I am always surprised and the tolerance, passivity, nay, bovine idiocy expressed by so many on this comment thread IN DEFENSE of Kravis and what he represents. Nothing but profound and obdurate ignorance, or a complete individualistic callousness to the fate of other people at the mercy of a crooked "market system" can explain that kind of posture --not surprising in a nation where pro-capitalism propaganda is endemic, and the media and political systems are rotten and prostituted to the core. The following pathetic comment by one these characters, "Tony", sums it up well. As long as such individuals exist, no social change will be a reality in this benighted nation. In fact, there's even a guy who's pushing Fascism a la Benito Mussolini as a solution--get that folks--to economic inequality!! Where do we get such morons in this country?

"Wow, thank God creative people like Kravis exist, that stimulate the economy and give us mortals jobs with which we can feed our families. It's very cute and childish how the costs that Kravis incurs (yes, he's spending his own money) on renovating his homes are considered to be somehow sinful. Who do you think gets to do the work on his houses that he pays for?? Some local guy who is getting a salary out of that work. Surely that is beneficial to him/her! Dear me, you seem to be forgetting what basic economics is about..."

Ofelia, your comments have helped me become much more knowledgeable of the private-equity business. Though I do agree that this is a loophole that should be fixed, I believe private-equity is good for the economy as a whole. It makes companies operate much more efficiently, which may come at the cost of a few jobs, but the overall economy benefits.

Henry Kravis and other members of the private-equity business should not have all of their income taxed as capital gains. One of the articles said that they normally invest 1% of their own money in the takeovers, yet all of the return on that 1%, plus the 20% charge in their investors gains, plus the management fees are taxed at 15%. This is not fair. The return that they make on their original 1% investment should be the only portion of their income taxed as a capital gain. The management fees and 20% they charge their investors should be taxed as income, at 35%. This seems like the best solution to me. I haven't spent much time developing it, so I don't know how it will affect other industries, such as real estate, but it looks like a reasonable compromise.

Thanks for your time,

David

Hello David,

Thank you for following up on this very important issue with us. Please feel free to go to our facts page under the War On Greed site, which includes articles and links to information about the loophole. Also, I found a specific article which might be of some help in further explaining this tax loophole. In it I found the following sentence which sums up a lot, stating:

'What this means in practice is that private-equity billionaires...essentially have a 15% tax rate, because all their income is treated as capital gains.'

Below is the link to the article which you can view in its entirety, as well as a link to our facts page. I hope that they will hopefully serve as additional information for you.

http://www.felixsalmon.com/000780.html

http://warongreed.org/facts.php

Thanks!
Ofelia Yanez
Brave New Films

These responses have been quite helpful, and I would like to learn more about the exact loophole that Mr. Kravis is exploiting. All I've heard so far is that his income is taxed at a 15% tax rate because of the loophole, but I don't know if that is all of his income or part of it. Is there anyone who can provide me with a link that explains the law and loophole within the law, so I can get a better idea of this whole situation?

Thanks for your time,

David

David,

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit our website and view our work. We truly appreciate you providing us with your feedback and opinion on this matter.

We certainly do not deny that Henry Kravis has worked hard in his life. We also believe that others such as the foundrymen who pour iron at the Gunite plant in Rockford, Illinois (which is owned by KKR) work hard. And the maintenance worker at an Atria assisted living facility in New York City (which is owned by another private equity firm) who holds down a second full-time job to support his family works hard. Yet, unlike Kravis, these people do not receive a living wage.

Private equity partners, such as Henry Kravis, are handsomely rewarded for their work. As such, we expect them to contribute to the public good accordingly. As we highlight in our video, Kravis and others use complicated financial structures to game the tax code in order to pay a 15% tax rate on income that would otherwise be taxed at 35%. The average American worker makes under $50,000 per year and pays a 25% income tax rate. We expect Mr. Kravis, a man of great wealth and means, to contribute an equal if not greater percentage as those who have less to give.

We also do not deny that Henry Kravis has donated some of his money to good causes. He has donated to the Columbia Business School, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Metropolitan Opera, to name a few. Donations on Mr. Kravis’ behalf are generous, but overall represent a mere fraction of the amount of tax he avoids paying.

We hope that we can continue to be a source of information for you.

Sincerely,
Ofelia Yanez
Brave New Films

I would like to commend Robert Greewald and Brave New Films for attempting to focus everyone's attention to the growing problem of leveraged buyouts that is facing corporate America. However, those of you whom defend Henry Kravis cannot seem to understand the overall picture of what is happening here.

I was a dedicated employee of FDC. I worked there for over 12 years and worked hard to earn a meager living. I took pride in my work and put in many hours of unpaid overtime in order to enhance my skills to better serve the company.

Throughout all those years, my accomplishments and efforts had gone unnoticed and unrewarded. I never asked for anything more than acknowledgment and appreciation for my dedication, and desire to produce an end product that was above and beyond that of what was expected. I took my work seriously and devoted myself to being a hard-working professional that was a part of a team who ultimately supported the company.

