Comments on: The Greedy BastardTheory of Economics

By: John

John — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 02:11:28 +0000

Although Canadians and Europeans pay less for health care than we do, this is not the reason why they are healthier. They — and practically everybody else on the face of the planet — eat and drink better stuff and less of it than we do. They also exercise more. Ever notice how U.S. offspring of lean, Asian-born parents are just as obese as the children of any other American ethnic group if they are permitted the typical diet and sedentary lifestyle of their American peers? And one doesn’t see as many fatsos in Italy, France or Spain as can be found in Anytown, USA. Clearly, our diet and lifestyle are hazardous to one’s health.

By: John

John — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 02:14:06 +0000

One other thing. Not all Greedy Bastards are Republicans or captains of industry (although CEO salaries these days are obscene and must be brought under control — hopefully by shareholders; by government action only if absolutely necessary). The likes of George Soros, William Jefferson, William Jefferson Clinton, John Corzine, Hollywood denizens en masse, etc. all fit the GB persona. The publicized financial records of George Soros, Warren Buffet and Ted Kennedy — all of whom are in favor of increasing taxes and retaining the estate tax — have their money protected and out of reach of the IRS through trusts, foundations or tax-free overseas accounts. Kennedy, for example, has over a half-billion dollars protected from the IRS through trusts in Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Fiji. These GBs have access to greed enhancement practices not available to you and me.

By: Al

Al — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 02:23:52 +0000

Quite so, John, but we never said Greedy Bastards were Republicans. Greed is a big tent. In one sense, it’s universal; in the context of capitalism, the profit motive and incentives are essential. It’s the excesses we’re talking about here, We never mentioned the word “Republican,” but when it came to citing some current examples, well, they happened to be current under a Republican administration (which also happened to be whelped and reared by greedy bastards) — but you could find examples in any administration and, in the private sector, among non-profits, churches, televangelists, and environmental frauds as well as in corporate circles.