Yep. The "much blessed/much obligated" one.

I was force-fed the idea of "noblesse oblige" when I was a kid. It wasn't referred to as that, though. Too hoidy-toidy. But my mother damn near worshipped the Kennedys. The simplicity of their style, the elegance, the understated everything, the high ideals, the charity, the altruism, the concern about working, serving, and advocating for the greater good, all that stuff. I think she really admired that family because their ungodly riches motivated them to give back, as much as they could. To GIVE BACK. Because God gave you a LOT. If you're greatly blessed that way, you're supposed to GIVE BACK. Much blessed, much obligated.

Anybody notice how how many members of that wealthy generation of Kennedys, "elitist" patricians, old wealth beyond imagining (such that each of the many Kennedy sons and daughters was gifted with a million bucks when they got married), went into PUBLIC SERVICE? How they went into government, served in the Senate, served in the White House, served the disabled, founded the Special Olympics, fought and advocated for those not as blessed as they were? Anybody notice that? They SERVED. They could have just frivoled their money away shopping and posing and being fawned over and living large and just enjoying life, or running their own businesses or building their own empires that financially benefit only themselves, and that's that. Nope. That's not what John and Bobby and Ted and Kathleen and Eunice and Jean and the rest of 'em spent their lives doing. They didn't just sit back, fat 'n' sassy, and do nothing. They led, they inspired, they motivated, and they GAVE - of their time, talents, and resources - when they certainly didn't have to. But their parents Joseph and Rose instilled this in them - that their many blessings made them OBLIGATED to help others less blessed. They were OBLIGATED. And they recognized, acknowledged, and complied with that.

That's what I always liked about Prince Charles. Now THERE'S some noblesse oblige. The signet ring he wears on his pinkie carries his personal motto - "I serve." And those royals with all that money and those palaces and those servants and horses and carriages and world-class jewels - they all sponsor charities galore, and make a few hundred appearances a year, lending their names and their clout and their star power and their glamour and their patronage to bring attention to organizations and causes that benefit the needy. And they don't just do it on some fancy gala night. They do it all the time, all year round. And in their case, on several continents.

Seems to me THAT'S what you should do if you're blessed with great wealth. Or do like Richard Branson and Elon Musk and Tom Steyer are doing with their wealth - using it to help, to improve life on earth, using it to improve life for people - everyday folks and those in need, to move us forward in the wise use of resources and custodianship of our Earth.

THAT'S what you should do if you're blessed with great wealth. Turn it around on others and use it to HELP THEM. And SERVE THEM.

That sure ain't the trumps.

You remind me of this radio commercial that ran, years ago, during a local election here

regarding the "brilliant" idea of vouchers so you could get your kid into a private school. Because EEEUUW EEEUUW EEEUUW we don't want our kid in public school EEEUUW EEEUUW!!!

It was a scenario, with two people talking. One was a school administrator-type. The other was a soon-to-be-disillusioned parent. The administrator was explaining why the enrollment was already topped off at the school in which this mother wanted her kid to be enrolled. And the mom's voice spoke up, in a plaintive tone, "but I have a voucher!"

The point was - this cockamamie little city ordinance that gives you that nice magic flying-unicorn just-mysteriously-somehow-solves-everything republi-CON voucher for private school doesn't mean SQUAT - if all the seats in all the classes are filled. You can take that nice magic-wand/pie-in-the-sky voucher of yours - and add a dime, and that'll get you a few minutes on a parking meter.

Don't trust the voucher system. The CONS nowadays want to apply that idiot "logic" to EVERYTHING. Vouchers for health care! Vouchers for coverage of that pre-existing condition or that long-term care! Yeah! Eight billion dollars to cover any short-fall - for ALL FIFTY of these "United" States - over FIVE YEARS. Yep! That'll work! Just watch! You'll get a few hundred bucks that will somehow marvelously offset the thousands or maybe HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of dollars in care you may wind up needing if something bad happens. Yeah! That'll work.

The venerable Congressman Alcee Hastings said something during the campaign that still applies now, with renewed and even greater relevance: "I'm too old for pie-in-the-sky." To which I'd say - "me, too, Congressman Hastings."

Well, isn't that what Comey's BOSS, Loretta Lynch - the attorney general, advised? To WAIT?

Didn't she remind him that this is not what we do THIS CLOSE to an election, according to longtime convention and prececent?

And he went ahead anyway. Wanted to cover his own ass more than considering how fucked-up-the-ass our country would be, by what he was about to do (and did)?

He said "mildly nauseated". "MILDLY"??????????????????????????

I've been trying. Matthew 25: 35-45.

That's the one about "whatever you do to the least of these, you do to Me."

When's the last time you can remember EVER hearing ANY of these sanctimonious hypocrites quoting from THAT Scripture passage?

Another masterpiece!

LOVED it! Delicious read - thanks for posting it here!

ROFL!!!!!!

I don't know if that's what she meant by what she said, but

TWICE within a few minutes she made the same vague reference to "lawyers' letters" raining down or otherwise making themselves quite noticeable all of a sudden.

Raining down on whom? Her? Her staff? Her show? Her network bosses? Or is this a collective phenomenon that's begun - as a bullying tactic against numerous members of the dreaded media, because their reporting has grown a little bit too incisive? Does she mean people like David Farenthold at the Washington Post or the Guardian newspaper in the UK, or Daily Kos or the New York Times? Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo?

This was very vague. But she mentioned this TWICE. So - as she herself might put it - this must now be A Thing.

Aw, hope not.

I'm fascinated by the royals. Can't help it.

I find myself becoming somewhat zen about this.

Okay, go ahead. Support these people. Tell me how things are after these folks you voted for yank your health insurance away, and throw you to the wolves, promising you that "oh, but that eight billion dollars..." Yeah? That's eight billion dollars over FIVE YEARS. To cover all the shortfalls if your state decides to opt out of covering pre-existing conditions.

Over FIVE YEARS.

Eight billion dollars - over FIVE YEARS.

FIVE YEARS.

PERIOD.

That's all, folks.

Hopefully it'll cover your state's needs. But the other 49 states too? Um... well...

And, mind you, this is only talking pre-existing conditions.

The Affordable Care Act, which the bad guys want to do away with, also covered that your-kids-on-your-policy-til-age-26; throw out the lifetime caps on coverage; and also mandated that some 85% (I think that's about what it is) of the money you pay in premiums goes DIRECTLY back into YOUR insurance coverage, NOT diverted over into the company's pockets.

And when the yowling resumes about how much people's premiums are "skyrocketing" now, this far into the Affordable Care Act's implementation, just imagine how high those same premiums would be WITHOUT the cushion of the Affordable Care Act - if you really wanna see "skyrocketing".

I keep hearing various versions of the comment that "people will oppose funding such-and-such calamity until that calamity hits THEM personally." Sooooo, maybe we have to step aside and watch all those people get thrown off their health care coverage, for them FINALLY to understand what a bad idea it is to believe, OR to vote for, republi-CONS. From trump on down. Maybe that calamity has to hit.

I hope to God we can head it off, at least until Election Day 2018 - when we can take back at least the House (and/or the Senate), and bring the entire freakin' circus of abomination to a screeching halt. Because - if we win EITHER House of Congress, it's OUR team that chairs all the committees, sets all the agendas, and determines what is pursued, what is investigated, and what comes up for a vote.

VOTE 2018!!! Don't you DARE forget!!!

Oh forcryingoutloud - THAT one!

The "both parties the same!" crap.

That's enough to drive me batty.