Quote - Since they are all such sterling individuals, there must be something in the water in the D of C that causes them to act like asses.

Yes, lobbyists. ;)

I don't agree about 'lucky'.  Bill Gates, recently the richest American (now Warren Buffett), made all of his money from founding and running Microsoft - not by winning a lottery or garnering an inheritance.

In the best of societies, the distribution of wealth would be more like this:

10% - low income or poor/homeless/no money (ideally none of the latter)
60% - middle income
30% - upper income
0% - ultra-rich elite (with incomes and assets that are a large portion of a nations GDP).

In reality, the distribution is more like this (from Survey of Consumer Finance):

50% - low income or poor/homeless/no money
40% - middle income
9% - upper income
1% - ultra-rich elite (with incomes and assets that are a large portion of a nations GDP).
And the disparity is increasing.  90% of the US population has about 30% of the wealth.  10% of the population has the other 70%!  (sharpens guillotine some more) ;)

C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot. C++ makes it harder, but when you do, you blow your whole leg off.

 -- Bjarne Stroustrup

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