In reward, I was laid-off without any warning. This was within 4 months of KKR's buyout of FDC. Moreover, the severance package that was promised me initially was cut in half! (Although, I am the first to admit that I was lucky to even get a severance package in the first place...)

Yes, we live in a country where everyone has the potential to reap the proverbial "American dream," however, no single person deserves to amass the amount of money that Mr. Kravis (or, Michael Capellas) does, nor do they deserve a helping-hand from the government via tax breaks, etc., at the cost of American taxpayers.

What makes this country great are the working and middle-class who contribute the most to build the wealth and economy of this nation. Instead, some of you reward Henry Kravis by ignorantly defending his selfish and greedy actions that profit at the expense of everyone else. Meanwhile, companies like KKR throw this country into economic turmoil through job loss, foreclosures, and a sagging economy. While it is important for corporations to profit, it is equally important to respect the honest hard-working Americans whose only desire is to be independent, earn a reasonable living, have a secure job, and not be forced into a financial catastrophe by becoming unemployed, uninsured, and pushed into welfare.

KKR, on the other hand, makes their money by buying out flagging corporations like FDC then turning a profit through cost reductions via any means possible—including cutting off its workforce through layoffs. How does that help this country?

We have a decidedly inequitable playing field where the rich get wealthier while everyone else foots the bill through excessive taxes. To maintain this country's strength, we need to respect and understand the necessity of keeping everyone employed, self-sufficient, and not being thrust into poverty. Our economy depends on it. The more people who lose their jobs are forced to bear the burden of trying to keep their own lives together, and this results in a huge ripple effect on a global scale.

First of all, I would truly love to see these overly compensated business moguls and CEOs take a cut in their own personal salaries instead cutting the jobs of those who do the real work. If they were so charitable, that would be the ultimate act of charity.

Second, invest in the future by taking care of these hard-working individuals by helping them secure their jobs instead of ruthlessly forcing them into unemployment.

Third, Henry Kravis should also take a good portion of his ridiculously excessive salary and invest it to those hard-working individuals who have lost their jobs, homes, and dignity after being laid off. He should compensate them appropriately until they are gainfully re-employed elsewhere. By that I mean, do not pilfer from these people by cutting their meager severance packages in half, or removing them altogether to add to his own personal wealth.

The philanthropic generosities of Henry Kravis, Michael Capellas, et al. are purely self-serving. They only donate their money to benefit themselves through tax breaks, procured admiration, and political support for their personal gains. If none of these were available, then their philanthropic endeavors would rapidly cease to exist.

What I cannot fathom is the greed that these people have! How much money does a single person deserve—or need—to have? More importantly, how can they consciously feel good about themselves when they hurt so many in the process—and, at what cost?

Please do not insult me and everyone else by openly defending their actions and espousing the virtues of capitalism! When you consider how many hard-working people end up losing their jobs at any given time—due to the likes of KKR, et al.—one begins to realize how these greedy corporations end up undermining our nation on whole.

With more people unemployed, there are more people seeking employment elsewhere—thus making it virtually impossible for many to return to work in less than a six-month timeframe.

The upshot of this is a sluggish economy owing to fewer available jobs that result from the huge demand. Consequently, those few available jobs start offering smaller salaries with fewer benefits. A chain reaction results, causing a glut in the housing market, more foreclosures, and decreased consumer spending (which I find ironic, because it is consumer spending that enables FDC and KKR to profit).

Meanwhile, companies such as KKR (with our government's encouragement and support) end up getting wealthier beyond reason at the expense of everyone else.

Dear David, It's Brave New Films, with an "a" not and "e." Hitmen get to where they are by hard work. They kill anybody. They can donate money to charities or you personally. Yet this does not make them nice people. They are still murderers, and the Henry Kravises of the world are still thieves. I am a big guy. I'm capable of doing the kind of damage you might only see in a R rated horror film, and I'll still sleep soundly at night. I can attack people, break limbs backward, slice open sensitive tissues that will never heal, steal their money, torch their property and do such acts discretely. I don't. Sometimes it would make me feel good. I would profit from it. I would even donate some of those ill-gotten gains to charity. I don't do it, because those actions and this mindset hurts people and their friends and their families and their communities. Henry Kravis hurts people and their friends and their families and their communities. He is ignorant. You are ignorant as well, David.

The saddest thing in this sad but true story is: We have a lot of “Kravies” in this world. A world of hunger and misery.

Dear Breve New Films,

I am perplexed by your recent campaign concerning Henry Kravis and the tax loophole.

Did you also know that Henry Kravis has donated millions of dollars to my school and all of the other schools he has attended? Did you know he donated 15 million dollars to the Center for Cardiovascular Health? He has also worked hard to create jobs and new businesses in New York. Did you know that he worked hard his whole life to get to where he is? He worked hard in elementary school and highschool and that allowed him to get into a good college, and he is rewarded by his hard work in school by his success. What is wrong with you people? How can you possibly call him greedy when he gives so much of his money away to other people in need? Just because he is very good at what he does, you think you can criticize him and all other people like him? Sounds like you guys are bitter, if you ask me. He has done way more for America than your entire organization ever will. I would much rather trust his $96 million in his hands where he can see that it is used adequately instead of in the hands of the government. Even the people you interview in your movies have horrible ideas for what they would do with his money. They would throw parties, barbecues, sell everything in the house, amongst other ridiculous plans. No one suggested a plan that would actually make a difference in society by helping a large amount of people have a better life. Whereas he gives a lot of his money to education so other people can have the same opportunity as him.

