Before you say, "anyone can make their fortune in this country", let me ask if you have made yours? And if not, why not?
I had a friend who graduated from a very expensive and prestigious California University in 1972. For his graduation and obtaining a liberal arts degree, his father gave him $100,000 and told him to go make his fortune.
Let me set this scene. In 1972, one dollar would buy a deluxe cheeseburger, fries and a large Coke. And this was not at Jack in the Box, that was even less. No, this was at a mom and pop cafe in a small town. However, even in the city, five bucks would buy a fancy dinner and include the tip.
My point is that this guy made good money by building and selling houses in a very nice community. He considered himself a self made man. But in 1972, his hundred thousand dollar gift would equal well over a million dollars today.
So if your parents could afford to put you through an exclusive university, then hand you a million when you graduate, could you make some money?
THE BREAKAWAY SOCIETY
Richard Dolan has coined the above term. It represents those who have, the famed one percent, versus those who are left over. He posits that those very wealthy families live in a different universe from the rest of the people. That they attend the best schools, get the most advanced health care, live in exclusive, usually gated communities, and go and come usually in luxurious secrecy. How many homes does Mitt Romney have these days?
Dolan also states that this trend is decades or even centuries old. And that for the most part, these one percent are able to maintain their exclusivity. As with everything there are exceptions, where someone invents something and joins their ranks. But that is where the term nuevo riche comes from. New money, which is looked down upon for a few generations needed to prove they belong. That is why the newly rich make such a show of their wealth. I think Donald Trump is still busily applying for a position in this group.
For every passing generation of membership in the one percent, the gap between the two groups increases. Excellent health care and diet from birth is a huge advantage in life span, if nothing else. But the quality of life for these healthy people is what truly makes the difference. They have the freedom to fail.
Some make mistakes like drilling several dry holes, right GWB? But if a golden child fails at business, he can always be a priest or politician. Daddy can usually purchase an office or two. And this golden child can keep searching until finding the right way to utilize talent, health, and all the advantages in life. Some just lay around.
But it doesn't matter. We have none of those benefits. If we fail, we pay the price. There is no one waiting there with a golden parachute. Lose your job? Go hungry. Want to learn? See which school you can afford. Need a doctor? What insurance do you have? Your car break down? Have to wait for the next paycheck.
This is the difference. And as time passes and the same group has all the advantages, and the others do not, the gap just widens. And Dolan thinks this has grown to the extent, that one group simply cannot relate to the other. Their reality is just too different. One who has no fear of failure can take risks that no one walking on the edge of economic or health devastation could ever take. This is a giant advantage in life that has to twist one's view enough, that that fearful person and the assured person will see things from an entirely different paradigm. And how could they possibly relate.
ENTRAPMENT!
As long as one is forced into an inferior education, that is more accurately described as training to accept the paradigm and be a good little worker. How can he compete? When one is effected by childhood or adult health conditions and gets second tier care, how can he compete? And when both parents are working their asses off to try to keep the mortgage paid, and they cannot hire a nanny, who watches the kids? A "childcare" center, no doubt. Where diseases breed and one must always be on the watch for pedophiles. And on that subject, you might want to avoid the church for child care.
I haven't even begun to touch on all the differences between the two societies. I recommend checking out Richard Dolan at keyholepublishing.com
He explains the concept thoroughly and I challenge anyone to argue.
But a certain amount of this phenomena is natural, perhaps. Maybe that is the way man has always created government. A noble ruling class, and the rest. Certainly this has been apparent throughout history. But, it has always remained with the public, the peasant class, to remind the ruling class when they get carried away. And conditions become unbearable. Well, how's things?
We are bombarded 24/7 by the main stream media who spends five minutes on a hurricane, and several weeks on Anna Nicole Smith. News channels where there is really no news, just opinion from talking, often shouting, heads. How can one define reality there? And entertainment on television seems to consist of people doing nothing special while being filmed and swearing. And what makes it so terrible is that these media giants are controlled by a very few people. And if a reporter wants a job, they spout the company line. That is insider information from me. Our old cherished news outlets have turned into a vehicle for issuing press releases disguised as news. Why has no one investigated the banks and particularly British Petroleum and their associates? We watched them fill the gulf with oil and we knew exactly who was responsible. They suffered a small fine, that they will pass on to us at the gas pump. Barely even rippled their oil filled pond.
And I'd suggest reading Jesse Ventura's "Rebloodlicans and Democrypts" where he compares our political parties to rival gangs, working for the same bosses. They even wear the appropriate gang colors of blue and red. Not that there is an actual connection, but the analogy is pretty damning. I would only refer to the agenda in the President's office being basically the same under Obama as Bush as Clinton as Bush as Reagan as Ford as Nixon and Johnson. I think Jimmy Carter was different and that is why he was largely ineffective and served only one term. Perhaps the last rebel, though one without a clue.
SO WHAT?
While I believe our democratic republic healthy at the very rural levels, I think the rest of government is bought and paid for by the ruling elite. At first, I thought this was just a bunch of baloney. But the more I opened my mind to even considering these facts, the more it became apparent that we are living in a false reality, where what we think is too often dictated by another. Our religions are based on fear. If you do or say something against the rules, you can no longer call yourself one of the group. And God will punish you. We have all heard the expression "God fearing." Why should one fear their God? Would the real God actually need to make you afraid? Couldn't this entity fix any problem without resorting to fear and intimidation. And above all, why would a God want to dumb down his creation? That just is not logical. Why create something just to destroy it? These are questions without answers. We may find ourselves in a situation with no answers. But that should never stop us from questioning everything. All I ask is this. "You have a brain, please use it to take full responsibility for yourself and the way you treat everything." And that requires one to be inquisitive and not blindly accepting.