Reply #83: I'm not sure I consider that to be all that extravagant! [View All]

[NoSheep]

First of all, if it is truly a Victorian house, that's recycling and helps to preserve our history. Jobs were probably created to renovate it and no new land had to be disturbed to build it. To me, those factors are VERY important.

An example of a negative case scenario would be my ex-boss.
He's retired from 20 years as an investment banker. I dare say his personal fortune was gained from the sweat off the backs of others. I don't think one can separate themselves morally from the companies they invest in. South African Gold and the military industrial complex, for example.

(George Soros would disagree with me, but that's the only thng I know of we disagree about)

So here's this rich guy who has a bunch of money that he got by ignoring the social consequences of his desire for an extravagant lifestyle.

He "operates" a small business in his retirement. He sells DVD's based on another author's writings. The rights to the information those DVD's are based on, were stolen from the widow of the author during the settling of the estate. My ex-boss was the executor and got a lawyer to help him figure out how to do this.

So now he has a fortune from his job and pension, a small business and he hires me to run it for him while he takes out women on his sailboat. I ran it like it was my own. He refused to give me any benefits after promising he would AND refuses to pay employment taxes. he made me sign a contract based on ,lies and that is his proof that I complied with his terms. He fires me when I threaten to turn him in to the IRS and I couldn't get unemployment because he lied to the unemployment agency and says I quit. I appealed it and we had a hearing together and he lied right in front of me and showed a video tape he had made of me that he ediited to make it appear that I had bribed him. This man is unbelievable. He is a total snake to anyone around him so he can enjoy his lifestyle.

He builds a new McMansion in a gated development to impress himself and his friends. He votes republican. He doesn't care how many people have to die in order for him to have politician's in place to protect his interests: lower taxes for the rich and loop holes for business people that allow them to screw their employees. Sure, he pays property taxes, but the people he votes for make it possible for him to screw me and other working class people because we live in a "right to work" state.

I see the McMansion as a symbol of his values: cheap, morally bankrupt, copy-cat, keep up with the Joneses no matter the cost, go to church every Sunday and brag about it but live like a demon.

All people aren't the same. But it's damn hard to make a killing in this country without doing JUST THAT. I'm old enough to know it. I've experienced it first hand.