God Bless the Rich

I was reading this 1967 editorial by William F. Buckley, and it struck me.... you know, we just don't take time to thank the rich enough. As Tiny Tim said, "God bless them, every one." Indeed, the billionaires need our prayers and blessings too. So, next time you have a moment, take the time to thank a rich a person.

For instance, the President of Nike makes $13,846 per weekday, while his laborers in Vietnam make less than one dollar a day. Let's us thank him for the blessings he has bestowed on the Vietamese people. Without him, they would have nothing.

Transocean (the company involved in the BP oil disaster) moved its headquarters from the U.S. to the Cayman Islands in 1999 then to Switzerland in 2008 to avoid paying taxes. They, therefore contribute absolutely nothing to their country's economy, but it's not their fault. Let us pray that our government will lower taxes even more for the rich, so that Transocean can return home again. We miss you Transocean.

The CEO of CVS made $30.4 million in 2009, and CVS cashiers make $8 an hour. Indeed, the income inequality in this country is the highest in the past eighty years. Mr. CEO earns more in interest per year than his minions of employees will probably every make in a lifetime. But, as Buckley says, "God bless him", for without him there would be no CVS, and those minions would be poor beggars on the street, starving to death.

image from a 12/30/67 Saturday Evening Post

Judging by Obama's Wall Street cabinet, chock full of Goldman-Sachs executives, our prayers for the rich seem to be paying off. Now that they finally have representation in Washington, maybe our government will start helping out the obscenely wealthy for a change.

The top 1% of the population controlls more financial wealth than the bottom 95% combined. God bless the rich, for they give us something to strive for. If that bottom 95 percent could just be more motivated and intelligent, they too could have it all.