Rich Get Richer - Surprise!! Not so much...

In my too many decades here on the planet, there has never been a time when the "Rich get richer..." adage has not held true. I suspect it has been true since the dawn of time. It is, or so appears to be an immutable truism.

Rich getting richer: Richest 400 Americans’ net worth jumps 13%

The net worth of the richest Americans grew by 13 per cent in the past year to $1.7-trillion (U.S.), Forbes magazine said on Wednesday, and a familiar cast of characters once again populated the top of the magazine’s annual list of the U.S. uber-elite, including Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison and the Koch brothers.

This is of comfort to the rich I suppose but the underlying question is, upon who's back? That part has never changed either, it is always at the expense of the regular folks who diligently strive yet never seem to break out of the tender traps set for them in the the "rich designed" climate we know as the economy.

The "contrived" economy is about providing folks with an income opportunity then peeling it back from them in small strips of needs, wants and various taxation's, levies and charges. If manipulated correctly, the regular folks are pared to the bone not allowing significant forward wealth accumulation except perhaps through investment opportunity or modest asset value growth. then again that portion is at the mercy of elitist wealth management levers built into their "system".

For the regular folks-- it seems one step forward and two back is the general cyclic rule employed.

All that being said, the advocates for these wealth schemes tell us repeatedly that democracy and capitalism is the only system on the planet which allows for personal financial success. This is shown to be "true" by the handful of individuals who do seem to punch through the mundane levels and achieve moderate or even outstanding wealth creation, unfortunately there seems little rhyme or reason why.

We do observe all forms of socioeconomic models have the same result, a few obscenely wealthy and a morass of poor, be it a capitalistic system or not, so while the statement democracy and capitalism is the way may look right, it is also patently absurd .

So, if not the socioeconomic model where then does the magic lay?

You will hear about hard-work, sweat, tears, dedication and the like, but that about describes half the folks I know, most of whom are not gaining perceptibly in the wealth creation arena. Perhaps we are missing something in the mix, could it be there are attributes which prevent "getting ahead" perhaps elements like integrity, honesty, scruples and empathy... could they be serious impediments to becoming wealthy. They do make up the character of most "regular" folks I know.

Conjecture and theory are all nice conversation but if we want to really know, we need to stick to facts.

"White collar crime" is epidemic, and the "caught" represent the tip of a very large ice-berg. It is demonstrated daily that rampant corruption, larceny, theft and deceit are the overwhelming tools of wealth creation.

What that suggests is most... if not all examples of "financially successful" individuals or entities experienced a "wink and nudge" encouragement along the way, or some "holding of the nose" took place at some juncture. Once wealth is achieved burying the bones of "iffy" actions or scurrilous approaches are easily buried and so the murky side of success is often cloaked and otherwise suppressed.

These aspects I leave to the readers discernment as always.

Will I ever see the day where greatness is celebrated as a measure of good character? Given the plethora of self-anointed "above the law" controlling elitist charlatans who profess to govern a supplicant world... I have my doubts. No doubt in times to come, someone will write the obligatory headline... "The rich get richer..." and wonder why.

I hope they don't spend too much time on pondering, it seems self-evident to me.

Is nothing NOT rigged?

Stay tuned...