Top 10 wealthiest politicians

[Darbex]

Funny how Republicans are viewed as evil rich people yet only 3 of the top 10 are Republicans. And the only two to earn their wealth are Republicans.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100901/pl_yblog_upshot/richest-lawmakers-grew-wealthier-last-year-as-economy-faltered

[Darbex]

The list grows to 23 out of 50 are Republicans. Still only 46% of the top 50 politicians are wealthy Republicans. Funny, according to the media you would have believed that it would be much higher than that.

[CichlidFan]

See....the bail out money is being spread around.....

CF

[ImaGuyGeek]

Darbex, quit confusing the rhetoric with facts. You're not playing fair

[wesleydnunder]

All that proves is that:

A. You have to be rich to get elected in the first place
B. They're pretty much evenly distributed across the party lines
C. The misdirection used by the elected officials to keep our focus elsewhere is working
D. At the end of the day there really ain't that much difference between the Dems and Reps... they're all criminals waitin' to get caught

Mark

[Darbex]

What it proves is the belief that all Republicans are rich and evil and that Democrats are middle class and saints isnt true. It also proves to me where Democrat politicians get there ideals from. None in the top 10 earned their money it was either inherited or they married into it. When you have to earn your riches you have a totally different mindset than someone that got it by the above mentioned. I would trust someone with my money that earned it before I would trust someone that got it for free.

[wesleydnunder]

Brian, does anyone really believe that the the Republicans are all rich and evil and that the Democrats are all middle class saints? I'd really like to have anyone on the box agree with that statement, as I've yet to see it written in this forum. I don't think that anyone with enough gray matter to count past ten with his shoes on really buys into that crap.

Mark

[Darbex]

I know plenty of people outside the box that do. I know the media spews that crap all the time as well. I dont know who on the box does or doesnt.

[Delock]

5 out the top ten marry into money

3 already had money

2 are from old money

[TonyO]

What it proves is the belief that all Republicans are rich and evil and that Democrats are middle class and saints isnt true. It also proves to me where Democrat politicians get there ideals from. None in the top 10 earned their money it was either inherited or they married into it. When you have to earn your riches you have a totally different mindset than someone that got it by the above mentioned. I would trust someone with my money that earned it before I would trust someone that got it for free.

This was from a very specific subset of American people: politicians. I'd be more curious to see a subset of non-politicians. . . that's where more people, maybe unjustly, have the idea RE: Republicans. I hate generalities. "All Republicans are this way" or "All liberals are that way." There's more than one way to accomplish almost every goal, and there are always exceptions to the rules when it comes to people.

[ImaGuyGeek]

I'll state it a different way...

It proves that the "Class Warfare" waged by Democrats is hypocritical and political manipulation of the working class due to the fact that Democrat leaders have a great amount of wealth of their own and in many cases that wealth exceeds the wealth of the people they wage this "Class Warfare" against.

[wesleydnunder]

I'll state it a different way...

It proves that the "Class Warfare" waged by Democrats is hypocritical and political manipulation of the working class due to the fact that Democrat leaders have a great amount of wealth of their own and in many cases that wealth exceeds the wealth of the people they wage this "Class Warfare" against.

Can't argue with that. All part of the misdirection used by ALL career politicians.

That's right, he said "ALL", as in, "Show me an honest one."

Mark

[jeebus]

Brian, does anyone really believe that the the Republicans are all rich and evil and that the Democrats are all middle class saints? I'd really like to have anyone on the box agree with that statement, as I've yet to see it written in this forum. I don't think that anyone with enough gray matter to count past ten with his shoes on really buys into that crap.

You answered your own question. The masses that believe what you ask are typically too poor and/or too uneducated to have daily access to a forum concerning a hobby that which they probably can't afford - much less have interest in. No, I'm not saying poor uneducated people aren't capable of enjoying the fish hobby. I'm just saying they're less likely to, which is why their voice is absent here.

Poor and/or uneducated people have bought the "Democrats care because they are just like us" hook line and sinker. Just look at these numbers:

What do the top ten cities (over 250,000) with the highest poverty rate all have in common?

Detroit, MI (1st on the poverty rate list) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1961.

Buffalo, NY (2nd) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1954.

Cincinnati, OH (3rd) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1984.

Cleveland, OH (4th) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1989.

Miami, FL (5th) has never had a Republican mayor.

St. Louis, MO (6th) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1949.

El Paso, TX (7th) has never had a Republican mayor.

Milwaukee, WI (8th) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1908.

Philadelphia, PA (9th) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1952.

Newark, NJ (10th) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1907.

U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, August 2007

Unlike Democrats, most conservatives know their Republican leaders are nothing like themselves in terms of wealth. The difference is that they feel the same way about what little money they might have as those same Republican leaders feel.

[wesleydnunder]

So your contention here is that these voters in these cities voted Dems for mayor because the majority are so poor as to not have access to internet, hobbies or have minds of their own? They're just drinking the koolaide because they're too poor and ignorant not to see the light? Are you kidding me? These same "poor, uneducated masses" have cable TV, X boxes, IPODs, PS3s, cell phones and if not a PC or laptop, have access to them like everyone else.

People vote the way they do because:

A. a name is familiar to them because of incumbency, campaign commercials, yard sign...etc.
B. Because that's the way they've always voted because of party alignment due to a former politician who they feel was successful
C. remember that the vast majority don't vote and many politicians are elected by the elderly; a voting block as apt to vote for familiarity as issues
D. Obama and others were put in office by gullible people who believed the hype

Most of the poor and uneducated don't vote. Do you think there weren't college students, professors, doctors and lawyers voting for Obama? I think it's pretty insulting to the people in the cities you listed to call them all poor and uneducated just because they voted for Dems. Did the Dem candidates in those cities demonize the Repubs during election time? Most assuredly, that's the way the election system works; mudslinging of one form or another. Again, was the majority of the voting block in each of those cities poor and uneducated? Proof? So the majority of voters in Miami are poor and uneducated? Ever been to Miami?.. a lot of money in that town.

Apparently, you set yourself up as one of the "enlightened" because you believe a certain thing. This is not uncommon and has been used for millenia to cast aspersions on the thoughts and beliefs of others. You're just drinking a different flavor of koolaide.

My question to Brian still goes unanswered as far as I'm concerned...

Mark

[jeebus]

Apparently, you set yourself up as one of the "enlightened" because you believe a certain thing. This is not uncommon and has been used for millenia to cast aspersions on the thoughts and beliefs of others. You're just drinking a different flavor of koolaide.

I'll answer your entire post with this: I consider myself informed, but not enlightened. I make informed decisions each election based on the merits of each candidate and each proposed ordinance, as well as any real life experiences I might have to add to the equation.

Via PM I can share with you some examples of how I've formed the opinions I have about the poor and/or uneducated, and the Democrat party that preys on their vote by dangling social programs in their face disguised as the path to self-independence. My job and personal experiences have allowed me quite a bit of exposure to the "success" of social programs that Democrats claim will give people a hand-up, and not a hand-out. Its this first hand experience that has galvanized my perspective on the issue.

I'm not enlightened. For me to be enlightened with my current perspective I would have had to suddenly realize one day that Democrats are using social programs funded by contributing tax-payers and businesses to keep their voters from ever truly achieving self-independence, thus forcing them to continue to vote Democrat or else risk losing their government supplemented lifestyle.