Ever hang around any wealthy people? Ever notice they don't pay for anything?

[NNN0LHI]

They go out for a nice dinner and the restaurant owner picks up the tab and thanks them for coming in. No money exchanges hands. Ever see that happen? About 20 years ago I found my personal doctor wandering around the front offices of the Ford plant I worked at like he was lost. He was lost. I asked him how he was, and what was he doing there? He said he was there to pick up his car. I said we don't sell cars at this factory. He gave me the name of some guy who he was supposed to see. The name was familiar and I knew where his office was and pointed my doctor in the right direction and bid him ado. I later found out that Ford had some kind of purchase program for doctors, lawyers and other wealthy professional people. They didn't even have to go through a dealer. Keep in mind this was at this time they still didn't give us employees a break on our cars we bought. We had to negotiate that into one of our contracts years later.

Can anyone else think of any situations where the wealthy get free or reduced pricing like this?

Don

[stray cat]

1. I heard that about JFK

[gateley]

4. I've heard that about the uber rich -- like Kennedy. They don't carry cash or

credit cards because their "people" pick up the tab. That's probably why they don't have a real handle on what things cost. Problem arises when they're just with friends and their people aren't around.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

27. I heard ^^^THAT^^^ about pretty, single women

I've more than just heard that... :whistling:

but I digress :)

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

28. Yes, but using the Kennedys as an example hurts your argument.

It's not that I hate rich people or am bitter about the wealthy. My problem is that they absolutely have no clue about the rest of the world. At the very least people like the Kennedys and John Kerry actually devote themselves to public service when they didn't have to.

I take great issue against those who are wealthy and have this sense of entitlement simply because they are wealthy. That would be the Bushes of the world. They have this "let them eat cake" or "give them charity" mentality. These are the same people who are likely to charge that they are MORE "christian" than you or I.

[gateley]

115. Good point -- The Kennedys didn't do it because they were cheap or had

a sense of entitlement, but that they were just used to other people taking care of those things.

[newtothegame]

134. You knew them personally?

:shrug:

[gateley]

136. Actually, I knew David and Bobby Jr. but that's not what I'm basing my comment

on.

[whathehell]

152. You don't have to know them "personally" to know their record of public service. n/t

[Art_from_Ark]

137. Maybe bu$h Sr. might be a better example

About 20 years ago, when he was in the White House, he was taken on a visit to a supermarket. When asked how much he thought was a reasonable price for bread, he said $17. And that was 20 years ago.
No clue whatsoever about how the peasants live.

[MODem75]

62. I often find that wealthy republicans are the ones that don't pay their bills.

Running a business I can tell you from my experience that the ones that don't pay or pay late, complain about paying, etc. are the wealthy conservatives.

My dem customers are the first to pay their bills and sometimes pay extra and write a nice note thanking me for the service. I often receive gifts from them during the holidays.

[Capn Sunshine]

77. How long until someone starts a post "Some people say" ?

jeese.

[MrMickeysMom]

93. Was that about RFK?

I heard the Robert and Ethyl Kennedy clan's housekeeper was appalled at their home's sloppiness ...

However, Joe and Rose Kennedy must have been their role models, so I'm willing to blame then because their kids sure went on do do some great things and also produced some nice kids of their own.

[roody]

124. That is why they hired a housekeeper!

[MrMickeysMom]

127. So...

I must tell you, I feel so much more informed now...

[earth mom]

116. I've NEVER heard that about JFK and I don't believe JFK was a cheap man.

But I DO believe Bush, Cheney, Rove, Limbaugh, O'Lielly, Palin and the rest of the gangster rethugs are the most small minded, greedy, cheap a$$holes that ever existed! :puke:

[Name removed]

142. Deleted message

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

[Name removed]

126. Deleted message

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

[mbperrin]

2. I teach economics, and my classes get a one week unit each year

on one of the hidden costs of being poor - you pay more for everything. Higher prices for groceries in stores located in poor areas, higher interest for everything, higher prices, and so on.

The wealthy receive comps of all kinds, plus discounts, plus cheap interest, plus better service and access to higher quality merchandise as well.

An old boss of mine never had to pay for a room or a meal in Vegas, ever. One example only.

Yes, it sucks to be poor.

[NNN0LHI]

8. I know a small businessman who would go around to his workers every year showing them ...

... the official paperwork that showed the newest rate increase for the following years health insurance premiums which he deducted from their paychecks. He always put on a real sad face too. Like he felt their pain.

What he didn't show them was the increased number of kickbacks he was going to receive in the form of all expense paid trips to Vegas and elsewhere that he got in return for those increased insurance premiums. He had to pay the taxes for the trips he took on his income tax returns, and he took a lot of them, but he still had a great scam going on. Not so good for his employees though.

Don

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

24. +1

[Hello_Kitty]

26. I wish you'd been my Econ prof.

Every one I had was a major neocon Milton Friedman koolaid huffing tool.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

30. I teach a political science/public policy college course as well, as so many of

my students come from wealthy families. Most of these kids, if not all of them are Republicans, but don't really know why. They do, however, walk around with this disgusting sense of entitlement and their stated views in class are simply baffling. It takes everything out of me not to stand up and scream, but of course, we have to maintain some semblance of neutrality.

[Hello_Kitty]

74. Sounds like my new Congressman. Ben Quayle.

:puke:

[bobbolink]

53. Thank you! I hope what they learn sticks with them!

:applause:

It would be good for you to teach that week to DU, because they are many here who don't get it.

[Stevenmarc]

60. There are no

free rides in Vegas, I doubt your old boss ever shared the actual cost of those perks. Sure he might have come out ahead on some trips but I can guarantee there is only one truth in Vegas, the house never loses.

But I couldn't agree more with the rest of the post.

[EC]

71. The poor also eventually end up paying more for repairs

because by the time they can get the $$ together to pay for the initial repair, the problem has accelerated into a major repair...and don't forget penalties and late fees for paying bills late (bills that are usually higher than the rich would have paid because of different interest rates)...the rich getting preferred interest rates just sucks..interest should be the same for everyone, offer other incentives to use the service...


I remember once a while ago I didn't have the money to repair my car...but I could get a car loan...so guess what I ended up having to do? Yep, buy the car with 5 years worth of payments...when if I could have gotten a loan to fix the car it probably would have been paid off in 6 months or a year...

[Laelth]

100. Good for you. Well done. n/t

-Laelth

[Xenotime]

112. It's time the table turn so the poor get these perks. Not the rich.

[Cleita]

3. Not only that they don't carry around money.

So if there is a need for cash, like to tip a parking lot attendant, for instance, they have to borrow it from someone in their party, usually an underling employee.

[prolesunited]

5. Think about all the free stuff celebrities get

The companies just write this all off as PR. It's aspirational marketing. Put the brands in the hands of people viewed as wealthy, successful and attractive and others will buy it in the hopes the magic rubs off.

About the only way to combat it is to forget brand loyalty and high-priced labels.

