Sadly, No reports on a US economist and academic, Bryan Caplan, who’s come out of the closet as a plutocrat and advocate of aristocracy. His suggestion that the grant of voting rights should require an economc literacy test prompted this comment:
D. Aristophanes said,
June 15, 2007 at 22:33
TEST OF ECONOMIC LITERACY
Question 1:
When writing a letter to the CEO of a major American corporation asking for advice on the best countries to use for stashing your vast fortune in an offshore holding account, what is the appropriate form of address?A) Dear Mr. Knight
B) To the concerns of the CEO
C) Yo Phil!
D) I don’t know, as I’ve never been faced with a situation like this before, and thus allowing me to vote would cause Thomas Jefferson to spin in his grave.He he.
MATH SECTION
Question 1:
If Stuart has three semesters left at the Philips Exeter Academy in which to raise his GPA to a 2.3 in order to meet the legacy standards at Yale, and Jill must stable her roan and miss three riding sessions during her tour of Tuscany and portions of Switzerland … how much should one tip the valet at Per Se in midtown, provided he isn’t too impudent or unpresentable?
Exaggeration? I think not.
You only have to read the New York Social Diary at the Venice Biennale:where the denizens of the new Gilded Age meet to make deals and broker mergers behind the conspicuous show and one-upmanship
Photographing completed, the entire Bullock party which included her public relations consultant Couri Hay, photographer Patrick McMullan, Liliana Cavendish, nine or ten in all, boarded her hired boat (which she kept around the clock) and began an odyssey of party-going which included a visit to an island for a “Prada” party which was over by the time we arrived, then on to another party in a restaurant located in a restored warehouse in a boatyard where there were quite a few Americans dining including collector Peter Brant and his wife Stephanie Seymour, Adam Lindemann and his fiancee Amalia Dayan.
[…] I am also struck by the awesome presence of modern material wealth alongside the treasures of architectural antiquities — the huge private yachts moored along the docks in certain parts — here to partake of the excitement of the contemporary art world.
The international art scene as demonstrated by this week in Venice is now a living, breathing mass commentary on the state of western civilization or what is now known as “the developed countries” with its grand excess of new super-wealth and a kind of baroque consumerism (acquisition of art). Considering all of the elements of nature and international politics that are currently confronting us, Venice and its history serves as a perfect venue of no small irony for this modern enterprise known as the art business and the foibles of the human condition which continue to challenge us.
And oh, the foibles of the human condition which continue to challenge the rich, poor things. We should all have such foibles.
There’s so much new unregulated money sloshing about at the moment that as in the nineteenth century, the arrivistes are desperately seeking social acceptance by voraciously gobbling up guides on how to spend their money, like this from the Robb Report Luxury Portal, Wealth Management Section:
Family: Hiring The Help
Liz Roberts
04/27/2003Vincent Minuto is on the phone with a New York art dealer, and he is fuming. The owner of Hampton Domestics, an employment agency with offices in Sag Harbor, New York City, and Palm Beach, checks off the caller’s requirements: She wants a private chef on call four days a week—but to work and receive payment for only two—to prepare separate meals for her and her husband, who naturally have different tastes in food. The going rate for a chef’s service is $300 to $350 daily, says Minuto, who has worked as a chef, but the woman is willing to pay only $200. “Honey, wake up and smell the coffee; the slaves were freed over 100 years ago,” he says after he has hung up the phone, blaming the woman’s unreasonable expectations on what he calls SWS, or Sudden Wealth Syndrome. “Old money—they understand,” Minuto adds with a sigh. “They’re cheap to begin with, but they respect you as a human.” He should know. His first catering client was Gloria Vanderbilt. Since then, Minuto has managed estates for some of America’s prominent families.
Handily this 7-page guide for nouveau riches – though Roberts won’t use such a declasse expression, she calls it Sudden Wealth Acquisition Syndrome – includes a helpful list of all the many and various classes of servants:
Who’s Who in the House
Before contacting a domestic placement agency, you will want to possess some knowledge of the various staff positions and their corresponding job descriptions. The Lindquist Group uses these common titles.
· Butler—supervises household staff
· Caretaker—responsible for indoor and outdoor maintenance
· Chef/Cook—prepares meals for family and social events
· Couple—typically a husband and wife who are responsible for duties outside and inside the home, respectively
· Day Worker—performs daily tasks such as cleaning and laundry
· Estate Manager (also house manager or majordomo)—manages staff in one or more homes
· Governess—cares for children and manages homework, play dates, clothes shopping
· Household Supervisor—full-time position responsible for cooking, cleaning, running errands, and overseeing additional staff
· Lady’s Maid/Valet—keeps the homeowners’ clothing in order, helps them dress and undress, draws the evening baths
· Mother’s Helper—assists with child care and performs light housework
· Nanny—coordinates children’s activities, prepares their meals, keeps play areas tidy
· Personal Assistant (also social secretary)—manages social and professional demands on employer
It might almost’ve been lifted straight from Mrs. Beeton.
Under the proposed Caplan regime no-one on that list would have any say in the political system that maintained them in servitude. But then, that is actually the plan. At least he’s honest about it, unlike some, many of whom would self-describe as liberal, and who’d like the same political arrangement but with a few more crumbs of charitable largesse dispensed to the have-nots to assuage their consciences…. but only if they get to dress up for the fundraising gala.
I tell you, it’s enough to turn you socialist.
