[August 19, 2022] I heard an interesting talk the other day about the evil 1%. A college professor raged about the terrible things the one percent of our society is doing to harm the planet, harm the poor, and smile at pollution and poverty. Oh, how wrong he was.
The top 1% in the West change. It’s not always the same people all the time. All of us, all those reading this article, are in the evil 1%. And, you think that’s not fair because that college professor only talked about our country as a whole. Well, that’s convenient for him. It sure is easy for that professor, like, “All those other people, those foreigners, the poor, who the hell cares?”
By historical standards, you’re doing much better than the top 1% today. I would make a comparison to where you are today, let’s say in the middle class, and compare ourselves to Nelson Rockefeller in 1919. Would you rather be a middle-class person now or Rockefeller in 1919?
If you were, you would be more prosperous than anyone else, and something is to be said for that status. But there are all sorts of things you have now that Nelson Rockefeller wouldn’t have had a hope of purchasing. Like the antibiotics, he would have needed to stop his son from dying.
No one likes inequality. No one likes inequality. I’ve never met anyone who was for poverty. No one advocates for poverty. The rich are not kicking homeless people on the streets for grins. That isn’t happening. And homelessness is a complex problem; it’s not they are just poor. That’s just one problem they have out of many. They are poor in multiple dimensions.
Many of the poor, if you gave them money, their life is over. Especially if they were alcoholics and cocaine addicts. As long as they were broke, they had some hope of living through the next month. As soon as their unemployment check showed up, they were faced down in the ditch three days later. Nothing but cocaine and alcohol with all their idiot friends for three days. More money does not do everyone good. It might just kill you faster than poverty.
You walk down the street and see an alcoholic, and maybe he is addicted to methamphetamines or they have schizophrenia. It isn’t the unequal distribution of monetary resources that is the primary cause of that problem, and it isn’t going to be some straightforward redistribution of money. It’s way more complicated than that.
And this applies to power as well. Recourses tend to accumulate in the hands of fewer and fewer people. The Bible is the first to document this. “To those who have everything, more will be given. And, from those who have nothing, everything will be taken away.” The rule is that once you succeed at something, the probability that you will continue to succeed ever more rapidly increases. That is why they say that success breeds success. And the opposite is true; poverty breeds poverty.
Just think about the game Monopoly. We all start the same, and someone ends up with everything.
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Please read my new book, “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” on Amazon (link here).
Yeah, it sure looks different when it’s you in the “box” to be responsible. And now, the PC folks are the evil 1% themselves. Now what will they do?
The answer to your question about a liberal finding out that they are the problem. They will blame it on someone else. That is always their answer.
Gen. Satterfield wrote, “More money does not do everyone good. It might just kill you faster than poverty.” How very true!
Excellent point USA Patriot II. Me too. I’m a patriot and always will be.
“To those who have everything, more will be given. And, from those who have nothing, everything will be taken away.” – Bible. Yep, one of the ones we should all pay close attention to.
Within the context of this parable, the principle makes even more sense. The one with ten talents has been the most productive with what he has been given by the master (Matthew 25:16). The one with one talent did absolutely nothing with it. If the master wants the most gain from his investment, he should take that one talent and give it to the one who has the most.
Some have called the principle detailed by Jesus in this verse the “kingdom rule.”
This can be seen in the very simply observation of a beginning flow of water downhill as it finds the lowest path of resistance and the water flows more and more in that direction. The same holds true for our accomplishments which are just like the easier flowing of the water. The water wants to take the easiest path so the most water flows to the destination. This same thing holds true for our work results….more is better….and eventually it “gets fed more” with greater output and rewards.
Good discussion guys. I wish I could make some important points here but I think you guys certainly know more than me. Good to read this.
When I was a kid, we called the unknown the “bug-a-boo” and it was scary. That is what ignorant college professors are doing today. if it is unknown to them, then it must be ‘evil.’ How stupid. At least investigate it. I like the Monopoly game reference that Gen. S. has given us. Great thinking experiment that you can use when someone talks about the “evil 1%” and you can whack ’em up side the head with logic. Of course, they won’t listen to you anyway and that alone shows you how ignorant they can be. Not worthy of being your friend.
Once again, Max, good points. But we all need to remember these people are so ingrained with ignorance from the propaganda that they cannot see the truth even if it jumped up and bit them in the ass.
The RAGE. Because people today, especially young people, are talking into an echo chamber of folks exactly like them … and they refuse to listen to – much less hear – other voices telling them that they are not on board with some basic human concepts like freedom and honesty. They would rather listen to their own lies.
Just imagine if our world were like we thought it would be. Hmmmm. Imagine that. A lot of politicians would be out of a job, that’s for sure.
Tom, you are just making too much sense here. Gen. Satterfield sure nailed it with this leadership blog post. Oh, I will say that I just finished his book, “Our Longest Year in Iraq.” and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend reading his book. Leave a review. Do all of us a favor and be sure to pick up a copy today. That is how you can support this website.
Great thought experiment. 😎👀😉👌🤞
Pow, hit this one out of the park. Well written and reasoned. 👍
Another excellent article from Gen. Satterfield. Thank you sir for your contribution to common sense. I’m afraid however (well, not really afraid, as that is just a catchphrase) that most of those who most need your advice will never read it nor adhere to it if they read it.
right DPG, they are just drifting in the wind.
Egad, I’m in the evil 1%.
We’re all EVIL …. ha ha ha haaaaaaaaa
Very funny!!
Another top notch article from Gen. Satterfield and I love it. Thanks guys, good to know I’m part of the “evil” (not) cabel.
Looks like it is so. I’m thrilled that Gen. Satterfield is onto this topic. I know some of you very young folks out there may find this article boring, but far from it, there is great observations here. We are the most rich people to ever walk on Earth and yet we are overly and simplistically focused on our poverty.
“Poverty” of the mind. There is not much there.
Egad, you are just too funny Forrest. I nearly spit my coffee thru my nose this morning. Hey folks, buy Gen. Satterfield’s book, ‘Our Longest Year in Iraq,’ and you won’t regret it. I know he doesn’t push the book, but today I will.