The Rude Pundit: A Note to Rich People: You Should Probably Be Thinking Ahead Right About Now

If the Rude Pundit were a really, really rich motherfucker, like in the several hundred million and above club, he'd call a meeting of all his fellow really, really rich motherfuckers and he'd tell 'em that we've crossed a line, and, unless we want our houses burned down, our assets confiscated, our dogs raped, and our children killed like they were the brood of the Tsar, we better stop acting like such greedy pricks and demand that the people we all own in the government stop licking our taints clean for a little while and start acting like we're regular Americans, not First Class Black Card Americans.

The really, really rich Rude Pundit would point out that the filthy masses are getting all squirrely about collective bargaining rights and budget cuts on programs for the poor and middle class in order to pay for our tax cuts and the failure to prosecute a single person for shitcanning the economy. He'd then inform everyone that once the income gap gets more fully into the rhetorical mix, well, we really, really rich motherfuckers would be fucked and a half.

Yeah, the Rude Pundit would say, we've overplayed our hand. It's time, he'd say, it's long, long past time, he'd implore, for our taxes to be raised, that, let's stop being dickheads about it, we could afford a 20 or 30% hike in our income taxes, that we in the top 1% of income earners would still take home more than our fair share, 15% of the total income in the nation instead of the current 20%. He'd tell them we need to beg Congress and the state legislatures to hike taxes and use that money on things like education and food and health care and goddamned poison control hotlines.

And he'd sigh and tell 'em that we have to give up a few of the Wall Streeters to prison sentences. The gods of hedge fund mismanagement demand a sacrifice so that the people on pensions are appeased. Maybe a Lloyd Blankfein or a Stephen Schwarzman. And the bonuses? Kiss those fuckers good-bye.

Oh, sure, sure, there'd be a hell of an uproar. Idiots like David Koch would point out all the good works they do for, say, cancer research. Hell, he gave almost as much money to set up a cancer institute as he did to elect Republicans. A few others would say that they can just pick up and fly away to another country, to the UAE or some damn island. But the Rude Pundit would say that they're bluffing and that no place is safe right now.

"You understand how this ends?" the Rude Pundit would ask, slapping Kenneth Langone in the face. "You understand that it might take a few years, but at some point it's all gonna blow up?" He'd point to history, again and again, that oligarchies crumble, are ripped apart, are subjected to savage retribution. No, he'd cry out, we need to be proactive here. Give a little now and save a lot later. "The only thing we can hope is that it isn't too late or we're too fucking bloated and dumb to do it."

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/

among humans is a myth.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

is a myth. They can't even save themselves. It's up to us to save the entire fucking world, INCLUDING the capitalists. If they can look past profit TO self preservation. I have my doubts.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

Their government toadies, too.

It's the surest path to a world with fewer really rich motherfuckers.

This fire needs gasoline thrown on it, not water.

Let's hope we're approaching a let-them-eat-cake moment.

...The problem lies in the widespread death amid chaos that doesn't discriminate by socio-economic class.

But the idea is sure fun to entertain.

Revolt generally isn't predicted, or it would be prevented.

We're just going to wake up one morning to find regular programming interrupted.

According to the polls Rachel Maddow cited a huge majority of Americans want to raise taxes on the wealthy. If only the remaining Americans could just turn off Limbaugh and Fox News our problems could be solved overnight. The "Let them eat cake." moment may have arrived.

The Rich were on a binge before the crash of 29.

Too bad you cannot warn them before we become
Third World America. They will be busy reinforcing
their gated communities, getting body guards for their
children, keeping Cash available to payoff kidnappers
and blackmailers. Oligarchs crumble.

is that the already rich got freakingly filthy rich during the 30s as they bought up land and industry at fire sale prices. They had money and they could low bid and still get what they wanted because no one else had the cash to buy.

And it's happening again. We aren't in the late 20's. We're in the 30's already and we don't have a FDR anywhere to be seen.

The October Revolution in Russia hadn't been too long ago, and the Communist Party in China was picking up steam.

The smart plutocrats of the 30s didn't want the same thing happening to them.

