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If you grow up in America, it's pretty rare if you don't love money. One of the first things I ever remember being punished for was stealing money. Five dollars, off my father's dresser. I was so little, I don't think I even knew it was wrong to take something that wasn't specifically mine -- I recall this being my introduction to the concept of "larceny is bad." But somehow, I knew it was good to have cash.
After I left my middle class household at 18, standard of living took a real tumble for a while. At Cornell, I had no money, and boy did I look it. They called where I lived the last three years Collegetown, but Collegetown was really slums in a rural setting. Landlords did not have to work that hard in Ithaca, N.Y. -- every year, there was fresh supply of eager tenants among the students who didn't want to live in a sorority or fraternity. It was a sweet market for a slumlord.
But even that looked good compared to what was waiting for me as I began my illustrious career as a standup comedian in New York City in 1979. First year I lived on 99th Street in Spanish Harlem, a five-floor walk up, toilet down the hall. No shower -- a tub that sat in the kitchen with a snake-like attachment that hooked up to the kitchen sink. Walked home every night from the comedy clubs on the tony Upper East Side, watching the neighborhoods become poorer and scarier as I made my way north, and I'm sure the only reason I was never robbed was, they took one look at me and knew it wasn't worth the trouble. Sometimes, freedom really is just another word for nothing left to lose.
And yet, in a short 33 years, things had turned around enough so that I was able to give a million dollars to the super PAC of a certain mixed-race president who, I would like to remind all my overconfident progressive friends, does NOT have this election in the bag. And a lot of people this last week have said the same thing to me: "You're not picking up the drinks tonight?"
The great thing about having been poor is how liberated it makes you if you eventually become rich. There's nothing like the knowledge that you don't need money to survive. That the money cushion you lie on every night doesn't have to be three feet thick, and you can still get to sleep.
Other people seemed surprised I had a million dollars, which amused me. I've had a television show since 1993; television pays well -- I may even have another million lying around somewhere. Every year when I visit my accountant in December to see how the year went, he always says I'm the best saver of all his clients, which amazes me, because I feel like I deprive myself of absolutely nothing. I once asked him, what do your other clients spend their money on? Because I know who some of his other clients are, and I know they make WAY more than I do. He said that what they spend their money on is always changing, and that's not even the point -- the point is, however much money they make that year, they always spend all of it! That's how they think: have money, spend it, because the real tragedy would be to die and have money left over.
Me? I just don't have expensive tastes I guess -- I don't collect cars or paintings or jewelry, and I gave up my heroin habit years ago. But I also know that, as I said when I presented that giant check to Priorities USA Action last Thursday at the end of my stand up special on Yahoo!, "This hurts!" I was trying to make the point that if I could do it, a lot of other people could do it a lot more easily than me. You know, the only place in America where the millionaires and billionaires are predominantly liberal is here in Hollywood -- with the possible exception of Silicon Valley and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. There's a reason that of the 16 billionaires that have contributed to super PACs this year, 14 have given to Republicans. It is generally the party of the rich. And in a post-Citizens United world, the party of the rich has an advantage like they've never had before. In 2008, the most you could give to a candidate was $2,300. Now it's Infinity. No, the election is not in the bag.
Follow Bill Maher on Twitter: www.twitter.com/billmaher
| msbellows RT @DCdebbie Dear @ProFlowers, i will never let my money go to your shop if you continue to advertise with@RushLimbaugh. #BoycottRush | ||
| adambonin Ex-Senators Graham and Kerrey See Possible Saudi 9/11 Link: http://t.co/HNXs5Lth #followthemoney | ||
| rolandsmartin I made it clear: this is just a job. I can earn this money working as a district manager at McDonald's. I didn't buy the hype #companymen 24 minutes ago from Facebook | ||
| Atrios @ggreeneva i'm sure by some accounting they "lose money" on some customers. of course, without reserves they can't be a bank 32 minutes ago from TweetDeck | ||
| ggreeneva @Atrios I love the notion that they want to ensure they make money from customers. I thought they did that by lending deposits for interest. | ||
| jimcramer 'Mad Money Lightning Round': Ride Harley Davidson - http://t.co/0OnTn7aR 48 minutes ago from HootSuite | ||
| jimcramer Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Forgiving Market (Final) - http://t.co/s4K7Wvje 49 minutes ago from HootSuite | ||
