Why the Rich Fear Violence in the Streets.

[blindpig]

Why the Rich Fear Violence in the Streets.

By Robert Frank

Last year, I was at a billionaire’s home in California and I asked him to describe his biggest worry. He pointed to a 19th century painting on the wall, which depicted a female beggar receiving alms from a wealthy gentleman and giving her patron a flower in return.

“That’s what I worry about,” he said. “But instead of flowers, she’s got guns. Violence in the streets, aimed at the wealthy. That’s what I worry about.”

It turns out he wasn’t alone. A new survey from Insite Security and IBOPE Zogby International of those with liquid assets of $1 million or more found that 94% of respondents are concerned about the global unrest around the world today.

Fully 90% of respondents have a negative view of the current global economic climate and 41% say they have little or no faith that the U.S. will be able to right itself in this fiscal climate.

more....The comments are very enlightening.

http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2011/07/06/why-the-rich-fear-violence-in-the-streets/

[geardaddy]

1. They should be worried.

[MichiganVote]

7. yep

[tomm2thumbs]

95. they fear the 'Day of the Locust'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=8pp14CdBci0#t=315s

when the world turns upside-down

and they are on the bottom

[Blue_Tires]

133. How have I never heard of THAT??

I'm going to find the whole movie...

[BeFree]

10. One thing's for sure

These people did not get rich by ignoring the future.

[EOTE]

56. A fair number of them did.

How many CEOs from the past decade or so have made hundreds of millions of dollars from focusing solely on the short term at the expense of future planning? Quite a few of them by my count.

[JHB]

75. That depends on whose long term they were planning for.

Themselves? They're all aces.
Anybody else? Not so much, and only for as long as they were useful.

[coalition_unwilling]

86. Oh, please. The vast majority of the wealthy in this country

inherited their wealth. That's right, they didn't lift a finger to create anything, much less think about the future while creating it. They simply inherited it from their forbears.

[closeupready]

2. If we look at history, we know that these types of mass movements do NOT exempt America.

In fact, we have often led the way. Not so, this time, but if it spreads, you will see it happening here, starting with upticks in crime in low-income urban areas. Hasn't happened yet, but it's a matter of time, unless something changes real fast. :scared:

[socialist_n_TN]

41. Interesting thought from my brother about

crime in the low-income urban areas. He's gone so far as to encourage people who are going to commit a crime ANYWAY, to take it to the richer suburbs and other wealthy areas. Now by encourage, I just mean suggest it in general terms. As a theory. There would be more wealth to loot there anyway.

All in all though, I'm not much of an anarchist. The personal and property crimes, if not in pursuit of the cause, is not much progress and it'll be more of a by product than a tactic or cause.

[theophilus]

3. Well, why don't they pay their fair share, hire the jobless, and give alms out of their

superfluity? They might be scared but they don't have to continue to be greedy and stupid.

[Jackpine Radical]

57. What you're proposing is essentially FDR's New Deal.

A lot of people, me included, would say that in alleviating the misery of the people, FDR saved capitalism--even while the capitalists themselves tried to pull him down as "a traitor to his class."

I don't know what we would have ended up with if the corporatists had gotten their piggish way in the 30's--socialism, fascism, or simple barbarism. Maybe we're going to find out this time, as the current gang plunges along their Hooveresque path to perdition.

[crikkett]

71. excellent comment

:applause:

[theophilus]

76. I think FDR really cared about people to some extent. Eleanor certainly did. But

I also believe that FDR represented a segment of the rich who are willing to share so that what they have is not taken from them when the poor revolt (French Revolution). This is my opinion. I see the powers that be today dominated by a group that is so greedy and selfish they deny the possibility of the poor taking control and are not willing to share one dime or one iota of power. Time will tell. The ruling class used to be influenced by the concept of noblesse oblige and even the Catholoic Church had some, albeit small, influence in helping the very poorest...at times. These constraints have vanished or are vanishing. The rich and powerful have no one who can attack their citadel or deny them communion, etc. If the people don't take back their rights then they will suffer.

[blindpig]

77. And there lie the mistake.

As history and the present show capital cannot stand to be fettered, it must seize every opportunity. The New Deal brought people relief when anything less courted revolution, once the danger past the retrenchment started, Taft-Hartley was a significant early blow. The trend has snowballed over the decades we are almost back to 1900.

