When you hobnob with Richard Branson, you've got to have the coin!

Why do mega rich business people become far left kooks?  Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Branson, Brian Roberts, Igor of Disney, anyone that heads Goldman Sachs, like John Corzine, etc.  Is this just the global, elitist, statist cool thing to do?

I often wonder that. It's such a good question.  I have some theories. You would think since many of them got rich via capitalism that they wouldn't be leftist, but then you have to remember a leftist NEVER intends to live by the rules he makes for everyone else.

Theory number 1:  Like many people their politics is more a result of their background and social circle, not critical thinking, and they are usually urban, so that would lean them Democrat.  Just because they are smart and rich does not necessarily mean they applied the same critical thinking to politics that they applied to their business.

In fact, I have come to believe that BECAUSE celebrities and rich businessmen are so focused on whatever made them rich, they spend their time on that and so have a deficit in other areas.  A person has to apply independent thought and intelligence to politics in order to escape the brainwashing of the media. Maybe these people just can't be bothered.

I think this is a big problem with musicians.  Extremely good musicians dedicate a lot of their days to making their music.  Their music touches our deepest heartstrings.  But when musicians apply a political slant to their songs, because they are genius with music, people believe they are also genius with their lyrics.  Because of the emotional rapture one feels with the melody, one MISTAKENLY believes the lyrics are equally divinely inspired.  I have come to believe that they are NOT. That many musicians, despite their musical talent, are some of the stupidest most ignorant people alive on matters of politics and this is possibly because they are more interested in their music than in learning a lot about other things in the world.

Theory number 2: Situational Acquired Narcissism. Very rich and very famous people over time tend to display symptoms of the personality disorder known as narcissism, but it is not organic so much as a result of their fame. Because everyone else puts them on a pedestal they start to believe it themselves.  Like any narcissist, they then have the false  belief that their ideas are better than others' and that they know better how to run the world than others. This leads directly to economic collectivism in all its forms, because economic collectivism is about a central authority controlling everybody else. Naturally, like all leftists, they put themselves as part of this authority.

Theory number 3: A bit of inborn narcissism, which may be the very reason they were able to become so rich. This means they are skilled at using people for their own gain.  They have no real ideals other than themselves: enriching themselves is their only goal.  So their leftism doesn't really have anything to do with real beliefs in the ideal of leftist utopia.  These people (born narcissists) see others as existing only to benefit themselves and so their supposed leftism is nothing more than manipulation of others for their own purposes. Example, they don't really want to save the planet for all humanity; they are only talking "green" for whatever gain it brings their own pockets.

These people will also align themselves with whatever group they feel will come out on top, always.  Because leftism is always about control, with the leftist on top, they naturally are drawn toward the left. True free market capitalism is a system that respects the intelligence of every individual to manage his own micro-economy.  The narcissist isn't capable of granting anyone else any intelligence or wisdom, so might not be able to grasp this concept.

I doubt you'll see the kind of Economic growth you're looking for a absent technological innovation. That's what fostered the last big boom.

You might have it backwards. Technological innovation is a result, not a cause, of capital investment and economic growth.

My point exactly, the double standard. The press made a big deal of Trump's marital affairs.   They came unglued over the mere mention that GWB may have tried cocaine.

And of course everyone is just bemused because Bill Clinton didn't inhale.  That little rascal.

Musicians and comedians do it all the time. It's taken the enjoyment out of going out for some entertainment.

As far as I'm concerned comedians have destroyed their art with their constant left leaning blather. I don't watch them anymore. With a new comedy routine you can almost bet money it's going to bash Trump/Republicans/Conservatives and/or be heavily focused on feminism/racism etc. etc.  I open a new Netflix comedian and hear this crap within the first few lines and I just shut it down, I'm not listening anymore. Even the TV trailers for late night acts like Samantha Bee and Conan usually have an anti-right cut in their 30 second ad. I'm sick of it. It's driving me away from TV in general.

It's creeping into movies and miniseries, even historical ones.  Some female heroine in the supposed 1700's going around spouting feminist nonsense. You cannot have a black character without hyper focus on racism.  The whole entertainment industry (except a few independent filmmakers) cannot tell a story without it being through a 2017 leftist lens. 

That's spelled T r u m p.

T - to
R - ramp
U - up
M - man's
P - prosperity

The last part in that video says it all:  Castro's personal worth was $900,000,000 when he died.  Those who enforce socialism are fucking hypocrites.

The simple formula is when 50% of the SS benefits and any other income hits a certain amount you begin paying taxes on the SS benefits and the amount can range up to 85% of it being taxed.

So basically when the government said, "We'll take your money and keep it safe for you then give it back to you when you're old," they lied.

I'm not prepared at this point to go to war with a billion Muslims.

I am. Better now than when there are 4 billion Muslims.