John Edwards Is A Lear Jet Liberal? --- No, Duh!

Reportedly the John Edwards campaign is having to rethink its main message. Edwards likes to tout his underprivileged upbringing and portray himself as the friend of the poor. Meanwhile, he is gets $400.00 haircuts and is paid $55,000.00 to speak to college students about "poverty." Here's some perspective on those numbers --- a poor family of four could eat like kings for two weeks or just be well fed for a month on $400 while $55,000.00 would let them enjoy a middle class lifestyle for a year. Then there's his $500,000.00 annual salary from a hedge fund and the palatial mansion he is building on his baronial estate. The thing that amazes me is how anyone could be surprised at the excesses of this ultrawealthy trial lawyer. Was there ever any doubt that he's a Lear jet liberal? I don't have a problem with the fact that he is wealthy. I think he ought to embrace and enjoy it, but that's not the message he wants to send while he preaches higher taxes and increased government programs. Higher taxes and government spending won't dent his lifestyle. That's the real advantage in having more money than you can spend sensibly.

The "San Francisco Gate" article refers to the "devastating effects of poverty in America." There are some who would argue that there are no poor people in America by world standards. Drive through a poor neighborhood sometime (even a public housing project) and count the cars, satellite dishes, and color TVs. Sure they're poor compared to many Americans, but on a world level the American poor live better than most people. A lot of those "devastating effects" are the result of alcoholism, drugs, and other poor choices and not necessarily the lack of money.

The original article appeared in the "San Francisco Gate".

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