[Stevenmarc]

18. Not so much anymore since they made all the stuff in the gifting room taxable income

[Canuckistanian]

33. Look at what's in those "Goody bags" they give away at the Oscars

Presenters and performers at this year's Oscar ceremony will receive a "gift basket" - a bag of freebies - expected to have a value of around $150,000 (£78,500). It will include the latest ultra-thin mobile phone, a selection of free holidays, exclusive olive oil, a $1,500 voucher for dinner, and the coffee maker, which together with a toaster and kettle carries a price tag of $700.

This year there are even plans for an unofficial runners-up gift bag for all the nominees. Priced at around $38,000, it includes a voucher for a weekend in Las Vegas.

All this for some of the most privileged, mollycoddled and wealthy people on the planet.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/feb/26/oscars2005.oscars

And this was about 5 years ago. It's probably worth more today.

[Stevenmarc]

44. Mmmm ....No

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/17/AR2006081700844.html

Movie stars appearing at the Academy Awards will no longer receive the lavish goody baskets they have come to expect -- worth as much as $100,000 each and including freebies such as iPods, resort vacations, coupons for laser eye surgery, jewelry and high-priced lingerie -- because of a crackdown by the federal tax collector.

The Internal Revenue Service and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences yesterday announced they have reached a settlement on undisclosed taxes owed to the government on the "gifts" received at the Oscars in the last several years, through 2005.

The academy also announced it will no longer give out the bags, saying the board quietly voted last April to end the practice. In recent years, the academy has given the bags -- also known as gift bags or swag -- to as many as 200 hosts, performers and winners on Oscar night. "There's no special red-carpet tax loophole for the stars," IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson said in a prepared statement. "Whether you're popping the popcorn, sitting in the audience or starring on the big screen, you need to respect the law and pay your taxes."

[druidity33]

149. Mmmmm... Yeah.

http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=16917

This is from March 2010:

"Most are hoping to win the golden statue, but those who don't, it is being reported that they'll receive a unique consolation prize valued at over $85,000. Take a look at the list below to see what will be included in this year's gift basket."


The only difference is the IRS is forcing the Academy to report the gifts.

:shrug:

[Stevenmarc]

155. Mmmm ...still yeah

It's nowhere near as out of control as it use to be and some people actually opt out because it's more of a pain in the ass to accept them or they give them, or portions of them, to charity.

[druidity33]

157. sure...

$85,000 is much less out of control than $100,000. And i'm sure "some people" are happy to opt out of gifts that they only have to pay the tax on. It must be so difficult for the Academy to account for who they gave what, that they'll give up the practice right away!

:eyes:

[Stevenmarc]

158. Actually

it was $150,000 in 2005 not $100,000 but don't let your feigned righteous indignation get in the way of the facts.

Sorry but unlike the regular DU "eat the rich" contingent that usually piles on to these threads I don't have a problem with business people putting their goods and services in the hands of people they think will improve their sales, it's called marketing.

[onethatcares]

6. you'd have to ask bush41 about that

he couldn't get over the idea of having scanners read the prices the last time he was shopping.

Jeeez, he's still around too.

[old mark]

7. I used to do animal and pet photography, and one of my clients owned

show horses...He had at least 4 cars, too - used a Jaguar sedan to drive to the road from the main house to pick up the mail...He was the one who stiffed me for payment after I delivered his horse pics, and is one of the reasons I gave up the business after trying to establish it for several years...Ended up losing too much money.

mark

[otohara]

9. In Broadcasting, There's Trade Available

in exchange or as part of an ad buy, broadcasters love trade. Especially at nice restaurants, cruise ships, hotels, spas, airlines, cars.

The people who make the most, use it the most. Every manager at my last and final job all had Mercedes because of a trade agreement.

Overpaid and still greedy as all get out.

[delightfulstar]

10. Don't forget Hollywood...

All those "swag bags" at the awards shows, chock-full of expensive designer and boutique stuff. I saw something a few days ago about someone (may have been Blake Lively?) getting free reign on all the Christian Louboutin shoes she wanted, some at well over $1K a pair. This is someone who makes millions upon millions a year, and gets free clothes sent to her regularly by designers. Those shoes, per pair, cost as much as my rent (I pay over $1000 a month, FWIW).

[Dawson Leery]

122. Hollywood gets tons of "free" things just for being who they are.

:wtf:

[Vickers]

11. Sure, but think about all the jobs they create.

:sarcasm:

[delightfulstar]

15. Yeah...

It's really booming. :sarcasm:

In third-world sweatshops. :thumbsdown:

[abelenkpe]

12. Yeah, odd huh? nt

[elias7]

13. Where are you getting this stuff from?

You have an anecdote from 20 years ago and you generalize to all wealthy people in all situations. And look how everyone agrees with you....pile on!!!! Yet, there is really little basis for your statement. I have hung around wealthy people. Hell, you might even consider me wealthy. Not only do I pay my restaurant tabs, but I generally tip 30%. I did have a friend who got a complimentary meal at a restaurant once, but then again, he had given the restaurant owner and his wife a $100,000 loan to get the restaurant started. If I didn't know that, perhaps I would have thought it was just the owner picking up the tab.

In general, I have found the wealthy do indeed pay for things, and buy more expensive things than the average person. So while you're paying for low end or medium end merchandise, the wealthy buy high end stuff which makes more money for the business. The philanthropy of the wealthy is what in part what pays for a parks, memorials, statues, buildings, etc. You may have given NPR $25 or $365 or whatever, but the Kroc family gave them $200 million. Hell, I'd give them a free meal for that.

I'm just saying it's not so cut and dried as rich=bad, as so many here seem to imply. And please don't forget, many democrats, and many here on DU are professionals who make over $250k/yr. I would just ask you to be a little more thoughtful in simplifying things to an us vs them scenario.

[Parker CA]

19. +1. There are plenty of wealthy Dems who contribute positively in many ways, often anonymously. nt

[Mimosa]

23. Curious: have any 'rich people' been picking up the tab for parks, memorials, statues, lately?

I do know a couple who have contributed mightily to hospital wings.

[elias7]

51. I'm originally from Cleveland

Such wondrous and architecturally relevant facilities around University Circle -- the Cleveland Art Museum, Severance (symphony) Hall, Natural History Museum, Botanical Gardens, Case Western University, the Institute of Art, the Institute of Music, etc.-- all built with private money, donations from folks like the Rockefeller's, the Hanna's, the Hay's, and so on. It's really a double edged sword, people want to hate the rich, but so much of our cultural richness is due to them. Of course you may want to argue that the arts are superfluous in times of economic woe, but then again, the art museum saved me in some of my most troubled times as a refuge.

So NOT black and white

[Hello_Kitty]

25. Yeah, like you and your cohort don't have plenty of stereotypes about the poor

Don't like being typecast? Welcome to our world.

Still, I'd trade places with you in a hot second.

[elias7]

37. I call bullshit

You're making assumptions not befitting of an open-minded democrat trying to engage in an honest discussion. If you want to lower yourself to the judgmental, prejudicial and narrow-mindset that I usually see on the republican side of the aisle, go ahead. Perhaps it is better to not project your own shortcomings (i.e. stereotyping) on others whom you don't know.

