Quote:
Originally Posted by zerospinboson
Ralph? Have you heard of TomTom? "startups" are not a US-only phenomenon, nor is the "open system" a necessary part.
Right. "Be grateful for what you have, and whatever you do don't challenge the status quo." People who have enough money not to have to worry about surviving from day to day should know better than to use that time in whatever way they want. In fact, they should spend it worrying that they'll lose it. So your argument against decreasing inequality is "fear the masses".
David Ricardo believed that, only (luckily for us) he was wrong/shortsighted, because when the rabble got enough money to spend to be able to buy other goods other people were producing everyone profited, because the market expanded immeasurably. "Defend what little you have, and for heaven's sake, don't think about the future, or the welfare of other people" indeed.
Anyway, nice try dodging having to reply to my response to your statement that "socialism" is ruling the USA now. |
Wasn't intended as a dodge. Being an engineer, I am not properly trained in the nuances of political science. So I only stated my engineer's opinion of business socialism. Sorry if you wanted a more politically correct definition.
Also I was not fearing the masses. I was pointing out that, IMO, most people who want to share the wealth are looking at those with more than they have rather than at those with less.
As to inequality, the only place I know where "all men are created equal" is in the US Constitution. Again I am looking at this as an engineer where is a=b & b=c then a=c. If I'm five feet tall and you're six feet tall, we are not equal. If I'm a man and you're a woman, we're not equal. Since I don't have any Olympic Gold Medals, we're not all equal. I could go on & on but perhaps you see my point. You might think I'm being ridiculous but to me as an engineer, the term equal has a very specific and definite meaning. Personally I don't want equality by my definition because the world would be very monotonous & we'd have to come up with another method of procreation.
Now if you mean equal under the law, that is somewhat different and we all are - rich & poor, at least in the US (not so in some countries). And yes the rich may be able to hire better (or at least more expensive - which is not the same) lawyers, doctors, etc. However equality is not only for benefits but is also for responsibilities. IMO, rich & poor are responsible for themselves once they are grown. I'm willing to help someone else but am not willing to do everything for them when they refuse to do for themselves.
We all make choices. I'm responsible for the consequences of my choices (whether good or bad) just as you are. But please don't ask me to bear the burden for the bad consequences of your choices when you keep the good consequences for yourself. One of my choices is that I choose to live in the US. As a consequence of that choice and my age, I served in the US armed Forces during the Vietnam era. Others chose to (temporarily) abandon the US but then wanted to come back later when the "bad consequences" were over.
What I'm trying to say is that I'm not against benefits for others, I just think there should also be equality for the bad things in life too. For me, equality means we all start at the same starting line at the same time. If I run faster than you do, I have a better chance of winning. Some people think equality is that everyone should have an equal chance to get to the finish line at the same time. For me that is definitely inequality.
Again, just one man's opinion.