WSJ: Why the Rich Fear Violence in the Streets

[yurbud]

You would think they would direct their servants in Washington to throw us a couple of bones like real universal healthcare, decent paying jobs without working endless overtime, and a chance to buy and keep our own homes, but like a monkey trying to get a nut out of a bottle, they are stuck trying to wring every last cent of profit out of us until we are either dead or turn on them and take away their power to harm us.

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.

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

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Unintended consequences of no gun control laws . . . .

But then again, guns kill whether they're legally owned or otherwise.

[Recursion]

25. Err... this is pretty much the intended consequence of the 2nd amendment (nt)

[aquart]

2. Leading to splendid profits in bullet-proof glass and private bunkers.

THAT BASTARD HAS A PAINTING OF A GRATEFUL BEGGAR ON HIS WALL?????

[AC_Mem]

21. Thats exactly what I thought!!!

Outrageous.

Sometimes I really feel like weeping for humanity. Greed will destroy us.

Annette

[FormerDittoHead]

3. They should worry, greedy bastards.

Let's just see what the fuck happens if those Social Security checks don't go through on the 3rd.

[Warpy]

4. Money's gone to all the wrong people I guess.

Violence in the streets? I've been though that one, including a race riot I didn't know I'd just walked through until I turned the evening news on that night.

I'd be more concerned if there weren't violence, that there weren't strikes, that people were just bending over and taking this stuff and asking for more.

We're all in this together. The sooner the "have a littles" figure this out, the better off we'll all be.

[Initech]

5. It will happen here. Oh yes. It will happen here.

[ljm2002]

6. I have it on good authority...

...that Lloyd Blankfein has an underground escape tunnel in his place of residence. He didn't get where he is by being stupid, I guess...

[yurbud]

9. he should fear the tunnel makers:

http://professorsmartass.blogspot.com/2011/07/rich-should-fear-their-servants.html

[housewolf]

7. Oh, does he mean that "financial climate" that he helped create

and continues to exploit and take advantage of??????


off/snark

[RandySF]

8. That's why we have churches

To tell the peasants that the wealthy are blessed by God. And, if we just pray hard enough, we can be like them.

[Bigmack]

10. I've been wondering...

when we'd start seeing these musings by the over-privileged class.

Sure... lay off the cops and firemen. Hire all the rent-a-cops you want. But when the oppressed minorities stuck in cities, when the gangs...hell, when the RW survivalists, want your stuff, you are fucked! All those suburban gated communities are nothing but targets for people who want their stuff. The bigger the house, the bigger the target.

And the survivalists..? Where did I read that there are a number of well-armed groups who are not storing food and supplies in case the shit hits the fan. They will just look for the survivalists and take it from them.

Of course, I'm talking "The Road" stuff here, but looking back thru history, there have been a LOT of cases where the rich had their lunchboxes taken away from them on the playground by the tough kids.

[proud patriot]

11. Good !

perhaps then they will cave and give us some crumbs

[DBoon]

12. Are they feeling a bit guilty?

Maybe the wealthy aren't totally ignorant of history:

[cy18]

13. Thoughts

I hope we don't become a country of haves and have nots, but I do fear that.

[BuelahWitch]

15. What do you mean? We already are!n/t

[yurbud]

26. why were white guys in the South obsessed with the fear of black guys raping their women?

because they had raped black women for generations and feared retribution.

The rich know better than anyone the scope of the economic violence they have committed against the rest of us, here and abroad.

[kenny blankenship]

32. Fear of the poor is the closest they will ever come to having a conscience.

There are exceptions, but they are rare and serve mainly to illustrate the rule.

[AndyTiedye]

14. The Truely Rich Never Venture Into "The Streets" Anyway

Most of the victims of street violence are poor.

[DainBramaged]

16. Good let them fear us.

:evilgrin:

[LiberalEsto]

17. Oh poop. They can hardly WAIT

to try out all their fancy new weapons on us, round us up and make us work for nothing.

[indepat]

18. Instead of righting itself, this administration seems to be relying on far-RW

solutions to fix the problems created by earlier RW solutions (malfeasance/misfeasance/nonfeasance). :patriot:

[yurbud]

34. Obama is our Tony Blair: the Labor candidate who governed like a Tory

The rich have their claws in center left parties as well as their open puppets on the right.

It's sort of like our role in the Iran Iraq War--we backed Iraq in the open and Iran under the table, so we would have an in with whoever won, and would profit from the fight along the way.

[Cleita]

19. Good! They should be worried.

Maybe they will listen to a little common sense then.

[blindpig]

20. k&r

[DeSwiss]

22. They should be worried. - K&R n/t

[Duer 157099]

23. Fine, then remind them that "Freedom isn't Free"

and tell them to PAY UP! I'm sure that given the choice, they'd rather pay higher taxes than pay with their lives. Or maybe not, they may be stupid that way.

[socialist_n_TN]

24. I've seen this twice now, here and on another board

and I'll say the same thing I've said both times before.

Although random individual violence against rich people might be personally satisfying, the BEST way to hit these guys is in their pocketbooks. Stikes, called, wildcat, and general along with a payment strike for money owed to the banks. Couple it with large street demonstrations and occupation of factories and stores of the monied interests. I would include occupations in DC in this. Random violence never accomplished anything. Organized resistance that prevents them from making money off of our labor is the way to go. Start preparing.

[yurbud]

27. I don't advocate violence, but I won't leave any sleep over them fearing it.

[amborin]

28. K&R and people should read the comments section!

[FiveGoodMen]

29. Because they damned well have it coming?

[lib2DaBone]

30. kr You would think.. it would be in their own best interest.. not to soil their nest...

Keep the worker bees going... paying taxes and subsidizing the wealthy's lifestyle.

But, as we all know.. wages have gone down since 1974.. even worse since Reagonomics.

[kenny blankenship]

31. The reason the owner of the oil painting worries about violence in the streets:

if civil disturbances and economic chaos should rise to the point where people like him take notice, it might cause the value of his painting of the beggar lady to fall. That would be tragic.

[RainDog]

33. there is a simple solution for their fears

tax increases for the rich and wage increases for the working class.

[yurbud]

35. yep, as Arab Spring was breaking out, the Saudis suddenly decided to share the wealth with

the commoners a bit more.

If that corrupt bunch can figure it out, why can't our wealthy?

[RainDog]

36. I guess people will have to shut down Wall Street

before they'll pay attention.

as in... protests in the streets, occupy the bldg... who knows.

people are angry enough for that to happen, imo.

if I lived in NYC, I would be there.

I would think I'm doing the world a favor.