Tom Perkins' big idea: The rich should get more votes

[Valmy]

For example, US had a very good thing going during the Gilded Age, but it pissed it all away in 1913 with the introduction of Federal Reserve system and income taxes.

[Admiral Yi]

@Berkut:  OK, so you're talking about rising inequality rather than "actions directed at making a lot more at someone else's expense."

That's what I'm talking about when I say I don't see how you can call that warfare.  Yesterday, I was making $X and had $Y wealth, you were making $A and had $B wealth.  Then this VC dude makes a billion dollar killing on an IPO.  Our positions are unchanged.  How in the world is that waging war against us?

[Admiral Yi]

In case you missed it, he is advocating taking away voting rights for people who dont make as much money as people in his class.   How would you characterize it?

In case you missed it, Berkut claimed the rich have already won the class war.

[Savonarola]

"If you want the vote enrich yourself," -François Guizot 

"Enrich yourself" (enrichez-vous) was Guizot's solution to every problem; but the French just wouldn't listen.   

[crazy canuck]

In case you missed it, he is advocating taking away voting rights for people who dont make as much money as people in his class.   How would you characterize it?

In case you missed it, Berkut claimed the rich have already won the class war.

And the people who have to live off of food stamps didnt.  I dont see the mystery.

[Berkut]

@Berkut:  OK, so you're talking about rising inequality rather than "actions directed at making a lot more at someone else's expense."

That's what I'm talking about when I say I don't see how you can call that warfare.  Yesterday, I was making $X and had $Y wealth, you were making $A and had $B wealth.  Then this VC dude makes a billion dollar killing on an IPO.  Our positions are unchanged.  How in the world is that waging war against us?

Yesterday I had a certain share of the national pie, and the commensurate ability to influence my society.

Today I have a tiny fraction of that share compared to what I had before, and I no longer have any ability to influence things compared to those who now have ten or a hundred times the previous share of national wealth.

That is most definitely waging war on us, to any extent that the term can be reasonably used to describe the effort to redress that imbalance.

Now, you can argue that the term "class warfare" sucks in general, but if you are willing to use it to describe the efforts of the losing classes to redress the balance with the winning classes, then I think it perfectly fair to use it to describe the process that the winning classes used to win in the first place.

[Admiral Yi]

Yesterday I had a certain share of the national pie, and the commensurate ability to influence my society.

Today I have a tiny fraction of that share compared to what I had before, and I no longer have any ability to influence things compared to those who now have ten or a hundred times the previous share of national wealth.

That is most definitely waging war on us, to any extent that the term can be reasonably used to describe the effort to redress that imbalance.

Now, you can argue that the term "class warfare" sucks in general, but if you are willing to use it to describe the efforts of the losing classes to redress the balance with the winning classes, then I think it perfectly fair to use it to describe the process that the winning classes used to win in the first place.

By this logic, a person who reaches the age of 18 is waging age war on his 17 year old brother.  Or a widely respected poltical commentator is waging war against everyone else.

[Admiral Yi]

In case you missed it, he is advocating taking away voting rights for people who dont make as much money as people in his class.   How would you characterize it?

In case you missed it, Berkut claimed the rich have already won the class war.

And the people who have to live off of food stamps didnt.  I dont see the mystery.

The people who have to live off of food stamps didn't claim the rich have already won the class war?? What? 

[crazy canuck]

In case you missed it, he is advocating taking away voting rights for people who dont make as much money as people in his class.   How would you characterize it?

In case you missed it, Berkut claimed the rich have already won the class war.

And the people who have to live off of food stamps didnt.  I dont see the mystery.

The people who have to live off of food stamps didn't claim the rich have already won the class war?? What? 

Are you really confused by the notion that people who live on food stamps didnt win a class war?

[Admiral Yi]

I was confused by what the hell you were trying to say.

[alfred russel]

You cannot argue that the outcome of the last few decades can possibly be ok for human society.

The last few of decades have probably been the best decades in the history of humanity.

[Berkut]

Yesterday I had a certain share of the national pie, and the commensurate ability to influence my society.

Today I have a tiny fraction of that share compared to what I had before, and I no longer have any ability to influence things compared to those who now have ten or a hundred times the previous share of national wealth.

That is most definitely waging war on us, to any extent that the term can be reasonably used to describe the effort to redress that imbalance.

Now, you can argue that the term "class warfare" sucks in general, but if you are willing to use it to describe the efforts of the losing classes to redress the balance with the winning classes, then I think it perfectly fair to use it to describe the process that the winning classes used to win in the first place.

By this logic, a person who reaches the age of 18 is waging age war on his 17 year old brother.  Or a widely respected poltical commentator is waging war against everyone else.

Your right. It is exactly the same as someone turning eighteen. You are all set, keep voting for the Koch brothers, everything is fine.

[Berkut]

You cannot argue that the outcome of the last few decades can possibly be ok for human society.

The last few of decades have probably been the best decades in the history of humanity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0ehzfQ4hAQ

[Admiral Yi]

Your right. It is exactly the same as someone turning eighteen. You are all set, keep voting for the Koch brothers, everything is fine.

You win.

[Jacob]

@Berkut:  OK, so you're talking about rising inequality rather than "actions directed at making a lot more at someone else's expense."

That's what I'm talking about when I say I don't see how you can call that warfare.  Yesterday, I was making $X and had $Y wealth, you were making $A and had $B wealth.  Then this VC dude makes a billion dollar killing on an IPO.  Our positions are unchanged.  How in the world is that waging war against us?

The war waging part is when he says "people who don't make a billion dollar killing on IPO should be disenfranchised."