You don't know anything about me, yet you'd trade places with me? All about money for you, huh?

[Hello_Kitty]

42. Yes, it is all about money for me.

I've been in and out of work for nearly 3 years. I lost my house and have no health care. If I didn't have a boyfriend (he's self-employed and struggling too) I'd be homeless. My eight year old car needs numerous repairs and has a burned out headlight. I avoid driving at night because the city needs revenue and poor people are low-hanging fruit for the cops here.

It must be nice to be comfortable enough that you can condescendingly scold a poor person for being money-focused. Must be nice to have loftier things to ponder. Good for you. Every problem I have right now would be solved with some money.

[elias7]

64. I see you are suffering

My point was not to scold you for being money focused. Why not address the core of my post?

I'll repeat, "You're making assumptions not befitting of an open-minded democrat trying to engage in an honest discussion. If you want to lower yourself to the judgmental, prejudicial and narrow-mindset that I usually see on the republican side of the aisle, go ahead. Perhaps it is better to not project your own shortcomings (i.e. stereotyping) on others whom you don't know. "

Can you respond to this piece?

[Hello_Kitty]

72. My response is that this reminds me of what invariably happens to OPs about misogyny or racism

Some white dude shows up to demand that we acknowledge that "not all men are like that" or "not all white people are like that". The experience of oppression must be couched in terms that do not offend members of the oppressor class. The first priority must always be the tender feelings of the man who has never raped a woman or the white person who claims to be non-racist. It's called privilege and many people who have oodles of it are blind to it. Your showing up on this OP to scold demonstrates your blindness.

[elias7]

80. My blindness?

The OP made a "Did'ja ever notice" post with no references or links to any event. Just stated an unfounded opinion about people with money that demonstrates a closed mind. Your defense of the OP demonstrates as much blindness.

If you want to throw a "let's trash the rich" party, please do it somewhere else. There's plenty of well-off, rich, or even wealthy people on this board who work as hard as you, give as much of themselves as you do, and even vote against their financial interests. You falsely equate money with privilege. You also link suffering with the lack of money, and link money with the lack of suffering. Both fallacious. You don't know me personally, nor anyone else here personally (there may be exceptions).

When you say, "The first priority must always be the tender feelings of the man who has never raped a woman or the white person who claims to be non-racist", you're misstating people's objections. People like me are just cautioning against furthering stereotypes, like all men are assholes, or all cops are assholes, or all republicans are assholes, or all rich people are assholes. I don't disagree that many rich people have oodles of privilege and are blind to it, but that are many DU that you would call rich and most if not all of us are certainly not blind to it.

My showing up to as you say "scold" the OP does show my blindness-- I use to believe that people on DU could see both sides of an issue, could appreciate that stereotyping and judgmental thinking obfuscate real discourse. You're using your suffering as social cachet in this setting, as if that trumps any discussion that disagrees with the OP. That is truly poor. That's why you should want to trade places with me, not because I have some money.

[Hello_Kitty]

82. Classic example of what I'm talking about. Every word you wrote.

Edit to add this from Derailing for Dummies:

But I'm Not Like That - Stop Stereotying!

Personalising anything the Marginalised Person may say is a great way of distracting attention from the issue at hand, forcing the Marginalised Person to soothe your wounded feelings or sense of indignation rather than concentrating on the argument they were making.
Rather than simply listening to criticism of a group of Privileged People with respect and consideration for the Marginalised Person, you must immediately take offence and leap in to defend yourself.

For example, when queer people are crticising the tendencies of some straight people, jump in and say something like:

"Not all of us are like that - you're prejudiced against straight people! You're judging straight people the same way that they judge you, and it's hateful! We need to not categorise people and make assumptions about them based on their identity! I resent feeling like I'm part of a group that oppresses you!"

- even though the criticism was very explicitly leveled at a specified behavior. (ie.:, "I don't like straight people who do ________.")

But of course, this can work in many different situations where Privileged behaviour is being deconstucted or criticised. Its resonance is in its lack of acknowledgement of the balance of power by suggesting that reasonable criticism of oppressive or discriminatory behaviour is equivalent to the oppressive and discriminatory behaviour itself. Remember that while the Marginalised Person's criticism can never adversely affect your life in significant ways, you must rank the discrimination they face - which does significantly affect them - as equal to the discomfort of your wounded feelings, to demonstrate how highly you rank yourself and how lowly you rank them.

http://www.derailingfordummies.com/#innocent

[elias7]

85. You are so far off topic, and you have created a strawman

Please reread some of my posts and gather yourself

[Hello_Kitty]

88. Please read the whole Derailing for Dummies link and learn something.

This response of yours falls under the "You're being emotional" derailing tactic.

[elias7]

96. OK, let's get back to the OP, shall we?

The OP basically makes the claim that wealthy people get things for free or reduced prices whereas the rest of us have to pay or pay more. I believe this statement to be unsubstantiated and in my experience, wrong. Moreover, I believe lumping all wealthy people in one big pejorative basket does many people on DU and in the world a huge disservice. Do you agree or disagree. Why or why not?

[Hello_Kitty]

102. You have been provided with numerous examples

You choose to dismiss them.

As for this: Moreover, I believe lumping all wealthy people in one big pejorative basket does many people on DU and in the world a huge disservice. Do you agree or disagree. Why or why not?

I must tell you that the feelings of rich people are about the lowest item on my list of priorities right now. Does that answer your question?

[elias7]

120. I don't understand your response

Numerous examples of what? Dismissing what? The fact that you have concluded I am privileged though you know nothing of me other than I said some here might consider me wealthy? I could similarly argue that you have still failed to address my core issue about the OP.

I have posed a valid question. I am not talking about feelings; rather, I am talking about unfair generalizations and stereotyping. If my concerns were about the lowest item on your list of priorities right now, why did you enter the thread to begin with?

If, for example, I were to start an OP stating: "Ever hang around any poor people? Ever notice they don't pay for anything? They go out for a nice dinner and the people they're with have to pick up the tab and have to be gracious about it. Ever see that happen? Can anyone else think of any situations where the poor get free or reduced pricing like this?" I provide no link, no real substantiation other than a couple of life anecdotes of how I have seen people on welfare get things for free that others have to pay for. I omit counterexamples of where poor people work hard and pay their fair share and more. Would this kind of post piss you off?

It would piss me off as much as this OP did. Primarily because it implies an inaccurate picture of those in poverty. Yet, that's exactly why the teabaggers garnered so much support. They created all sorts of erstwhile OP's like this one and got people pissed off at anyone getting anything for "free" or getting entitlements on their tax dollar. Totally misrepresenting reality, yet appealed to emotions of people hurt and angry. It is simply demagoguery, as this OP was. Are you saying we should act no differently?

[Hello_Kitty]

123. Were you asleep most of the day or something?

Do you realize there was this thing that happened in Congress that was basically a giant "Fuck You" from the Haves and Have Mores to the Have Nots? You showed up in this thread to lecture the OP on decorum and opine about all the wonderful things the rich have done. Jesus God. As if the poor dear rich people just can't catch a break in our society. Newsflash: Rich people are worshiped in this country.

