General Discussion

haele

(15,013 posts)

47. If you are discussing the human drive to expoit resources to "get ahead" - that covers everyone.

Mon Jul 13, 2015, 12:25 PM

Jul 2015

And I would agree with that, but not in the terms that you put it in.
If you are making excuses for people on the upper end who are considered "respectable" for doing something that the poor slob at the side of the freeway is doing, then that's another discussion because there's a level of exploitation that is significantly out of whack.

As I said, the panhandler can't force you to give up more than you are willing to give him or her, or they go to jail.
Just as an entertainer or "celebrity" who gets money for being attractive or outrageous can't force you to spend more money than the price of a ticket or media access to watch him or her.

For the sake of your point - Televangelists are panhandlers just the same as the Traveler (a term for a US or British road-gypsy that makes his or her living off panhandling, busking, street entertainment, gleaning or stealing) on the freeway off-ramp with his wife and two kids sitting under the bushes in the background.
The Khardassians, the Duggers, and the Palins are panhandlers.
They all exploit people who are willing to recognize their humanity and give them money. However, they can't force you to give money.

Unlike the financier, the broker, the person who makes predatory loans and investment scams, has lawyers that can force you to give everything you own and more, go bankrupt, or get stuck working your life off under indentured servitude to pay them off "what they are owed". And for the most part, they don't go to jail.

Haele

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If you are in the 1% you are nothing but an exploiter [View all] WDIM Jul 2015 OP

Do you think only the 1% are exploiters? I see those who take and would like to take more off of Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #1

no comparison WDIM Jul 2015 #10

No, this isn't a republican talking point, this is facts. To think otherwise would be deluding your Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #18

Republican talking points equal facts in the mind of the Bluedog dems. Ed Suspicious Jul 2015 #76

Went over yiur head? The point was even the homeless exploit others, it isn't the 1% of income and Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #94

ridiculous grasswire Jul 2015 #128

You have carried the meaning of "exploit" to a new now level. ladjf Jul 2015 #146

Tell the writer of the op exploit has been carried to a new level. Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #162

Makes you want to throw up reading that stuff on DU, doesnt it. randys1 Jul 2015 #103

I really does. Ed Suspicious Jul 2015 #105

"The 1% does not need the other 99%"... Dont call me Shirley Jul 2015 #91

That comment shows so much doesnt it. Without us the 1% have NOTHING randys1 Jul 2015 #107

I'd happily watch a .01%er try to snake out and repair his toilet. Or repair a leak on his yacht. Dont call me Shirley Jul 2015 #151

They would literally die without us doing their work for them. randys1 Jul 2015 #152

IKR! A worker strike is in order. Whaa! How would they get their liver pate?! Dont call me Shirley Jul 2015 #153

Holy shit! This has got to be some of the most delusional drivel I've ever had the misfortune to Guy Whitey Corngood Jul 2015 #177

I did not start the delusion, I did point out several times exploitation is in all income levels. Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #185

Was what I quoted above written by you or not? nt Guy Whitey Corngood Jul 2015 #186

Ya it is a right wing talking point. PowerToThePeople Jul 2015 #124

RW talking point, no, just facts. Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #210

No it is right wing bullshit PowerToThePeople Jul 2015 #212

Who do you think you are impressing? Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #214

I was with you until you said panhandler JonLP24 Jul 2015 #12

This panhandler happens to be someone I know personally, there was another case where the family was Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #22

Homeless people take from homeless people JonLP24 Jul 2015 #30

Yes, homeless people steal from each other. The $700 a day was a couple working in different places Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #44

Police investigated and found a fridge full of food? JonLP24 Jul 2015 #57

It was three freezers. Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #59

Is that a crime? JonLP24 Jul 2015 #66

The actual crime was cruelty to a child who was pulled crying onto the median to "work" Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #68

This message was self-deleted by its author Ed Suspicious Jul 2015 #77

this is the case right wingers use against the left so you know snooper2 Jul 2015 #155

It is the truth regarding me JonLP24 Jul 2015 #166

I have a family, and a MIL to take care of- if it's street vs shitty job- snooper2 Jul 2015 #168

I joined the Army to do my best financially to support a family JonLP24 Jul 2015 #173

I was homeless for a year tymorial Jul 2015 #125

This makes my wanna cry "You're invisible. No one wants to see you. They pretend you arent there" randys1 Jul 2015 #127

Me a rightwinger? tymorial Jul 2015 #130

Where did I say that? I dont even recognize your board name randys1 Jul 2015 #131

lol no worries. tymorial Jul 2015 #137

Thank you for this tymorial. I was homeless for almost 2 years.. SummerSnow Jul 2015 #165

