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OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 9/25/12

Plutocracy Ignores Purpose

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Nobility means dignity.   Because of the possible beneficial effects, any work done well can lead to dignity.   In our time, every citizen can feel a sense of mission, purpose and importance.   Every task can be considered an act of service to our nation when that task is done well.   In this way every act can be an act of public service.   And in this way every kind of work can be noble.   This is the message if you believe individuals have an inherent purpose.   But this is not the message of Plutocracy. Plutocracy ignores purpose.

 

The Important Wealthy

 

As Merriam-Webster defines it, Plutocracy, is "government by the wealthy."   But mere government by the wealthy is not really the problem.   The following quote defines the issue:

 

"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what".who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it".These are the people who pay no income tax".And so my job is not to worry about those people.   I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

 

The issue, simply stated, is essentially this:   today in America, Plutocracy means government by the wealthy, for the wealthy.

 

The above quote reveals this because the speaker states that his "job is not to worry" about the 47%.   As he sees the task of president, his job is to worry about the ones who carry the burden of paying for those "dependent" on the federal government.   

 

Those dependents he does not have to worry about.   Why? He does not have to worry about them because they are not important.   From the standpoint of the speaker and those who were listening with approval, the dependents are not important because they are not makers of wealth.     For the speaker and his listeners only the makers of wealth are significant.   Those who do not make wealth are insignificant: only the wealthy have value, those without wealth are worthless.   And that is the issue.  

 

   An Ethic of Love

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Eric Z. Lucas is an alumnus of Stanford University (Creative Writing Major: 1972-1975), the University of Washington (1981: BA English Literature and Elementary Education) and Harvard Law School, J.D. 1986. Since law school he has been a public (more...)
 

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