In the United States these days the ultra rich live contented that the average prole will never get off his couch and storm their gates.

that FDR saved America from a Communist revolution.

It was a sop to the communists and socialists, who were starting to gain some real power.

there would likely have been an uprising the likes of which this nation had never seen - not even during the so-called Civil War. The rich fucks were no smarter back then either, and they have FDR to thank for saving their worthless hides.

in flagrante, no less...

has his cable turned off? Can't afford pron on the computer? It's getting to that point. Food vs. Cable TV. We're there.

Food prices have sky rocketed. Bernanke has been printing money like a madman....it's escalating all commodity prices.

People have limits. I've noticed how frustrated and angry people are...they just haven't quite figured out that their neighbor isn't the enemy...it's the dude in the gated community. I always point that out. Why rob from a poor person when a rich isn't that far away?

What are you? Scared? Scared of the rich person? Kids tried to mug me...and that's what I told them. They left me alone. Well then they threw a bottle thru a window. But I made my point.

"I'm poor, why not rob a rich guy?" It makes sense I guess.

What about all the people that don't want to work and just leach off the government.

The problem with republican ideology is that they hate those few that don't want to work so much, that they would ruin an entire country and punish those that do want to work, just to make sure they punish those that don't want to work.

did not own the media. They think in that controlling the information, they can convince us that this all our fault. They have been right so far. Fortunately, people are being exposed to RT, Al Jazeera, Democracy Now and others.
Their pretty talking heads can no longer control the dialog. We see more and more how they start relying on emotion ("because I know"....) instead of facts. There are no facts that indicate that corporate rule is anything but oppression and the level of that oppression has become intolerable.

They didn't have the psychological expertise they do now, but they had the media of the time.

Think William Randolph Hearst....

They have necessities and responsibilities which we peons do not understand, they are the pillars of civilization, after all. They exploit us for our own good, that they might be the fulfillment of humanity and an example for the rest of us.

You're gonna get some crumbs outta them to appease us? I got an idea, let's take the decision out of their hands.

Its coming.

When The Working Class & The Poor realize we have more in common with each other,
than we have in common with the rich, ruling class elite leadership of BOTH political Parties,
we can have "change".
Yes We Can.

probably will not happen IMO
Esp.Upper Middle class and the poor very unlikely

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

The divide is getting larger and deeper, and more importantly noticeable.

and grossly overestimating their ties to America. Many of the people in question spend a lot of time outside the US, own properties outside the US, have wealth positioned outside the US, just for the sake of "diversifying". They may talk about their illustrious American ancestors, but they like their offshore tax shelters, and would happily trade citizenship for a better tax deal in Lichtenstein, and they don't care at all if their children marry US citizens. One more generation and the elite class of the US will be completely internationalized without the slightest sentimental attachment to the rest of you or the country that made them rich. They hate you plenty already, but still call themselves American - for now. If you try to reform the plutocracy they will just take all the marbles and skate away. And they will win. If the complete lack of fight from the rest of America continues as it has the last 30 years, they'll successfully abscond with the loot before you can say "capital controls." I know how it will go because I know they are prepared for this mentally while most of their victims are still trying to figure out what hit 'em. By the time the great majority has finally woken up, there will be nothing left to do but cry while you dumpster dive outside their abandoned homes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Rogers

Left this country for good.

I think Canada is looking better all the time. It is a net energy and resources exporter. And with climate change it will become and even more important player in agriculture than it already is.

And of course the pet name in Canada for Vancouver is Hongcouver. They have more Hong Kong Billionaires living there than Hong Kong does.

It's a small world after all, and too many of us have friends in foreign lands, more than willing to cooperate with the proles.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

toward an international character. There will be no such thing as "socialism in one country" in the future world. Ergo, WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!

Their $$ is not 'here' already

100% right 100% of the time.

Oh wait...I thought you said billionaires! My bad.

Rec

btw, I just got your book. I haven't perused it yet, but expect to have some joyous fun.

It can and will happen. They want it all. There is a 4 word short story out there on the net.

Title "The dying words of a man who almost had it all"

Text: "I wanted it all!"

And Rude rules!

