Why do so many people assume a billionaire is deserving of everything he has...?

[kentuck]

...but a welfare mother or a poor person is not deserving of anything?

It is puzzling to me how some folks begrudge the needy and the very poor but will defend the billionaire to their last breath?

It is "fair" to give another taxbreak to a millionaire but it is not fair to give an increase in food stamps to a poor family?

I cannot understand how these people's brains are wired??

[Skittles]

1. it gets worse

more often than not they call themselves CHRISTIANS

[SharonAnn]

18. Because they "stole it fair and square!"

[enough]

2. I think there's an atavistic response that says: If this guy is so rich and powerful,

he must be smart, strong, competent, and God must be smiling upon him. A totally primitive reaction.

And the reverse is also true. If someone is poor, unlucky, sick, etc., God is frowning in them -- get me away from them, I don't want to be contaminated.

Never mind anything Jesus said, this goes way back beyond that.

[LiberalLoner]

4. exactly right, totally lizard brain reaction!

Just like dogs in a pack. Attack and kill the submissive, worship the sociopathic, bullying lead dog.

[freshwest]

10. +1

[CBHagman]

3. I'll have to find the quote from Christopher Hitchens...

...in which he said the dark side of the American can-do attitude, the sense of possibilities, was the implication that if things went badly, you were responsible for that too.

Obviously one can have a can-do spirit, a good sense of problem solving, and yet not blame someone for his/her reduced circumstances, difficulties, etc.

[left on green only]

5. I have wondered the same question myself.

The best I can come up with is that they are just like the people who will vote against their own self interest, every time. It's because in their minds they need to keep the dream alive that some day they will also join the ranks of the 1%. Which I suppose is the same reason why most people who play the lottery are so willing to throw away what little money they have.

Imagine if there were no lotteries because there are no people who are willing to squander their money on participating in them. Yes, I know. It's right up there with the idea of world peace.

[Marrah_G]

6. People have always admired royalty and loathed peasants and paupers

I don't understand it. I assume there is some theory out there as to why we do it.

[nanabugg]

19. You mean peasants and paupers have always admired royalty and hated themselves! nt

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

7. This should be required reading for everyone who is not wealthy

The Million Pound Banknote- Mark Twain
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/MilPou.shtml

[Wind Dancer]

13. Love that story!

One of my favorites!

[Yavin4]

8. Race Is Also A Major Factor

The attitude that the poor are un-deserving is unique to Americans and unlike those in any other industrialized nation. A citizen in an European nation is treated with much higher economic dignity than here in the U.S.

The big difference here is race. Americans associate poor with Black and Hispanic, and they associate billionaire with being White. So, when you tax the rich, you are taxing White people and giving it to Black people. See Santorum's "Blahh" quote.

[wandy]

9. I think it has something to do with that most people do not take the time....

for critical thinking. This allows outlets like Fox mews and World Net Dailey to spread the propaganda.
If you have not noticed, any number of articls have been written of late extoling the virtues of the 'job creators'.
A recent example.

“If you raise taxes on the so-called rich, you’re really raising taxes on the job creators, and if the goal is private- sector growth, you’ve got to recognize that the best way to create that growth is to leave capital in the treasuries of the job creators,”

If you repeat a lie enough times.......

I've no doubt that by November many will believe that we are fortunate, in that Romney is a benevolent BlueBlood.

[Initech]

11. That's what happens when you have one one party

That caters exclusively to the interests of the wealthy while ignoring the needs of the rest. And then manipulates their emotions to vote against their best interests on the premise of they're gonna make it - like an actor moving to Hollywood. And the people who vote this way are in such denial about how badly they're getting screwed over that they turn scary and even become violent toward scapegoats. It's getting scary and it's only going to get worse until the depression ends.

[DefenseLawyer]

12. Ron Johnson, who beat Russ Feingold

ran as a "self made" millionaire and successful "entrepreneur", when the reality was he had married well. His wife's father owned a business and then spun off a business to his son (Johnson's brother-in-law). That company only had one customer, the father's company. Johnson later "bought" the business from his brother-in-law and voila! A self made millionaire! Yet his bullshit rags to riches story was never really questioned by the media at all.

[meow2u3]

23. Ron Johnson, Gold Digger

That must be the only reason he married his wife. It sure wasn't for love.

If they divorce, he'll try to milk her for every penny she has, leaving her broke.

[DefenseLawyer]

24. I have no idea about any of those things.

But I do know he isn't a "self made millionaire" as he portrayed himself, unless self- made includes being given a company by your in-laws.

[JI7]

14. because there are a lot of stupid people , and many who are not wealthy so easily blame

the poor including homeless if they are going through tough times.

really dumbass, if you are having trouble finding work ro whatever it's not because of the homeless person. fucking dumbass. but i come across these types a lot.

[coalition_unwilling]

15. Residue of Calvinism (read 'predestination') and the notion that

worldly affluence is a sign of God's favor. (And its converse, that poverty is a sign of God's disfavor.) Then throw is a healthy measure of sociopathy (the new American norm) and you have a recipe for the attitude you find so puzzling.

Here's what I mean by sociopathy: at the time of Katrina, I was working for a small startup and the CFO for the company (perhaps thinking I was a Repuke or right winger) said to me "The people left behind in New Orleans deserved to suffer because they were told to leave and didn't follow instructions." Needless to say, I lasted about 2 more weeks at that job before walking out in mid-day. (Owner was either a coke or meth head.)

[loyalsister]

16. The same reason that people assume people who go to church...

maintain and behave with intentions that are unconditionally moral.
Americans erroneously overvalue appearances and readily make superficial assumptions.

[bahrbearian]

17. Because they worked hard for their money, LOL

[Kylefty]

20. I wish they would realize how much the billionaires need us.

I mean we protect them serve them build and maintain the infrastructure that allows them to be billionaires,i mean when i hear a wealthy man say" I am a self made millionaire"i have to laugh because they are the people who had the most help had the most people who worked hard for them so that they could be what they are today..i mean most millionaires make their wealth off investments thats not work they do themselves thats the profiting off the labor of others..I wish americans would begin to value their labor to say to the billionaires and millionaires i am worth something and you wouldn't be where you are with out me so how about some fucking respect all most of us wants is a decent standard of living and a living wage.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

21. I guess it's to do with serfdom and knowing their place?

like the feudal system in England?

[guitar man]

22. Decades of propaganda

And damn has it ever been effective

[jp11]

25. Fantasy land.

They buy into the idea that America is 'fair' and if you 'work hard' you too can be rich, just like the people in charge want you to believe just keep working that crappy job while they don't give you a real raise and cut your benefits/pension if you even had them.

IF you are rich you must have worked hard and earned everything you got, including the right to not pay taxes cause you earned every single dollar of your millions made through work, investments, etc. BUT if you are poor you don't deserve anything, not from other people and shoudn't even be allowed to not pay income tax despite being poor. Nevermind that being poor you have less to spend on the basics of life and still have to pay taxes like sales, state, etc you should be contributing to the nation's war chest where we spend out country's money on killing people.