Posted on 04/24/2026 12:39:53 PM PDT by nickcarraway
In today’s politics, you don’t need a solution — you just need someone to blame. And more often than not, that someone is “the rich.”
Say “Billionaires shouldn’t exist” and the crowd cheers. Say “They’re not paying their fair share” and the clip spreads like wildfire. It’s one of the most reliable applause lines in modern political life — and that’s the appeal.
Economic inequality is real. But listen to how it’s discussed, and something else becomes clear: This isn’t really about solving anything. It’s about blame. From Sen. Bernie Sanders’ calls to “tax the billionaires” to Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax crusade, attacking the wealthy has become a political reflex. It works because it’s simple, emotionally satisfying and gives people a clear target. That’s not an accident. Every movement needs a villain — and “the rich” is an easy one.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Actually, it’s become one of the favorite forms of insanity. For that matter, it’s getting more common around here.
The poor are not pulling their own weight. Most are lazy grifters. How about shock therapy to get them off the couch and into a job?
I have nothing against the rich provided they leave the rest of us alone. The Bill Gates types, and our politicians cannot be hated enough.
Agreed.
Bottom line, it’s envy.
Half the population paying barely any taxes, and often none. I see it everywhere. Poor morons at protests saying the rich aren't paying enough taxes, while the rich pay almost all the taxes. Lazy grifters is indeed true of most of the poor. The Democrat model is to not depend on yourself or family, but to steal from the true producers and workers that keep the poor fed.
Isn’t that what people have for a goal? To be rich. What’s wrong with that?
Gov’t will always be against you getting rich. In America though, the Constitution protects you. If it is observed.
I could care less about the rich.
What made America great was work hard, play by the rules, and do everything in your power to help your kids and grand kids have an opportunity to a better quality of life than you did.
With significant help from the public school decline over the last fifty years, the work ethic that made America great is nearly extinct.
When you interact with the workers in the grassroots of a business, they make you feel like they are doing you a great favor by merely interacting with you and doing what they are paid to do.
And everyone and their brother expects you to tip them big time for giving service which is way subpar of what was expected and delivered decades ago.
I made my way doing a variety of things and in each and every instance I took pride in the work I was doing and if I couldn’t do that I was prepared to move on.
Plenty of rich people are lazy grifters too.
If I had had the IQ and the work ethic of these men (and a few women) I'd be living in those towns. But I didn't...so I don't.
I don't hate them. But I must admit that in retirement one of the things I enjoy doing is driving down to two NYC suburbs called Greenwich,Connecticut and Alpine,New Jersey and,while looking at the $20 million mansions I have fantasies of prime rib for breakfast.
Usually combined with “scream therapy.”
I subscribe to the axiom that no one is poorer just because someone else is richer.
It’s not a zero sum game, like we’re playing Monopoly with a finite bank supply.
The irony (or perhaps contradiction) is the socialists CREATE the inequality and create the billionaires they rail against - exactly through statist/socialist/central-planning policies.
Its starts with our printed, fiat money, and progresses through every bond of Federal debt issued, every dollar spent by government, and every regulation and market-manipulation put into effect.
As E. Warren has showed us, she’s not against big Wall Street banks, she just wants to control them, make sure they fund her cronies, and have correct political opinions.
Yes, people who have never built anything. The Clintons, John Kerry, Barkie 0bama are just a few.
Rich people who mind their own business are fine.
It’s because the population has been induced to reject careful thinking.
Yup, and class envy is the root of communist revolutionary doctrine.
Yeah, FR is ground zero for it...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.