Rant follows, The will to excess

[Chris]

I posted this on my blogpage. I would like to get some input. Am I ignorant on this issue? Or am I just being a dumbass?

I have serious concerns about this.

One of the many things wrong with this country is when you can allow greedy fat fuckers to pay poor Mexican immigrants $6 per hour to perform hard back-breaking manual labor building houses in Franklin, TN that these same corporate fat fucks turn around and sell for $800,000 to White-washed America. People who have grown up with silver spoons in their mouths, and whose kids will, and are growing up with silver spoons in their mouths. White people whose well stocked pantries have more square footage than some people's bedrooms. There is something completely wrong with the fact that these white people have only been fortunate enough to have been born in to the right family. America is increasingly being filled with the same clone drone identical shops, stores, layouts for strip malls. The exact same cardboard cut out neighborhoods. The same fake roundabouts. The same gigantic houses with the same air conditioners that suck up so much of the city's electricity. The same GMC Yukon's and the same Ford Expedition's parked in the same exact driveways. America is a nation of giants. Gigantic people, gigantic vehicles, gigantic houses. Houses that are sufficient enough for 12 people to dwell in, when in fact there are only 4 people living there. The same rich, whitewashed family of 4. Enough food in these houses to feed an entire village in Africa. Enough food in the trash bins of these houses to feed some villages in Africa. Just one of these gigantic SUV's waste the equivalent amount of fuel to power 4 generators for 8 hours. And the saddest part of it is, this scene is being copied all over the country. At the end of the day, the Mexicans go home to their apartments. Their small rented houses. They don't get new roads. They don't even have cars. They get to ride in the back of a pickup truck with shovels, hammers, nails, cement. The fat, white corporate fuckers don't even go outside in the 100 degree heat. America has become a place for people to be excessive. There is so much waste in this country it fucking makes me sick. And I am not just ranting about people who are rich. I am ranting about people who waste. Even if you are rich, there is no need for anyone to waste so much space and energy, regardless of whether or not you can afford to pay for it. Thats where the Pro SUV crowd get it wrong every time. It doesn't matter if you are able to pay for it, it matters if you need it or not. Why wastesomeone else's gas?

[Osborn F Enready]

This is the result of rampant corporatism, and corporate control over government, in my opinion.

[Chris]

Corporate fatcats, getting rich off the backs of the poor.

[Osborn F Enready]

I guess what bugs me, is just how many times they trod over the same backs.

They income tax you: one trip
They sales tax you: two trips
They state tax you: three trips
They local tax you: four trips
They luxury tax you: five trips
They force you to own insurance, which isn't regulated, which is false agitator on the market: six trips
They death tax you: seven trips
( I will stop here for the sake of brevity, but I have hours left of this)


Heaven forbid, we actually break each of those taxes down to what and how they are spent, and just how many are actually standing on your back, everyday.

Illegals, don't even have to do that, they simply don't "speaka the English". Immigrants that are legal however, well they can sue, that's why they don't hire them.

Funny how we treat illegals as if they can be ignorant of the law, but we don't afford the same courtesy to our own people, knowing there is no way ANYONE could know all the laws.

[Nono]

If you can't engage in ostentatious waste, what's the fun of being rich?
And if you can't pay peanuts to people you'd better thank God you weren't born as, what's the fun of being rich?
I mean: The Rich experience isn't just being able to buy all sorts of useless junk to fill your big extravagant house. It's also being able to remind people constantly how privileged you are and therefore how much power you have over others.

Franklin has that civil war battlefield/plantation/museum thingy with the slave quarters just down the hill from the manner house. It would be nice to think that the owners of these houses might look at that hovel from time to time and truly appreciate how privileged they are, and really understand that every extra bit of bread they shove into their faces is a bit of bread taken out of somebody else's mouth.

[Chris]

I agree Nono.

But unfortunately most people around here are completely ignorant to history or I doubt they even care. Nashville is still very segregated. You have the blacks, high in number living in poverty and whites living sheltered lives and whenever they encounter blacks and Mexicans on the street they are scared of "the darkies" and run off to their SUVs to shuttle them back to their safety haven.

it pisses me off that the divide between the rich and the poor is getting bigger.
EDIT

I mean to say that they shoot off to their safety haven, away from those awful people whos backs they trod on and those people who have built thier huge houses

[lsbskins1]

Amen! Pass the black-eyed peas!

