Sunday, February 9, 2014

What's Wrong with Wealthy Politicians?

Here is a recent article which was published in the Indianapolis Star about wealthy politicians.  My comments can be found below.  

http://www.indystar.com/story/behind-closed-doors/2014/01/19/indianas-richest-federal-lawmaker-dan-coats/4636509/

My rebuttal to the article: 

A recent article in the Indianapolis Star began, “As Congress debated whether to extend unemployment benefits and geared up for a fight over raising the minimum wage, . . . , for the first time in history, a majority of members of Congress are millionaires.” The article then goes on to say that, ““Despite the fact that polls show how dissatisfied Americans are with Congress overall, there's been no change . . .”” The general tone of the article leads one to believe that the writer thinks that perhaps electing poor people to Congress would be the solution that the nation has anxiously awaited. The writer asserts that these are the only people that can afford to run expensive campaigns, and they are the only people who mix in the right circles which enable them to raise vast sums of money to get themselves in office.

While nothing which is written may be said to be untrue, I would like to disagree with the manner in which the facts are presented and perhaps with the motive of the article in general. There seems to be a growing group in the U.S. today which holds that for some reason wealth and the wealthy are inherently evil. I would like to call it the “Us and Them” philosophy. In the “Us and Them” philosophy, common people come to believe that some how because they themselves are not wealthy, then wealthy people are their enemies, wealthy people don’t understand them, wealthy people have unfair advantages, etc, etc. Of course the extension of this philosophy is likely why the article I am discussing was ever written. It cries out in angst, “Oh look! More rich people are using their money and influence to gain more money and influence so that they can take advantage of the poor to an even greater degree.” Many think that these wealthy statesmen are overwhelmed with unfair advantages and that they are out of touch with the common man and the way he lives his life. They do not think it possible that he can properly represent the populace and its ideals.

I would like to present another perspective which is very often forgotten in this discussion of “Us and Them”. First of all, we should ask how these politicians became wealthy. If they acquired their wealth by honest means, then there are only two ways they could have come by it. Either they inherited it or they worked for it. If they inherited it, then they have had to manage it properly in order to make it last. If they worked for it, then they had to manage it even more carefully and work hard to accumulate what they now have. What does the article say that these millionaire politicians are currently working on? It says, “unemployment benefits,” and “minimum wage”. Who would be better qualified to work on these two very important financial issues? Perhaps we could elect several well meaning politicians who have never had or managed any money. I wonder how well that would go. These demonized millionaires are accustomed to dealing with very large amounts of money either from having had to learn to manage their inherited wealth or from having worked hard to accumulate and protect the wealth with which their own ventures have rewarded them. Perhaps instead of criticizing them and being jealous of their advantages, we ought to be thankful that these very wealthy people are willing to share their knowledge and experience with us. They could, after all, simply stay at home and enjoy their wealth. The Constitution does not say “Us and Them”, it says “We the people”. Perhaps it is time for us to work together. If we do, then by sharing our many different advantages and gifts, “We the people” will make this nation greater than it has ever been.