If, for example, I were to start an OP stating: "Ever hang around any poor people? Ever notice they don't pay for anything? They go out for a nice dinner and the people they're with have to pick up the tab and have to be gracious about it. Ever see that happen? Can anyone else think of any situations where the poor get free or reduced pricing like this?" I provide no link, no real substantiation other than a couple of life anecdotes of how I have seen people on welfare get things for free that others have to pay for. I omit counterexamples of where poor people work hard and pay their fair share and more. Would this kind of post piss you off?

The difference is that there is a vast power imbalance between the rich and the poor. Negative stereotypes about the poor, aside from being far more prevalent than negative stereotypes about the rich, often translate into measurable harm to poor people. For example, my state legislators are trying to pass a law that will require people receiving public assistance to undergo drug testing. This is after they made draconian cuts to health care and social services to the poor because god forbid they raise taxes on the rich or corporations a bit. This is Arizona where they cut poor transplant patients off of Medicaid. They also froze enrollments to Medicaid so I can't sign up for it and get health care. So yeah, I don't have much concern to spare for the rich.

[elias7]

130. I don't disagree with anything you say about economic disparity

I did sleep most of the day as I worked a night shift last night. But I have watched the haves screw the have-nots today and for decades, and know enough history that this dynamic has always been in force. And I also agree that rich people are worshipped in this country. Who the fuck cares who the Kardashians are? They are disgusting people, yet people can't stop watching them. And I do agree that negative stereotypes about the poor can translate to measurable harm-- that's a strong point-- I think the Tea partiers have been as incredibly damaging to social equity, as much as the anti-welfare push in the early 90's was.

I am discouraged by your characterization of my involvement in this thread. You have done more lecturing to me than I have to you or the OP. And you've done a bit more sniping as well. The issue was not one of decorum, but one of basic fairness, prejudice and stereotyping. It is unfortunate that you trivialize what I consider to be fundamental to honest discourse. And if you think I was opining about all the wonderful things the rich have done because of all the wonderful things the rich have done, you missed the point of that particular post as well.

I will tell you though, when you stated, "I'd trade places with you in a hot second." I wouldn't recommend that for you, though perhaps I'd take you up on the deal. Just goes to show....be careful with your assumptions. Play nice....

[elias7]

97. dupe

[elias7]

98. dupe

[elias7]

99. dupe

[hfojvt]

86. except that explanation gets derailed

when it says "reasonable criticism of oppressive or discriminatory behaviour" ...

when the statements being objected too are usually very far from reasonable and they don't talk about behaviour. They talk about classes of people. "Whites are .." or "men are ..." Nor is it reasonable to talk about a behaviour as if all white people or all men must necessarily engage in that behaviour just because of their classification.

[Hello_Kitty]

87. But it's a demonstration of privilege to demand acknowledgment of that

Where an oppressed group of people is discussing their treatment by members of your group.

Again:

"Remember that while the Marginalised Person's criticism can never adversely affect your life in significant ways, you must rank the discrimination they face - which does significantly affect them - as equal to the discomfort of your wounded feelings, to demonstrate how highly you rank yourself and how lowly you rank them."

[hfojvt]

90. yeah, that's just absurd

like nobody would object if somebody wrote "black people are ..." or "women are ..." and postulated some ridiculous and insulting stereotype. No woman or black person would ever feel like they had the privilege to object. And often the discussion is not about discrimination being faced, it is about bigotted beliefs being stated, and it is quite easy for those two to be equivalent.

[Hello_Kitty]

92. The effect of your privileged group being stereotyped in some way on your life is exactly what?

Seriously, will it affect your ability to get a job or a bank loan or served in a restaurant? Stereotypes should be avoided but to suggest that all of them are equal is to ignore massive and structural imbalances of power between privileged and oppressed groups.

[Silent3]

139. If someone in Group A makes an inaccurate gross generalization....

...about people in Group B, and can't be bothered to worry how broad a brush they're applying when they do it, I'll call them on it.

I don't care whether it's A or B who has more privileged in society or not.

Should poor, unemployed white people be given a free pass on making bigoted remarks about wealthy black people? Or will you conveniently decide, since that sounds pretty terrible, that it's not truth and accuracy that matter, but that race somehow trumps wealth in how this game of who's supposed to be given a pass about what is played?

[Starry Messenger]

132. Perfect. I love that link too.

They need to add some examples about class privilege to that.

[freeplessinseattle]

129. Great post (and I am far from wealthy!) eom

[Raksha]

144. Sure there are. So if the shoe doesn't fit, DON'T wear it!

Re "There's plenty of well-off, rich, or even wealthy people on this board who work as hard as you, give as much of themselves as you do, and even vote against their financial interests."

There are plenty of well-off but public-spirited citizens everywhere, especially here on DU. One of them (I have no idea who because it was done anonymously) even gave me my donor star during a pledge drive. The OP was not referring to those people, and neither was Hello Kitty. That does NOT mean we aren't allowed to generalize to prove a point, and without being forced to smooth the ruffled feathers of every single member of the oppressor class who takes offense at the generalization. I'm poor too, and I also get pretty damn tired of that stuff.

[whathehell]

154. Could we define "rich" here?

A study done recently indicated that most people in America think it starts at a yearly salary of $100K, which I think, all other things being equal (dependents,geography, etc.) is still too low to be "rich".

[mainer]

32. +1

I don't know where it's coming from either. I always tip well, pay for everything, and never get discounts. I don't know who these rich freeloaders are.

[hfojvt]

83. really? because I get a fair amount of discounts

and I am not even that rich. However, my credit card gives me 5% off on gasoline and 2% off at restaurants and 1% on everything else. Discover card sorta shows how the rich benefit. I cannot remember the exact levels, but their rebate structure looks like .25% for the first $1,000 and .5% for the next $9,000 and 1% after that. Hence, the rich, who spend more, get bigger rebates.

When you are rich, you can afford to spend more and thus get the discounts. a free this or a free that for every purchase over $1,000.

There's also the tax code. The rich can afford to put more money in their IRAs or their Roth IRAs. The rich get tax deductions for a) their property taxes, b) the interest on their mortgages, c) their health care expenses. You might say that those deductions are there for everybody, including the upper middle class, but below a certain level they are meaningless because they are less than the standard deduction.

Then there are utility prices. They start with a base rate. For the gas company, it is almost $15 they charge you every month even if you use no gas. But the rates per kilowatt hour or per therm or per gallon of water, typically go down the more you use. So the mansion can use 5 times as much electricity, natural gas or water than the shack does and not pay 5 times as much. The discount is built right in. And watch what they do when they increase rates. The base rate will go up by 10% and the rate for the big users will go up by 1%. The media will typically not tell you this though. They will just talk about "the average customer" even though the small and likely poorer customer just got hit with a bigger percentage rate increase that the bigger and likely richer customer.

Amd those are just the examples that I know about. See, for example "The Screwing of the Average Man" by Powers Hapgood.

