The article summarizes research done at U.C. Berkeley that used several approaches to determine if rich people act more unethically than the rest of us.
The results were what I expected. Rich people cheat!
Rich people are more motivated by greed, was one of the scientific postulates, that the research confirmed. Because they are more motivated by greed, they take more "short cuts" that are unethical and even illegal.
No wonder: Bernie Maloff...the Savings and Loan Scandal...Wall Street insider trading...the list goes on and on.
And who does the conservative movement in this country worship: those who "made it". The fabulous 1%.
Mitt Romney proclaims that is, "Time to stop apologizing about being successful".
The facts are that white collar crime is prosecuted far less than working class crime. Our prisons are filled with petty criminals, drug related crimes, and crimes for little real value; while those who destroyed Enron and millions of middle class mortgages never see a courtroom.
The reason for this inequity is money. Money buys good lawyers. And money buys politicians. And money buys cops.
Police are reluctant to pursue rich criminals, because they rarely get convicted. Sometimes the influence is more corrupt than that.
The U.C. study first checked driving habits at intersections; and found the richer the car, the more the driver cut people off, illegally took the right of way; etc.
The rich cheat more on taxes, give less to charity, lie more; etc.
And Fox News lionizes them. Their talking heads threatened to quit, when increases to the rich tax rates were threatened. And, their talking heads have been caught in too many out and out lies to list here. There have been books written about the lies of Fox news.
And still the middle class watches, almost hypnotized by the B.S.
In 1972 Richard Nixon, unconvinced that he had the election won, send "plumbers" into the Democrat National Headquarters to get information to smear his opponent. The "plumbers" were caught, and the nation watched in horror as what was a minor event, morphed into an impeachment. This all happened not because of the minor crime, "breaking and entering", but because of the monumental and unethical, cover up.
At the time, it was said that Watergate proved there is no connection between education and ethics; the "Presidents' Men were all highly educated and very rich". It should have been added, that the is no connection between money, power and honesty.
When I was attending Stanford, I "rubbed elbows" with the children of wealth. Mitt Romney was a freshman then, and I actually knew him. He was a decent guy, and we all liked him.
But he was fabulously rich. His father, who was governor of Michigan, and a very successful businessman, was a self-made man. Mitt was not.
I never saw Mitt being dishonest; although his leaving Stanford and going on a mission conveniently dodged the military draft. A poor kid, could not have afforded to do such a thing, and at the time, those who dropped out of college got drafted; and many went to Vietnam.
But my roommate was a different matter. He was forced to go to Stanford by his very wealthy father, hated it, and wanted to quit. But he had to get kicked out, if he quit he would be disinherited. So he simply did not attend classes. And he urged me to lie for him when his professors called to see where he was.
I did to a point, he had a lot of "flu", but then started telling them the truth; he was at the beach, he was with a girl; etc. It didn't seem to matter; he stayed enrolled!
The guy lasted until the summer before Stanford kicked him out. He made it through three quarters, and never attended a class.
The reason, we found out later, was that his father gave a boatload of money to the University. In those days that carried weight, lots of weight.
I was not happy at Stanford my first quarter. I was homesick. I was fighting for a position on a talented Freshman football team. I wanted out; foolishly I found out later, as I came to love the place.
But I KNEW what would happen if I quit; I would lose my deferment in a minute and be drafted. No question! I was a poor kid from Redding, California, no extra breaks for me. It was either go to class or go to Vietnam!
And so it goes, the rich have ways around things, like a draft, the poor don't have them. Rich people don't go to jail as often as poor people. Rich people play by their own rules. Rich people live by different ethical rules than the middle class.
Today, America is run by the rich. The Republican Party, of the "good Republican cloth coats" that Nixon used to dodge an earlier ethical lapse that almost cost him the Vice Presidency, is a memory.
Today's Republican Party is run by the rich, gives homage to corporate power and greed. Its foot soldiers are disaffected middle class members, who are still mad that the Democratic Party stood up for civil rights.
The party also is made up of delusional Christian Conservatives, convinced the end is near, and secretly hating people of color. The "Bible Belt" that used to be Southern Democratic territory, is now Republican. I still think Lincoln must be spinning in his grave!
Look at a map sometime of Red States and Blue States. The Republican Party is of the south, it is Dixie, with border states thrown in. But those who really run the party are not from the mostly poor rural Red State areas. The rulers are on Wall Street, investment "leaders" and C.E.O.s who use their incredible wealth to dictate to their Congressional puppets who they have bought and paid for.
And this has lapsed over into the Democratic Party as well. Well heeled lobbyists have bought politicians from both parties.
And THAT is why our system doesn't work: Unethical behavior, illegal behavior, immoral behavior is justified because after all, "we are in this to make a profit".
Making a profit is the be all and end all of business activity. The difference is, since the rich now control commerce in the country, business ethics have been virtually eliminated. Lying, cheating, and even stealing is an accepted business ethic.
The rich, shriveled old man, in "It's a Beautiful Life", Mr. Potter, has won.
And so, the U.C. study is right. Rich people lie more than we do. Rich people cheat more than we do. Rich people steal more than we do...
What amazes me is members of the middle class who protect them, who argue for them, who coddle them, and who idolize them....as they destroy our country.
When will we wake up!????
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