My political passport - Essay Example

My Political Passport My life as one of the world's mega-rich would be very different than it is now as a middle-class male. There are so many choices that I make every day because I have to live within a small budget that I simply wouldn't have to worry about if I were mega-rich. My material culture would undergo a radical transformation. The first thing that would change remarkably would be the amount of free time I would gain by hiring a staff to take care of my needs that I do not want to attend to.

I would have people to cook, clean and drive me around. I could send people on errands to take care of shopping and doing odd stuff like dropping letters at the post office and picking up dry cleaning. Of course, if I wanted to cook a meal for pleasure or guests, I would do this, but only if I wanted to. My wealth would allow me to avoid most of the mundane tasks that take-up the time of a middle-class guy. I doubt that I would have many more things than I currently possess, but all of the things I would buy would be finer.

My feeling is rich people and middle-class people both have only 24 hours in a day. There is only so much to do or enjoy. Having more stuff wouldn't change the fact that I can only do so much on any given day. I would have a more spacious home that would accommodate my friends if I wanted to entertain. I would have luxuries such as a pool and an outdoor entertainment area. Most importantly, I would have multiple homes and staff at each house to take care to the place. This would be my vacation.

I would simply go and stay in a different place when I tired of my surroundings. I guess I wouldn't buy lots of stuff, but the things I would buy would be things that give me more options for fun and entertainment than I currently have. Another thing that would change would be my social life. A stress that I currently do not have would come from the endowments and charitable organizations that would constantly ask me for donations. I am sure that the mega-rich have constant requests from these types of organizations.

I would want to use my money for good, but there are so many worthy causes I would not be sure which would be best to give to. For example, I would love to help cure cancer, but which research facility would be best? The only way to know would be to get out and mingle with the people that run these organizations. Instead of watching football on the couch with my buddies, I probably would be spending more time at galas and openings sponsored by these various groups and individuals. I think that one of the biggest differences in my life would be the exposure my wealth would bring to me.

Simply because I am rich, people will judge all of my actions in a different light than they would a middle-class guy. If I would drive myself around in a 1985 Toyota Corolla, the media would probably call me cheap and tacky. If I am driven about in an armor-plated stretch Hummer everywhere, I will be accused of waste and self-importance. It would seem to be easy to simply ignore the attention and focus on my own pleasure. But I know that deep inside; I like to be liked by others. Even though I am in a dominant group in society, I would still want people to accept me for who I am.

I do not know if this is possible for the mega-rich because of the constant media scrutiny of their every move. A final way I would change is in my political activity. I would be much more involved in politics because I recognize that controlling politicians is probably the key to maintaining my wealth. Politicians control the tax code and therefore I need to control the politicians if I want to keep what is mine. I would go beyond voting by contributing to campaign funds and using my influence with mega-rich friends to ensure the election of friendly candidates.