I keep hearing that we are on the cusp of a revolution, where the assets of the rich are about to be confiscated by everyone else/etc etc etc.

But it's all bullshit. Where is one iota of empirical evidence to support this conclusion -- that the people actually care? Most people just don't care. In fact, most people can't even bother to educate themselves about the actual income distribution of the country. Most people think our country is far more equal than it actually is, no matter how much information exists to point out the contrary (the truth).

Most people aren't interested in politics at all. There has been enough anti-government propaganda internalized over the decades that most people don't actually think government is going to make a huge positive difference in their lives (no matter how much that is false). Sure, they will still vote for Democrats, and then switch to Republicans, and then back to Democrats, and on and on. They might even occasionally tune in more than normal, sort of like how more people watch the playoffs than normal season sports games. They might even respond favorably to an inequality-reducing policy proposal in a telephone poll (without getting off the couch). But it isn't because they have very strong views about how society should be run or what policies we should institute, or that they think ANY set of policies would materially improve their lives. It is simply because voting is a habit, and answering telephone polls doesn't even require getting off the couch.

All of this "revolt" nonsense is really just the outcome of cognitive dissonance. The premise of the Rude Pundit's article is that the voters actually care enough to pass policies that would reduce inequality (let alone "revolt"). But that is an incredibly silly premise. If one's premise requires a low level of apathy among the vast majority of the electorate, it is quite a dumb premise. Not only are the people in this country not going to "revolt" -- they will probably continue to elect enough Republicans to office to block any kind of policy that would significantly reduce inequality in this country. Some "revolt."

Once folks cannot pay the cable, then the teevee news is gone, and they might wake up.

Unless they then resort to AM talk radio.

The statistics reveal that the vast majority of Americans realize that there has been a massive concentration of wealth during the last 40 years. It is so out of proportion that each year it escalates since the top 10% can not and do not dispose of the massive earnings they accumulate. What do you spend a billion dollars a year on? Oh, they have read Machiavelli on how the tyrants should appear to be generous patrons and supporters of charities. That is only a ruse and represents of only a pittance of their accumulated wealth that they stole from the working class.

BzaDem, I tend to agree with you for right now. But desperation makes for desperate acts and lots of folks are getting desperate.

for all of the state, federal, and local deficits in the country.... 400 people, 10%. enough for the entire country.....
They damn well ought to be scared.

That was a little farther down on his blog. And so, if you're reading this, Rude, please accept my belated sympathy on the loss of your beloved mom.

Walk away from a drug dependency without intervention? Some times you need to be cruel to be kind. I say Up the long ladder with the lot of them, confiscate their ill gotten loot, send them down on the short rope.that way the lesson is learned again. 2 years ago their was a call for the top 1% to spend at least half their wealth on, for lack of a better word, the Masses. we see how well that went most doubled down on their greed, The top 1% are addicted to money and power and it's getting close to intervention time.

must have gotten the message. They're distributing more cash to the underclass. Maybe it's the vision of Mubarak's head on a pike, but they're circulating more cash so the poor can raise living standards a bit. At least they have the good sense to throw an angry dog a bone. Wall Street could look toward Mecca and Riyadh for guidance, but without the weekly limb and head removals.

"unless we want our houses burned down, our assets confiscated, our dogs raped, and our children killed like they were the brood of the Tsar"

I'm sorry to be a downer here but some seem to forget who has been buying and hoarding guns and ammunition. Rush said on his show last week " It's like a basketball game (euphemism for war) , Americans against the communists and Marxists." The right has been portraying anyone that wants true equality as the enemy of the state for years. I'm afraid their legions of trigger happy, self righteous "Real Americans" will be happy to do the dirty work for them in a revolt. The same forces that created the Tea Party can unleash violence against protesters, then claim "America has spoken"

get more wealth. They think that it is best for society for them to be in charge of the wealth instead of the ignorant poor.

I understand plenty of the super wealthy are republican but there are plenty of very wealthy liberals as well.

with most of the country's wealth concentrated in so few hands, particularly those who are not necessarily the most productive. It's not good for the economy, in case you hadn't noticed.

We were told by Reagan that if taxes were cut on the rich, they would reinvest in America, creating jobs and prosperity.