[Plasma Snake[D]]

You know, there are a lot of poor people here in America. You just can't tell because of designer clothing. I think there will never be a shortage of Mexicans that are willing to work for cheap pay. Even the cheapest pay here is better than what they had back in Mexico. I think there are many loopholes in the system where some have a big advantage. For example, what one person does for ten dollars an hour may be a lot easier than what someone else does for ten dollars an hour. LIFE ISNT FAIR. Develop some empathy for crying out loud. If I sympathized for all the bad things in the world, my heart would blow up. I know a bunch of people in the Dominican Republic that live in shanty wooden houses, but yet somehow they are still grateful. I do indeed think American culture is excessive, but its still in its infancy.

[phoenix_fire]

I shock the heck out of my parents by telling them that I refuse to be rich. I choose to have a very modest lifestyle and whatever extra I get I give away. It is not only charitable, but it makes good financial sense. I wonder how many of the aforementioned people are in debt up to their eyeballs...

[Seeker_Of_Sins]

I am confused Chris, do you have a problem with rich people or white people? Your thread header doesnt seem to distinguish between the two. In fact it appears to insinuate that rich people are white people as though the two are mutually exclusive.

Also, surely if mexicans were able to receive wages equal to or better than those received in mexico, they wouldnt have left there and gone searching for work elsewhere. Chances are that they actually feel they are being well paid for their efforts.

You can go to any relatively wealthy country in the world and you will find exactly the same thing, a group of people with money and a group of immigrants working for low wages. The immigrants however dont feel they are working for low wages, they actually think they are making crap loads of cash and compared to what they were making in their home countries, they are.

So why not celebrate the fact that they have the energy and drive to get out of the rut they were in and have made an effort to better themselves rather than accusing others of taking advantage of them.

[Plasma Snake[D]]

Perhaps its a misappropriation of effort. Maybe not. The american dream seems so elusive to some. But yet there really is no commonly viewed ideal except for money and success.

[Chris]

Quote by: Plasma Snake[D ] You know, there are a lot of poor people here in America. You just can't tell because of designer clothing. I think there will never be a shortage of Mexicans that are willing to work for cheap pay. Even the cheapest pay here is better than what they had back in Mexico. I think there are many loopholes in the system where some have a big advantage. For example, what one person does for ten dollars an hour may be a lot easier than what someone else does for ten dollars an hour. LIFE ISNT FAIR. Develop some empathy for crying out loud. If I sympathized for all the bad things in the world, my heart would blow up. I know a bunch of people in the Dominican Republic that live in shanty wooden houses, but yet somehow they are still grateful. I do indeed think American culture is excessive, but its still in its infancy.

OK I can see your point, shit happens.

But I guess I was more mad at how wasteful Americans are.

Quote by: Seeker_Of_Sins I am confused Chris, do you have a problem with rich people or white people? Your thread header doesnt seem to distinguish between the two. In fact it appears to insinuate that rich people are white people as though the two are mutually exclusive. Also, surely if mexicans were able to receive wages equal to or better than those received in mexico, they wouldnt have left there and gone searching for work elsewhere. Chances are that they actually feel they are being well paid for their efforts. You can go to any relatively wealthy country in the world and you will find exactly the same thing, a group of people with money and a group of immigrants working for low wages. The immigrants however dont feel they are working for low wages, they actually think they are making crap loads of cash and compared to what they were making in their home countries, they are. So why not celebrate the fact that they have the energy and drive to get out of the rut they were in and have made an effort to better themselves rather than accusing others of taking advantage of them.

Ahh I guess I was just pissed off at one situation. The majority of rich people are white people. And the majority of blacks/Mexicans are poor.

It was one of those pissed off rants where very little thinking was done before writing.

And I was also pissed off at people who take advantage of others, in order to make themselves rich. At at the same time pissed about the wastefullness. (the pantry bit).

