What is your attitude towards winners?

[Vikram C.]

This is my first off-topic thread (I think) and I am starting it because I think it has a valuable lesson for newbie BP members who want to make it big.

As you guys know, I travel a lot internationally and, as a result, have to go through security-check and immigration at airports throughout the world. (I am writing this from the lounge at Houston after having just cleared security.) As you guys can imagine, the people who work at airports are not highly paid and are often government employees. As I typically travel by First or Business, I am often viewed by some of these people as a rich guy. (although I certainly don't feel that way)

One of the interesting things that I have noticed in my travels is the correlation between GDP growth and respect for the rich. I have noticed that the airport staff in countries with a high GDP growth rate are very respectful towards me. And the airport staff in countries with a low GDP growth rate tend to have a bit of an attitude.

Could that be a cultural factor that causes countries to decline? In countries where the poor look up to the rich and admire them and want their kids to become like them, it appears as if GDP growth is good. And in countries where the poor resent the rich and feel that the rich do not deserve their wealth or respect, growth seems to be poor.

Do you guys agree with me or do you think I am under the influence of the Chardonnay served by the cute girl at the bar? (She is quite pleasant and respectful!)

[Account Closed]

[[[[......unclear what would happen if someone died with a 100% estate tax and their spouse was still living.....]]]]

Oh come off it, Bryon. How many times do couples die, both of them at exactly the same time? There will nearly always be a surviving spouse. There are sometimes handicapped children or elderly parents that survive and need to be cared for.

You are a very hard hearten person to be advocating that all their survivors be tossed into the gutter (the deceased probably even paid for his handicapped child's wheelchair, so the fed will take that too.)

And apparently, you believe that all the family pets should be shunted off to the pound and put to sleep, and no arrangements made for their care when their owner dies.

A good parent makes sure a child can make his own way. That is no reason to give all the acquired wealth to the government, so that they can hand it out for free to all the little welfare mamas who have done nothing of value but take drugs and watch the telly.

My heir is a hard-working businessman in his own right. That is NOT a good reason why Uncle Sam should get what I've worked for all my life instead of my child (or my church, or my best friend, or my favorite charity, or even my bleedin' dog, who happens to be a more worthy and honest being than our give-it-all-away president)