Don't take me for a stubborn fool, I am just presenting an argument that makes the most sense to me. I honestly want to hear how you justify yourselves. I don't understand what you are thinking, so please help me understand you.

Thanks for your time,

David

I've seen a couple of your videos that have been directed at Henry Kravis. I don't know how to politely tell you this but, you're paying attention to all the wrong things.

The fact is that no matter how many videos you make about him, nobody is going to care. His business partners and companies will remain unchanged. The politicians will not be intimidated because your videos and rage isn't directed at the legislature. Your videos will change nothing. Period.

However, if you start paying more attention to the following, you'll have a story that will get A LOT more attention:

Henry Kravis is one of the key members of The Bilderberg Group. They are 120 of the richest, most powerful politicians, business people, members of the media, and even deans and professors of prestigious universities. Once per year, they find a five star hotel, kick everybody out for a few days, and meet to decide the fate of the world. Their security guards are CIA, MI-6, and The Mossad, paid for by your tax payer dollars. No pictures or video is allowed. None of the members are allowed to talk about anything that is ever said in the meetings.

"Good deads are done in the sunshine. Evil is done under the cover of darkness" -Jim Tucker

If you really want to start learning and then teaching your audience something of value, go here:

Youtube.com and search for "Bilderberg Group"

Read the book "The True Story of the Bilderberg Group"

Watch "Endgame" documentary for free on Google.com

You're welcome.

-Vince

Eat the rich!!!

It's just like George Carlin said; the reason they call it "The American Dream" is because you have to be asleep to believe it. "These guys don't care about you. It's a big club and, guess what, YOU'RE NOT IN IT!"

capitalism is the answer commented 2 months ago:
I'm far from being wealthy. I work a boring job for an hourly wage and I don't even have a car. I make less than 20K a year. But guess what; IT'S MY CHOICE.
"Capitalism", you are buying into the myth. Noone chooses to be poor. We workers create the wealth of this Nation. We must fight for our share. We all deserve a living wage, health care, and decent housing.

The United States government has been HIGHJACKED.

Nothing is going to happen to these guys with this useless, USELESS Congress. The new suggestions for "economic bailout" put together are nothing but thinly disguised FURTHER Tax cuts. There is no SEC oversight, no enforcment of law. It's all a system to keep the war mongers able to keep on with "business as usual".

Global People for the Impeachment of Richard Cheney
www.thepetitionsite/petition/527250776
impeach.to.end.war.crimes@gmail.com

The world is being run to keep jerks like Kravis safe . those shortlisted by Dick Cheney.
If you wish to do something, support the impeachment movement - get involved; it's not "just" a fringe movement, it's for everyone. We must put together a movement for social justice and not rely on "experts".

www.wexlerwantshearings.com

The book What's the Matter with Kansas, by Thomas Frank should be required reading for every high school senior.

I'm far from being wealthy. I work a boring job for an hourly wage and I don't even have a car. I make less than 20K a year. But guess what; IT'S MY CHOICE. I'm not going to blame someone else for my situation or whine like a child because someone else has it better. I'm working to improve my situation instead of just complaining about it.

Also, I hope that last comment about the "WEvolution" was a joke, because it is completely disgusting.

If I had the money I would implement the following WEsolution THE WE SOLUTION

WE, the people of the Whole Earth, West, East, realize WE have Wone Eternal source. Earth is our common mother and WE all share Wone H.OM.E., Here On Mother Earth. WE all need to be WEminded of this Woneness by WEvising and WEnaming the way WEthink, the way WEspeak, the way WEwrite and the way WEact. By sharing a common WEvision and working together through a peaceful WEvolution and WEformation , WE all will WEunite the planet and provide one WEsolution to the concerns of all the WEmembers of our earthly familWE.

There is but one world ecology, the WEcology. Earth is a living organism and is affected by the actions of all inhabitants. WE all are WEsponsible for preserving and WEstoring our natural WEsources. WE all must WEduce the amount, WEuse same products and WEcycle whenever possible. We have to WEforest and WEgenerate this beautiful planet. WE should “think globalWE and act localWE,” to WEplenish and WEvitalize our natural environment.

WE all share a world economy, the WEconomy. WE need to eliminate all economic barriers and allow the WEmarket system to work. The world will become one huge WEtrading zone with one universal monetarWE system called monWE. A world treasurWE will establish a WEfund to provide WElief to the money challenged and homeless. “There is enough for the world’s needs but not the world’s greed.” All people will be provided with adequate food, clothing, shelter and medical services. The WEalignment of the world’s WEalth will stimulate the WEconomy and create a worldwide WEcovery. A positive WEsession of full employment, increase production and stable economic conditions will WEsult.

