Does anyone know more about the Carlyle Group?

[Dreamchasa]

I've heard a lot about this company and even done some financial research on them. (They some bad mamma jammas). I also see they employ a LOTTTT of former gov't officials from all over the world.

They are also closely linked with Saudia Arabia for whatever that is worth. Does anyone have some lowdown on this group?

[dengeist]

It's a conspiracy group....or a New World Order group. You have to masterbate in a coffin for me to tell you more.

[SunDevil]

I like conspiracy theories. Here are some quotes that I found on-line. I don't know how accurate they are...

1) The Bin Laden family (if not exactly Osama himself) had a close if convoluted business relationship with the Bush family, through the Carlyle Group.

She suggested that the administration was serving the interests of a Washington-based investment firm, the Carlyle Group, which employs a number of high-ranking former government officials from both parties. Former president George H.W. Bush -- the current president's father -- is an adviser to the firm.

Admiral William J. Crowe, Jr., the signatory of the contract on behalf of the military subsequently received 22.5% of Bioport’s stock. Further, The Carlyle Group, US’ 11th leading defense contractors, are major shareholders of Bioport. Carlyle Group personnel include ex CIA director, Frank Carlucci, ex Prime Minister of UK, John Major, and, Horowitz claims, George HW Bush. (The Carlyle Group web-site listed the first two mentioned as key members, but there was no mention of the former US president.)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471281085/002-2054891-3905641?n=283155
Here's a book for you to find. Just make sure you buy it anonymously. You don't want to end up dead from an apparent suicide when the men in black come and visit...

dengeist, I like the skull and bones reference there. I'm surprised it didn't matter to the voters in the last election that both Bush and Kerry are members of that group.

[Dreamchasa]

The bin laden family had a 2 million dollar investment placed with the Carlyle Group back in 2001 which was returned supposedly in OCT 2001 due to pressure from the 9/11 Attacks. I'd venture to probably say it was just funneled in a different way.

You're right there was no mention of skull and bones which is appears the majority of presidents have been a member of him I'm correct.

Yea I would check it out from the library but that's just asking to die since they track that too.

[lawya girl]

I just watched "Fahrenheit 9/11" again last night and of course, the Carlylyle Group is all over the place there. Shady....

[Dreamchasa]

The only private equity firm (of its size) not located in Boston, NY, or San Fran.

Its headquarters are directly b/w Capital and the White House.

[lawya girl]

Sketch.

extra characters

[Dreamchasa]

Just adds to the fact the world is really run by a small minority even our DEMOCRAZY.

[SunDevil]

I wonder if the Carlyle group is involved with Diebold. Diebold is building election machines that don't have any way to really know is it was a valid election. You could see why the very powerful people in the US would want to pick the leaders over the general populance.

[Dreamchasa]

Yea don't want some idealist who wants to help the little people to come screw up their happy life of power and pompous.

According to their portfolio they don't own any piece of diebold but if nothing else I've learned that don't mean JACK ISH. One of the companies in their portfolio could own diebold or have a vested interest in it which allows a company to own something without having to publicly claim you own it.

I'd have to cross-check all the holders of diebold stock with all the companies Carlyle owns in its portfolio (400+) to see if we could get a match.

Of course that would only get us part of the way their considering if a investment doesn't cross a certain threshold you don't even have to report it publicly. Honestly there are so many places to HIDE ownership its a wonder if only 2% of the country owns everything.

[MollyMe]

Being a Bin Laden doesn't mean you support Osama. I don't think she does: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10587661/

Fahrenheit 9/11...haha...I thought that was a joke...


Just adds to the fact the world is really run by a small minority even our DEMOCRAZY.
The Pareto principle (80/20) was created to describe the uneven distribution of wealth. It will always be that way.

[SpaceMonkey]

Pfft. Can't hold a candle to the Council on Foreign Relations in terms of shadowy New World Order-ness.

I actually applied for a job at CFR once, but they never contacted me. Guess I wasn't cool enough.

[Dreamchasa]

First off.....gotta buy that issue of GQ. lol

back to the subject......

Who would you consider the most powerful group in America then? The one with the most decision making power that you would consider BEHIND the scenes if thats putting it lightly.

Why does distrubtion of wealth always have to be that way Molly? I'm not asking for everyone to be rich but to think that the majority of the people in this country are living check to check b/c they want or have too is obsurd. (Not saying you said that.)

[The Stranger]

Why does distrubtion of wealth always have to be that way Molly? I'm not asking for everyone to be rich but to think that the majority of the people in this country are living check to check b/c they want or have too is obsurd. (Not saying you said that.)

