The Sorry State of “Leaders”
by Miki SaxonIn today’s world those classed as truly wealthy are also considered leaders.
I have a politically moderate friend who believes that how people spend their money is no one’s business but their own. I used to feel that way, but the growing concentration of wealth is changing my mind.
What are the responsibilities of wealth? Is there a “line in the sand” beyond which spending on “I want” becomes immoral?
Possibly Meg Whitman’s spending $140 million to become governor of California can be defended (although personally I don’t see how), but Mukesh Ambani’s new home in Mumbai has to have crossed the line.
…cantilevered sheath of steel and glass soaring 27 floors into the sky. The parking garage fills six levels. Three helipads are on the roof. There are terraces upon terraces, airborne swimming pools and hanging gardens…estimated the total residential space at 400,000 square feet, though people close to the project say the real number is a humbler 60,000 square feet.
60,000 square feet for a family of five is ‘humbler’?
The extravagance of the ultra-wealthy is increasing no matter the political system and these are the leaders that young people seek to emulate.
What do you think? What should be expected of a leader? Would you draw a line? If so, where?
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhariani/4801125226/
