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A comment on The un-celebrity president: Jimmy Carter shuns riches, lives modestly. Parent comment

Re:The un-celebrity president: Jimmy Carter shuns riches, li... by pmiller2 on Sunday August 19, 2018 @01:08PM (#17795128)
My point is that we have a system of government that is for and by the rich, where billionaires tell the millionaires in government what they want, and then they get it. Your opinion does not matter to them [0].

Someone receiving a $206K/year pension, according to the 4% safe withdrawal method, is the equivalent of having $5.1M in a retirement account, except this is better, because it doesn’t run out. Most people won’t see that much money over their entire careers. This is not someone we should hold up and say “this person shunned riches,” because it’s not true.

[0]: https://www.upworthy.com/20-years-of-data-reveals-that-congr...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The un-celebrity president: Jimmy Carter shuns riches, li... by mattkrause on Sunday August 19, 2018 @01:45PM (#17795314)
Sure, he has access to money—-no argument there—-and his life will always be comfortable.

On the other hand, how can you say that he’s not shunning riches, or at least their trappings? They live in Plains, Georgia. Their big Sunday dinner is casserole and one Solo cup of “bargain Chardonnay” with the neighbors. They turned down living quarters in favor of a pull-out couch in their office. It’s not at all the stereotypical lifestyle of someone with millions in the bank. Hell, parts of it make my lifestyle (academic scientist) seem opulent—-we at least have IKEA wineglasses!

[ Parent | on HN ]