No more cigars, is that humor? LOL

[SmokinDVM]

I agree with you Barry on all of these.

Barry, you point out that most of the "rich" inherited their money, what's wrong with that? Can you explain why you perceive this as a problem that needs to be remedied?

That is truly one thing I truly don't understand about liberalism/communism/socialism.

You need to reread the entire thread, but let me paraphrase.

gg said that rich people were rich because they had some innate ability to make money, and I said that that was a pile of bs. Most rich people are rich because they had the advantage of social status and wealth without really having to work for it.

Take a rich mans money and social connections away, and at the same time take someone from the opposite socioeconomic position and do the same. The ex-rich guy will be totally lost. And the other guy...just another day in paradise.

[ggiese]

You need to reread the entire thread, but let me paraphrase.

gg said that rich people were rich because they had some innate ability to make money, and I said that that was a pile of bs. Most rich people are rich because they had the advantage of social status and wealth without really having to work for it.

Take a rich mans money and social connections away, and at the same time take someone from the opposite socioeconomic position and do the same. The ex-rich guy will be totally lost. And the other guy...just another day in paradise.

Oh poor, poor barry...

Ok - Let us paraphrase what was said in this thread...

• You said my grandfather's observations on redistribution of wealth (take it away from the rich - give it to the poor - yada yada) were "ignorant".
  
• Heftysmokes corrected me - my grandfather's theory should be properly attributed to J. Paul Getty.
  
• So - by default I suppose - you called Mr. Getty "ignorant".

...there's something about J. Paul Getty I just can't put my finger on... Hmmm... "self made"?

The latest "theory" on the table was that Bush is only "wealthy" because of his family's "wealth". He would not have been wealthy otherwise because he was too "dumb" to be wealthy because he couldn't go to college without his parents money?

[heftysmokes]

Oh poor, poor barry...

Ok - Let us paraphrase what was said in this thread...

• You said my grandfather's observations on redistribution of wealth (take it away from the rich - give it to the poor - yada yada) were "ignorant".
  
• Heftysmokes corrected me - my grandfather's theory should be properly attributed to J. Paul Getty.
  
• So - by default I suppose - you called Mr. Getty "ignorant".

...there's something about J. Paul Getty I just can't put my finger on... Hmmm... "self made"?

The latest "theory" on the table was that Bush is only "wealthy" because of his family's "wealth". He would not have been wealthy otherwise because he was too "dumb" to be wealthy because he couldn't go to college without his parents money?

Not entirely...the family was in the oil business and was doing well before J. Paul came along. J. Paul amassed a fortune through his own industry, but the foundation of that fortune was built on his family's money.


Edit to add:

From Wikipedia...

Getty wrote a very successful book entitled How to Be Rich. Note that it was not How to Get Rich. His oil business was handed to him by his father, who started the business.

Getty acknowledges this in his autobiography:

I enjoyed the advantage of being born into an already-wealthy family, and when I began my business career I was subsidized by my father. While I did make money—and quite a bit of it—on my own, I doubt if there would be a 'Getty Empire' today if I had not taken over my father's thriving oil business after his death. (Getty, 1976, pg.336).

[SmokinDVM]

Oh poor, poor barry...

Ok - Let us paraphrase what was said in this thread...

• You said my grandfather's observations on redistribution of wealth (take it away from the rich - give it to the poor - yada yada) were "ignorant".
  
• Heftysmokes corrected me - my grandfather's theory should be properly attributed to J. Paul Getty.
  
• So - by default I suppose - you called Mr. Getty "ignorant".

...there's something about J. Paul Getty I just can't put my finger on... Hmmm... "self made"?

The latest "theory" on the table was that Bush is only "wealthy" because of his family's "wealth". He would not have been wealthy otherwise because he was too "dumb" to be wealthy because he couldn't go to college without his parents money?

I knew there would be those here too ignorant to understand a simple fact.
Getty a self made man
And I'd bet none of those billionaires on forbes list had help from any family money or name either.