The only true way for lasting peace on the planet is to WEunite all the countries of Earth through a peaceful WEvolution. This new combiNation will be called the WEpublic of earth and these WEunited Nations will be governed by a democratic system. All people are WEmembers and will have WEpresentation in the government. Nationalistic pride will be WEplaced with the universal pride on Wone World WEpublic. The only enemies will be hunger, violence, scarcity, pollution and disease. All the people on Earth can concentrate on creating a H.E.A.V.E.N.( Having Each Attain Various Eternal Nows) on Earth and eliminating the need for competition or useless defense expenditures. WE all will be busy WEnewing, WEconstructing and WEjuvenating the planet. Without the need for military expenditures, there will be plenty of monWE for social needs such as food, clothing, housing and medical needs. The only sure way to eliminate war and strive is to establish the Wone World WEgime.

There can be only Wone True WElegion of Love with all huebeings as WEmembers. This WEalization of universal awareness of our Woneness will cause a WEbirth, WEsurrection and WEvival of our spiritual unity. The Wone WEall WElegion of love will WEsurrect and WEform a WEincarnation of the universal WEssiah that includes the totality of all the earthly souls called WEisus. The Wone pure light of love is WEflected into the full spectrum of the “hue”being rainbow. Therefore, WE all will see the light, because WE are all WEflections of the Wone Light. WE have no choice, so WEjoice, life will truly be wonderful for AllWEs, All ways, Always.

Working together, WE all will WEplace nuclear reaction and nuclear fission with new clear WEaction and new clear WEvision. Huge solar space panels can provide an abundance of inexpensive energy. WEcycling and conservation can decrease excessive energy demands.The application of modern agricultural techniques, the WEdistribution of necessary WEsources and the WEcreation of millions of small gardens all over the planet will provide peace and plenty for posterity. WE can cut down on the excesses of life and concentrate on the basic human needs. WE will use computers and modern communications to interconnect the “global village.” Earth is our “spaceship” and only through combining and WEminding ourselves of our common WElationship can WEsolve all of our concerns. WE are Wone and through peace and unity and sharing a common WEvision WE can create the beautiful paradise WE all know is possible on Earth. WEmember, if WE don’t do it, it won’t get done. "Where there is no WEvision the people perish" WE love and WEspect all WEs.

Share the WEvision. Join the WEvolution. Become a WEmember.

I'd invite every US citizen; service workers, sanitation workers,cooks,waiters & waitresses housekeepers, firemen & women; police officers,nursing assistants, nurses, orderlies, minimum wage workers (in their field) and have them come and stay for a week while being taken care of with the rich (Henry & all those like him)be the servants and do all the work.
I believe this would be an eye opener to all participants.

Everything today revolves around greed. I was born in the 50's and I've watch it grow and grow the last 30 years. We need to get back to being our brothers keeper. The republican party has been doing this starting with Reagan, and all under the table. I think that they put the public asleep for a long time as to what thy were doing, I know that the people I know who are educated and not stupid never saw it coming until Bush got in there and made it so blantant. You cauld see some of it in the 90's when the first Bush was in the whitehouse my husband and I were making maybe 20,000 with both of us working and we paid the same percent in taxes as Bush, he made 3 million that year. The people are the only people that can stop this evil unfair greed. Contact your lawmakers, get your friends to contact them, get everybody you know, go online, get people to start telling senators and rep. that we are not going to take it anymore. At present congress is playing along with these creeps, let them know that if they want to keep that nice, well paid, and health insurance and that pretty home may not be there after voting. The last time this country voted we told congress that we wanted out of this war and they turned their backes on us, well let them know on voting day no more, your out of there. This war is nothing but to make money. When Bush stood on that ship and said mission accomplished it was the truth, all of these corporations are making billions, while the rest of us citizens are trying to make ends meet, pay a fortune at the Dr.s etc. The human cost is even worst besides all of the americans that have died and the cost to their families the Iraqes have had over 1 million people die, 2 million refugees and all of this pain and suffering for a buck. I'm a lefty and a free thinker and don't believe in the devil but these people are evil beyond all. They are destroying the planet for greed also, well I hope that they will be happy when they have all that money and no place to spend it, like food and water because the planet has been destroyed. If I had One of his houses for a day I would sell it and everything in it, go to the bank and get one of those loans, start buying the companies they buy and start putting people to work doing jobs that are good for people and the planet and find a way to stop war for profit and put these greedy buggers in jail.

From Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (the ending comment by Basil Rathbone)

There’s a new spirit in the land. The old days of grab and greed are on there way out. We’re beginning to think of what we owe the other fellow, not just what we’re compelled to give him. The time is coming, Watson, were we shan’t be able to fill our bellies in comfort while other folk go hungry or sleep in warm beds while others shiver in the cold and we shan’t be able to kneel and thank god for blessings before our shining alters while men anywhere are kneeling in either physical or spiritual subjection. And, god willing, we’ll live to see that day, Watson.

