Sorry......Originally Posted by Spinoza
I forgot to invite ALL other dawgs to this WEALTH/POWER poker game.
Don't be shy.
I don't bite (much). :icon_wink:
If you play and honest hand.
Cheers.
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Sorry......
I forgot to invite ALL other dawgs to this WEALTH/POWER poker game.
Don't be shy.
I don't bite (much). :icon_wink:
If you play and honest hand.
Cheers.
I know that you believe you understand what you think I said...... But I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
BECAUSE......
POWER was once all that truly and ruthlessly mattered.
POWER subsequently created its own WEALTH.
And WEALTH/POWER has never willingly surrendered its obvious advantages......
Except to a superior POWER that subsequently employed its WEALTH/POWER as brutally as the WEALTH/POWER it replaced.
Any questions?
Cheers.
I know that you believe you understand what you think I said...... But I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
You are answering from the perspective of a wealthy importer/manufacturer.
What about the poor man on the other side of the world? Why tell him "you're not good enough to work for a dollar a day because some dude on the other side of the world wants to do it for 240."
How does that flow in your river of fairness?
I don't know what I'd do with all that money. I certainly wouldn't fork it over to the lazy unworking unwashed masses. I'd probably give a large chunk to organizations in which I deemed valuable to society. Here's a short list off the top of my head:
1. LA Tech athletics and academics
2. All types of cancer and degenerative disease research (there are so many)
3. Natural habitat preservation and awareness (if i could, I might even buy rainforest land for sale).
4. Organizations to help strengthen and educate communities
5. Children oriented charities
There are so many good uses for charity money, they are hard to name.
But what if I refused to donate enough to satisfy the public anger at my wealth? Would it be acceptable to storm the bastille and pass out my "stuff?"
Neither. I would spend it on every possible thing that would give me enjoyment.
Jordan Mills on choosing Tech:
“It’s a great experience seeing them play. It was a good atmosphere. The fans stood up the whole game and never sat down. They have a great fan base.”
Exactly, the things I'd spend it on would give personal satisfaction to me.
Throughout most of my already too long life......
America, via the citizen taxpayers of America, enjoyed an elevated economic world environment that allowed our nation to cherish charity, and distribute alms to damn near every needy beggar on our tiny planet...... Unless the needy beggar was a "commie".
Never mind that the vast majority of all such American largesse was wistfully and willfully wasted on "strongmen" and tyrants who routinely kept the bulk billions of all such seeming generosity for themselves, and gave little more than a chicken bone in every pot to their truly needy countrymen, women and children......
And nevermind that most of America's "foreign aid" was KNOWINGLY used by our republican and democrat federal governments to BUY "allies", rather than benefit any poor and starving masses......
The historical reality remains that Once upon a time in America......
Americans could actually afford to cling to altrusistic notions of charitable comfort......
Even if less than a dime per dollar ever fed anything but an unscupulous dictator's ego.
But that was then......
And NOW is NOW!
Thanks to ronnie, papa george, slick willie, little george, and obama-"change"......
And the last 29+ years of congressional crap......
(who ever suspected that the promised "change" would amount to LESS than what would be left in our federal treasury, after over a year with the change-machine controling both the oval office AND congress)
America has long since ceased to be a nation that can logically afford to pretend to care for others...... While American poverty, hunger, homelessness, illness, and economic despair abounds between the fake fortress of our now less than shining seas.
ERGO......
To hell with all the poor men, women, and children on the other side of America's now fragile and failing coin of the realm.
It is not MY FAULT, or the fault of any common American, that they IGNORED a shot that made enough noise to be heard around the world......
Or that they opted instead to embrace Lenin, or Mao, or Fidel, or Idi, or Papa Doc, or the aftermath of apartheid without further ambition, and so on and so forth.
But allow me bring this subjective rant HOME with some very simple human emotion and a bit of linchpin logic.
If it's YOUR nation v. any other nation...... What say YOU?
If it's YOUR state v. any other other state...... What say YOU?
If it's YOUR family v. YOUR nation, YOUR state, OR v. some very decent fellow and his lovely family "on the other side of the world"...... What say YOU?
Or even simpler......
Merely raise YOUR hand when YOU are ready to surrender YOUR personal $240 (+or-) per day tiny slice of America...... To a $1 per day foreign fellow, because he is "good enough" to eliminate America's need for YOU!
Nothing personal......
Just more of my usual intoxicated effort to try to reduce some seemingly complicated mental math to its most basic common man calculation.
Cheers.
I know that you believe you understand what you think I said...... But I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
And that all too common satisfaction, Gus......
Is why you may always be rich...... But never WEALTHY! :icon_wink:
Cheers.
I know that you believe you understand what you think I said...... But I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
I picked a non-manufacturing our outsourceable profession for that purpose. But I'll play:
If we are to have a free global market (which has only recently been made possible due to technological advances) then it doesn't matter what you FEEL. A man in China vs a man in the USA are both in the same labor market unless you use political manipulation and outlaw it.
