[Vicomte13]

"I feel, as a wealthy american, that I should have no more say than even the least fortunate American citizen. That is why I am for campaign finance reform."

How very naive.
As a wealthy French aristocrat, whose family built civilization, I think it is obvious that folks like me should have a lot more "say" in how countries are run than some laborer with neither education nor drive nor the native sense to understand how things function.

Money is at least a decent proxy for native command ability in America, because amassing money power is itself difficult and requires discipline and patience, if not charisma.

Obviously the wealthy and the gifted should run society, for the benefit of all, naturally. Democracy provides a way to make the rule of the natural aristocracy more palatable to everyone, by giving them a (small) hand in the decision-taking.
However, if you really do let each and every person have identical power, you will not end up with Paris or New York, but Detroit and Newark. If those who are naturally equipped to lead are not permitted to, everything is rounded to the least common denominator of humanity, which is ignorance, violence and squalor.

Of course, Walken is a much better politician than I could ever be on either side of the Atlantic. Some herbs and truths are so bitter that you must never, ever serve them up.

[RightWhale]

Yeah, we went through that phase. It pretty much ended with the election of Andy Jackson. There is a tendency to bring it back now and then, but the people seem to sense when that happens and take action in the polling booths. We take our version of democracy seriously, if not always effectively.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Money is at least a decent proxy for native command ability in America, because amassing money power is itself difficult and requires discipline and patience, if not charisma.

I'm rich. That's hot...

[freedumb2003]

How very naive. As a wealthy French aristocrat, whose family built civilization

BBUUUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

buuuuahahaahahahaha

The only "civilization" that France ever built was it's own and that resulted in a country that surrenders so fast that it makes your eyes spin.

If I were you I would be very, very embarrassed to admit openly you are French. Better to say you are Bangladeshi or something.

[Centurion2000]

As a wealthy French aristocrat, whose family built civilization, I think it is obvious that folks like me should have a lot more "say" in how countries are run than some laborer with neither education nor drive nor the native sense to understand how things function.

I think Madame Defarge missed one.

PS: French building civilization ? That's rich .. see Algeria and Vietnam for french civilization building.

[Gunrunner2]

>>As a wealthy FRENCH aristocrat, whose family built civilization. . . <<

Pardon me for a moment. . .BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. . . WHEW. . .MUCH BETTER.