There are a lot of interesting comments on Greed and Henry Kravis's link thereto. I grew up in Aspen, Colorado starting in the early sixties back when the first wealthy people living there were the remnants of greedy silver miners. Our landlord from whom my parents rented from was the local judge and his wife who owned hundreds of acres of land in town which had a lot of buildings on said land. Their names were Shaw. I remember when Judge Shaw died and my mom had approached Dorthy Shaw, the Judges wife and asked if she would be willing to sell the house that my mother was renting from her. Unfortunately, Mrs. Shaw had announced that she and her husband had willed all their property to their grandson who quickly, after Mrs. Shaw's death, sold the majority of properties in Aspen that he had inherited, forcing my mom to move us out of the Aspen area completely. You see, my father had died in 1970 in an accident in Yellowstone National Park and left my mother with five kids (Catholic at the time) to raise on her own. Well, she couldn't maintain the income necessary to keep us in Aspen as more and more millionaires were causing the property values to skyrocket. I watched over the years the millionaires being replaced by billionaires. When I was a kid living there in Aspen, I remember on average only about three or four private Lear jets parked at the Aspen airport. But last thanksgiving I took my wife and kids up to visit my mother who is in a care facility for Alzheimer's patients and to visit my older brother and youngest sister who ended up moving back to the Aspen area over fifteen years ago. I decided to drive up the old Owl Creek road (the back way to Snowmass Village) where my brother resides in what they call Employee Housing. Anyway, the road climbs up the mountinside behind the airport. As I drove with my family up this road, I decided to stop and count all the private jets parked on the tarmac. I counted 48 in total! My brother later mentioned that the millionaires were complaining that the billionires were outpricing them for the limited parking spaces for their jets. My youngest sister works as a landscaper in the summer in Aspen and she used to landscape FOUR of the twelve homes that Kenneth L. Lay used to own there, you remmeber... of ENRON fame?. Why would any human being own twelve homes in one town? Certainly, you have to chock that up to greed. And there was a comment above that greed is not the problem, that hoarding is the problem and they related that to obese people which is not comparable in any way whatsoever because most obese people arent't overweight because of greed, and they are not overweight because of hoarding. They have completely different problems than a young soul who has not learned the lessons of greed. We are a society that mirrors that of the Caesarian Era of the Roman Empire. And look at what happened to the Romans. Our dollar has no gold backing it. Or to be fair, our dollar is worth about 3 cents right now. You also have to remember that the so-called Federal Reserve is not Federal in any way whatsoever. It is a privately owned bank which back in 1913 struck an illegal agreement with a handfull of powerful politicians from Washington in a secret meeting on Jeckyl Island that allowed these greedy bankers to print and loan money to the Congress of the United States of Central North America. You see, the American people really do not even own their own money. The Congress is supposed to be in control of the money that is printed and how much is printed, but unfortunately, the Congress sold out a very long time ago to the greedy and highly corrupt and powerful bankers. If you want to understand what's going on in this country and around the world when it ocmes to the banking system, then read David Icke's book: "and the truth shall set you free". I highly recommend this book. It clearly outlines the power structure of the elite in a fantastic historical perspective that is clear and precise and backed up with all the references of where he derived all of his information so that there is no question about how the human race truly is enslaved by our own perceptions and thought patterns. We allow greed to control us. And as one of the other comments mentioned above, if a million dollars came into my life, I would take it in an instant. But I am also willing to share my money and my knowledge with others. You do not see too much of that when it comes to the super wealthy. They are so far removed from the reality of what the working classes go through that they couldn't possibly understand themselves unless they were people who climbed the ladder to wealth with hard work and an open mind and heart. Many wealthy people are philanthropic. But generally, not the majority. And that is just where our society as a race of human beings is right now on a social and spiritual level of evolution. We are a planet of mostly young and baby souls who have not learned all of our lessons concerning greed and power. Will we survive our selves? Meaning: will we survive our stupidity? Our greed? Our corruption? It is hard to say. There is much strife in the world and much of it stems from the elite hoarding the majority of wealth on the planet because as another commentator above suggested: We can't help ourselves. But I personally think that people all over the planet are waking up and deciding that it is now or never. Our foreign policy is one based on greed and power over other less powerful or completely non-powerful nations. Our foreign policy is designed to literally steal whatever resources our corporate interests deem necessary to fatten the pockets of the handful of elite who are also refered to as the Illuminati. How much is enough? Why does Bill Gates need a 100,000 square foot mansion? He doesn't, but he wanted one, so what? He is also learning to be philanthropic with his money. Money is just a form on energy. Energy exchange. If you want to keep more of your money, then sotp paying the illegal and unconstitutional tax on labor. There is no mention in the 16th Amendment anywhere that states that a citizen must pay an unapportioned tax on their labor. And the IRS Code #26 also states nowhere that a citizen must pay an unapportioned tax on their labor as well on top of the FACT that the so-called Income Tax is a VOLUNTARY TAX! And yet, the IRS will throw you in prison if you volunteer to not opt out of this highly illegal form of terrorism and intimidation. The 16th Amendment was never legally ratified into law. You need 36 states to ratify an Amendment and only TWO states voted to pass the 16th Amendment at the time it was illegally and very quietly...uh...(ratified?) into the Constitution of the United States of Central North America. Look it up. Over 67,000,000 Americans do not file a tax return every year and it's growing. Over 40,000,000 Americans never even PAY a labor tax every year and that number is growing. And don't be fooled by the IRS's 56 page fear/intimidation/terrorist report on how many cases they are allegedly winning in federal court. Because that's all that report is; a stack of papers designed to terrorize the citizens of this country to continue to submit to the tyranny of our imperialist and capitalist system. We are occupying 130 other countries in the world with our military. If that is not considered occupation, then I do not know what is. We train death squads from South and Central America at the School of the America's in Georgia to keep the peasants under control with our own form of terrorism as that is the wish of the mega-corporations who are really owned by extremely wealthy families who own massive fruit farms and... I know, I know... believe it or not, flower farms. But this is how our foriegn policy works. The wealthy COULD share their massive wealth by making the lives of their slaves in these countries live healthier more educated lives but they cannot see the benefit in everyone being happy, being healthy, both on a physical level and on a mental and spiritual level. So the situation in the Middle East where the desperity of the rich and the poor is extremely evident as let's use the Saudi Family as the most obvious example (deeply tied with the Bush Family), is for all intents and purposes a dictatorship. The alledged attackers of 9/11 were upper middle class young (some of them anyway) men. And if more American citizens would just take the time to open their minds and eyes to the events of 9/11 and the actual truth as to what really happened, then you might start to understand the dynamics of why this country and other countries such as England create so-called terrorists. You see, you cannot create a terrorist without BEING a terrorist yourself. Everything is mirrored back upon itself. Yin and Yang. Action creates re-action. When an idiot such as George W. Bush says something as rediculous as "the terrorishts attacked ush becaushze they hate the fackt that we are a nashion of democrashy and freedom" then you know that there is something very wrong going on. People who would go so far as to sarifice themselves body and soul to kill other people is a sign that there is a massively deep rift in our society as a whole. I do not want to get into the massively corrupt elections of 2000 and 2004 because once you read David Icke's book "and the truth", you will see quite clearly that there is no such thing as democracy in this country. Nor most likely anywhere else in the world as well. Greed is just a part of who and what our society is right now on this planet. Maybe we are going to start to grow up as a species, or maybe we will destroy ourselves because we just can't bring the younger souls on this planet under our wing through love and understanding. And please do not tell me that the Bush and even the Clinton families are not greedy, because then I will have to laugh a very hardy laugh indeed.

