You know what baffles me about the war profiteering of the regime and its pals?

The same thing that baffles me about the mad, obsessive, and often bloody accumulation of extreme wealth - its all transient. Life is fleeting, and you really cannot take it with you. In the grand scope of things, its meaningless. Billions and billions, bilked from our treasury for fraudulent wars/treating employees like slaves - working them hard for long hours and for little pay and little to no benefits so the mega-profits rise to those fat cats at the top/the incessant effort to kill social programs that help feed and house and see to the health care of the poor and disabled and elderly/the incessant effort to kill any legal recourse of those harmed or left destitute by the mighty corporations - all to increase the obscene flow of riches into the hands of the few - all of it - the cheneys and the bushes and the like - grabbing all they can at any cost, humanity be damned - all of it - I just don't get it. How much do they need? At the expense of those who have little to nothing? At the expense of lives, even? How much do they need?

I am reminded of a line from a song, a song I've long called the most depressing song I've ever heard, but this line fits here perfectly: "don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky; it just slips away, and all your money won't another minute buy...dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind."

As I hear the gun nuts crank up their ever-simmering agenda, and watch halliburton and its arms, and all the other pentagon faves raking it in at the cost of the poor recruits lives (at the hands of those who never had the guts to do themselves what they casually, flippantly demand from others), and as I watch capitalism gone mad in this nation, the almighty dollar reigning, I just scratch my head. What is this amassing of obscene wealth for the few at the expense of the vast numbers of the poor and vulnerable and struggling masses?

Really - what the hell more do they want? What good is it to have so much more than you need, or could even use? It just leaves me speechless. (other than what I've just said)

"FAME...I'm gonna live FOREVER!" instead.

repeat. Add a degree of sociopathology and you have Bush, Cheney, Wolfie, Rummy, KKKarl, etc.

that they CAN take it with them, just like the pharaohs.

But what's really sad is they don't seem to give a shit about their own kids futures.

Though none of it surprises me any more, I still find myself shaking my head in disbelief. The fact that people are like this really upsets me.

Some may take that wealth and donate it to a University or charitable institution...most pass it along to their kids...the concept is that the money is a "living legacy".

I've long said the most insecure people I know have the most money. They are consumed with it like a drug...they can never have enough and always need more. I had a boss who I saw channel his addiction to alcohol into money...just as he'd get mean if held back from a drink, now the reaction was to a blown sale. Then enough is never enough...I once joked with someone I knew that since he was a millionaire, he was rich. He laughed at me and said, "rich? According to my friends, rich doesn't start until you have $10 mil in assets". My bets are if he got to that level, then the bar pushes higher.

It can be said that its human nature to be greedy and selfish. The pressures in our society to "make a mark" and to "flaunt it if you've got it" have led to some of our boldest discoveries and entrepeneurs...it's also led to the ruin of many who never comprehended that one's net worth is not a measure of one's true value.

Cheers...