As long as Capital exists as social power(which it must) it will suck the air out of the rest of society. Next time, no half measures.

[Jackpine Radical]

85. I think I'm getting a little redder every day. And I don't mean

"red state" red.

I'm old enough to remember when the phrase "hot to Trot" was a reference to Trotsky.

[socialist_n_TN]

111. I call it Classic Red, Jack........

with the capital letters. And I didn't know that "hot to Trot" was a reference to Trotsky. You can learn something new every day! :)

[Jackpine Radical]

122. I made that up about Trotsky.

[socialist_n_TN]

127. Whew! I've researched Trotsky a LOT

(obviously one of my revolutionary heroes) and I would have thought that I had missed something important. :)

[coalition_unwilling]

88. Most historians of the time agree that FDR saved capitalism, current

and past Repuke slanders and slurs against FDR and the New Deal notwithstanding.

[fascisthunter]

4. good... they should be!

grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[ladjf]

5. Nah, they aren't worried. If things really start to get out of hand,

they would just jet over to Europe or anywhere else they might like.

[socialist_n_TN]

38. Well that's where the INTERNATIONAL worker's

movement comes in. We try to make it a situation where the workers in Europe make Europe not an option either. And not just Europe either. Let 'em wind up in Somolia. At least we'll know where they are when we take the rest of the world.

[Marr]

6. If such fears really are commonplace amongst the wealthy in the United States,

I expect their first option will be to respond with force; to push the flower peddling old lady into the mud and teach her her "place". If that doesn't work, in time you might see some concessions.

[kenny blankenship]

8. The reason the very rich fear civil unrest and violence is that, in general, business drops off

The actual violence would never find them on their faraway isles and mountain retreats. If they just insist on living and playing in the cities they have turned into dark hellscapes, they will always travel with armed security when venturing beyond their own gates, like the elites of 3rd world countries do. But they aren't really worried about violence --ie, people getting hurt-- and they certainly aren't worried for us, or for what may become of America, once the land of happy workers and general prosperity. They just like to wring their hands about "business conditions" under a "Democrat President." Any occasion will do.

Consumers digging bunkers and hoarding ammunition, food and water may help the poor get poorer but it won't help the rich get richer, except for those who are already invested in arms and freeze dried foods.

[socialist_n_TN]

29. Wow, so MANY posts to comment on...........

I'll start here. I hope you don't mind ken. :) You're right it's not really the fear of violence against their persons that they fear, it IS the fear that their business(es) will lose money. That's why the BEST way to strike out at them is NOT personal violence (as satisfying as that may be), but the witholding of labor, i.e., strikes. Targeted, wildcat, and general. An indefinite general strike would probably bring them to their knees in a month at most. ESPECIALLY if we couple it with occupation of factories, stores, and other of their "properties". Along with massive and impolite street demonstrations and occupation of government offices.

And today we have another weapon too in that, in our consumer driven economy, there's a LOT of debt, secured and unsecured, out there. Couple all the above with a debt repayment "strike" and they'd be begging for mercy in a month or so. And the beauty of the debt repayment "strike" is that even people who couldn't participate in the actions could do this.

There are opportunities for the working class to fight back and WIN, but we've got to find the unity and will to take the required actions. And mostly, TO USE THE CORRECT TACTICS. Untargeted violence and terror, no matter how personally satisfying, will NOT get the job done of changing the system.

[lapislzi]

46. I think you just became one of my favorite DUers

Where have you been?

:hi:

[socialist_n_TN]

48. WOW! Now I'm ......

:blush: I've been around for the last couple of years or so. You've got 1000+ posts and I don't recognize your name either. I guess that the down side of 170,000+ members. You can even miss people who are on here a lot.

Seriously, thanks for the compliment. We'll see if you continue to feel that way. :)

[Flubadubya]

58. I don't pay so much attention the post count as I do...

when the member joined DU. I see that "lapslzi" has been a member since 2002 even though the post count is less than 3,500. I've been around since 2002 also and have a post count just under 6,000.

It's typically those who have, say, as many posts as I do but have only been around for a few months or so... especially when the "tone and tenor" of their posts seems rather "iffy" (at least IMO). Members who have been around for years and years certainly have passed the test of time and I think it says something if they are still around. To me that means a lot more than how many posts a person has.