I or you JonLP24 Jul 2015 #179

I thought that I included where this came from. tymorial Jul 2015 #180

I saw the name and year at the bottom JonLP24 Jul 2015 #181

Most panhandlers don't make that much. Maybe 2% make even close to that. haele Jul 2015 #41

The point was those who are homeless exploits, people in all incomes and net worth exploits, it is Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #46

If you are discussing the human drive to expoit resources to "get ahead" - that covers everyone. haele Jul 2015 #47

My point was exploitation isn't just in the 1%, it is everywhere, OP did not go to the other 99% Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #52

Yes crime is everywhere among all classes. WDIM Jul 2015 #198

You got the facts wrong. You can be as angry at the 1% as you want, it will not serve you well, Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #207

Not angry, just trying to wake people up to the crimes WDIM Jul 2015 #208

Please point out the crimes. Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #209

The leading cause of homeless is the lack of affordable housing JonLP24 Jul 2015 #73

And San Diego is particularly bad for outrageous cost of living. haele Jul 2015 #90

I never said per day JonLP24 Jul 2015 #176

Oh yes because panhandling as you call it is sooooo very easy. tymorial Jul 2015 #102

You missed the point, exploitation happens in every income level. The OP pointed out the 1% income Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #109

I make about $40 to $60 a day working 14 hours a day FrodosPet Jul 2015 #201

Are you talking world 1%ers or USA 1%ers? nt geek tragedy Jul 2015 #2

Household income of $388,000 puts one in the top 1% hack89 Jul 2015 #3

Top 1% of wealth not income. WDIM Jul 2015 #19

So your system... booksandpencils Jul 2015 #56

That's what you got out of that? Tell us what you would prefer. nm rhett o rick Jul 2015 #96

Yes, it is. booksandpencils Jul 2015 #104

Raising taxes on income will only hurt those with "reportable" income. That system sees GE getting rhett o rick Jul 2015 #118

Good plan booksandpencils Jul 2015 #122

You know full well that no one is advocating taking the wealth from the middle and lower classes rhett o rick Jul 2015 #133

I don't support seizure of assets booksandpencils Jul 2015 #150

Define middle class in terms of take home income per year snooper2 Jul 2015 #163

Interesting that you are reluctant to express your opinions, just ask questions. rhett o rick Jul 2015 #187

But if you make $400K a year and have no debts? DFW Jul 2015 #161

Top 1% in income = ~$400K regardless of wealth Major Nikon Jul 2015 #171

Just the 1%? el_bryanto Jul 2015 #4

Top 1% of wealth not income. WDIM Jul 2015 #23

Ah - so this is just envy for the wealthy el_bryanto Jul 2015 #33

No, not true at all. booksandpencils Jul 2015 #51

This message was self-deleted by its author rhett o rick Jul 2015 #97

That's a rather creative, unsupported and arbitrary line you've set for moral justice. LanternWaste Jul 2015 #61

I googled and the top 1% have wealth of at least $9 million. gollygee Jul 2015 #64

$9,000,000.00 and they need to keep taking more? WDIM Jul 2015 #196

How about if I win $10 Mill in the lottery? 1939 Jul 2015 #69

Top 1% of net worth is about $8.4 million lumberjack_jeff Jul 2015 #95

Don't let them get to you. Some here wish to have honest discussions while others rhett o rick Jul 2015 #98

The people who defend the 1% have a delusion WDIM Jul 2015 #197

Some are deluded that those that are included in the 1% (wealth) are successful and rhett o rick Jul 2015 #218

Capitalism is exploitation of labor. Most people posting on this forum are not capitalists, they randys1 Jul 2015 #110

That's ridiculous. The broad brush approach is BS redstateblues Jul 2015 #172

or maybe we just need to adjust our tax system and properly fund services and infrastructure. aikoaiko Jul 2015 #5

^^^This^^^ ProfessorGAC Jul 2015 #6

+1 Hekate Jul 2015 #35

And the only way to avoid taxation Warpy Jul 2015 #58

Not always. The 1% (vs. the .01% or .02%) include professionals like doctors who tblue37 Jul 2015 #7

1% of total wealth not income. WDIM Jul 2015 #14

1% of total wealth not income. WDIM Jul 2015 #15

Of course, BUT that is not how most Americans think of the difference between the 1% and the 99%. tblue37 Jul 2015 #16

May I see your income scale to determine at what cutoff a person falls into the 1%? randome Jul 2015 #8

There are some years when I'm in the 1%... meaculpa2011 Jul 2015 #9

Despite what you say about me, I still like you. AngryAmish Jul 2015 #11

Top ten richest members of congress..... Nye Bevan Jul 2015 #13

I bet every one of those voted for the bush tax cut and the bank bailouts. WDIM Jul 2015 #25

Show us your research on all of them, please. I can tell you enjoy divisive pot-stirring. Hekate Jul 2015 #32

