Questions for the Barrel Wearing Public

At home, we hit a big downgrade in 2009. We survived. It was ugly. For many years, we were kind of smug. It was interesting to go from smug to okay to scared to miserable to okay. I believe it would be enjoyable to watch very wealthy people go through this same process, a sort of trickle-up process. To feel it. To see what stirs in them. So they can make some changes. Do you agree?

I do not wish people unhappiness. I understand that life dollops on plenty without my chanting aid. But I do see the class system as troublesome, especially one as severe as the one here. If you are not too intelligent, a bit depressed or in any way personally disadvantaged, you will never become wealthy. This is no big deal. It shouldn’t be. But it still is. Why?

If you have lost a ton of money in the stock market recently, does it really matter? Don’t you understand that it will return? And if it does not, doesn’t it feel sort of good to anticipate your ability to endure a major correction? Wouldn’t it build your confidence?

Is it possible that S&P’s downgrade is more of a political move than anything else, that its intent is to destabilize in order to gain an advantage?

As the very mathy, wealthy people play games with money, and I would include myself in this group if I were truly wealthy, isn’t it sort of sad that their only concern is for themselves and not for the state of the nation within which they live?

Why do people think they are not being controlled by an entity? Why do they hate the government? In absence of strong government you get strong individuals who destroy the economy. Why is this scenario preferable to some people? Why do they search out this anguish? Why are they deluded that they are going to be rich one day? Why do they believe that less government means they are “free”?

Does the two party system seem like a bad sporting event to you? Our yes-no brains seem to like simple team sports---one bunch squarely pitted against another. If you had the awareness that our society is set up like a game---but that the rewards of game playing are short lived and not necessarily good for the larger picture of survival—would you give up the addiction-dopamine rush for something calmer and quieter that supported you better?

Why do people say things like, “Look at the post office!” when they want to denigrate the government. The post office works. Just fine. Always has. Any real problems with the post office?

If you hate anything collective, have you ever asked yourself why? What bothers you about sharing? Why does it feel unfair to you? Do you think it is unfair that someone shares a road with you even though they pay less taxes than you? Why are you not incensed about this? Yet you hate to think that any of your money is going to the health of someone paying less tax than you pay. Do you think people who make less money than you should die sooner?

Most people who own a computer and can read are very lucky. Is that enough?