The "There will always be poor people" line is just a cop-out to avoid social justice/responsibility, IMHO. To an extent, it's true--I doubt we'll ever live in a utopia--but that doesn't mean the situation can't be improved. To me, it's a step away from the kind of social Darwinism we saw during Hurricane Katrina. ("It isn't the government's fault that all those people died. They should've been able to afford an SUV to leave in, and a hotel room to stay in for a few months. That's what you get for being poor.")

I'd much rather live in an America that had the motto "We take care of our own", rather than "It's not my problem!"

I think that we need a President in the spirit of a certain old-time trust-buster, who will rein in the excesses of corporations and weaken the tiny fraction of the population that has a disproportionate amount of control over our country. I don't seriously expect it to happen in my lifetime, though...

[SunDevil]

Who would you consider the most powerful group in America then? The one with the most decision making power that you would consider BEHIND the scenes if thats putting it lightly.


The Republican party?

The NSA?

The military-industrial complex companies?

CEOs, wealthy Americans and Washington lobbyists?

Or are you talking about the illuminati, the freemasons, skull & bones, the WTO/G8 or some other secret group?

[MollyMe]

Why does distrubtion of wealth always have to be that way Molly? I'm not asking for everyone to be rich but to think that the majority of the people in this country are living check to check b/c they want or have too is obsurd. (Not saying you said that.)

There are a few economic models that try to explain the distribution of wealth. Some are pretty interesting. I don't think taxes to redistribute wealth is really all that effective.
I don't think living paycheck to paycheck is because of wealth or lack of wealth. It is a matter of how people spend their money and other choices. You can be living paycheck to paycheck on 15K or 55K.

[pisces2473]

I don't think living paycheck to paycheck is because of wealth or lack of wealth. It is a matter of how people spend their money and other choices. You can be living paycheck to paycheck on 15K or 55K.
That's a rather blanket statement. You also have to factor in cost of living, which isn't really a choice. If I make 15K, live frugally, but still can't get by, it doesn't mean that I'm doing something wrong.

[Dreamchasa]

^ I agree.

30K in Houston,Tx and 30K in Boston, Mass. are definitely not the same thing.

You have the majority of the wealth controlled by a very small minority.

The Forbes 400 make up the 400 wealthiest in the U.S. with a net worth of 1.13 Trillion dollars. Yes with a T.

There are 296 Million people in the United States.

That is 1/740000 of the people controlling that amount of wealth. You saying 80-20 when in reality its not even 99-1.

U.S. GDP - 12,370,000,000,000 or 12.37 Trillion.

[MollyMe]

I was holding location constant. I do understand how various locations have higher or lower costs of living. The point was that you can't say that people living paycheck to paycheck are "poor" or there is some sort of injustice there. Even America's poor is pretty rich compared to people in other countries who live in cardboard houses that they pieced together.

I don't understand why the rich having more money affects poor people. Some wealthy people are very generous and give their money away. Many of the buildings on my college campus are named after donors who gave money to the campus. Other have their money tied up in businesses which provide jobs, etc. It we took all the money of the wealthiest 400 people and gave it to everyone else, everyone else would get around $3-4K. What would that do?

That is 1/740000 of the people controlling that amount of wealth. You saying 80-20 when in reality its not even 99-1.
I didn't say that. Pareto did. You are focusing on the extreme outliers.

[Dreamchasa]

Molly,

By no means do I want to take from the rich. It was earned SOMEHOW or passed down by someone who did earn it. I understand that our poor here live better than the poor elsewhere but what kind of justification is that to say they are ok. Poverty is poverty no matter where you are.

Rich people giving their money away doesn't mean anything. I'm sure some do it b/c they are generally kind people and want to see the world a better place. Some do it b/c it helps with their taxes or gives them some credibility to justify their shady dealings and where that money came from. See Example: Harvard's Original Endows. Most of their money was drug money made in the china trade of opium.

I do not want to penalize someone for being rich but I do think they should shoulder more of the burden. Particularly corporations that generally pay little to no taxes. We lose government programs due to lack of funding b/c let's face it if you have money you have resources available to you to help you avoid paying taxes. The burden of taxes falls on the working class.

[SunDevil]

I'm not a big fan of trust funds and inheritance either for multi-millionaires. Their kids will be very well off, but should have to do some work. With communism, estate taxes are 100%, which might be a little high, but I could see 85%-90%.

Capitalism isn't necessarily the best, but it is the best economic policy so far.

[Dreamchasa]

What is the current estate tax now in this country?

Its really expensive to die these days I tell you. I won't go so far as to say I want to tax someone 100% for what their parent or grandparent worked very hard to get them. I was told its not its around 50% now for everything over 1 million or 1.7 million? Feel free to correct there.

I'd be willing to make some exceptions for the % taxed if a certain % is earmakred for charities before they die. I'd be willing to go 75% on everything else though.

I'd even be willing to come DOWN on that if we could only get these corporations to actually PAY some taxes.