Kravis should get a little of his own medicine. He should be cut off. He will never understand the effect of his actions because he is consumed with himself and never ever asks himself if he is causing more harm than good- he's making corrupt money to keep for himself and posssibly for a few select yes men. Sounds like Halliburton and Trump and Bush etc...
The American people are no longer free and there is much less oppotunity due to these bullies.

I recall writing a paper in HS regarding the leader of communist Russia, Nikita Krushchev banging on a podium and screaming that greed would destroy America.
I'm afraid we are about there...

I don't think that this man is greedy. We have a problem in society: that is, the more money you have, the awesomer people view you as. Because of this, our society has been unable to diagnose Kravis' and many other people's *disease*. He is addicted to hoarding money. Doesn't this make more sense than mere greed? I have difficulty thinking that he is actually *evil*. A lot of people think that obese people are greedy, but obesity seems also due to a lack of ability to control oneself. Kravis is, in other words, financially obese. He is a pack rat, and unable to stop collecting homes and money, but in our society where living extravagantly is lauded, where's the motivation to stop?
The first step is for our society to stop idolizing people who are ultra-rich. The second step is to create support groups. The third step is to find useful ways for people to use their skills or money.

MIP has typed quite a bit today, and made only one error (their not THEY'RE, you hopeless mongoloid). Before you rush off to your republican gathering to masturbate to photos of the thankfully dead Reagan, keep in mind the 'trickle down economic' theory you so love has produced nothing but debt and wealth for the top 1% (which you are doubtlessly not a part of, regardless of your delusions). Get your head out of your ass, and invest in spellcheck.

I think this campaign is a mistake for many reasons. First, you should not be attacking an individual. That's not only wrong and a waste of time and energy, it's dangerous. Our focus should be on changing the system, and our energy should be channeled into actively transforming the society, rather than being wasted on carping about this individual's wealth. By making this guy out to be evil, you distract us from addressing those bigger issues and you direct people's ire and frustration at this person in a potentially harmful way.

Another thing that bothers me about this is the sense that it's driven by our own greed. The very question "What would you do if you had one of his houses for a day?" takes for granted that if we could, we'd change places with Kravis. I'm happy with my life, but I'd take a million dollar pay raise in a heartbeat. Wouldn't you? So, I think a campaign against greed is doomed because most of us are motivated to some extent by the desire for more--more money, more possessions, more vacation time, a bigger house, a nicer car, a bigger TV, etc., etc. It's all the same.

I'm a strong supporter of social and economic justice, but I don't think this requires that there be no wealthy people. Kravis' homes have to be built, wired, plumbed, painted, landscaped, and maintained, just like mine (well, actually much more than mine!). If you add up the dollar values of those homes as quoted in the film, plus what it costs to keep them up, what you will get is the total amount of money Kravis is paying into the economy. Kravis' wealth may not go to the same people whose jobs were lost in the process of his gaining his wealth, but it eventually winds up in the hands of average working men and women. If his taxes are too low, that's an issue of economic policy, and we need to engage our representatives on those things.

