Do liberals deserve what they get?

[opebo]

I have to admit smaller government probably benefits me, but it is assinine for the average person to be in favor of it - the great majority of people will be much poorer under the new laissez-faire regime.  Anyone remember the nineteenth century? 

[opebo]

Not many Americans, whether in the ghetto or on main street are in true deep deep poverty meaning they have 0$. Even the poorest Americans own at least one television or vehicle.

A TV has no bearing on poverty - you can get a used one free out of the garbage, and a new one for like $100.  And no, many do not own a vehicle.  But one can still be desperately poor and own a 10 year old beater.  Poverty is more about one's place in the social structure than whether one has this or that.   

It makes more sense to look at income - if your income is less than say $20,000 per family member you're awfully poor.  Double that in the economically viable states.  And don't even get me started on the issue of ability to advance in society!

[opebo]

 Life wasn't completely handed to them on silver platters.

Wrong.

Life was completely handed to them on silver platters.

Shira is exactly right - live was handed to all the Bushes, and all the people like them, on a silver platter.  It is amazing to me that anyone can deny America has an aristocracy (admittedly a shabby, honorless one).

On the other hand, I do know a lot of very elderly people with a couple million dollars who got it at least partially through their own efforts.  A million or three is not  much nowadays, and a workaholic miser can sometimes accumulate it through a life of misery.  Or for that matter just owning a good house in the right area can put you part of the way into that sort of 'minimally rich' class.  My own family more or less in this class, and believe me, its not all that impressive.

But when we speak of the class which controlls this country and recieves the life on a silver platter, they most definitely did not get where they are through their own efforts.