| AlexNBCNews Newt says they are putting their 30min ad on energy on TV as fast as they can raise money...#decision2012 1 hour ago from web | ||
| ChronicleBooks Girl Scout cupcakes giving the Thin Mints a run for their money. http://t.co/nxcy2mkN 2 hours ago from Instagram | ||
| WR_Record Golf courses owned by the City of #Kitchenerneed more money spent and other changes according to consultants. http://t.co/XyJQ1fiK 2 hours ago from HootSuite | ||
| TonyFratto @morningmoneyben I'm not embarrassed of being unaware of idiotic stuff going on. It's completely liberating. | ||
| ChicagoDiane #Brazil Promises New Battles As It Fights Tsunami of Money: http://t.co/DLj2eoHd $$ 3 hours ago from TweetDeck | ||
| toddbarry #dreamcollabs The Sex Pistols and CNN Money Expert Clark Howard 3 hours ago from web | ||
| davewiner Summit Series Just Raised $40 Million to Buy That Mountain. (Or How To Tell When You Have Too Much Money.). http://t.co/1mWPVmqo 3 hours ago from Blork | ||
| wendellpotter You all should really check out Republic Report - Investigating how money corrupts democracyhttp://t.co/8GVPBqOQ 3 hours ago from HootSuite | ||
| HildyGottlieb RT @gaylevaleriote: Today's CTF question: what conditions will enliven your community to its maximum participation, beyond money? #ctfuture 3 hours ago from HootSuite | ||
| RightWingWatch Leftovers: Bauer calls for Clinton's resignation, LaBarbera's moneybomb, & FRC's prayer targetshttp://t.co/WoY36R5U 3 hours ago from web | ||
| TechCrunch Investors Push Zynga Stock Up 10%, Because Now It Can Make Money On Ads And Publishinghttp://t.co/NjrD47SR by @eldon | ||
| jeffpulver @GT_Izmoney I look forward to seeing you at#140conf in June in NYC. 4 hours ago from web | ||
| TIME Bank of America is considering checking account fees. Again | http://t.co/0grLyTnR (via @TIMEMoneyland) 4 hours ago from HootSuite | ||
I have lived in similar situations at times myself, and many of our fellow citizens have no idea of the lifestyles that poor people experience.
Is money now buying control of Government away from the electorate? Thanks to the Scotus I think so. America's electorate voice is weaker now then ever before and I really do fear one day it could be silenced altogether by Mob rule of the wealthy. Somehow I feel we have taken the nations safeties off and created a power keg of explosive influences that corrupt every level of government protections that our Founding Fathers created to keep this nation from reverting to the old ways of England from which we came. So I say to our future.. Enter stage right.. Oligarchy.
Boy, you progressives better not let such boot-strap stories get around or you'll NEVER get support for all those nanny-state proposals focused on GIVING folks a middle-class income.
OR it simply means that you acknowledge what those 14 billionaires recognize about conservative fiscal policy. It ensures that those who contribute the most to society will be rewarded the most. And that's beneficial to contributing citizens at ANY income level!
First, on a recent show, you asked something like, "since when does money equate with success?" This was a rebuttal to Romney's defense from attacks on his wealth as "Don't hate me because I'm successful...". This implies that making tons of money is THE form of success. It's the Gordon Gekko ethos.
Mr. Romney and friends need to be reminded that simple middle class folk--a great teacher, a good parent, a community activist, a brave firefighter who has actually saved lives-- should be considered more successful than an über-priviliged millionaire whose sole objective in life seems to be making more millions by moving money around, slicing and dicing companies, firing thousands of people, and not producing or creating any new product or technology in the process. Mr. Romney's values should NOT be equated with success. He needs to be called out on this very idea, not just on the wealth itself.
Secondly, everything must be done to ensure Mr. Obama's reelection. However, deep inside, Bill, you know that this thing, barring a second Great Depression, is over. The Republican Party, as it stands, is on the brink of extinction. From its ashes will emerge a new party, made up of what saner heads are left of that raging, apoplectic Hydra, along with some conservative Democrats. Olympia Snowe's defection is the first tiptoe in that direction.
The reason that I was surprised that you had it, was becaue of what you said on your show. You mentioned having had most of your money with lehman bro's. Based on that I thought you ended up like Eddie Cantor, and got wiped out in the crash.
Oh, btw, I have a private practice in a small town in TN, and one of the books that I have in the reception area is your book "New Rules". That book always gets the most comments, and they are virtually all positive comments. Even repub types who would prolly denounce you every day of the week, admit to getting a chuckle out of ut. Thought you might like to know, lol.
WaveRhydr (AKA StormRhydr)
Good for Maher that he has an extra $1,000,000 to help in President Obama's re-election campaign. I hope it all goes to waste.
there's more than one way to level the playing field