Because of all the above, this campaign is too easily rebutted and the whole point is too easily lost because it wasn't clear to begin with.

friends out there wherever thou be found at any ole way too, but just know above all else what it is that I regularly do or do on a daily basis out here too mostly, since in my way of thought, whatever else one ever does in life, that alone is how is the sole means of being effectively doing whatever it is that one does or seeks to, since that is in my way of thinking what reaches the largest or widest or broadest amjority of all those "out there" of whom we seek mostly to but reach in actual truth! And sharing and our caring ways in how we daily routinely handle what our lifestyles really are actually like out here on a very real daily basis too here, is that which is more than likelier than anything else could ever be here, to reach that population that ought be the largest one sought out in one's own life no matter wherever one lives at, since to me that's the only way that anyone really can do whatever they wish to do in a very real and genuine way either here too that is, but then each of us has our own view of what the world needs, do we not, but we keep trying to keep our message and vision more than anything else alive and striving to reach the far wider majority of what's to be found out here somewhere too beyond even the scope of where it be that even we be found at either here!

Keep up the fights, the struggles and mostly abovec all else here, the sharing of our peaceful love and caring ways over fighting things that ought not be done in ways contrary to the message we carry out amongst the masses is

thanks for listening, that is in case you have,
marc

While I agree that hard work in the U.S. can help a person stay out of poverty, there is evidence that that may be the BEST it can do. Of all developed countries, the U.S. has the lowest economic mobility - the poor will very likely stay poor and get relatively poorer, and the rich will very likely stay rich, and get richer.

A person's chances of escaping the mire that is poverty is much lower than in many other nations.

Is it our educational system? Is it a lack of ethics among the very rich and the politicians of all shades that may be in their pockets? Other factors? Some combination?

Let's address the underlying cause of low economic mobility, and then we can figure out who is to blame and fix whatever mess is revealed.

"Don't you socialists have anything more productive to do with your time? KKR has created over 51 billion dollars in wealth for investors since they're founding. The bulk of that wealth has gone into creating more new businesses that create more jobs, which I'm sure those moron losers who made this video ARE NOT qualified for...you're too busy wasting time pissing away on people that have created value to do business in the real world.

If you can find anyone to hire you, take it...and while your at it, GROW UP AND GET A LIFE!

MIP"

Well put Mip! I'm sick of these people whining how "the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer..". For those complaining that they can't make it in the world's strongest and healthiest economy, that's nobody's fault but your own. Our K-12 schools, at least in theory, provide one with the knowledge and skills one needs to find and succeed at an entry level job anywhere in the US. Of course that's assuming that one graduates and actually learns something- other than how to roll a joint or put on a condom or who the latest rapper is. Poverty sucks, but with hard work and determination, it doesn't have to be permanent.

The people who made this film are obviously pathetic, bitter losers, utter morons, and basic idiots who aren't really good at anything and who lack the minimum educational or IQ requirements needed for a job at McDonald's or WalMart. I certainly wouldn't hire them to mow my lawn or take out my trash- they might hurt themselves. I would suggest to everyone here that they get real, hands-on education, NOT a useless liberal arts education, and learn a profitable, in-demand skill or trade, then start their own business. Of course I'm betting that the makers of this film barely passed, if not altogether flunked, their GED's to get out of high school. Time for these clowns to take their rightful place in the real world- yup, straight at the bottom of the no-talent heap.

Nick Ogden is right about one thing. The video piece is overdone and probably inaccurate in several places. But one look at the way Kravis makes his money, and the other hedge fund and wheeler-dealers, tells me there is only one way I could spend the holiday. Simply amusing myself to prevent the obvious guilt feelings I must have about my business dealings and what it does to the employes of companies I have taken over. One of the things I would have to do is compose a song "Long Live Greed."
In the end it will be found that many of the current business practises are immoral in essence and illegal in the eyes of most of us who do or have done real work. The New Yorker had a great article on hedge funders. Wow, a crap game if you can understand it. And if you win, five big homes.

First of all, what is greed? Greed is the emotion of desire for wealth or possessions. We experience emotions based largely on our values. Value is what motivates us to perform every single task we carry out in our lives. We are always either trying to gain value, or keep from losing it. To tell someone to stop experiencing greed is to tell them to value what you value. This is unethical in two major ways. First, it is a violation of their personal freedom. Greed is widely considered to be a negative emotion, but it is an individual's God given right to experience it if they so choose. Freedom encompasses both the freedom to succeed as well as the freedom to fail. It isn't freedom if both halves are not present. Second, when you compel an individual to adopt values which are not their own, as opposed to persuading them logically, you are forcing them to abandon their rational faculty, which is, essentially, their capacity to value at all. Values are established contextually and the new values have no context in the individual's life, and thus have no utility to the individual. Ayn Rand gives the analogy of providing someone with a picture gallery at the expense of their ability to see. Forcing values removes the ability to value. And it does not do anyone any injustice for another person to merely experience the emotion of greed. It is when a person begins to act on that emotion that it begins to effect others. Even then, acting out of greed does not not guarantee a violation of another individual's rights. Greed is not a magical dollar amount that suddenly makes you an immoral person once you've obtained it, which is what this clip spends the overwhelming majority of its time trying to say.