[GCP]

50. Shhh - you're harshing the mellow!

I agree with you. I've known many wealthy people who always insisted on paying the bill when we've gone out to very expensive places.

[Lucian]

61. Look at this...a rich person whining about paying for things.

Please. :eyes:

[elias7]

67. Completely missed my point

Not rich (not poor either) and never whined about a bill or a debt in my life. Why do you people ignore my point and make shit up?

[Lucian]

73. "Hell, you might even consider me wealthy."

You said it. Not me. I don't fail at reading comprehension.

[laughingliberal]

66. I didn't take this to be about the 'nearly rich' with incomes around the $250,000 range. nt

[uppityperson]

70. +1 for not stereotyping a group. Thank you.

[DiverDave]

91. Rich fucks HATE paying for ANYTHING!

A friends dad ran a tree spray and pruning biz.
The wealthy would always, ALWAYS be late on payments and try and barter it down...
So, no, it is REAL that they do this.

They think they don't have to pay, they ARE different then me, they are ASSHOLES.

[Hello_Kitty]

95. That's exactly what my ex who was a landscaper experienced.

Working class people would comb through the couch for loose change to pay the exact amount on time. The rich clients would dick him around for months and then pay less than they owed.

[Skittles]

166. the point is not that the wealthy/rich don't spend at all

it's that they are completely out of touch with how tough things are for the middle class and poor

[CrispyQ]

14. Peanuts compared to your story,

but every CEO I worked for got dozens & dozens of free magazines. Time, Business Week, Wired, People, industry mags, fashion mags, you name it. All of the subscriptions were complimentary.

[elias7]

16. And usually put in waiting rooms outside the office for others to read

Or are you hanging around their houses to watch these 50 periodicals arrive in their personal mail?

[CrispyQ]

20. Why the snotty attitude - or is that your standard demeanor?

x(

The mags came to the office, addressed to the CEO - with his/her name on the label. The generous ones had me to put them in the break room. The miserly ones took them home.

For the record, I've worked with dozens of very rich people & not all of them are greedy jerks. But the generous ones do seem to be the exception, not the rule.

[mainer]

36. are you sure they were complimentary?

I subscribe to about 20 magazines myself -- all paid for. Should people who see all those magazines come my way might assume I got them free?

[CrispyQ]

43. Most of them came in a plastic wrapper with a postcard inside

telling the exec that they were getting a complimentary subscription. After all, they wanted the exec to know they were getting something free. Besides, I did their expense reports. Even the generous execs used their expense accounts for biz expenses - as they should.

[mainer]

46. a lot of complimentaries come because of other magazines subscribed to

I subscribed to Gourmet (when it was still around) and Vanity Fair, and sometimes other magazines would come in the mail because I'm a subscriber to those magazines. Publishers identify certain clientele by their reading tastes, and they hope to pick up new subscribers. (The strategy sometimes works, because that's how I ended up subscribing to Smithsonian and Discovery!) But those complimentaries run out if I don't eventually subscribe.

[Hello_Kitty]

47. You guys are starting to remind me of white males complaining about "reverse discrimination".

You are among the most privileged group of people on earth. People are hurting in this economy, more than you can imagine.

[elias7]

63. No, I'm just suggesting you not fall into an easy trap

Your making assumptions that are not fair. No one is complaining about reverse discrimination, they are just pointing out that it is you who are discriminating right now. "People are hurting more than I can imagine"? You have no idea who you're talking to, and no knowledge about my life to make such a claim.

My main point is that generalizing and stereotyping and emotionalism-- distasteful modes of discourse becoming more and more prevalent on DU-- is better left for the Fox News punditry.

[Hello_Kitty]

65. Oh I'm so sorry.

You're so right. Mustn't be distasteful. We poor folks will just go die quietly in the corner so as not to bother you.

:eyes:

[elias7]

69. I give up

You really have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?

[fascisthunter]

78. actually, it's the other way around...

flip the coin

[Hannah Bell]

81. you were talking about how generous the rockefellers were, donating to

museums & parks.

what you don't get is that their wealth was "earned" by killing workers, using them like slaves, & their "give-back" was, to them, like your $20 donation to the salvation army. nothing they give could make up for what they take. and they give nothing that doesn't benefit them in some way, like rockefeller's PR donations when his wealth was under attack from the left.

[elias7]

84. I was talking about the double-edged sword of wealthy folks

Not all wealth was gained on the back of suffering. Much of it was. Please don't demean me by stating that I don't get that. I was merely stating an ambivalence to there being such a disparity of wealth, as it is the donations of the wealthy that result in a lot of the vibrancy of metropolitan areas. And of course, you could come back and say that it is because of the wealthy that there is such poverty and suffering in the world. And I would not argue the point.

If you want my personal opinion about economic hierarchy, I would say to you, '"From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs". But that's not what I entered this thread to talk about.

[Hannah Bell]

161. yes, all great wealth was earned on the suffering of others. without exception.

[elias7]

41. Not meaning to be snotty

Sorry for the sarcasm. Out of interest, just how many CEO's have you worked for?

I would also argue that there are greedy jerks and generous folks of all economic stripes. The wealthy certainly do not corner the market in this behavior.

[CrispyQ]

52. "I would also argue that there are greedy jerks and generous folks of all economic stripes."

I completely agree. Generosity is the exception, not the rule, in all economic classes.

I've worked for 7 CEOs & 4 CFOs, during a 14 year period from '85 - '99. My time with some of the CEOs was very short, however, because some were such jerks. But again, I've had more than my fair share of jerk bosses at lower levels of management, too. Still do.

The best CEO I ever worked for is worth roughly $150 million. The year he started selling his shares of stock, his accountant called me to tell me that his final tax bill was 2.5 million. "I'll transfer you through & you can talk to him," I said. "Oh no! Would you mind telling him?" he asked me. When I told my boss the bad news, he smiled & replied, "Do you know how much money I made this year, to have a tax bill that big? I'm happy to pay it." Very admirable attitude.

Thanks for the apology - accepted!

[formercia]

17. Just make them think you're rich and you can get the same

I still get trade magazines many years later. Some clerk isn't going to do a background check.

Just pull a important sounding title out of your ass and the goodies will come pouring in. It creates jobs, for the paper, advertising, publishing and printing industries. Create jobs with bullshit.

[CrispyQ]

55. Well I did start my own company this year,

so I guess that makes me a CEO, albeit, not a very well paid one! :rofl:

[pipi_k]

21. Well, I don't generally hang out with a lot of very wealthy people, but...

there is a little old man who lives in a nearby city who has lots and lots of money.

He's very well known in that city for the fact that he and his late wife donated a million dollars or more over the years to the local Boys & Girls Club, in addition to many other causes. In a way, one could say that the Boys & Girls Club (in that city) exists because of him.

He is unassuming...blends right in with the rest of the city inhabitants...lives in a regular little house, and drives a car that nobody would suspect belongs to a man with his money. The only concession to his wealth he ever makes is when he takes one of his trips to one of the casinos in CT, or maybe Atlantic City...then he hires a limo. Other than that...he's just a regular guy with lots of money.

