Upper class people are more likely to behave selfishly

[derkraut]

Rich people don't get rich for no reason. They are often greedy, selfish, tightwads.

Maybe some of them worked hard for many years to earn what they have?? :?

 

[Herm]

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_republicans_or_democrates_give_more_to_charity" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Do republicans or democrats give more to charity?

Republicans give more than twice what Democrats give in charitable contributions.

In 2008 Arthur C. Brooks wrote a book that included information on this very question and found that even though on average Democrat households have higher incomes, the Republican or Conservative households donate more of their income. Republicans also donate more blood as well.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/conservatives_more_liberal_giv.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; "

 

[turbo2ltr]

This is one of the biggest reasons why I left NY. I couldn't take the "I'm better than you, get the hell out of my way" attitude of everyone on the road (and elsewhere). I'm a believer in "you have to give a little respect to get a little respect". That doesn't work there. You give a little respect and they clobber you over the head with it.

Am I a model citizen? Certainly not. But I am a much calmer person for leaving NY.

I like it out here in the desert, but that's not to say it doesn't have it's sore spots. <cough>Scottsdale<cough>. Every time I drive around there I feel like I was transported back to NY simply by the "get out of my way" attitude of drivers. Not as bad, but definitely noticeable.

As for going fast, I'll agree with Geek, it *is* fun. I understand that that not everyone shares that sentiment. I'll even agree it's not logical to race up to a red light. But the feel of the acceleration is just something that I couldn't live without. My leaf's throttle gets floored several times during every trip I take. It's fun!

I agree that whenever I see a prius I have a little voice saying "Pfft, you still use gas...". I guess I'm an EV Snob now. lol. But then I feel guilty for having that attitude. And that doesn't mean I'm going to be an ass and not going to let them in when they turn on their blinker (like they would do in NY...regardless of what you drive).

 

[pjoseph]

That was an eye-opening study. This is a fun thread.

My conclusion from the study is as follows. Generally speaking, rich, entitled people have no time for road etiquette. And as such, they make poor EV owners (who need to plan much of their long trips around charging).

And so Tesla will not sell very many $100 K cars. Wait times have shrunk already to 1-2 months.

But when the $35 K car (Blue star?) comes out in 2015 (pure speculation on my part), it will be a big hit

 

[Nubo]

This is one of the biggest reasons why I left NY. I couldn't take the "I'm better than you, get the hell out of my way" attitude of everyone on the road (and elsewhere). I'm a believer in "you have to give a little respect to get a little respect". That doesn't work there. You give a little respect and they clobber you over the head with it.

Am I a model citizen? Certainly not. But I am a much calmer person for leaving NY.

I like it out here in the desert, but that's not to say it doesn't have it's sore spots. <cough>Scottsdale<cough>. Every time I drive around there I feel like I was transported back to NY simply by the "get out of my way" attitude of drivers. Not as bad, but definitely noticeable.

What I noticed back when I did a lot of cross-country driving, was this: Away from major cities, people would drive in a calm and respectful manner. But as you enter what I call the "gravitational field" of a big city, the speeds go up and civility goes down. This is APART from traffic volume, as it's noticeable even before you get close enough for the traffic congestion to increase. The extent of the gravitational field varies. The largest field I can recall was Chicago. People were already going nuts about 100 miles from the city boundaries. Though the worst drivers I've ever encountered were in Boston.

 

[thankyouOB]

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_republicans_or_democrates_give_more_to_charity

"Do republicans or democrats give more to charity?

Republicans give more than twice what Democrats give in charitable contributions.

In 2008 Arthur C. Brooks wrote a book that included information on this very question and found that even though on average Democrat households have higher incomes, the Republican or Conservative households donate more of their income. Republicans also donate more blood as well.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/conservatives_more_liberal_giv.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; "

so now we use two sources, but they are the same sources.
and, we have no analysis of the data or the data.
if the more conservative folks include giving to their churches as charitable giving --- which the IRS does, but many dont -- then this data is worthless.
is giving to the Sea Shepherd society giving to help the needy or just an IRS version of charity?
How about the Koch Brothers' Cato Institute? Now, there is a real criminal conspiracy, but a charity by IRS definition.
are we really trying to discuss whether Dems or Repubs are kinder, nicer, give more, greedier, smell better, have better sex?

i dont even think you can say that all LEAF drivers are more charitable from the comments I have read here for two years.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Not every "wealthy" person is a Wall St bond trader. I know many who have built comfortable lives by working hard, saving money, and making prudent investments and wise choices over a long period of time. They are extremely generous, giving of themselves and their treasure. But they increasingly harbor hard feelings because the trend is toward higher and higher levels of redistribution, as government seeks to help themselves to others' property buying votes with OPM in the name of social justice.