Just sayin'... nice to have you around! :) :hi:

[socialist_n_TN]

60. RE: post count. One of the things that I DO like about

DU is the fact that after a thousand, it just shows up as a "plus". There's an egalitarian feel to that. And I agree that time served is a better indicator than post count anyway, even though that would negatively affect my cred. :) But I don't really check that part of it either. To me, it's a discussion board, which means the content is more important than the poster, the post count, OR time here.

Since it is a discussion board, for me it's all a matter of what interests me and if I can add to the discussion. I will occasionally add a "Right on!" to posts that I strongly agree with, but if I can't add anything to the thought, that's ALL I'll add. And as I said, rarely even that.

And thank you for the welcome and kind words. On a board as smart as this one (well most of the time anyway :)), I'm honored when folks seem to like what I have to say.

[Remember Me]

99. It may be egalitarian,

and that's a good thing, but it also renders invisible the elders of this particular tribe. You can decide for yourself whether or not that's a good thing. I'd rather see who has staying power myself.

[socialist_n_TN]

107. As I said (and this is only for me) this is

a discussion board, so I'm more concerned with what's said than who said it. But that's just me.

[socialist_n_TN]

113. BTW, welcome to DU

:)

[librechik]

47. I like all those tactics. Call me when you need me to show up

:shrug:

[socialist_n_TN]

49. Hey just basic Bolshevik Leninist tactics lib

If it gets to the point where those things really become an option, I'm sure you'll hear about it. :) Here's to the revolution. May it be as peaceful as possible, but more importantly, may it be successful and save us all! :toast:

[librechik]

50. old school is still the best

:toast:

[socialist_n_TN]

52. You got it chik!

:)

[Jim Warren]

9. It's an age old riddle

How does the king and a hundred guards keep a thousand peasants working the fields?

[amborin]

17. Gramsci spoke to this: consensus, not coercion; the

ideological hegemony of the capitalist class and the power of myths, such as Horatio Alger.....

[Starry Messenger]

11. k&r

[Eddie Haskell]

12. We need visual ID.

How about a $ on their foreheads.

[Solly Mack]

13. Bother

[valerief]

14. But the billionaires buy Congress to make the non-rich poorer.

Why don't endorse a socialist agenda instead? They want as money as they can get and their personal safety, too. Damn gimme people.

[NAO]

15. There's no bread, let 'em eat cake...But they're marching to Bastille Day

The RUSH song "Bastille Day" is the most powerful graphic portrayal of this concept I have ever encountered. Even if you've heard the song 1000 times, the lyrics are well worth a close reading (or two). Verse 3 really drives the point home, so it post it first, followed by the complete song lyrics.

Bastille Day, verse 3

Lessons taught but never learned
All around us anger burns
Guide the future by the past
Long ago the mould was cast

For they marched up to Bastille Day
La guillotine claimed her bloody prize
Hear the echoes of the centuries
Power isn't all that money buys.

RUSH
Bastille Day (from Caress of Steel, 1975)

There's no bread, let 'em eat cake
There's no end to what they'll take
Flaunt the fruits of noble birth
Wash the salt into the earth

But they're marching to Bastille Day.
La guillotine will claim her bloody prize.
Free the dungeons of the innocent
The king will kneel
And let his kingdom rise.

Blood-stained velvet, dirty lace,
Naked fear on every face
See them bow their heads to die
As we would bow as they rode by

And we're marching to Bastille Day
La guillotine will claim her bloody prize
Sing, oh choirs of cacophony
The king has kneeled
To let his kingdom rise.

Lessons taught but never learned
All around us anger burns
Guide the future by the past
Long ago the mould was cast

For they marched up to Bastille Day
La guillotine claimed her bloody prize
Hear the echoes of the centuries
Power isn't all that money buys.

[kentauros]

16. This is what they should be REALLY afraid of:

"You know, it occurs to me that the best way you hurt rich people is by turning them into poor people." -- Billy Ray Valentine

So come on Anonymous, get cracking! Hack their offshore accounts and redistribute that wealth }(

[EC]

18. Well then why do so many of the rich vote for

republicans that want every Tom, Dick and Harry to have guns and at the same time making us all poor?


On edit: You're right about the comments, they just don't see cause and effect. They are thinking "welfare people" where as I'm thinking all of us could be the next poor person - which means all of us could be the ones they are afraid of. I'd bet that the rich are afraid of half the people who wrote those responses.

