidents of General Motors

Exhibit B
Just look at some of our political leaders: George W. Bush, Dan Quayle, Sarah Palin, James Inhofe

[pitohui]

2. actually i thought most people knew that most rich people are kinda stupid

especially the inherited rich, a person who never has any reason to use their brain usually won't -- the bush family being a famous example, of course

considering how much of humor and gossip in public and private discourse consists of laughing at the stupid-ass things bosses do, the stupid-ass things the "elite" do, and so on, i don't think there are any large numbers of people in america who believe that the rich are even of average intelligence

paris hilton has made a second fortune off this kind of thing, and i talked to a man who works for her and he said, "oh you know she's really sweet, but she really just doesn't have a clue" and that's true of a great many rich people i've met myself so i would never doubt it

people who think rich people get there by merit & brains prob. need to explain why the truly great minds of the ages, say your newtons & yr einsteins, don't really get any further than middle class

i think if you have a lot going on in your head, you don't get so easily distracted down the path of chasing millions or billions

some of the smartest people i know are poor, because they followed their bliss, and their genius happens to be in an area that doesn't pay (most areas don't pay, the things that pay are the things the C students like such as construction deals and being pain in the ass sales leaders)

trust me, the guys who discovered the new life forms in the american west are not rich guys, i know one of the guys & he has disposable income, sure, he's childless, but he ain't any rich

the curious, active mind has better things to do than grasp at pieces of paper w. dead presidents printed on them

[WCGreen]

3. Out culture equates wealth with success and by proxy, smarts...

Why else would Bill Gates be so vererated.

[pitohui]

4. i actually don't think bill gates is venerated

when do you ever hear anyone say anything nice about him? his great achievement is to make expected, instead of unexpected, that computers would screw up...to manage expectations and to get people to put up w. that (you can tell i'm old enough to remember when it was always HUMAN error not software error that mucked everything up)

i think he's pretty much an idiot who got lucky, and his campaign to return DDT to widespread production in africa pretending that this is somehow a good thing is just the kind of thing an idiot would do -- fuck things up while thinking he's saving the world from disease

[WCGreen]

9. He is all over the media and has reformatted himself as a philanthropist...

Perhaps it is because you are looking at what your friends and the media you look at has to say about Mr. Gates, I am talking about stuff like having Bill Gates pontificate about the future of education and having the power to impose his will...

If you can't see that, well then we are essentially talking about two different things and it is useless to continue...

[pitohui]

15. gates has no power to change the future of education

there will one day be a computer in every classroom whether or not gates had ever been born

some of his philanthropy is extremely ill-advised, his "fight" against malaria which is what i usu. hear him publicizing, seems to be a
very thin cloak of shill for the chemical companies, who would love to bring back a cheap chemical (DDT) and sell it across africa, pretending this is somehow a good thing

exactly the sort of thing a useful idiot would do

i don't doubt he knows a little something about computers and he seems to be a nice, well intentioned guy...but he is just not that bright to allow himself to be used in that manner

[WCGreen]

16. Check this out....

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/11/29/923867/-Bill-Gates-on-Education-Reform

http://www.good.is/post/bill-gates-diane-ravitch-spar-over-education/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33469415/ns/us_news-education/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/19/AR2009111902211.html

And there is much much more....

[leftstreet]

6. I think too many still believe the rich are 'blessed'

:puke:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. 20 Steve Forbes!

[WCGreen]

10. Now that is freakin cruel....

[bullwinkle428]

7. I work with someone who is the utter definition of "Lucky Sperm Club"!

Classic example of someone that couldn't spell "cat" if you spotted him the "c" and the "t"! For those who may doubt, I've worked with said person, day after day, for 23 YEARS, so I know of which I speak.

Oh, here's another shocker - hardcore Republican!

[county worker]

8. Most managers I knew were sheep. When ever a new "management" book came out it was

always the rage among the "leaders" of business. Some I remember were "How to Win friends and Influence People", "The One Minute Manager" "Winning Through Intimidation". They never have an original thought or they are all full of the herd mentality.

[WCGreen]

11. I'm still searching for the excellence that Tom Peters promised us back

in the late 80's...

[Journeyman]

12. "All those wolves raise their young to take their places." . . .

-Seneca Doane, Babbit

[valerief]

13. Britney Spears. nt

[stillwaiting]

14. or blessed by God & holy (nt)