How about this: In your town there are two grocery stores. One is run by a penny-pinching man with practically no needs. One is run by a widow with a special-needs child and high medical bills. The widow's goods are twice as expensive. Your grocery list includes basic necessities only, because you have children and are the sole provider for your family (2 children). You can obtain your list from Mr. pennypincher with a dollar or so to spare. You can only buy about half your list from the widow.
What do you do? (this is a consumer supplied phenomenon)
Of course nobody would freely give up wealth they depend on. It's a conflict of interest. This would be like asking Congress to change the 2 party system. They won't give up a piece of their half of the pie, no matter the good for the country.Or even simpler......
Merely raise YOUR hand when YOU are ready to surrender YOUR personal $240 (+or-) per day tiny slice of America...... To a $1 per day foreign fellow, because he is "good enough" to eliminate America's need for YOU!
This is why gov handout programs are impossible to eliminate. If enough people are on them, they vote to keep them!
Just to reiterate:
The american consumer knowingly prefers cheaper goods, wherever produced.
The chinese worker is willing to work for next to nothing
The american wealthy/business owner is willing to maximize profits
It takes all 3.
Why focus on only one side of the problem?
If you, or any other man......
Amass either riches or WEALTH in ANY "fair and square" manner......
As far as I'm concerned......
I'ts up to you, AND NO ONE ELSE, to decide what you prefer to do with your dollars.
But if along the way......
You, or any other man......
Murders, steals, cheats, scams, injures others, or performs ANY ILLEGAL ACT to gain either riches or WEALTH......
IMNHO......
Any such fellow, regardless of any "good deeds", or personal WEALTH POWER......
Should be made to PAY THE PIPER...... PERIOD!
And just out of curiousity, Fish, 2 questions......
Do you sincerely believe it is possible to become and/or remain one of America's WEALTH POWER ELITE, without ever committing any criminal act?
How many members of America's WEALTH POWER ELITE have ever been convicted of ANY crime?
Cheers.
I know that you believe you understand what you think I said...... But I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
Another curiousity query, Fish......
Have you ever encountered one of America's "unwashed masses" who was panhandling (working in a lazy or unlazy manner) with the hope that some Christian American might view him as Jesus probably would have, and charitably GIVE unto others some spare change?
But instead of mere spare change, or even a dollar......
Have you ever surprised and momentarily enobled any such fellow by handing him a hunderd dollars, or even fifty dollars...... And wishing him a snowball's chance in hell of a better tomorrow?
What if you did this 100 times...... And 99 of those times, another "unwashed" member of America's mostly ignored "masses" simply squandered your "wonderous" generosity on booze or drugs or dice or dames?
But what if ONLY ONE TIME......
The fellow WASHED, bought some decent (used) clothes, and resolved to find a job and change his life.
Isn't there a Jesus tale about caring for the fate of one lost sheep?
Cheers.
I know that you believe you understand what you think I said...... But I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
2......
Chris Rock has another routine in which he notes that the last disease anyone actually found a CURE for was polio.
He goes on to discuss Jerry's Kids, and recalls how Jerry has been stumping for donations since Chris himself was a kid.
Hell, I was barely more than a kid when Jerry began his money for cure efforts!
3......
How about human Americans living in alleys and cardboard boxes...... And AWARENESS.
4......
BEWARE voicing support for anything associated with "community organizers" on the politics board! :icon_wink:
5......
Have you ever noticed......
That as the number of children oriented charities has grown......
The problems being encoutered by the involved children has damn near grown exponentially?
1......
I never realized that Tech was a privately funded university.
Is this true?
If so, I shall send a donation post haste...... For academics!
Bottom line......
I'm just playing a bit with your dream list.
If it GOOD for you, it's fine by me.
BTW......
In addition to my preferred UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL efforts with the "unwashed masses", I do support various "organized" stuff.
But my first question before I consider any such concern is very simple.
How many of my dollars with go to "administrative costs"?
My math skills are adequate to figure out what might remain for any alleged "targets"?
TRY IT sometime......
You may be surprised at how difficult it can be to get a straight answer to such a seemingly simple question!
Cheers.
I know that you believe you understand what you think I said...... But I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
I don't know if they have committed crimes. I don't think the Walton family in particular really did anything illegal. They just came up with a good business model (even before trade with the Chinese was an issue).
Rockefellers and Morgans? I know they cooked up the FED and that's enough of a CRIME to me!
If they broke a written law, then I don't approve of it at all. I really don't think most of them broke the written law much.
They got in bed with government.....
I do share your concern with various charities, I would only do it after the proper level of investigation.
La Tech is publicly funded but is facing serious budget cuts due to LA budget problems. They do take private money for endowments, buildings, and such. I forget the amount of tax dollars they receive as a portion of their budget.
I wouldn't give money to people living in boxes. In my brief experience, most homeless individuals have mental issues. And they'll just spend what they get on booze. If you buy them food then they spend their begging money on booze.
Community strengthening organizations is sort of a broad term. I would not be giving to ACORN or any political org. Some of the best community orgs are churches. There is a program here called "Community Renewal International of Shreveport" which always sounds good on the radio.
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