[lunatica]

24. They have a vested interest in gun sales. Especially during wars

They make a killing off both sides buying guns. Their choice is to make money, even if it might mean they live in a little fear that their bodyguards might not be 100% effective.

[blindpig]

19. Selected from the comments...

coakl wrote:

The solution is obvious: reduce the number of dangerous poor people, namely unemployed under-40 males.

How? Make abortions and birth control free to all teenaged girls or poor mothers already on welfare. Prevent the animals from being born.
.

[socialist_n_TN]

34. GEEZ dude, that was the one that I was going to

comment on. Great minds think alike and all that. :)

"Prevent the animals from being born." WHY THE FUCK do they even WONDER why somebody might come after them with that attitude? It should be BLATANTLY obvious. When you consider someone an animal, don't be surprised if they act like one when they get a chance.

[PADemD]

54. deleted

[WillyT]

20. HUGE K & R !!!

:kick:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

21. "Mankind shall not be free until the last king is strangled in the entrails of the last priest."

— Denis Diderot

[dana_b]

120. great quote! n/t

[stuckinarut]

22. I disagree. Violence in the US

when used to further ANY movement (besides the plight of the State of course) is greeted with snickers from passers-by, and crickets from the media, and OVERWHELMING force by the authorities. In the US, we marganalize any positions that do not reflect the neat and tidy dual-sided dialectic that controls American political and social discourse.

We are already living in a deep, deep state of media induced fascism. Where children are taught to value others not by the content of their character, or the morality of their deeds and actions, but rather by what type of car their parents drive, and what brand symbols are on their shirt. I fear for our future as these greedy, materially-driven children inherit our already defunct system, and quickly adjust it to fit THEIR perverted needs.

Unfortunately, The peace movement is also a farce. The idea that a peaceful, non-direct movement of individuals is going to defeat an aggressive, sociopathic entity perpetrated by means of force is laughable. The police/riot cops ARE NOT going to see past the programming they have been drilled with, and finally defend the people. POLICE do not defend our civil rights...THEY DEFEND PROPERTY. And they see non-globalist movements as a "terrorist" threat.

I fear we have tumbled too far into irrelevance, and the whole corrupt thing is beyond salvage.

May his noodleness save us all.

[B-Stupid]

23. Rich America

has done a very good job of physically isolating itself from the inner city poor. I'm pretty sure we're not going to see mass riots in the suburbs of Boston or Connecticut.

[blindpig]

26. That's fine

Let's see how long they last without their banks, brokerage houses, factories and other means of production. Shorn of that power they are flies to be swatted if they get too annoying.

By the time this pustule pops a lot in the 'burbs gonna be running around with torches and pitchforks too.

[B-Stupid]

31. What the hell are you talking about?

Almost 99% of all large movement of cash & marketable securities is done electronically so shutting down a local bank branch or wire house is not going to impact anything.

As far as factories are concerned, what are you to do, fly to China with a Zippo in hand? Besides, any remaining factory in America with a line of credit or loan is insured to the hilt.

[blindpig]

44. Oh, did I forget the insurance companies, expropriate them.

Look, this place is still a cash cow for them or they wouldn't care. This is done on a national and international scale. Eventually they'll have to hole up in Monaco.

[socialist_n_TN]

53. Isn't Monaco small and near to France?

France has a plethora of Marxist groups. They might not even be safe there. :)

[socialist_n_TN]

35. Yep. See post # 29

nm

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[blindpig]

28. Naw

Confiscate their portfolios without compensation, that'll draw their fangs.

[Taverner]

27. It would be nice to talk about taking to the streets

But on DU, we have to be "nice" because, oh we can't encourage fighting back. That's bad...bad bad bad.

[Buns_of_Fire]

30. My only fear is that they'll notice that the sun tan oil we peons are rubbing on their backs...

...is really barbecue sauce.:evilgrin:

[Elwood P Dowd]

32. Look at the comment by this lying POS.......

Bruce: ....... "A bunch of losers were allowed to buy homes with no money down, no source income, no ability to pay and they have darn near destroyed the financial system in this country".

[Buns_of_Fire]

33. Well, it IS the Wall Street Journal, after all... nt

[socialist_n_TN]

36. Yep. Like the people that SOLD those houses

and the mortgage banks that DEVELOPED and PROFITED from those programs AND THEN GOT BAILED OUT BY THE TAXPAYERS had nothing to do with it.

I'd call this person a douchebag, but I don't want to insult douchebags.