[knightnorth]

How did Obama become powerful when his parents aren't wealthy? That doesn't make sense. Didn't George W. Bush get better grades then John Kerry at school - the same school - at about the same time? How did John Kerry become wealthy? He's spent almost his entire adult life as a public servant. Kerry's daddy wasn't rich, but oh wait, he married into wealth.

Ok I gotta try and stop talking politics I'll go on for hours.

Take a rich mans money and social connections away, and at the same time take someone from the opposite socioeconomic position and do the same. The ex-rich guy will be totally lost. And the other guy...just another day in paradise.

I saw that movie. Dan Aykroyd/Eddie Murphy - Trading Places. Classic. But still a movie like the Terminator and Space Balls.

On wealth - c'mon. We're not wealthy? We're on a computers, talking about cigars, living in America. Most of us probably drive cars and live in houses. We all probably have TVs. I personally have two very nice 19" big tube color TVs. Our daddy's didn't give us all this wealth. I drive through Washington DC every day where they use homeless people as speed bumps. I feel extremely lucky for what I have and worked hard for. Don't take that away from me by saying I must of had rich parents. We need to stop arguing semantics about who's the uber rich and middle class. That's class warfare. Rich people don't think they're rich. They just know they've worked hard for what they got. Where is the line to rich? Who makes too much money. We make what we're worth. And those that inherit it - if they don't deserve it they'll lose it. Like the Powerball winners who are broke in a year. Those that deserve it will earn it. Donald Trumps been bankrupt a couple of times - he's just too stubborn to be poor. Do not covet thy neighbors possessions or something like that. I feel take care of you're own self and the rest will work itself out.

But hey - c'mon. We're not going to change anyone's minds here. We came to talk smoke - right?

[ashauler]

How did Obama become powerful when his parents aren't wealthy? That doesn't make sense. Didn't George W. Bush get better grades then John Kerry at school - the same school - at about the same time? How did John Kerry become wealthy? He's spent almost his entire adult life as a public servant. Kerry's daddy wasn't rich, but oh wait, he married into wealth.

Ok I gotta try and stop talking politics I'll go on for hours


I saw that movie. Dan Aykroyd/Eddie Murphy - Trading Places. Classic. But still a movie like the Terminator and Space Balls.

On wealth - c'mon. We're not wealthy? We're on a computers, talking about cigars, living in America. Most of us probably drive cars and live in houses. We all probably have TVs. I personally have two very nice 19" big tube color TVs. Our daddy's didn't give us all this wealth. I drive through Washington DC every day where they use homeless people as speed bumps. I feel extremely lucky for what I have and worked hard for. Don't take that away from me by saying I must of had rich parents. We need to stop arguing semantics about who's the uber rich and middle class. That's class warfare. Rich people don't think they're rich. They just know they've worked hard for what they got. Where is the line to rich? Who makes too much money. We make what we're worth. And those that inherit it - if they don't deserve it they'll lose it. Like the Powerball winners who are broke in a year. Those that deserve it will earn it. Donald Trumps been bankrupt a couple of times - he's just too stubborn to be poor. Do not covet thy neighbors possessions or something like that. I feel take care of you're own self and the rest will work itself out.

But hey - c'mon. We're not going to change anyone's minds here. We came to talk smoke - right?

Yeah.....what a bunch of bullshit. I have no need for your condescending "we are all wealthy" shit. I have no need for "life lessons" and class definitions or any other such "can't we all get along" crap.

When you typed the last sentence in your post, you should have realized the pointless nature of everything before it. Unless of course you're just trollin'. In which case we'll know soon enough.

George said it earlier:

snip..... Long story, Arty - and I really do not have the time nor inclination to detail it here. Suffice it to say - and you're going to have to trust the community a bit on this - it is best not to discuss politics on this board

My advice is to take his wisdom to heart and read some previous posts by the members in this thread. Then make a decision if you want to involve yourself in this.