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People from the wealthy upper classes are more likely than poorer folks to break laws while driving, take candy from children and lie for financial gain.

They were also more likely to cut off pedestrians trying to cross the street than drivers of cheaper cars.

In another test using a game of dice, given the opportunity to win a $50 prize, people who self-reported high socio-economic status were more likely to lie and say that they had rolled higher numbers than they actually had.

In other studies, people with higher status were less likely to tell the truth in a hypothetical job negotiation in which they were the employer trying to hire someone for a job they knew was soon to be eliminated.

And when given a jar of candy that they were told was for children in a nearby lab -- though they could take some if they wanted -- the richest people took more candy than anyone else.

Even Piff, who has studied the impact of wealth on people's morality and charitable giving in the past -- finding that rich people tend to give less to charity than poor people -- was surprised to see them taking sweets from kids.

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-03 ... ich-people

Sounds like the rich bastards I've run across to a T.

An uncle of mine was CEO of Fedex for a very long time. When his brother needed a bone marrow transplant to save his life, his answer was :Come to Jesus and be saved, then we can talk about it." My mother owns 5 houses in a rich suburb, when I missed a flight out of the Philippines and my insurance lapsed, she basically told me to island hop home. She has visited her new grandchildren 3 times in 8 months since we moved to the same city. The nice thing about this is that these rich a##holes are never happy. Divine justice. Still sickening self righteousness.

Rich republicans like the Kennedy clan, John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi? Those kinds of rich republicans?

Doesn't surprise me at all. First against the wall

Gordon Gecko - Greed is good!! My arse!!

With few exceptions the wealthy really are assholes who feel the rules won't apply to them (they often don't).

Poorer participants may be less likely to cheat because they must rely more on their community to get by, and thus are more likely adhere to community standards, Piff said. By comparison, “upper-class individuals are more self-focused, they privilege themselves over others, and they engage in self- interested patterns of behavior,” he said.

A few “upper-class individuals' that post here seem it fit this exactly......

pstarr wrote:

Umber wrote:Rich republicans like the Kennedy clan, John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi? Those kinds of rich republicans?

You accusing Pelosi of stealing candy from a baby? Got proof? No? Then STFU?

Not at all. Pelosi most likely did NOT steal that particular candy from those particular children. But she WOULD have if she'd been given the opportunity. One of the Kennedys beat her to it.

As for the personal attacks, you son of a republican mom, I'll STFU when I'm ready.

gollum wrote:With few exceptions the wealthy really are assholes who feel the rules won't apply to them (they often don't).

Indeed.

Vote Democrat, vote to tax them. Roll back their Bush tax cut and force them to live under the horrors and deprivations of the Clinton rates (anyone remember those years, the rich had it so HARD paying those taxes so sad).

The Clinton rates were already lower than Reagan.

What do the rich want from us? Do they want it all and then some? One day no taxes at all, maybe we pay THEM?

SeaGypsy wrote:An uncle of mine was CEO of Fedex for a very long time. When his brother needed a bone marrow transplant to save his life, his answer was :Come to Jesus and be saved, then we can talk about it." My mother owns 5 houses in a rich suburb, when I missed a flight out of the Philippines and my insurance lapsed, she basically told me to island hop home. She has visited her new grandchildren 3 times in 8 months since we moved to the same city. The nice thing about this is that these rich a##holes are never happy. Divine justice. Still sickening self righteousness.

WTF are you doing with personally paid international travel when you are having trouble paying your insurance? Sounds lie a personal responsibility issue.

But of course, never actually TAKE responsibility -- instead, expect others to pay for your irresponsibility, and then get mad and whine about it when they choose not to. (Do they choose not to, perhaps because of a pattern of irresponsible behavior?)

OK, you can go ahead and flame me for expecting people to at least attempt to behave responsibly before expecting others to take care of them, especially given all the wealth transfers our current government systems supply (despite all the whining about "unfairness").

Do you usually pay travel insurance beyond the length of your trip? Floods happen as does sh#t. Besides you are a good example of a grumpy self absorbed right winger, so crit me all you like, it's not going to make you happier.

Its sociopathy, a trait that the most "successful" and rich people often have. Narcissism and a lack of care for others. You'll even have a few rich Democrats pretending to care, but they are being charitable because it boosts their ego and plays to their narcissism to act like a big shot.

Free-range slavery ultimately is more corrosive then chain-plantation slavery, since the free-range slave is led to believe that they are free. More efficient system the North designed, easier on the boss. I bet we'd find lots of plantation owners a 170 years ago with the same attitudes of the current "successful" people who "earned" and "deserved" their wealth.

Who would not have a few slaves if we were honest with ourselves?
A slave for every slave? Try 16? 42? A million? What happens when our energy slaves die?