[socialist_n_TN]

37. And speaking of it being the WSJ

I was actually surprised at the number of "We're coming after you, rich boy" comments that actually were on there.

[Buns_of_Fire]

40. The Intertubes is the great leveler.

I doubt very much you'd see such comments in the print "Letters to the Editor" section. (Not if the editor wanted to keep their job, that is.)

That said, they also probably don't monitor the online comments too closely.

[nxylas]

39. And this is why the rich need not fear violence in the streets

They live in gated communities with private police forces and have a compliant media to convince half their victims that the other half are the problem. It wasn't the banksters that did it, it was those lazy-ass n****rs getting free houses from the government.

[socialist_n_TN]

42. The answer to that is class consciousness my friend

If there's enough of a rise in class consciousness to start the kind of uprising that they fear, then there will STILL be more of us than them even WITH their bought and paid for toadies.

[nxylas]

45. Sadly, that's a very big if

Your average teabagger is *not* wealthy, and couldn't see the obvious truth that he or she has more in common with the mythical "welfare queen in her Cadillac" than with Ann Coulter or Rick Perry if it came up and punched them in the face.

[socialist_n_TN]

51. Yeah, that's very true. But I think what you're missing

is that your "average" teabagger makes up a pretty small demographic. I whould guess no more than 15% and probably less. They make a lot of noise because the media is part of the propaganda machine that supports them AND because they're bankrolled by Koch money. So they make noise ALL out of proportion to their numbers. In addition, they're old and will soon be dying off anyway. Hell, most of them are older than ME. :)

[nxylas]

59. I used to live in South Carolina, so that may have coloured my perspective

I've moved back to my native England now, but during my time in the States, I was surrounded by teabaggers. They make up considerably more than 15% of the population in SC, and they're not all old, either. I know college students who get their information from Fox Noise and World Nut Daily. College students!

[socialist_n_TN]

61. Yep, I'm in Tennessee, so (to coin a phrase)

I feel your pain. There's a lot of them around here too. But overall nationally, I would be willing to actually bet money that I'm right about the numbers.

So, how about the big strike on the 30th? How did that go for you and is there anything planned in the future?

[nxylas]

62. Kind of hard to strike when you don't have a job

But of course I support the strikers, even if I have my doubts about the effectiveness of striking as a tactic, though it's better than doing nothing.

[socialist_n_TN]

64. Once again I can relate as I'm unemployed also

I will have to disagree with you about striking though. If it's done right, it's the most effective weapon the working class has. Good luck in the job search.

[nxylas]

68. I agree about the "if it's done right" bit

Very often, it's the working class that suffers from strikes more than the bosses, due to not being able to access vital services. My favourite strike was one by London Transport workers back in the '80s, where public transportation ran as normal, but the workers refused to collect fares. Now, that's hitting the bosses where it hurts!

[socialist_n_TN]

81. I love that idea.........

I hope we adopt it when the time comes.

[B-Stupid]

43. You my friend hit the nail on the head

but I recently had a very interesting conservation with a neighbor of mine about welfare. He basically stated that he hopes the government never revises the system since in essence it's "payoff" money to keep the poor "in-line" and contained to the city.

He basically asserted that as long as the check comes every month, we can sleep in peace knowing they will never aspire to want anything else.

[coalition_unwilling]

92. Ah, but their 'private police forces' are working class. With the

right kind of class consciousness, the rich should not count on their 'private police forces' forever.

[socialist_n_TN]

114. Yep. Loyalty to wage slavery won't be very loyal

when the shit REALLY hits the fan. If you're working FOR a richie, they won't pay you enough to die for them.

[Starry Messenger]

55. A plan heartily endorsed by the WSJ before the crisis, I'm sure.

I don't even have to look, but I'll bet it was touted as a genius marketing plan five or six years ago.

[socialist_n_TN]

121. I don't know specifically about the WSJ, but

I was IN the mortgage business (as a grunt) back when those times were going on and the attitude was it was the "Invisible Hand of the Marketplace", the capitalist God, that was showering manna from Heaven with those programs.

Of course, some of us were wondering about giving a guy with a 500 credit score a 100% loan, but we were a BIG minority. No worries! Any default would be covered by AIG.

But the bottom line was that it WASN'T the people buying the houses with these junk mortgages that was the roblem, it was the ones SELLING the junk mortgages.