Want to know someone who voted AGAINST the Bush Tax Cuts? brooklynite Jul 2015 #55

but she voted for the Iraq War WDIM Jul 2015 #101

That's not why she did it. She did it for political expediency, and almost all politicians do that randys1 Jul 2015 #111

War profiteers and their puppets are the most guilty of all. WDIM Jul 2015 #199

Really? Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy would disagree with you. Arkana Jul 2015 #17

Why? Their families exploited many people. WDIM Jul 2015 #21

And yet there was never a greater champion of the middle class Arkana Jul 2015 #27

And they had rich guilt and wanted to change things WDIM Jul 2015 #36

And you know this how? Some humans have a sense of ethics, morality, caritas, compassion... Hekate Jul 2015 #50

Let's go lower - the impoverished JustAnotherGen Jul 2015 #135

JFKs 1963 income tax cut was huge. 1939 Jul 2015 #71

Our tax system is grossly unfair. alarimer Jul 2015 #20

Mortage tax deduction (and all other dedcuctions) do phase out under the current tax code. 1939 Jul 2015 #72

When you come for me, please aim for the head..... brooklynite Jul 2015 #24

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are exploiters WDIM Jul 2015 #34

"If I made more money then (sic) I needed I would give it away" A HERETIC I AM Jul 2015 #65

The unknown cannot be worse than the known. WDIM Jul 2015 #100

You've been here for 7 years, we have never interacted and STILL I get the same tired bullshit. A HERETIC I AM Jul 2015 #126

The wealthy are the true criminals in this country. AlbertCat Jul 2015 #139

... A HERETIC I AM Jul 2015 #143

What utter bullshit. Recursion Jul 2015 #154

So generous 1939 Jul 2015 #75

Do you own a computer? philosslayer Jul 2015 #87

Some exploiters are better than others, I think aint_no_life_nowhere Jul 2015 #26

Does the 1% include .... clarice Jul 2015 #28

You mean like the Kennedys? Like Bill Gates? A few others I could mention. Broad brush.... Hekate Jul 2015 #29

If you seized all those assets and distributed to everyone, it wouldn't be a lot per person. PLUS, Hoyt Jul 2015 #31

Globally the 1% starts at about $28k / yr; by wealth it's about $350K Recursion Jul 2015 #37

In our little section of the globe, 28k isn't exactly a lot of money. But we do have refrigerators Ed Suspicious Jul 2015 #78

That was his "Foxnews" point. Rex Jul 2015 #82

Wealthy people always hate being reminded of it (nt) Recursion Jul 2015 #136

Yep, if you have a microwave then the Koch Bros say you should stop whining about randys1 Jul 2015 #113

Global microwave ownership is about 20% Recursion Jul 2015 #141

This is the reasoning the Koch types keep using, sad to see it here though at DU randys1 Jul 2015 #142

"The Kochs say it" is not an argument Recursion Jul 2015 #144

Nonsense...Koch talking points wont work here....try again randys1 Jul 2015 #145

Snort Recursion Jul 2015 #147

Yes, we do. Americans don't like hearing how rich we are Recursion Jul 2015 #134

. Rex Jul 2015 #80

Guys in Beverly Hills talk about how $500k isn't "really" rich there Recursion Jul 2015 #138

Who do you envision dumbcat Jul 2015 #38

The people. nt. WDIM Jul 2015 #49

LOL! dumbcat Jul 2015 #115

I reject the idea of forced redistribution utterly and completely Godhumor Jul 2015 #39

Why? We are forced to redistribute all the time. Every time Halliburton wins a no-bid Ed Suspicious Jul 2015 #81

Forfeiting assets and forced seizure, as the OP suggests, is what I'm talking about Godhumor Jul 2015 #89

In the last 40 years the wealth of the middle and lower classes was redistributed to the rhett o rick Jul 2015 #99

The OP is not talking about tax structure Godhumor Jul 2015 #106

Seems we have little choice but fantasy. nm rhett o rick Jul 2015 #116

So you reject taxes and welfare? are you sure you're on the right board. WDIM Jul 2015 #200

Don't pretend you're talking about taxes or government spending Godhumor Jul 2015 #203

For the criminals they should have their assets seized. WDIM Jul 2015 #205

Bernie Sanders is worth $330,507 as of 2013. Dr Hobbitstein Jul 2015 #40

Yes, politicians live off other people. WDIM Jul 2015 #48

You heard it here first, folks! Dr Hobbitstein Jul 2015 #60

That doesn't put him in the top 1% by a long shot gollygee Jul 2015 #63

Waste of time, the few 'progressives' here defending the actual Owners have no clue Rex Jul 2015 #83

I'm not the one who picked "the 1%" as a meme Recursion Jul 2015 #148

Gonna have a hard time passing constitutional muster taught_me_patience Jul 2015 #42