[Lilith]

Yeah, I have firsthand experience with the rich white fat cat who is making his fortune on the backs of others. His wife can get 5 and 6 thousands dollar dining room sets for Christmas and country club memberships, brand new SUVs to drive, etc. While we can't even get a health insurance plan or retirement. Oh, and this school year, he and wifey poo drove extra special down to Austin to school clothes shop for thier daughter at certain stores that are only located down there. She will be the only one at school this year to be wearing these fashions. Ta ta. I mean when you are a 9 year old girl, that is just so important a milestone in life. I work overtime all the time for that place, because they can never can keep enough staff, haven't taken a vacation in 4 years and I have to practically beg for my vacation time on a check. But Princess is going to be so styling this year and the Mrs. can keep on scrapebooking and singing praises to Jesus on Sunday.

[5010]

If they aren't happy with America, they can move back to their original country.

[Nono]

Quote by: 5010 If they aren't happy with America, they can move back to their original country.

Snore!

[Chris]

Quote by: Lilith Yeah, I have firsthand experience with the rich white fat cat who is making his fortune on the backs of others. His wife can get 5 and 6 thousands dollar dining room sets for Christmas and country club memberships, brand new SUVs to drive, etc. While we can't even get a health insurance plan or retirement. Oh, and this school year, he and wifey poo drove extra special down to Austin to school clothes shop for thier daughter at certain stores that are only located down there. She will be the only one at school this year to be wearing these fashions. Ta ta. I mean when you are a 9 year old girl, that is just so important a milestone in life. I work overtime all the time for that place, because they can never can keep enough staff, haven't taken a vacation in 4 years and I have to practically beg for my vacation time on a check. But Princess is going to be so styling this year and the Mrs. can keep on scrapebooking and singing praises to Jesus on Sunday.

Nice one

Sorry I chose edit instead of quote....

[Scribbler1]

Quote by: Chris it pisses me off that the divide between the rich and the poor is getting bigger.

It makes perfect sense. The rich want, and have, the wealth and power and the poor are there to do the actual work.

The middle class merely get in the way.

[Chris]

sad.

But the Arctic ice is expected to melt completely in the year 2030 so maybe we will all die off and not suffer too much longer.

[Compugasm]

Quote by: Chris "...greedy fat fuckers to pay poor Mexican immigrants $6 per hour to perform hard back-breaking manual labor building houses..."

How many poor Mexican workers are there exactly in the Franklin area? What is the ratio of legal/illegal workers? Are we talking thousands, or five?

Quote by: Chris "At the end of the day, the Mexicans go home to their apartments. Their small rented houses. They don't get new roads."

Does the area need new roads to begin with? All Mexicans, and only Mexicans, live in apartments and ride donkey trails? I'm sure that isn't what you meant, but that is the implication.

Quote by: Chris Just one of these gigantic SUV's waste the equivalent amount of fuel to power 4 generators for 8 hours.

Ok, so I run 4 generators, what will those machines do for me, that has more utility than the SUV? A machine is consuming energy, I don't understand what the comparison with the generator is supposed to mean. We should live in log cabins with external generators? That is a less efficient way to generate power. I'm sure the people who power their homes with whale blubber think the generator people are wasteful.

I just saw a documentary on Jack Daniels Whiskey, and that bottling plant looks like it uses a lot of energy. I bet that whiskey plant uses as much energy as 1000 homes. Or even, how much energy does it take to make a car to begin with? I wonder if it takes more energy to make and sell a car, than a car consumes in gas over it's lifetime.

Quote by: Chris Am I ignorant on this issue? Or am I just being a dumbass?

Honestly, I think your blog post generates blame and sympathy with sweeping generalizations, rather than address solutions. It's easier to blame (in this case "white people" and "fat fuckers", but not white fat-fuckers I notice), than address the issues of illegal workers for example.

The system of freeways seems to be one root cause if you think about it. Without the freeways, their wouldn't be any traffic. Without traffic, there wouldn't be commerce. Someone has to make all this crap we have, and ship it where it needs to go. But reguardless of the size, it creates all manor of jobs. And, as Osborne points out, the govt takes it's share each time, and still never has enough money.

[Plasma Snake[D]]

Well you know you really can't put too much blame on people. They just do what they do without much self-examination.