8/31    This is why Edwards can't get elected:
        http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/r_m
        In a recent speech, John Edwards told Americans to sacrifice their
        inefficient cars, and specifically, to give up their SUVs. But the
        presidential hopeful is driven around in a Cadillac SRX Crossover,
        which guzzles gas at 15 miles per gallon. His spokesman says that
        he drives a  hybrid SUV in North Carolina, but reports say the
        Edwards family has a regular SUV and a small truck as well.
        \_ He can't get traction because he's so obviously a fake and he's
           also pushing his 'rich vs. poor' thing during the best economic
           times the country has ever seen.  Class warfare is dead.
                \_ Yes, if you're rich the economic times are great.  It's the
                   third gilded age.
                   \_ Yawn.  The poor have never been better off.  The middle
                      class has never been better off.  The rich are always
                      better off so their status has nothing to do with
                      anything.  I'm not even close to rich and everything
                      is peachy.  What's *your* problem?
                      \_ The middle class income has been going down for about
                         six years now. You probably didn't notice. And an
                         overwhelming majority think we are in a recession
                         right now.
                         \_ And if the media told them they were doing great
                            they'd think it was a boom time.  That same
                            majority can't even define recession unless they
                            think it means lowest unemployment rate in the
                            western world.
                            \_ Ah, "the media" controls what everyone thinks.
                               I understand where you are coming from now.
                         \_ Paul Graham once noted that while income disparity
                            increases, 'lifestyle disparity' decreases.
                            The poorest citizens of the world have access to
                            things people even 50 years ago would consider
                            unattainable luxuries (cell phones for instance).
                            Bank account differences are somewhat of a red
                            herring -- they are important but they aren't a
                            good measure of 'inequality' because of the
                            diminishing marginal utility of money. -- ilyas
                            \_ The poorest citizens of the world are still
                               starving to death. Don't get too full of
                               yourself there.
                               \_ There are the poor wretches who had the
                                  misfortune to be born in NK, or some parts
                                  of SE Asia or Africa.  I don't think the
                                  root cause there is economic per se, or
                                  rather the economy is fucked because the
                                  places are run by thugs.  I was talking
                                  about places like India or China.  But,
                                  discounting the 'ultra rich', consider how
                                  similar people's lifestyles are in the
                                  States.  Compared to, say, one hundred
                                  years ago.  Upper middle class increasingly
                                  distinguishes itself by brands rather than
                                  'novel things' unavailable to lower stratas
                                  of society.  The same engine which increases
                                  income disparity also provides the Honda
                                  civics, ultra-cheap computers, cell phones,
                                  televisions, etc.  Actually the issue
                                  isn't just that money has diminishing
                                  marginal utility, it's that progress
                                  continues to raise how much 'lifestyle' you
                                  can buy on a limited budget.  One way
                                  the current trends can end is income
                                  disparity continues to increase, but it
                                  stops being relevant because goods become so
                                  well-made, cheap, and plentiful, that
                                  material scarcity gets essentially
                                  eliminated.  Sure, some people will still be
                                  significantly 'richer' than others, but
                                  what practical effect will that extra money
                                  have?  Perhaps there will be a market for
                                  'brands' or 'original works of art' or
                                  doing very expensive things 'for the soul'
                                  like funding wacky grand research projects
                                  or going into space.  People are too hung
                                  up on money.  I have a number of friends
                                  who are significantly more wealthy than
                                  me, and our lives are scarcely different.
                                  The difference will only get smaller.
                                    -- ilyas
                                \_ The televisions and clothes may be
                                   similar but the important differences are
                                   in things like working hours, vacations,
                                   health and health care, and real estate
                                   related issues (ghetto vs. nice place for
                                   children). In general I agree the poor
                                   are still mostly better off than before.
                                   \_ In my experience, the 'well off' that
                                      work tend to work harder and longer
                                      than minimum wagers.
                                      \_ In my experience, the "well off"
                                         retire much, much earlier, like
                                         in their 50s. The middle class
                                         retires in their early to mid 60s
                                         and the poor never retire. That is
                                         probably the biggest difference.
                                         \_ Yes of course, the question being
                                            what happens to the these
                                            differences as time passes.  Do
                                            the rich retire earlier today
                                            than 50 years ago?
        \_ If hypocrisy kept politicians from getting elected, there would be
           no Republican elected officials at all.
           \_ *laugh* Or Democrats either.  The blindness to the flaws of the
              party you don't dislike is just amazing.  I really do laugh
              every time I see one of these "my guys are all angels and your
              guys are all stupid and satanic" posts here or on various blogs.
              \_ Nice to see you are so easily amused. You obviously have not
                 thought very hard about the word hypocrisy and what it
                 means. There are plenty of things to dislike about Democrats
                 but not living up to their ideals is a Republican speciality.
              \_ Nice to see you are so easily amused.
                 \_ So bribery, theft, lying, hypocrisy and abuse of power are
                    a part of the Democratic party platform?  Thanks for
                    clarifying.  I understand now.
                    \_ I guess it depends on how you define "bribery and
                       theft." Do you mean taking tax dollars from one person
                       and giving it to another? Then yes, it is part of the
                       party platform. If you mean something else, please
                       provide evidence that Democrats are more likely to
                       engage in it than Republicans. And you keep throwing
                       out that word "hypocrisy" without any notion of what
                       it means. Go look it up in a dictionary and get back
                       to us, m'kay? How many Republicans vs Democrats in
                       Congress have been indicted in the last 10 years?
                       \_ If you can't see the hypocrisy of some very high
                          profile Democrat politicians, then you're just being
                          a politics homer/fanboi. Politicians are a bunch of
                          bums no matter what party. -not pp
                          \_ No one said the Democrats were angels. That was
                             a straw man you are responding to. They have just
                             not been as bad as the Republicans, at least
                             recently.
                             \_ We have to vote for our lizards so the other
                                lizards don't get elected.  -- ilyas
        \_ motd bleeding heart liberal here.  multimillionaire 25k
           square foot house trial lawyer owning Edwards talking about
           class war (I have some NO WAR BUT CLASS WAR shirts I can send to
           him) is pretty funny.  Homosexual law oppressing passing Senator
           Craig getting caught passing homosexual code is funny too.
           Idaho state policeman dedicating himself to undercover luring
           of old men into sex acts at the airport bathroom is the funniest
           thing all day though.  seriously, aren't there real crimes out
           there anymore?
           \- Minneapolis is not in Idaho.