How rich is rich? And can one of "them" really be a good President?

Have you noticed? Its open season on rich people. You know, those horrible filthy rich people who light their cancerous cigars with $100 bills and wipe themselves with the same - all while laughing at the homeless. And when they're not shopping on Rodeo Drive - they just love kicking puppies. Hardly the type of people you'd want to hold elected office, right? Well, before we start building the gallows from which to execute the wealthy, maybe we should find out exactly who these wealthy are.

First, let's define - "rich". How much money must someone make in a year before they qualify as rich. The average yearly salary in the U.S. is $43,460.00. Meaning half the people earn over that amount and half under that amount. If you earn $26,000. a year, the guy making that $43,460.00 might be rich to you - though I seriously doubt he thinks so. Is $90,000 a year rich? Hmmm. Probably not. Especially if you live in a place like New York City or almost anywhere in California. $90,000.00 a year in those places is like earning half that almost anywhere else in the U.S.  Surely $250,000.00 a year is rich. That must be the magic number because that's the number the President wants to raise taxes on - which will produce an extra $83 billion a year. Even $83 billion sounds like a lot until you realize that's about the amount of money the federal government spends in 9 days. Yes - NINE DAYS. Forget balancing the budget on the backs of the so-called rich.

A lot has be written about the wealth of Republican Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney. Yep, he's rich alright. To the tune of about $200 million or so. He's also quite philanthropic. Though the Mormon Church asks their members to tithe 10%, Romney gives far more, roughly 18% of his income to charity according to Forbes. And his beneficiaries are quite diverse - from "AIDS Action" to the Wright Brothers Museum. In 1995, he inherited millions from his father, former CEO of American Motors. Do you know what he did with all that dough? He gave it away. Every...last...dime.  If Mitt Romney is greedy, he's sure bad at it.The political left often decries that a rich man just can't identify with the average American and therefore shouldn't be President. Well, before you go logging on to that misguided logic - check out the all time richest U.S. Presidents.

Adjusted to 2012 dollars.  John Tyler was the 10th wealthiest with $51 million. FDR, the "New Deal" patriarch of the poor was worth $60 million. Not too shabby for a big government semi-Socialist.  The rest follow;
No. 8 - Herbert Hoover, $75 million.
No. 7 - LBJ, $98 million.
No. 6 - John Madison, $101 million.
No. 5 - Andrew Jackson, $119 million.
No. 4 - Teddy Roosevelt, $125 million
No. 3 - JFK, $125 million. (Though he lived off his Trust Fund his entire life.)
No. 2 - Thomas Jefferson, $212 million
No. 1 - George Washington, $525 million. He is the only president who is sometimes included in rankings of the 100 wealthiest Americans. Washington also achieved something Mr. Romney never will: In 1789, his salary was 2 percent of the total US budget.

Some pretty note worthy Presidents up there - no matter what party you support or ideology you embrace. Had John Kerry been elected in 2004, he would have popped in right after Washington. Had John Edwards been President, he'd be right after Teddy Roosevelt. Notice Ronald Reagan nor either Bush made the top ten list. They weren't even close.Washington was quite wealthy, yes. But while he could have enjoyed his wealth and lived quite profitably no matter what government was in place - he left his home and battled the British for 8 long years, only going home to Virginia a few times during the Revolution. He lived among the men he led. He was loved, respected and adored by those he asked much of. And yes,he was rich. It didn't seem to matter. At one point in the battle of Germantown, his uniform jacket endured 4 bullet holes, none touched him. He had 4 horses shot out from under him. Rather than stay warm and cozy on his Virginia plantation, he led the surprise attack on the Hessian's at Trenton in 1776 and in doing so - saved the Continental Army and the cause. And when his country needed him again, he reluctantly became the United States first President. That's right. He didn't really want the job. But his country needed him and he responded. After two terms, he left the Presidency for his Virginia farm. Napoleon said that Washington must be a great man to leave the Presidency and such power voluntarily. And as mentioned,Washington was rich. Perhaps it not the accumulated wealth that really matters. Perhaps its what one does in such a position of wealth. Perhaps wealth is a sign of personal success that might translate to Presidential success - or perhaps not. Either way, its the person that really matters. His, or her ability to lead, to promote the American message and ideal. To preserve and execute  the documents that must remain the foundation of our country. To uphold the truths that are eternal and to pass on those cherished truths to generations yet unborn. That is what ultimately matters. We used to call it "character". We used to require it of our leaders. Perhaps we need to again.

Sub note: Thanks to all of you who take the time to read my blog, whether you agree with my posts or not. According to Google, my blog posts have been downloaded and   read in Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, Belarus, Russia, United Kingdom, Ukraine, China, Brazil, Australia and of course the U.S. I think one of the guys in Russia might be Putin but ...probably not.