If he ever gets anything for "free" from local businesses, etc., it's because residents do it willingly, knowing how much he's done for others in his long life.

[kestrel91316]

22. The people who make the most fuss about what I charge for my veterinary

services are the ones who live south of Ventura Blvd in the hills, have gold and diamonds on every finger, and drive very expensive cars.

Funny how that works.

[pitohui]

29. i posed as wealthy for abt 15 years

i can't tell you how many comped hotels, meals, air tickets, even shopping "sprees" i used to get, esp. in vegas

i didn't pay for a meal or a room in a casino destination until the last couple of years, and some of these suites were just unbelievable

they'd do things like leave you a huge gift basket in your room or tickets for a party etc.

i wish i coulda kept it going, it was quite an eye opener

at one party, the party favor was actually you opened the envelope and there were hundred dollar bills in there -- tacky, i guess the host ran out of time to actually buy a gift, but hey tacky is OK with me!

those were the days my friend...

on the other side of it, rich people don't tip well, middle-class or folks who have worked in the service industry tip well (as a generalization), rich people think $ is wasted on the workers i guess, also they often fail to pay their bills on time, their credit rating isn't important to them because they can always borrow money anyway (hey they're rich) -- i know several people put out of their small business because a rich person or business wouldn't pay their bill

i don't extend credit to the rich, they can pay me either in cash upfront or by credit card thru paypal, but if they're rich, i'm not giving them credit because then they have the item (or service) AND you have no way to ever collect the cash short of threatening legal action which takes way too long

[mainer]

35. How are you getting these comps?

I consider myself wealthy and have never gotten anything like you're describing.

And those Vegas deals, I assume, are open to a lot of people in hopes they'll spend money in casinos. But then I don't know much about Vegas.

[pitohui]

38. i was an advantage player (obv. posing as a crazy gambler)

alas i'm too well known now, from time to time i get a random invite in the mail but if i try to accept it, my acct is flagged and i don't get the goodies any more

it was a good thing while it lasted tho and it lasted a long time, longer than i thought it would, that's for real

it helped that i live in a "good" zip code too
(prob. the smallest cheapest house in this zip code that isn't a DOG house, ha ha)

[Hydra]

118. Congrats!

I bet it was nice in there. Get a new identity and do it again?

[Hydra]

117. How wealthy do you consider yourself?

Because I'm seeing that term thrown around rather carelessly.

Chris Rock:

"Oprah is rich, Bill Gates is wealthy. If Bill Gates woke up tommorow with Oprah's money, he'd jump out a f-----' window and slit his throat on the way down saying, 'I can't even put gas in my plane!'"

Are you really wealthy enough that you could give me and my disabled relative $500,000 so we could buy a house and I could go back and get my degree, and not notice the difference?

Cuz if not, you're not in the same category of even the rich.

[Dreamer Tatum]

31. No, no one can, because it's bullshit. nt

[OHdem10]

34. Sometimes, they have an arrangement iwith the place. The Restuarant

whatever saves up the tabs and bills them monthly.

[txlibdem]

39. Paris Hilton: that cocaine in my purse isn't mine

:rofl: The rich always seem to expect the rest of to always step in and take the heat for their incompetence, greed and stupidity.

K&R. I definitely agree with you and thank you for posting!

[mainer]

40. The thing about rich people I know

Most of the ones in my circle of acquaintances were born poor or middle-class and made it through small business, so they're very aware of the value of a dollar. Almost all of them wouldn't be caught dead with no cash on them, because it's a form of security against their childhood memories of being short of money. A lot of them, in fact, prefer to pay cash because they trust it.

I consider myself wealthy, and I get anxious if I leave the house without at least forty bucks in my wallet. I hate having anyone pay for me, because I don't want to owe anyone. Once you're beholden to someone, you feel as if they own you a little bit -- and I think that's the way a lot of wealthy people are. They want to pay their own way so they don't feel indebted to others.

So your stereotype of freeloading wealthy isn't my experience.

[pitohui]

45. well that's an interesting philosophical question

if someone is anxious if they leave the house w/out $40 in their purse, then w./out knowing anything else about their finances, i don't assume that person to be "wealthy"

wealth is a feeling of security and freedom, not fear and clutching

i've been poor or middle class or just faking it most of my life, and it isn't my experience that rich people "hate" having anyone pay for them, most of them wouldn't even notice it because the money is so trivial -- the flipside being just because you did 'em a favor you're crazy if you think they're going to remember it or help you out when you need it -- that amount of money means nothing to them and they just forget and assume it means nothing to you...there is no "i owe you" when they don't even notice what you did for them

also a number of folks i know who are "strivers" and got rich thru their own efforts, well, almost all of them, are GOP and pretty much hate and despise those who haven't made it, they don't believe in any kind of social safety net etc. because they figure nobody helped them, why should they help anybody? "my taxes are already high enough," is their battle cry

you may not want to acknowledge that the wealthy freeload but i would say that there's more people -- even among the strivers and upwardly mobile -- who DO freeload, they seem to feel it's a game to cheap somebody out of their money, enough is never enough for them...esp. the real estate contractors and developers, they don't see a worker or a service person as a human being

i've been on both sides of it, and what i see of most wealthy people esp. the supposedly self-made is pretty ugly -- there are more chiselers and weasals out there than you might care to believe

you are a nice person and have nice friends, i don't doubt it for a moment, but struggle destroys the character and most people who have "made it" through struggle are kind of awful people, frankly (just my experience but i have met a lot of people over the years)

[mainer]

49. Seeing as most of my wealthy friends are in the arts

or made it through the web, maybe I'n fortunate to be with a different sort of wealthy.

And yes, even wealthy people feel insecure and anxious about money. Really, almost all self-made wealthy worry about losing it all. It's why Sam Walton never bought a new car. Wealth really is a number; FEELING wealthy is entirely different.

[pitohui]

107. maybe so around here the arts are a fast way to get poor and then dead

but at the end of the day i don't care what their excuse is, i'm insecure too and have had a lot of violence and illness in my life but i still tip fairly and treat people right

most wealthy don't

what's most disturbing is to watch how people change as they move up, identify w. the wealthy instead of the worker, and start cutting back on their tips, they also stop taking care to pay in cash (so the small guy doesn't have to pay extra fees) or on time (so the small guy can stay in business)

something happens to people as they climb the stairs

i'll do anything legal to hustle a million or billion dollar business out of a thousand bucks, that money will actually make a difference in my life and my family's life, but i won't short a worker on the tips, and that's my final answer -- a lot of really wealthy, seems like you had to explain to them, yes, you are being comped this suite, room, etc. but that's coming from the corporation or casino, you still need to tip the worker!!!

[Shandris]

48. I would point out that virtually every person who has denied...

...the experience of the freeloading wealthy has, in their post, used the same phrase.

"I consider myself wealthy."

