Michael Bloomberg is the 12th richest person in the world with over $60 billion. During the democratic debate this week, one of the moderators asked if someone this rich should even exist? Bloomberg replied that he was lucky and that he worked hard! Really? Most people I know work very hard and still fall in the bottom 50% of earners. Many people who work very hard qualify for food-stamps. Most of us are lucky in that we have found a job and that we are physically and mentally capable of performing that job.
How can we begrudge Bloomberg for becoming an American success? Don’t most people on some level dream of becoming rich? Bloomberg is a philanthropist. But, boy, was I angered when he attributed his great wealth to hard work. Similarly, back in a December 2017 post called “Who are the poor in the U.S.?”, I wrote that multi-millionaire Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) thinks that people who are not rich are lazy and spend their money on booze, women and movies. It is apparent that both Bloomberg and Grassley have no clue what it is like to be an average hard working American, yet, they are in positions or want to be in positions to make decision that impact our lives.
Bloomberg used his natural talent, experience and Harvard Business degree to develop a computerized financial system back in the 80s that delivered high-quality business information delivered through technology, The Bloomberg Terminal. It became the business standard in computerized trading and brought in more wealth than that owned by the bottom 120 million Americans combined.
All hardworking Americans deserve a livable wage. Over the last four decades, legislation has favored only the top earners and the wealthy class of which many do not even work at all. Trickle down does not work! Hardworking Americans don’t want handouts, we just want a fair deal!
reilly m gray 