This isn't even war on greed, it's a war on Henry Kravis' greed. Why Henry Kravis? Believe it or not but there are people who make even more money than he does. Is it because KKR engages in unethical business practices? If so then why not a website and a clip called "War On Unethical Business Practices"?

So let's consider what kind of people wage a war on greed instead of addressing the real issue. The clip doesn't showcase any supporters of this "war" that have achieved Henry Kravis' level of wealth, or even close to it for that matter. No such person in their right mind would agree to be in the clip because the clip condemns wealth, not greed. The people who are fighting this war on greed are people that make less money than Henry Kravis. The filmmaker is setting this up as a class struggle. The haves vs. the have-nots. Can you guess who viewed class struggle as "the history of all hitherto existing society"? The answer is the father of communism, Karl Marx. This clip contrasts the abundance that Henry Kravis enjoys with the modest lives of several random middle class Americans as if Henry Kravis is a bad person simply for having what he has. There are probably many other ways that Henry Kravis could choose to spend his money that would be more productive to himself and society, but that is his choice and the people behind this clip want to deny him the choice.

The clip states that "all" private equity giants take over other companies using primarily borrowed money and to pay the debt they sell company assets, fire thousands of employees, and radically cut the benefits of remaining employees. All this and it's still the same product, same building, and the same customers. So if the same product is made in the same buildings and purchased by the same customers then KKR has only made the company more efficient. Nobody is entitled to a job or benefits. Those aren't part of our inalienable rights that we are endowed with by our creator. They seem to think that it's wrong to borrow money and make a profit doing it. One woman in the clip explains that she looses money when she borrows with a credit card while KKR borrows money and makes a profit. She says that it isn't fair that she has been too stupid or lazy to figure out how her credit cards work and KKR figured out a way to make more money than her. The same woman says that it's unreasonable for Henry Kravis to have the houses that he does and pay a lower tax percentage. Who get's to decide what's reasonable? These filmmakers? The government? Sure, it can be rationally demonstrated that Henry Kravis has significantly more than his basic survival needs require, but who wants to live on the bare minimum that they need to survive? Is this film trying to argue each person should produce according to his ability and receive according to his need? Because that is, you guessed it, communism.

Henry Kravis pays a Capital Gains Tax of 15% instead of a 35% Federal Income Tax like firemen, teachers, and police officers do. Henry Kravis makes his money investing capital and receiving gains on those investments, not working for an hourly wage. Capital Gains Tax is what he should be paying. How about we work on reducing the unconstitutional Federal Income Tax instead of trying to increase other taxes. Unjust taxation was one of the reasons we declared our independence from England. The clip is essentially arguing that everyones taxes should be raised to the same percentage, regardless of how you make your money, so that we're all equally miserable. That's essentially what socialistic-communism is, everybody can't be equally happy so everybody should be equally miserable. The filmmakers also seems to want us to believe that there is something inherently good about being a fireman, teacher, or police officer, and there is something inherently bad about managing a private equity fund. I almost expected the clip to end with a rousing "Workers of the world, unite!" (google that phrase if you need to)

The last portion of the clip was beyond absurd. The filmmakers are encouraging people to speculate on what they would do with a Kravis mansion, or in other words how they would redistribute his wealth. The redistribution of wealth is one of the basic components of communism. Are you starting to catch on? Most of the answers weren't any more productive than what Henry Kravis uses his mansions for. Those people didn't earn and don't deserve those mansions. Each "average joe" in that clip chose his or her own life. Nobody forced them to be school teachers or nurses instead of founding a private equity firm. This clip promotes a scarcity paradigm. It's telling you that Henry Kravis and KKR are winning and that is the real reason why you are loosing. They end with that cute little "psst... do something", but what do they suggest anybody do? Certainly not learn how to become wealthy so that you can actually have a realistic chance at effecting some positive change in the business world. They probably just want you to waste your time protesting outside one of Henry Kravis' mansions like they did to premiere this clip.

This clip doesn't demonstrate anything conclusively except that Henry Kravis is rich while most of America isn't. If change is needed in the world of the private equity giants then by all means, let's figure out how to do some good. Unfortunately that isn't what the "War On Greed" is about. This clip is more than just a waste of time, it is subversive and intellectually dangerous to anyone that doesn't have their brain on.

I would auction off everything on the premises and give monst of the money to the 9/11 WTC policemen, firemen and cleanup crewmen who are sick and dying from their exposure to toxic dust in the name of my friend, Sister Cindy Mahoney, who died last November from lung disease she got working as a Chaplain for 6 months at WTC morgue. I would use some of it to lobby Congress to make our tax laws more equitable.

I would sell all of them and give the proceeds to houses for the homeless, to veterans that have been disabled in the Iraq war, to people in the Middle East who have been displaced because of our misguided and arrogant actions (war and occupation).

I'd do the same thing I'd do with the "School of the Americas" - the torture academy in Georgi