Coincidence? Probably not. If you're on the fringe 5-10% of the wealthy, you're still lower upper class. This thread doesn't seem to be directed at you, but at the very top. You know...the ones who banks give god-awful amounts of money to because they have money, while a person with no money gets charged a fee.

I KNOW you understand THAT example.

[mainer]

58. I'm talking about the top 0.1% wealthy

in the $100 million dollar asset range. One of them started off as a housecleaner. Definitely not a freeloader, and definitely still insecure.

[Mz Pip]

54. Go to any museum

symphony hall, or theater and look around for that wall that shows the list of all the donors who made those venues possible. Rich people.

Yeah, some rich people are jerks but there are a lot of philanthropists among them as well.

[K8-EEE]

56. The sure don't pay as much for health care

Exex get gold plated healthcare even if they've "inherited" a position in the family biz....some guy working at McDonald's pays more and gets much much less for the money. It's just a given in our society that well connected people or well-married people get great insurance that pays for everything, and people who work shit jobs pay 20% of their salary to pay for worthless ins.

[Mimosa]

79. ^ True ^ n/t

[appleannie1]

57. They either don't tip at all or give a pittance. They act as if service is their due

[appleannie1]

59. They either don't tip at all or give a pittance. They act as if service is their due

[TwilightGardener]

68. Every wealthy person I've known was a cheap bastard.

[spanone]

75. i have several wealthy friends. i find the opposite to be true.

[treestar]

76. Once I had this friend who had his own business and a nice house

Someone else told me he never pays his bills. Never on time. Or eventually, after a long struggle from the person to whom the money was owed. So that's part of how he was wealthy. He just kept the money he owed for the maximum amount of time.

This was a while ago, so I don't know if now it would not mess up his credit report. But he didn't owe big entities, just other business people.

[Hello_Kitty]

89. I have an ex who does landscaping

He always had a terrible time collecting from his wealthy customers. They were constantly late and often shorted him. Or they'd find nitpicky things wrong with his work so they could haggle the price down. OTOH, his working class customers made a great effort to pay on time. They would go through their couches to find loose change to pay their bill.

[pitohui]

106. oh gosh treestar they all do this

they even laugh about it, it's called "other people's money"

it is a tenet among the wealthy that you CAN'T build wealth w/out using OPM

so yah they don't pay their bills and i know lots of folks who have lost their business because of it

[Nikia]

94. I think it depends

I've seen both cheap wealthy people and wealthy people who enjoyed paying for things and being personally generous. I think many upper middle class people are like that too.

[rucky]

101. My wife owns a children's clothing store...

and a few years ago, she got roped into *paying* to participate in a Hollywood "Swag" event. Vendors would set up displays in rooms at a hotel, then second-rate actors would fucking raid the place. The quid pro quo was that the celebrities would get to keep the items they wanted in exchange for a picture of them holding up the item that could be used in promoting it.

I don't even want to mention the best pic we ended up with, which was not very mentionable.

The point is, that vendors were paying to give wealthy people free shit.

[October]

103. I've noticed this even with "gift bags" for celebrities

They're so wealthy -- yet the merchants give them "gift bags" worth tens of thousands of dollars at the Oscar event, etc.

The rich are indeed privileged.

[elleng]

104. I have, and your scenario does not reflect their/her way of living as I saw it.

They paid for parties given for my family, for restaurant dinners, and for health care. They were a major users, very ill with various conditions. She passed away last year, and her husband, the money-maker, passed away about 3 years ago.

She was very interested in tax policy, so supported repug; never discussed the matter with him.

fwiw, they got their money in big real estate/contracting deals, they were not 'professionals.'

[Swamp Rat]

105. EAT THE RICH!!

[Xenotime]

113. Yea! Those greedy fucks!

[ipaint]

108. Well they certainly get massive tax breaks for years and years just because they

are good at hoarding wealth, stifling wage increases, busting unions and creating a larger and larger underclass of wage slaves.

They seem to have paid off every politician in washington to make sure things don't change too much.
And their front man, Buffett, marches out periodically to blather on about how they should all pay more but funny all those people with all that power and all that money can't manage to bribe the politicians to right the situation.

The ever widening black hole between the wealthy and the poor in this country is all the evidence I need as to their collective parasitic character. Perhaps if all those oh so benevolent captains of industry had paid their employees a wage that didn't keep them indentured servants for life we lower class workers could have funded our own libraries, museums and hospitals along with universal health care and free college.

But no, they stole every last cent and now they want the little bit that is left.

Next time you see one of those plaques on a building honoring some rich asshole for a large donation you can thank the masses of low paid wage slaves who made that donation possible.

[johnlucas]

131. Thank you for highlighting Buffett

I don't trust that MFer.
Not one bit.

Wealth most likely comes from exploitation of unfortunate people.
Maybe it gets passed around like with sports team owners to the sport athletes or record companies to the recording artists.
But its origins are usually evil & peoples' very lives & souls went into the production of that wealth.

It is wise to distrust the rich & wealthy.
This country needs to stop worshiping money & those who have it.

I don't dig the Kennedys. They got their fortune from bootlegging. In modern terms that's drug-dealing.
No better than Tony Montana from Scarface with his cocaine.
With that money they bought themselves into office just like the Bush family did with their fortunes made from Nazi Germany among other things.

And all Americans (including you, including me) are complicit in maintaining their power because every product you use & consume is made off the exploitation of people in far-flung parts of the world.
So the best we can do is work to dismantle this system from the inside out.

It might look nice for one of the world's richest men to sound like he's opposing the inequities of wealth but you don't see him pushing for legislation to change anything, now do you?
To me, it's a dishonor to be proclaimed the world's richest man/woman. That means you are not investing enough back into the populace which built your wealth.
John Lucas

[social_critic]

109. I met a couple of really rich guys in the past

And I never did see them pick up a bill. But we were in the penthouse suites in very expensive hotels, and I don't think they saw me pick up a bill either, and I wasn't rich. One of them was quite nice and picked up my tab for a cup of tea, signed for it. I suppose his aide paid with a credit card later.

Sometimes, when I travel, I let locals carry money and negotiate prices and pay on my behalf. They get me better prices. But the money to pay for their services and the money used to pay comes from me. I, of course, get paid too. Otherwise I couldn't afford it.

What's the point?

[TexasObserver]

110. Indeed. GREED is the most important element of becoming wealthy.

Without greed, one cares about their employees, their extended family, their friends, and society at large. Without greed, it's very difficult to amass significant wealth.

The wealthy aren't like the rest of us. They're much more selfish.

[mainer]

150. I'd say luck is more important than greed.

I'm acquainted with a number of highly successful musicians, writers, and actors. They got where they are not because of greed but because of passion, talent, perseverance -- and, yes, being in the right place (or having the right product) at the right time. They're all quite surprised that they found success, and delighted with it, but in the end it all came down to a passion for what they do.

[TexasObserver]

159. You'd be mistaken.

I'm talking about the wealthy, not the people you've described.

[DaveinJapan]

111. Kicking for further review...nt

[Prometheus Bound]

114. Ex 1: They have tab. Ex 2. I got the same deal, being a Ford supplier.

Re example 2, no one at Ford could really tell me the reason. We figured it might be because they didn't want foreign cars parked in the visitor's lot when we came for meetings.