No, no, no...this is when the MASSES rise up and overthrow the system... brooklynite Jul 2015 #53

Civil Asset Forfeiture WDIM Jul 2015 #54

Problem is most of what the capitalists have, while surely stolen, is legal, because they randys1 Jul 2015 #129

what they do is against the law or use to be. now just not enforced. WDIM Jul 2015 #170

I'm all those things!?! Cool! BKH70041 Jul 2015 #43

Occupy was right, you are wrong. stevenleser Jul 2015 #45

I agree this cant be an us vs them thing at this point, it is too far gone. randys1 Jul 2015 #132

In some cases, but then there's Hollywood and Silicon Valley money. . . ucrdem Jul 2015 #62

Asset seizures? OK comrade LittleBlue Jul 2015 #67

We tried communism? No, as Dr. Richard Wolff tells it, the early 20th century communism Ed Suspicious Jul 2015 #88

DU rec... SidDithers Jul 2015 #70

So once we eliminate the current 1%, what do we do with the next 1%? Throd Jul 2015 #74

Think of the rich people! Ed Suspicious Jul 2015 #92

At what point does the mob stop seizing assets? Throd Jul 2015 #93

Get rid of capitalism and you wont have a 1%... randys1 Jul 2015 #120

That isn't how math works. Throd Jul 2015 #121

Huh? Without capitalism that is exactly how math works. randys1 Jul 2015 #123

Ummm... you'll always have a richest 1% Recursion Jul 2015 #156

Technically I guess the 1% could have two tv's while the 99% have one, but as to the kind randys1 Jul 2015 #157

The USSR managed some pretty hefty inequality without capitalism Recursion Jul 2015 #158

Corruption randys1 Jul 2015 #159

Yes the parasitic class (they hate that btw) has gone from that annoying flea bite Rex Jul 2015 #79

And if they would have they probably could have played the game largely unencumbered Ed Suspicious Jul 2015 #84

Truer words have never been spoken. Rex Jul 2015 #86

Their level of crime has become so blatant WDIM Jul 2015 #202

"have their assets seized and redistributed to all the people" < ROFL jtuck004 Jul 2015 #85

It is rigged not voluntary. WDIM Jul 2015 #204

So if you spend a lot BainsBane Jul 2015 #108

Yep booksandpencils Jul 2015 #117

What if Bernie Sanders and his wife, by dint of hard work and careful investment over decades, pnwmom Jul 2015 #112

As long as we have any form of mixed system including an Douglas Carpenter Jul 2015 #114

$400,000 even with no debt, is not the 1%. Sunlei Jul 2015 #119

Where's Mao when you need him? AlbertCat Jul 2015 #140

Stir up some shit. cherokeeprogressive Jul 2015 #149

When I was 14 I started working odd jobs. Glassunion Jul 2015 #160

What if you and Ms Union moved out? brooklynite Jul 2015 #169

Our retirement plans are simple. Glassunion Jul 2015 #174

Monetary or intelligence? seveneyes Jul 2015 #164

Not at all. Someone can have a lot of wealth from good works. raouldukelives Jul 2015 #167

They are a Rentier Class (see the French Revolution) daredtowork Jul 2015 #175

You're setting the bar to low. The 1/1,000,000'ers Taitertots Jul 2015 #178

Your last one would devastate the country and lead to total economic stagnation. Calista241 Jul 2015 #183

Nothing supports your assertion/opinion Taitertots Jul 2015 #188

Yeah, well, I'm just glad you're not in charge. Calista241 Jul 2015 #194

None of those jobs would disappear if liability followed ownership Taitertots Jul 2015 #195

The last one is a HORRIBLE idea Recursion Jul 2015 #184

So society should underwrite corporate failure? GeorgeGist Jul 2015 #189

Absolutely. That's what bankruptcy is. Recursion Jul 2015 #190

Nothing is stopping them from failing again and again Taitertots Jul 2015 #191

Your idea would let debt from Business A follow to Business B Recursion Jul 2015 #192

Untrue. Debts from Business A go to the owner, not business B Taitertots Jul 2015 #193

And the owner owns business B, which can be liquidated by the creditors (nt) Recursion Jul 2015 #220

Why not auctioned off PowerToThePeople Jul 2015 #221

My guess is get the red out Jul 2015 #182

Lets begin with the War Profiteers! WDIM Jul 2015 #206

Come and get it, R.A. Ganoush Jul 2015 #211

Enjoy your stay PowerToThePeople Jul 2015 #213

how do you live with the guilt? WDIM Jul 2015 #215

moles do not have any guilt. n/t PowerToThePeople Jul 2015 #216

I'm really hoping for an answer. WDIM Jul 2015 #217

I should have said R.A. Ganoush Jul 2015 #219