They didn't do that.

Instead they squirreled away their swag in secret offshore tax havens and invested in foreign companies and foreign governments.

They did this while poking their thumbs into the eyes of working, middle-class Americans...laughing the whole fucking time!

There is virtually no coverage of the Wisconsin protests in the MSM. NPR barely mentions it. And of course, when it DOES get mentioned they put some teabagger on for "balance*". The rich are getting a bit nervous. Anything to unite the 99% scares them. That is part of the reason the repigs have trotted out wedge issues in the House since they gained power.


* (the sea of conservative talking heads on TV don't have to have dissenting opinions to balance them .... as always, IOKIYAR)

...is simply shocking. Owning damn near everything still isn't enough.

They will not rest until we're all serfs as we march toward, what Chris Hedges calls, a neo-feudal state.

have to learn to act more like regular Americans than Alien Overlords. Or, as the OP points out, or else.

Maybe the sight of an angry mob will sober them up a bit.

eom

(Bend or Break)

The Oak and the Reed, By Jean de La Fontaine
Translation by Eli Siegel

The oak one day says to the reed:
—You have a good right to blame the nature of things:
A wren for you is a heavy thing to bear.
The slightest wind which is likely
To wrinkle the face of the water
Compels you to bow your head—
While my brow, like Mount Caucasus,
Not satisfied with catching the rays of the sun,
Resists the effort of the tempest.
All for you is north wind, all seems to me soft breeze.
Still, if you had been born in the protection of the foliage
The surrounding of which I cover,
I would defend you from the storm.
But you come to be most often
On the wet edges of the kingdoms of the wind.
Nature seems to me quite unjust to you.
—Your compassion, answered the shrub,
Arises from a kind nature; but leave off this care.
The winds are less fearful to me than to you.
I bend and do not break. You have until now
Against their frightening blows
Stood up without bending your back;
But look out for what can be. —As the reed said these words,
From the edge of the horizon furiously comes to them
The most terrible of the progeny
Which the North has till then contained within it.
The tree holds up well; the reed bends.
The wind doubles its trying;
And does so well that it uproots
That, the head of which was neighbor to the sky,
And the feet of which touched the empire of the dead.

as if the excessive use of vulgarities is not enough to peg you as a child writer...someday you'll learn that writing is like cooking, and vulgarity is a spice to be used in proportion to the dish. Leave it out and it's without flavor, use it to excess and the dish tastes like nothing but the spice. Neither is preferable to "the right amount"

anyway:

the "rich" can be won over to the side of moderation - not with your vulgar rant - but with an appeal to what they are really missing in life. And the irony is always this: what THEY are missing is the same thing YOU are missing: knowledge of where your own deepest desires intersect with those of the multitudes, and how to toss aside your current narrow path and get to that juncture point.

Both YOU - the angry proletariot bulls--- artist - and the wealthy scion - are missing the same thing. So stop wasting time with your HATRED and get busy connecting, along that one line of connection that awaits you both.

Remember the Reagan years, when the rich were supposed to "trickle down" their wealth, because Ronnie gave them tax breaks? Where is it? I, for one, am tired of the bovine fecal matter of sucking up to these people for any reason. Or, as I said even as Reagan was touting the virtues of "trickle down" economics, "There's only one thing that trickles down, and it's not money."

Angry proletariot bulls? WTF Charlie over? Detached from reality much? Why do you hate/rant at someone and then tell then not to hate? Don't you find that a little ironic or a tad moronic?

Just kidding - I understand, the RP's words really stung hard so you had to register and whine like a child about being verbally attacked. It is okay, happens all the time.

Welcome to DU!

And for the record, you almost spelled proletariat right! :hi:

What specific steps are you recommending?

:eyes:

Dear First Post Person: This is the Rude Pundit. He's rude.

It's how he rolls.

Also, he is smarter than you.

That is all.

Not bad. The delicacy loses some of its cachet when words are misspelled, punctuation is elided, and of course the obligatory ALL CAPS is used, but certainly a decent, if workmanlike, effort. I award you beer and travel money, but decline to give you experience.