[NNN0LHI]

119. Were you able to pick your car up at a factory and not have to go through a dealer on that program?

[Prometheus Bound]

128. I don't know.

We were over 1000 miles from the factory so they sent them with a dealer's shipment. We were friends with the dealer and he said dealers didn't get anything on that program. I don't know if that was true or not, but it seemed to be dealer price. They surely got a handling charge for unloading it. I'm talking the mid-80s.

[Nikia]

121. Some clubs and restaurants keep tabs and later send a bill

I just thought that I would mention it because someone to dinner with them at one of these places might think that they don't pay because the waiter doesn't bring the "check". They still eventually pay though.

[ZombieHorde]

125. My father used to work for a Japanese company. He flew often for work, and his

boss gave him a special card. When I flew with my dad, he would use the card to get us into really nice rooms at the airport. These rooms had free phone service and food. I was pretty surprised, I did not even know airports had these types of rooms.

[alarimer]

133. I seriously think it's time to bring back the guillotine.

These rich fucks need to feel our wrath. They need to be afraid of the people.

[DaveinJapan]

135. On the subject of celebrities getting "free shit", there are some misperceptions here

As mentioned above, the IRS cracked down on these so-called "gifts" because a gift means no strings attached (and could also be subject to a gift tax, but that's beside the point).

If I understand this correctly, what these vendors are doing is no different than if they hired so-and-so celebrity to come down and shoot a commercial for a set amount of money. Only in this case, the "amount of money" in question is paid in the form of goods rather than cash.

So no, in this case it's not an issue of celebrities getting "free shit" at all, they are being paid for their endorsement in a relatively unusual manner.

Note also, they don't get this payment because they're rich, but because they're famous (there are certainly *some* famous people out there who are not all that wealthy, but would still be sought after for endorsements and thus compensated in one form or another for that service).

[MellowDem]

138. What a horribly ignorant, idiotic op nm

[glinda]

140. It is common to hear them complain a lot. At least in my experience with them.

[Puzzler]

141. Cue: Twain's "Million Pound Bank Note"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_%C2%A31,000,000_Bank_Note_and_Other_New_Stories


Essentially the hero is (I think) given a million pound bank note, and never gets to spend it... the mere fact that he has it gives him instant entitlement.

[U4ikLefty]

143. I only want them to pay their fair share of taxes.

How crazy is that?

[DaveinJapan]

146. I absolutely agree with that 100%. nt

[uponit7771]

148. +1

[Hippo_Tron]

145. People who are well connected tend to have to pay for fewer things

People who are wealthy tend to be more well connected.

[a kennedy]

147. This was before Tiger got into his "troubles" but I remember

Charles Barkley saying that Tiger NEVER paid for anything when they were out together.....that he, Tiger, was really cheap.....and he at the time was probably worth billions.

[Dawson Leery]

160. Tiger feels entitled.

Honestly, hitting a ball is not the hardest thing in the world to do. So much money, so little work.

[mainer]

151. are you people really sure you're talking about genuine "wealthy people?"

Because there are a lot of faux wealthy people with Rolexes, mansions, fancy cars -- and up to their eyeballs in debt. They're worse than worthless on paper.

Most people are completely fooled by who the wealthy really are. They think Mr. Jones with the big house is rich -- and don't realize that Mr. Buffett (in the same house he's lived in for 30 years) is worth a hundred times Mr. Jones.

Here's my experience with the wealthy (and in Maine, we have a lot of them, many of them summer people.) They dress down. Way down. Jeans and frayed shirts. They drive trucks or Priuses. They don't like to advertise the fact they're wealthy because it only invites solicitations. They like to grow their own vegetables. (In fact, some of the wealthiest people I know -- I'm talking folks who are worth 100 million or more -- have dreams of being organic farmers. They want to be known as "regular folks," even though they know, in their hearts, they never will be accepted as such. Yes, they may fly first class, or they'll own big spreads of land, but I don't know a single one who owns a mink coat, and they never wear expensive jewelry because it's just an advertisement to be hit up for money.

Rich people are uncomfortable talking about their money and investments, so that's why they often end up hanging around with other rich people -- because then the topic can be discussed frankly and openly.

Honestly, the folks who spend a lot of time telling you about how much money they have, or buying fancy stuff and flaunting their wealth, are often only wannabes. And if you think they're the rich ones, you're just snookered. Because you don't know the secret lives of the truly wealthy.

[Hannah Bell]

162. mr. buffett's first home is in an exclusive neighborhood. he has several other homes which those

press releases typically don't mention.

jes' folks lil warren.

[DaveinJapan]

167. They want to be known as "regular folks," even though they know, in their hearts, they never will be

Sure, they can be accepted as "regular folks".

Just give away all their cash to charity, and then get a job at Walmart.

That would do the trick.

[Enrique]

153. they don't pay for parking tickets

this story is about Oakland, but I'm sure it's everywhere...

http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-02-25/news/17955025_1_parking-officers-meter-enforcement

February 25, 2010|By Matthai Kuruvila, Chronicle Staff Writer


Oakland parking officers were ordered to avoid enforcing neighborhood parking violations in two of the city's wealthier neighborhoods but told to continue enforcing the same violations in the rest of the city, according to a city memo obtained by The Chronicle.

The July order is corroborated by interviews with three parking officers, who said they and their colleagues had complained about what they deemed a discriminatory practice since it began last summer - to no avail.

"It's not fair," said Shirnell Smith, 44, a parking officer for 22 years who has lived in Oakland for 24 years. Smith and the union representing parking officers said the policy has resulted in tickets being issued disproportionately to poor, black and Latino people.

[derby378]

156. I've heard tales of this one gospel musician in Dallas

I won't name him, but he's written songs recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley, Al Jarreau, and Olivia Newton-John. He's won both Dove Awards and Grammy Awards. He's a freakin' millionaire, but he has no scruples about hiding one of his vegetables in the a la carte line underneath a mound of mashed potatoes so that he doesn't get charged for two veggies like the rest of us schmucks. On top of that, he has a history of double-crossing his interns.

Money doesn't make people bad, but it certainly enables bad people to flaunt their bad behavior.

[yurbud]

163. yes, and the opposite. When I went to USC, it was right in the middle of very poor neighborhood in

LA.

I figured since the people didn't have a lot of money, prices at the grocery store would be reasonable. Instead, it was extortionate.

Ironically, just a few miles away in Century City and Beverly Hills, it was easy to find a good deal on just about everything except the trendy restaurants and clubs, but like you said, the feet of the ''right kind'' of people never seemed to touch the ground nor their hands their wallets.

[Anakin Skywalker]

164. Don't Forget Yachts, Boats, Country Clubs, Golfing Sh*ts, etc.

It must have been many years ago that doctors were driving Fords. It's Beemers, M-Benz, if not Aston Martins, Bentleys and Maybachs now!

[Skittles]

165. I know they get a lot of perks

a LOT of perks