[HughBeaumont]

101. It's not even his goddamned comment -

He half lifted it from THIS walking asshole and the rant that started the TeaHad . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp-Jw-5Kx8k

A rant that was barfed out a whopping one MONTH into Barack Obama's presidency, conveniently ignoring the previous 30 or so years of Republicanized Supply-sider Deregulation CRAP that led up to where we were in February of 2009.

I'm only pissed off that, as it stands right now, it seems to not MATTER who is president, because the marching orders have already apparently been given.

The problem is not so much the menu (which still sucks), but the fact that the worst kind of capitalism still exists and is STILL the system of rule, as if the hoi polloi still believe it's going to work if we just shove more bodies into this grinder.

[socialist_n_TN]

115. The Greek PM said it best........

The financial system (capitalism) is stronger (more important) than the will of the people (democracy). And trust me, EVERY bourgeoisie politician believes that too. That includes Obama.

[krispos42]

63. Once again, the capitalists doing what is penny-wise and pound-foolish

Despite repeated historical precedent that when the rich get too rich and the poor get too poor, the nation collapsed and the wealthy are put up against the wall;

AND


Despite fully possessing this knowledge and being aware of it...


THEY

Are still pushing the country towards collapse by destroying the stability of the financial system

AND by continuing to concentrate the wealth of the nation into the hands of a few.




Because if they don't... "someone else will".

[socialist_n_TN]

65. "Because if they don't someone else will."

That is the essence of capitalism and why capitalism cannot even save itself, much less the rest of us. That's also why it can't be reformed for any real length of time. Even a "good, ethical" capitalist will run afoul of "If I don't do it, someone else will."

[blindpig]

70. It is the nature of the system.

It is a grotesquely unstable system but it survives so far because it 'corrects' itself primarily on the back of the working class. As they are doing now.

The are eaten up with hubris, when people finally say 'enough is enough' it will come as a total shock to them.

[krispos42]

118. Capitalism will never fail, because socialism will bail it out.

I don't know who said it, but he or she is right on.

[coalition_unwilling]

93. A capitalist will sell you the rope with which to hang him -- attributed

to V.I. Lenin, this quote speaks to the self-destructive and ultimately self-devouring greed of the ruling class.

[tavalon]

66. Damn, I thought they were oblivious.

This is going to make eating the rich a bit more difficult. We've lost the element of surprise!

[Youth Uprising]

67. K&R

[JoeyT]

69. Obviously they don't fear it nearly as much as they should. n/t

[TheKentuckian]

96. My exact thought.

[blkmusclmachine]

72. Yahoo discussion posts, usually a cesspool of RW crapola, are really beginning to wake up.

The TBTF's may have overreached this time.

[XanaDUer]

73. How afraid can they be?

They're certainly not afraid enough to stop an all-out assault on the rest of us, minus some socially conscious well-off folks.

I think there IS going to be social unrest, again, in this country, and now we have Americans with a lot more fire power than in the 1930s. I'm worried about it. I'm not wealthy enough to lock myself in a fortress, though.

[socialist_n_TN]

79. It is something to worry about. I've got kids

that I'd rather not see have to go through this. Hell, I might even have a couple more decades to live myself. But I can't live it as a slave. And at least, I'm trying to do something.

www.workerspower.net

[XanaDUer]

83. But, the likelihood of people being hurt will be the poor

Unless we all plan, like the villagers in an old Frankenstein movie, to take the torches and pitchforks to Palm Beach, and that ain't gonna happen.

I fear for this country.

[socialist_n_TN]

89. Yes we must have a plan and a programme

or what happens is a lot of people get hurt and/or killed and nothing changes. Since we do need a plan, that's why I'm a Marxist. Or as we like to call it a Bolshevik-Leninist.

There ARE precedents for this kind of thing. You just need to find them.

[XanaDUer]

97. Exactly

when riots happen, people go nuts and can pull other working-class ppl out of their cars, or trucks, or doing their jobs. Bash them around, beat them up, kill, rape.

I myself favor suing the rich, just for existing. I'd LOVE to see that.

We need to be a bit careful about violence, not that there is not good reason for going nuts. It reminds me of that line from a poem, "...or does it explode?"

[socialist_n_TN]

108. Yeah, if you notice I'm not one for advocating violence

and ESPECIALLY uncontrolled violence. There's a programme, a blueprint, to work from. See my post above about what that blueprint is.

