Shotsie

That line of reasoning is exactly why we are in this predicament in the first place. We are a nation of over 300 million, not everyone can become aerospace engineers and derivatives traders. Besides, a lot of the industries defined by "thinking" are built around intangibles; there is nothing being created to back the supposed wealth, it's just numbers being shifted around that creates these giant bubbles that eventually burst every couple of decades.


The absence of effective State, and, especially, national, restraint upon unfair money-getting has tended to create a small class of enormously wealthy and economically powerful men, whose chief object is to hold and increase their power. The prime need to is to change the conditions which enable these men to accumulate power which it is not for the general welfare that they should hold or exercise. We grudge no man a fortune which represents his own power and sagacity, when exercised with entire regard to the welfare of his fellows. Again, comrades over there, take the lesson from your own experience. Not only did you not grudge, but you gloried in the promotion of the great generals who gained their promotion by leading their army to victory. So it is with us. We grudge no man a fortune in civil life if it is honorably obtained and well used. It is not even enough that it should have been gained without doing damage to the community. We should permit it to be gained only so long as the gaining represents benefit to the community. This, I know, implies a policy of a far more active governmental interference with social and economic conditions in this country than we have yet had, but I think we have got to face the fact that such an increase in governmental control is now necessary.

No man should receive a dollar unless that dollar has been fairly earned. Every dollar received should represent a dollar’s worth of service rendered-not gambling in stocks, but service rendered. The really big fortune, the swollen fortune, by the mere fact of its size, acquires qualities which differentiate it in kind as well as in degree from what is possessed by men of relatively small means. Therefore, I believe in a graduated income tax on big fortunes, and in another tax which is far more easily collected and far more effective-a graduated inheritance tax on big fortunes, properly safeguarded against evasion, and increasing rapidly in amount with the size of the estate.

The people of the United States suffer from periodical financial panics to a degree substantially unknown to the other nations, which approach us in financial strength. There is no reason why we should suffer what they escape. It is of profound importance that our financial system should be promptly investigated, and so thoroughly and effectively revised as to make it certain that hereafter our currency will no longer fail at critical times to meet our needs.

- THEODORE ROOSEVELT - REPUBLICAN






I have a suspicion that his son, Joe Hill, has ghostwritten large chunks, if not whole novels for him in recent years. I read an interview the other day about a collaboration he was working on with his son where he said that his son could finish the book because their writing styles were nearly indistinguishable, but his writing style has changed since the 80's when he put out his best works, imo.


Christie deserves it. The guy is an arrogant prick who treats his own constituents - the people he's supposed to be working for - like a bunch of assholes. Like the lady he went on a tirade against because she asked him where he sends his kids to school, telling her it's none of her business. Well, it kind of is considering her tax dollars pay his fucking salary so he can - SURPRISE! - send his kids to a private school while he slashes funding for public ones. I hope he chokes to death on a steak - fat piece of shit.