[bowerbird]

even 0.1% overstates the real number of the ruling class.

google tells me there are some 1600+ billionaires today.

those are the guys (and a few girls) who are really dirty. you can't get (or stay) that rich without hurting people. this is the locus of greed that will sacrifice the planet rather than "give in to someone else having more than me". these are the high-stakes players, the ones who _really_ pull the strings. everyone else is just their string-puppet.

it's also a small enough number that we can closely examine every single one of these individuals to solidly _confirm_ that their avarice and power-broking is truly despicable, so we can confidently brand them as an enemy of the people. this will put them on notice, and give them an opportunity to "opt out" of their bad behaviors and gain our reprieve. let them keep their money and a lavish lifestyle, but only _if_ they can actually reign in their destructive actions.

recognizing the value of a nice sonorous phrase, i suggest "the filthy 1500", so we will set our focus appropriately.

and, given that these are world-class competitive bastards, i'd predict that many will work so they can _make_ the list.

-bowerbird

[bowerbird]

-3 on that one.

i forget this is the tech hangout for the wanna-be-rich.

so now i'm sitting here trying to decide whether i can come up with something that will make you all understand how the super-duper-massively-rich have rigged the game.

poisoned the planet in their winner-take-all grudge-match, killed off animals like they were pit-bulls in a dog-fight, treated the polar ice-caps like ice-sculptures at a party, and kept throwing bigger rocks (a.k.a. bombs) at each other.

and by the time the split shifts the span, and you _might_ figure it out (or maybe not even then), it'll be too late.

way too late.

but i can't come up with anything, except just to say it, and since (as i just said) it'll be too late anyway, then i guess it doesn't even really have to be said at all, eh?

so yeah, chase your dreams, kids, and try to become rich...

probably best not to have any kids of your own, though, because you might find yourself getting attached to them, and worrying about their future, which they will never see, because the human race ran out of time before they got old.

-bowerbird

[mcdougle]

I don't really have any proof to use to refute your statement, but it seems to me to be a massive over-generalization. What about, for example, Bill Gates, who's been using his wealth to give back, start charities, etc. and plans to give all of it away over the course of the rest of his life?

Many of the rich might look at the poor and see a large class of people basically living off of their welfare checks -- which the rich would then say that they paid through taxes -- and say that those people are lazy and greedy and are hurting the economy.

I don't think either of these cases are true. There are good and bad apples in any class of people. I would say that it seems like people with power might have a tendency to become corrupted by that power -- but this isn't just money: politicians, big-time CEOs, etc. can end up like that too.