Inexplicable Greed - 12/19/11 11:38 PM
In Ad Astra Virtual1 mentions that Kim Jong Il had hoarded 4 billion dollars. We've also heard that the recently dispatched Muammar Gaddafi had 200 billion, and over the years have learned that all sorts of "men of the people" were extraordinarily wealthy while their people went without.
What is it that makes these people so greedy? Gaddafi could easily have lived a luxurious life while building hospitals, schools, homes, et cetera, and been remembered in his country's history books as a great saviour of the nation. Instead he's a disreputable villain who died ignominiously.
I recall many years ago chatting with a union representative and musing that it was strange that Jimmy Hoffa (not yet in concrete) was so popular with his membership although he was known to have all sorts of unsavoury connections, and allegations of corruption swirled around.
The answer was: "Simple. No matter what he does, Jimmy makes sure everybody gets a piece of the action. Every one of those people driving a rig knows that, whatever else he does, Jimmy will make sure they get another buck or two per hour."
Seems to me, some dictators should have taken a cue from Hoffa.
What is it that makes these people so greedy? Gaddafi could easily have lived a luxurious life while building hospitals, schools, homes, et cetera, and been remembered in his country's history books as a great saviour of the nation. Instead he's a disreputable villain who died ignominiously.
I recall many years ago chatting with a union representative and musing that it was strange that Jimmy Hoffa (not yet in concrete) was so popular with his membership although he was known to have all sorts of unsavoury connections, and allegations of corruption swirled around.
The answer was: "Simple. No matter what he does, Jimmy makes sure everybody gets a piece of the action. Every one of those people driving a rig knows that, whatever else he does, Jimmy will make sure they get another buck or two per hour."
Seems to me, some dictators should have taken a cue from Hoffa.