[XanaDUer]

110. No, I see nothing in your post advocating violence

nt.

[socialist_n_TN]

116. In the interest of truth though,.............

I DO believe in self defense and an armed worker's militia as a self defense force FOR the working class.

[XanaDUer]

123. +1

nt.

[seabeyond]

91. i see absolutely no way the rich are afraid of the rest of the population. no way.

they arrogantly sit there thinking the are just. they earned what they have. it is all about them, with no in depth thought or understanding to how they created the mess, or care at all.

i am around too many people with money. they are not afraid fo the populace.

[Taitertots]

74. It is because they know they deserve it

Resource division is a zero sum game. No one gets more without causing other people to get less. The rich cause the poor to exist.

[blindpig]

78. When there are no more rich there will be no more poor. n/t

[Taitertots]

80. Yes, that is exactly what would happen

Wealth division is a zero sum game. That is the only possible outcome.

[Fire1]

82. You are describing the fall of capitalism. Ain't gonna happen.

[Taitertots]

84. It will likely happen either way

Civilization can't exist as a means to enrich a tiny cabal at the expense to the masses. Look at the unrest around the world (turn off corporate TV). If we don't make it happen peacefully, it will probably happen in a less desirable way.

[Fire1]

103. First of all americans are far more complacent than in other

parts of the world. As you mentioned, the distractions of corporate television, techno-gadgets and apps is enough to keep the masses occupied for years to come. If and when it does happen I'm sure I won't be around to see it. Thats how much confidence I have in amurkans.

[Taitertots]

106. What America do you live in?

There are huge protests in almost every major city. Turn off your corporate TV and turn on to reality.

[blindpig]

94. Your loyalty to the ruling class is duly noted. n/t

[Fire1]

102. So is your intellect. n/t

[blindpig]

104. Aw geez, ya went and hurt my feelings.

But if you are implying that I must be mentally deficient to oppose an economic system which degrades the mass of humanity and is wrecking the planetary ecosystem that does not reflect well on you.

[Generic Brad]

129. It almost happened two years ago

Unchecked, unrestricted capitalism certainly will destroy itself.

[malaise]

87. Tax the rich or face the poor and middle class

on the streets - it's that simple

[lumberjack_jeff]

90. Capital behaves in a rational manner to acquire more capital.

It should be the job of elected officials to check that against the general welfare.

If 94% of the rich are worried about global unrest, the elected officials aren't doing their job.

[WingDinger]

98. Wrote a song about it, and it goes like this

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/WingDinger/86

It was locked, but I dont think it is verboten.

[socialist_n_TN]

119. Flower in one hand, fist in the other

Choose. And you're right, it's TIME for that. Past time.

[Lucian]

100. They better be worried.

Because if there is ever civil unrest against the wealthy, you bet your ass I'm going to be there in the front lines.

And it's going to happen soon.

[Name removed]

105. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[underpants]

109. Social programs, especially food and mental health med programs, diminish this

one hungry person who can't take it anymore is a crime
ten hungry people who can't take it anymore is an incident
one hundred hungry people who can't take it anymore is a riot...and riots spread


Pay your taxes if you are that scared of richboy

[cherokeeprogressive]

112. Any reasonable human with a lick o' sense fears violence in the streets. n/t

[socialist_n_TN]

117. But apparently they don't fear it ENOUGH.........

or they wouldn't keep doing the things that are CAUSING people to consider violence in the streets. This is merely a reaction to what their actions. The ball really is in their court. They OWN everythng, including both political parties AND all three branches of the government. Stop the class war on the working class and the poor and the heat will diminish.

[maryf]

124. kicknt

[upi402]

125. I personally know 1 who IS worried, and others are

taking action to secure their homes - generators, armoring doors, upgrading security systems, buying adjacent property, driveway gates...

They worry the airport may be down and they have to hunker in their golden bunker I guess.

[lovuian]

126. marx said it "The Worker will Rise up

its proven right through out history

[WinkyDink]

128. He doesn't care about the POOR; he's simply WORRIED for himSELF. Get the guillotine.

[TBF]

130. One last kick ... nt

[Atman]

131. Worried? He'll, they've been PLANNING for it!

That's why they don't want to have to give back any money in taxes...the know they're going to need it when their much-hoped-for economic collapse happens.

[raccoon]

132. Kick. nt

[Blue_Tires]

134. I'm surprised to see this on the WSJ site...