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DesideriScuri -> RE: Are we Rome...destined for a big fall ? (9/6/2012 6:38:06 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: SpaceSpank
That's a bit of a crock. A person of moderate means will have an incredibly difficult time trying to just move into a solid middle class lifestyle. The lower your initial means, the less likely it becomes. That's why many success stories from poor families tend to be 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation success stories. They had no choice but to try for meager improvements and hope their children could build on it. A very, very minute fraction can pull themselves out of poverty and into major wealth in their own lifetime.
On the other hand, those born into wealth? They need to be idiots and squander it to drop out of the 1%. Are you going to tell me that Paris Hilton worked for her wealth? Would she be anywhere but a trailer park if she was born poor and had the same personality? "Old" money tends to become dynastic. The children have to do nothing but be born, not squander all the wealth, and let the money continue to grow. Yes, they can have very intelligent generations that do much more with the money and advance their wealth and status... but they also have generations that simply attend to the social expectations to some degree and literally let all their money do the work. Their accountants, investors, and other hired professionals ensure they make more than they spend.
Agreed, but it can be done. And, might I add, that if not for the work her father put in, Paris Hilton would probably, well, I have no idea. However, she would not have the impact on me she does now, if not for her father's work. FWIW, every mention of Paris Hilton in the news media pisses me off. It's not a one-generation thing, yanno?
quote:
Many lower class people work incredibly hard. Harder than I work, probably harder than you work, and certainly harder than a great many in the 1% work. But they will never move their lot in life. They will continue to work hard, worrying about affording food, clothing, shelter, and other necessities... and they will still hope help their children's future.
They will work that hard because it's the only thing they know. They didn't have the means, the skills, the help, or the information at the right time to improve the course of their own life. They didn't get to attend college, they probably had to drop out of high school, sometimes earlier. They didn't have parents with money to lend them, no trust funds, and no inheritances.
Banks would laugh at them for anything more than a high interest credit card, and they probably didn't have any friends or family that knew enough to even suggest other kinds of aide.
They may even earn just enough to no longer qualify for government assistance, or didn't even know they could. Sometimes it's just a matter of misplaced pride to not accept food stamps or other assistance programs.
All they know is they can work incredibly hard to keep their heads above water, so that is what they do... and they will often happily continue to do so with the hope they they will make enough to occasionally squirrel away something to help their children.
So comparing the ease of social movement between the two is insulting those who have been incredibly fortunate to actually make that move.
Understand I know it's not easy. Do you think it was easy for the immigrants in the early 1900's? It most certainly wasn't easy. But, they persevered and it was easier for their children, usually. And, then, it was usually easier for their children. That's an important thing. It has to start somewhere. If no one is willing to put in the time and effort, no one is going to be the role model their scions follow. Paris Hilton is reaping the benefit of her father's efforts.
If you don't want anyone to benefit from the work of their lineage, you're going to have a big problem. Take, for instance, the Manning brothers, or Clay Matthews Jr. Are you going to tell me that they didn't benefit from their fathers' successes? Did Archie Manning's income and success not have an influence on his sons to the point where their current lives were easier? Are you going to knock Tiger Woods for his success that was, in part, made easier by his parents?
Get a 100% death tax and you'll find that there is less and less that falls under that tax every year/generation. What will be passed on, will be passed on sooner, making it no longer death taxable. In the US, you are supposed to be rewarded for your hard work and success. If you don't like that, best of luck to you in whatever you choose to do, and wherever you choose to do it (well, that's less impactful as I'd wish that for anyone regardless of whether they liked what I said about the US and its reward systems).
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