What many fail to understand is why some are rich and others poor. I have seen people lift themselves from poverty in astounding ways, and seen others languish in it, perpetuating their lot with one bad decision after another. The problems of the poor run much deeper than the rich people hogging all the money, and the solutions lie in places people don't want to look. Make no mistake, you could take all the money from all the rich people and give it to all the poor people, and in a short time all the rich people would be rich again and all the poor people would be poor again.

 

[turbo2ltr]

Make no mistake, you could take all the money from all the rich people and give it to all the poor people, and in a short time all the rich people would be rich again and all the poor people would be poor again.

+1

 

[thankyouOB]

Make no mistake, you could take all the money from all the rich people and give it to all the poor people, and in a short time all the rich people would be rich again and all the poor people would be poor again.

+1

ugh and ugly.
thanks for proving my point about some LEAFers.

I dunno who you quoted, but the Bible, in Matthew, offers this view of the rich. It is appropriate for all you richophiles:
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."



English Standard Version (©2001)
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
"Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

International Standard Version (©2012)
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God."

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010)
“And again I say to you that it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
I can guarantee again that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

American King James Version
And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

American Standard Version
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And again I say to you: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Darby Bible Translation
and again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to enter a needle's eye than a rich man into the kingdom of God.

English Revised Version
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Webster's Bible Translation
And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Weymouth New Testament
Yes, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God."

World English Bible
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God."

Young's Literal Translation
and again I say to you, it is easier for a camel through the eye of a needle to go, than for a rich man to enter into the reign of God.'
Barnes' Notes on the Bible

It is easier for a camel ... - This was a proverb in common use among the Jews, and is still common among the Arabians.

 

[Nubo]

...are we really trying to discuss whether Dems or Repubs are kinder, nicer, give more, greedier, smell better, have better sex?

And why do we persist in trying to judge people as groups, when everyone is different?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqp6GnYqIjQ[/youtube]

 

[Luft]

Oh dude! This is so ignorant and ill-informed as to be offensive!

There has been a redistribution of wealth. Not by the government but by the unbridled greed of the super wealthy who use their wealth to take larger and larger percentages of all the wealth generated and to hell with their fellow man.

http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html

Not every "wealthy" person is a Wall St bond trader. I know many who have built comfortable lives by working hard, saving money, and making prudent investments and wise choices over a long period of time. They are extremely generous, giving of themselves and their treasure. But they increasingly harbor hard feelings because the trend is toward higher and higher levels of redistribution, as government seeks to help themselves to others' property buying votes with OPM in the name of social justice.

What many fail to understand is why some are rich and others poor. I have seen people lift themselves from poverty in astounding ways, and seen others languish in it, perpetuating their lot with one bad decision after another. The problems of the poor run much deeper than the rich people hogging all the money, and the solutions lie in places people don't want to look. Make no mistake, you could take all the money from all the rich people and give it to all the poor people, and in a short time all the rich people would be rich again and all the poor people would be poor again.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

In far too many cases the working poor aren't having it stolen, they are giving it away. Here's a litmus test: If you are over 30 years old and you don't have at least $125k saved for retirement or are carrying credit card debt, but you own an iPhone, stop and think.

There's a funny story, not true I'm sure, about some kids in the schoolyard talking about what they each would do if they came into $200. All but one of them said they wanted to get some air jordans or whatever, the other one said he wanted to get some nike stock. When grilled about why he'd want to do a fool thing like that, he explained to them how it all worked. Another one of them said that sounded interesting, maybe he would get the stock too, and the one who originally wanted the stock got all concerned and said no, he really wanted him to stick with his original choice and get the shoes.

Sorry, I guess that isn't as enlightening as the article from Professor Dumhoff, but you know it really doesn't matter what you or I think about the 1%, because we have no right to steal from them. It's their money and property, not yours or mine.

 

[Luft]

Sorry, I guess that isn't as enlightening as the article from Professor Dumhoff, but you know it really doesn't matter what you or I think about the 1%, because we have no right to steal from them. It's their money and property, not yours or mine.

