# rich liberals, rich conservatives **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 8, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-liberals-rich-conservatives/621311 "2012-05-08T19:19:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-liberals-rich-conservatives/621311/21 "2012-05-09T04:19:12Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I imagine among the very rich, both liberals and conservatives are overwhelmingly those who never had to scrabble up from actual poverty. One doesn’t make it from grinding poverty to enormous wealth in one lifetime without absurdly awesome windfalls. > > …and the occurrence of any great and sudden windfall doesn’t change one’s attitudes about society that much. Well, your imagination is wrong. If you look at the top 1 percent nationally, 1 out of 5 are doctors. 2 out of 5 inherited some money compared to 1 in 5 for the 99%'ers. They are more likely to work more than 50 hours a week. They are more likely to be self-employed. They are more likely to be highly educated. Almost all of the 1%'ers believe that they can and should pay more.[Linky](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/business/the-1-percent-paint-a-more-nuanced-portrait-of-the-rich.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all). 68% of the super rich in the U.S. are self made. [Link](http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/26/us-wealth-selfmade-rich-idUSTRE74P2XX20110526?feedType=RSS). I’ve posted stats on this before. But of course, since this is the 'Dope and on the Dope all rich people are evil scum who never work, save or do anything other than repress all the poor, hardworking folk in the world, this never seems to sink in. When you start from an incorrect premise, your conclusion is likely to be incorrect as well. Slee ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-liberals-rich-conservatives/621311/22 "2012-05-09T04:29:12Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > Well, your imagination is wrong. > > If you look at the top 1 percent nationally, 1 out of 5 are doctors. 2 out of 5 inherited some money compared to 1 in 5 for the 99%'ers. They are more likely to work more than 50 hours a week. They are more likely to be self-employed. They are more likely to be highly educated. Almost all of the 1%'ers believe that they can and should pay more.[Linky](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/business/the-1-percent-paint-a-more-nuanced-portrait-of-the-rich.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all). > > 68% of the super rich in the U.S. are self made. [Link](http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/26/us-wealth-selfmade-rich-idUSTRE74P2XX20110526?feedType=RSS). > I’ve posted stats on this before. But of course, since this is the 'Dope and on the Dope all rich people are evil scum who never work, save or do anything other than repress all the poor, hardworking folk in the world, this never seems to sink in. > > When you start from an incorrect premise, your conclusion is likely to be incorrect as well. > > Slee > [@](#): > > Britain’s billionaires are more likely than their U.S. counterparts to have made their own money rather than inherited it, a study has found, challenging popular perceptions of greater social mobility in America. > > A survey by French bank Societe Generale and Forbes of super-rich people in 12 countries, many of whom are billionaires, found 80 percent of the British sample entirely “self-made,” as opposed to inherited wealth or a mix of both. Last time I checked, Britain has universal health care and heavy taxation of the rich, so I guess many of the rich in Britain do get it that the poor benefit out of those safety nets and get more opportunities to change their state in life, just ask JK Rowling of Harry Potter’s fame. ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-liberals-rich-conservatives/621311/23 "2012-05-09T04:33:01Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > Well, your imagination is wrong. > > If you look at the top 1 percent nationally, 1 out of 5 are doctors. 2 out of 5 inherited some money compared to 1 in 5 for the 99%'ers. They are more likely to work more than 50 hours a week. They are more likely to be self-employed. They are more likely to be highly educated. Almost all of the 1%'ers believe that they can and should pay more.[Linky](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/business/the-1-percent-paint-a-more-nuanced-portrait-of-the-rich.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all). > > 68% of the super rich in the U.S. are self made. [Link](http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/26/us-wealth-selfmade-rich-idUSTRE74P2XX20110526?feedType=RSS). > I’ve posted stats on this before. But of course, since this is the 'Dope and on the Dope all rich people are evil scum who never work, save or do anything other than repress all the poor, hardworking folk in the world, this never seems to sink in. > > When you start from an incorrect premise, your conclusion is likely to be incorrect as well. > > Slee Not only do your links not say what you think they say, but apparently you didn’t even understand **foolsguinea**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rich-liberals-rich-conservatives/621311.md?page=1)