SeaGypsy wrote:Do you usually pay travel insurance beyond the length of your trip? Floods happen as does sh#t. Besides you are a good example of a grumpy self absorbed right winger, so crit me all you like, it's not going to make you happier.

Well, so nice to see you think you know all about me when you don't know squat.

I happen to give far more to a combination of deserving charaties (local ones run by friends with all volunteer organizations, so I know the money isn't wasted), to poor friends who really need help, and to helping provide unemployed folks I know meaningful work at very decent wages -- than I spend on myself, as I don't want or need fancy stuff.

Also, I tend to be right wing about property rights, but pretty moderate to left about most social issues -- especially compared to the GOP platform, and Mr. Obama when it comes to defense issues.

So go ahead and bark at me all you want for calling you out for irresponsibility and whining about the consequences if it makes you feel better.

It still doesn't mean you or Rangerone have clue 1 what you're talking about -- but that doesn't seem to stop the folks of your ilk from spouting completely unsubstantiated nonsense about people you decide you don't like -- so go for it.

Just don't expect it to earn you any respect among the folks who carry the country around on their back and then are constantly criticized for it.

Rich people more likely to cheat - Republicans?

HERE: Fixed it for ya.
Rich people more likely to cheat the Republicans!

Who started assuming?

Outcast_Searcher wrote:

SeaGypsy wrote:Do you usually pay travel insurance beyond the length of your trip? Floods happen as does sh#t. Besides you are a good example of a grumpy self absorbed right winger, so crit me all you like, it's not going to make you happier.

Well, so nice to see you think you know all about me when you don't know squat.

I happen to give far more to a combination of deserving charaties (local ones run by friends with all volunteer organizations, so I know the money isn't wasted), to poor friends who really need help, and to helping provide unemployed folks I know meaningful work at very decent wages -- than I spend on myself, as I don't want or need fancy stuff.

Also, I tend to be right wing about property rights, but pretty moderate to left about most social issues -- especially compared to the GOP platform, and Mr. Obama when it comes to defense issues.

So go ahead and bark at me all you want for calling you out for irresponsibility and whining about the consequences if it makes you feel better.

It still doesn't mean you or Rangerone have clue 1 what you're talking about -- but that doesn't seem to stop the folks of your ilk from spouting completely unsubstantiated nonsense about people you decide you don't like -- so go for it.

Just don't expect it to earn you any respect among the folks who carry the country around on their back and then are constantly criticized for it.

How on earth you know what or who I 'carry' I have no clue. I mentioned the very self oriented people in my family, you took to their defense. I don't see much happiness in your writing. Perhaps you are very content but this is a place to vent? Honestly I agree with much of what you say, I'm not really concerned about the self righteousness displayed by the people I mentioned. We are all going to die anyway. I would rather die trying to hitch around the world than defending my patch anyhow. You are correct in that we don't really ever know each other's good deeds and it is often easier to criticize than to accept that we don't know.

SeaGypsy wrote: You are correct in that we don't really ever know each other's good deeds and it is often easier to criticize than to accept that we don't know.

I appreciate your attitude on this, when I admittedly jumped on you for a perception, which I likely shouldn't have had.

My bad, and I apologize. I've often felt you had very good things to say in your posts in recent years. Sometimes when I've had a bad day and perhaps don't consciously even realize it I will vent -- which as you mentioned isn't exactly productive.

Keep on truckin'. Good luck in your travels (I hate travelling and wouldn't wish the trying aspects of global travel on anyone) -- and sorry to hear about conflicts within your family. Families can be trying even in the best of times, so I certainly wish you the best in that.

Thanks OS. I'm sick of airports and visa applications and waiting and all that. My wife and kids are now papered to stay in Oz, so that stage of life for us is done. Next comes balancing responsibilities with making some dreams come true. With 2 children under 3 and my wife recovering from major post natal depression, responsibility is taking precedence over wishes for the time being.

Ouch. Depression and family responsibility. I, unfortunately, have a lot of experience in both of those categories. In the past 5 years I left my career, mostly to help out my parents. Then I had both my parents and my girlfriend of 30 years die, and took care of each of them before they died, and their estates after they died. All very emotionally painful, and much of it stacked on top of each other, multiplying the impact.

Thus your correct impression that, often, I seem unhappy. Sorry, call me weak, but depression seems to run in much of my family.

Though I am "healing", it definitely takes time -- and some days (and months) are much better than others.

Hopefully since you indicate yourr wife is recovering, that is a good sign. Time passing and the kids growing should help in that. I sincerely hope things go better for you (and boy do I feel like an ***ASS*** for assuming you were acting irresponsibly). Take care.