First it's Professor G. William Domhoff and calling him Dumhoff is nothing but a cheap shot. Second, just because the super wealthy can use their wealth and power to buy government support which allows them to take obscene profits at the expense of the powerless does not make their ill-gotten gains legitimate.

The fuse of social injustice is burning and taking a "let them eat cake" attitude will probably end badly.

 

[Smidge204]

Republicans give more than twice what Democrats give in charitable contributions.

Unfortunately no definition of "charity" is given.

Donating money to your church does not automatically qualify as charity, unless you can demonstrate that money actually goes towards helping people and not, say, campaigning against marriage equality laws to give a prominent example. Giving money to 501(c) nonprofits in general does not automatically equate to charitable giving. So without knowing to whom this supposed mass of donations is going to and what it's being used for, no conclusions can be drawn.

And as long as we're quoting the Book of Matthew:

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

:roll:

In far too many cases the working poor aren't having it stolen, they are giving it away. Here's a litmus test: If you are over 30 years old and you don't have at least $125k saved for retirement or are carrying credit card debt, but you own an iPhone, stop and think.

Uh... what does having an iPhone have to do with it? Seriously, not sure where you're going with that. Just because you can afford to have bought a $300 phone some time in the past few years doesn't mean you've had steady work for the past decade. Or is your point that instead of buying a cell phone you should put that money into savings? Not that I particularly care for the iPhone (or Apple products in general) but there is a value associated with having a cell phone which in most rational people's opinion is worth more than the value of $300 sitting in a bank doing essentially nothing.

Or coming from the other direction, maybe you USED to have a decent retirement fund. Maybe you had a 401K that got wiped out because the fund managers invested your money in "AAA-rated" mortgage derivatives. Maybe you thought you had a pension building up but you really didn't. Maybe you're just getting screwed.
=Smidge=

 

[thankyouOB]

There is also this little tidbit that helps to call BS on the meme that all you need is determination. Clearly, in the last five years, and prolly in the last 2-3 decades, the RICH get richer, and the everyone else -- not just the poor-- got scraps.

WASHINGTON — Incomes rose more than 11 percent for the top 1 percent of earners during the economic recovery, but not at all for everybody else, according to new data.

The numbers, produced by Emmanuel Saez, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley, show overall income growing by just 1.7 percent over the period. But there was a wide gap between the top 1 percent, whose earnings rose by 11.2 percent, and the other 99 percent, whose earnings declined by 0.4 percent.

Mr. Saez, a winner of the John Bates Clark Medal, an economic laurel considered second only to the Nobel, concluded that “the Great Recession has only depressed top income shares temporarily and will not undo any of the dramatic increase in top income shares that has taken place since the 1970s....

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/business/economy/income-gains-after-recession-went-mostly-to-top-1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Oh, and taxes aren's stealing. They're taxes.
You like the US Constitution. Read it:
[b]Article I, Section. 8.[/b]

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

AMENDMENT XVI
Passed by Congress July 2, 1909. Ratified February 3, 1913.
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

Wake up and smell the coffee.
Some folks would even say that the only real job of the rich is to spend their money. If they can't do their job, we should help them.

 

[davewill]

Rich people don't get rich for no reason. They are often greedy, selfish, tightwads.

Maybe some of them worked hard for many years to earn what they have?? :?

Of course. Some of them even sit around blogging all day while pretending to work. :lol:

The study just shows there's a higher percentage of dobadders amongst the rich, not that all of them are.

 

[derkraut]

Not every "wealthy" person is a Wall St bond trader. I know many who have built comfortable lives by working hard, saving money, and making prudent investments and wise choices over a long period of time. They are extremely generous, giving of themselves and their treasure. But they increasingly harbor hard feelings because the trend is toward higher and higher levels of redistribution, as government seeks to help themselves to others' property buying votes with OPM in the name of social justice.

What many fail to understand is why some are rich and others poor. I have seen people lift themselves from poverty in astounding ways, and seen others languish in it, perpetuating their lot with one bad decision after another. The problems of the poor run much deeper than the rich people hogging all the money, and the solutions lie in places people don't want to look. Make no mistake, you could take all the money from all the rich people and give it to all the poor people, and in a short time all the rich people would be rich again and all the poor people would be poor again.

Well said.....My sentiments exactly.