TMMOT Thunderdome

[Silent Majority]

Just one question:

1) There's no reason for a rich person to have a better life than anyone else.

Do you believe that people are accountable for their own actions?

Yes, people are accountable for their own actions.

[101Walterton]

Just one question:

1) There's no reason for a rich person to have a better life than anyone else.

Do you believe that people are accountable for their own actions?

Yes, people are accountable for their own actions.

We agree on something then :)

Some peoples lives are shit because of their own actions and some peoples are better because of their actions.
Some peoples lives are shit through no fault of their own and back luck and some peoples lives are better because of good luck alone.
There are millions of rich people who have shit lives and millions of poor people who have better lives.
There are 7.6 billion people in the world and no two lives are the same.

[Silent Majority]

Just one question:

1) There's no reason for a rich person to have a better life than anyone else.

Do you believe that people are accountable for their own actions?

Yes, people are accountable for their own actions.

We agree on something then :)

Some peoples lives are shit because of their own actions and some peoples are better because of their actions.
Some peoples lives are shit through no fault of their own and back luck and some peoples lives are better because of good luck alone.
There are millions of rich people who have shit lives and millions of poor people who have better lives.
There are 7.6 billion people in the world and no two lives are the same.

People are accountable for their own actions, but they're very rarely wholly responsible for their situation. I think that there's still a fallacy that you become wealthy by making the right choices, by doing good, and working hard. That's as much nonsense as the Victorian idea that you end up in the gutter because you're lazy.

What I said about a better life above, I meant a life free of financial cares, the risk of starvation, having to drink dirty water, etc. Every rich person has that. The world's poor are the vast, vast majority. We can't rely on the hope that some are going to get lucky so they can have a taste of the good life. And that dirty water isn't just in Oxfam advert Africa, but in the drinking supply of Flint, Michigan, part of the richest nation on the planet.

Why should someone have wealth?

[JennyB]

Also, my two cents. I'm not a millionaire, but my grandparents were. They did not come from money - they had a camera store in Dallas and my grandmother was smart enough to invest in property that paid off very nicely. Because my dad died, I have inherited a good deal of money over the last five years. I would give anything to have my dad back and not have this money. It hasn't made us rich by any means, but we are comfortable. We own a nice house (it's not at all big though. We are a family of three and don't need a big house). We can travel once or twice a year and pay for VH, Jr's private school because of this money. However, I drive an 8 year old Prius. I buy my clothes from Old Navy, Target and resale shops. I also make a point of giving as much as possible to charity. I know a lot of times I donate more than people who are far more well off than we are. I volunteer a lot. I am probably going to inherit a great deal more when my mom dies (which, of course, I hope does not happen for a long time) and when the final piece of my grandmother's property sells. A lot of that money is going to go to VH, Jr's education so he isn't stuck with student loans. I don't know what my point is, but though people with money (and I am not a person "with money" in the scheme of things) can be nice, but if they don't make charity and volunteerism a priority, I have no use for them. And there is absolutely no reason people need 10,000 square foot houses, $100,000 cars, etc. Nobody needs that much stuff. I hope I am making sense here.

Jen, I'm so happy that a person as cool as you doesn't have to worry unduly about finances.

I appreciate that. I hate that anyone does.

[Marky Dread]

"Ursula Le Guin pointed out that the system looks inescapable, but there was also a time when the divine right of Kings looked to be the same".

Not in Berkshire, however, surely the divine right of Kings still applies to systems all over the World albeit under different disguises.

Even I, a social anarchist, can admit that we've made some pretty decent strides in democracy since the days of Henry VIII.

Oh darn, I am three beetroots short in my tax to his lordship.

Just paint three turnips purple. His lordship wouldn't know the difference.