The Superclass

[FOTD]

On an ever-growing list of issues, the big decisions are being made or profoundly influenced by a little-understood international network of business, financial, government, cultural and military leaders who are beyond the reach of American voters.


They're Global Citizens. They're Hugely Rich. And They Pull the Strings.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/02/AR2008050203311.html

"Even global terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda or Hezbollah have both the ability, through their international networks, and the will to project force more effectively on an international level than all but a handful of governments."

"In a world with only two kinds of international institutions -- weak and dysfunctional -- the members of this superclass are filling a power vacuum when it comes to influencing decisions about transnational issues such as financial-market regulation or climate change."


"The next U.S. president will still be the most powerful person in the world because of his or her control of the nation's unparalleled military might and influence over our economic and political resources. But that influence is on the wane, for a number of reasons: the relative decline in the power of national governments; the relative rise in the power of others in the world's fastest-growing places; U.S. trade and fiscal deficits; and a third, geopolitical deficit arising from both damaged national prestige and what might be characterized either as Iraq fatigue or as having learned from the mistakes of the past several years. "



But don't talk conspiracy, oh no. That's crazy, moonbat, tin foil stuff.

[TheArtist]

Tis always been so. In the US it was the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Astors, Du Ponts, Guggenheim... etc. etc.  There is a reason someone like Rockefeller was called an empire builder. The 1920s were when Americans were finally rich enough to stride across the world and make their mark.

One very fascinating figure I remember seeing a special on PBS about was, JP Morgan. He was a precursor to the wealthy people of the 1920s. We often think of the World Wars as when the US became the superpower. Before the first World War and even the second, to most of the world the US was a 3rd rate power. Even small European countries were richer and more powerful. That started to change with JP Morgan.

He went to Europe, raised money and built a nationwide network of efficient railroads in the US. Then turned around and became wealthy enough to start buying up European Banks and owned one of the most powerful banking houses in the world. His US Steel was the worlds first Billion Dollar plus company and was considered not just a US monopoly, but a global monopoly. He was so wealthy and powerful that during the "Panic of 1893" he bailed out the US Treasury and kept the US afloat! This one individual, almost single handedly put the US soundly on the world financial map and set the stage for it to become the superpower during the world wars.  

[cannon_fodder]

This is a VERY interesting list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealthy_historical_figures_2008

Histories all-time wealthiest people, in 2008 US Dollars for comparison.  Look at the list, look at the names - Cleopatra, Czar Nicholas, Crassus.  Then remember the United States has only been around for a little over 200 years and see which country has sprouted the most super rich.  I'd say our system does something right.

The trend start in the United States as soon as we were a nation.  Jacob Astor was worth some $20,000,000 in 18th Century Dollars, or about $115,000,000,000.00 in todays dollars.   One of those damn undocumented immigrants that comes and sucks off the government tit.  []

All the trappings were there.  International connections, congress passed lass to help protect his interests, massive loans/campaign contributions to political figures, and he eventually became Donald Trump before Donald Trump was - owning much of Manhatten and dating (read: having sex with) all the bestest women. Several of his children went on to make fortunes of their own...

Been happening forever, will continue to happen.

As a side note:  the capitalists currently alive on the list beat the hell out of the living monarchs.  The "rich" in Saudi Arabia and Dubai control the wealth of their entire nation, yet it pails in comparison to the reward Bill Gates has reaped from his ideas.

[shadows]

I keep hearing rumors that mayor and  dollar thirsty have a close connection tie.    If is true that could explain maybe a lot  of thing that is happing or going to happen in Tulsa.  True of false?

[USRufnex]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

This is a VERY interesting list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealthy_historical_figures_2008

Histories all-time wealthiest people, in 2008 US Dollars for comparison.  Look at the list, look at the names - Cleopatra, Czar Nicholas, Crassus.  Then remember the United States has only been around for a little over 200 years and see which country has sprouted the most super rich.  I'd say our system does something right.

Funny.  I can look at that very same information and conclude this country is doing something terribly, terribly WRONG.

Looking at the number of Waltons who had nothing to do with the success of WalMart... it makes a powerful argument for resumption of the estate and inheritance taxes...

Enjoy your oligarchy.

[cannon_fodder]

Explain yourself USRufnex.

While we have produced more super rich than any other country, we also have produced a higher proportion of millionaires AND more people making over $30,000 (or 25K, 35K, 50K, 100K for that matter) a year than any other nation.  On the whole, we have the wealthiest population ever to roam the earth.  

Also, so what if John Walton had nothing to do with Wal-Mart growing large.  His father built a company and left it to his sons.  So what?  What negative effect does that have on you?

What aspect of passing on wealth makes it a practice that the government should discourage or punish?  Do we really want to set the system up so that companies must be broken up upon the death of the founder unless public?  Or where we need to encourage American's to blow all their money while alive?

I guess I just have no understanding of what your argument is.  If you are arguing that the creation of wealth is bad and that upon my death my wealth essentially transfers to the state (who can divvy out a portion of it to my heirs) - I whole heartedly disagree.