Race

[Yannis]

Quote from Almond_Dragoon:

...You might want to take a trip to the nearest small town in your state and talk to the FORMER small business owners about a certain super-chain who undercut them because they could offer cheaper prices....

That's a tough one, and I know it means a lot of pain to many people, including folks I know well. But, it's not the end of the world.

Listen, I used to work for AT&T. Nowadays, this may be just a name to you, but, when I joined Bell Labs, in 1980... I mean, man, we were Ma Bell, THE BELL SYSTEM, the biggest corporation in the world, rich and powerful and safe beyond belief.

Then, a little blip in the radar, called MCI, happened, and the rest is history, as you say. Most of us, sooner or later, had to leave, one way or another.

Fast forward to today: many of those same people are better off, working for other corporations or running their own business, like myself. No problemo. It's possible to do this, especially if the Government doesn't stop you or throw too many obstacles at your feet.

For example: like many people on ET, I'm a good trader and pay lots of taxes. BUT, I can't save in an IRA, because it's not "earned" income. What kind of stupid bureaucracy comes up with that nonsense? What's the difference? Taxes are taxes, right? Why do I have to incorporate and spend lots of $$ needlessly? Not to mention the paperwork? Oh well, again...

 

[AAAintheBeltway]

Quote from Yannis:

No, we manage them better and make sure they are temporary until people can get back on their feet, and that these programs reward good, honest, hard-working Americans who WANT to make it on their own. Minimum requirement, each recipient, and, primarily, their congressperson, have to say a simple "thank you" to those who make it possible. That's not too much to ask, now, is it?

I'm afraid it is way too much to ask. Your premise is that the purpose is to extend a helping hand to those in need, who will gratefully use it to get on their feet again. In reality, pols like Obama see the capitalist system as unfair and government programs as a way of achieving "social justice", meaning they steal money from people who earned it and give it to their political supporters. If you object, you are "greedy" or maybe even an evil "speculator".

The inevitable trajectory of democratic societies is they work well until the have nots learn that through political power, they can seize the wealth of the haves. It's all downhill from there, since people tend to have pretty expensive tastes when someone else is footing the bill. Pretty soon, hello Hugo Chavez.

The Drafters of our Constitution were well aware of this problem and took considerable care to prevent it from happening. Unfortunately, the people foolishly approved an income tax amendment and the courts did their part by eroding the Constitution's protection of private property and by interfering with the electoral system.

 

[trendlover]

Quote from Almond_Dragoon:

Then you limit your scope.

Your homework, for tonight....Antitrust.

You might want to take a trip to the nearest small town in your state and talk to the FORMER small business owners about a certain super-chain who undercut them because they could offer cheaper prices.

Why could they offer cheaper prices?

Because they are a mega-chain who can AFFORD to cut prices based on VOLUME of sales. If mom and pop, who have served the town for a least a generation, cut prices that low, they would die.

Needless to say, the rest is history.

I see how small business can be shut out by competition. But it is the business owner who should see when their businees has better competition, and plan to get out. The bigger competition also can offer a lower price product which HELP poorer by giving them a better price. So it is not always bad for everyone when bigger business gives low prices, but takes away someones business.

 

[Yannis]

Quote from AAAintheBeltway:

I'm afraid it is way too much to ask. Your premise is that the purpose is to extend a helping hand to those in need, who will gratefully use it to get on their feet again. In reality, pols like Obama see the capitalist system as unfair and government programs as a way of achieving "social justice", meaning they steal money from people who earned it and give it to their political supporters. If you object, you are "greedy" or maybe even an evil "speculator".

The inevitable trajectory of democratic societies is they work well until the have nots learn that through political power, they can seize the wealth of the haves. It's all downhill from there, since people tend to have pretty expensive tastes when someone else is footing the bill. Pretty soon, hello Hugo Chavez.

The Drafters of our Constitution were well aware of this problem and took considerable care to prevent it from happening. Unfortunately, the people foolishly approved an income tax amendment and the courts did their part by eroding the Constitution's protection of private property and by interfering with the electoral system.

Yeah, I agree. This is unfortunate for all of us.

Ask a liberal: would you rather have half of a 12" pie or a third of a 30" pie?

You can guess the answer.

 

[trendlover]

Quote from Yannis:

Yeah, I agree. This is unfortunate for all of us.

Ask a liberal: would you rather have half of a 12" pie or a third of a 30" pie?

You can guess the answer.

Yannis, I understand most of your posts but not this one.
I think all people would take a bigger peice if they had a choice. They woold choose 1/3 of the 30 inches pie. Maybe I lost something in the translation?

 

[Vista]

Quote from Yannis:


But, at the same time, there is a reason that some people are getting richer............

Right. The Rich get richer and the Poor (not in worldwide relative terms) stay poor, because the Rich keep doing the things that made them rich and the Poor keep doing the same things that keep them poor (lottery tickets, too many babies, etc.)

Only they can change their mindset.

 

[Vista]

Quote from Almond_Dragoon:

The wealth gap between rich and poor has increased, not decreased.

Can you name a better country for a so called poor person to live in?

 

[Vista]

Quote from TGregg:

That's basically the corner we've backed ourselves into, and it's not just "the poor" who are voting us there. If you take the total expenditures of the US government and divide it by the number of citizens, then see how many citizens pay that much or more in taxes you will find that 95% of us are moochers. We're getting more government than we are paying for.

At this point, a majority of the moochers want even more. They're ready to strangle the golden goose to try to squeeze out a few more eggs. Most everybody thinks they can get something for nothing, and more than a few are fed up paying for it all and it's time they got some back. You cannot have a stable government that takes money from one group to give to another, and gives political power to both groups. Because eventually, one group gets enough political power to rob the other blind.

Fortunately, we can count on our wise and fearless political leaders to speak the harsh truth to us and save us from ourselves.

We must demand the FairTax. It will be a step in the right direction, but that's for another thread.

 

[trendlover]

Quote from Vista:

We must demand the FairTax. It will be a step in the right direction, but that's for another thread.

With the fair tax, how does government know how much money to put in each persons retirement? If 23% is taken from every dollar spent, but not taken from income, then how does government decide how much a person will receive for retirement? Many purchases are cash and not tracked. So when retirement comes then does the government give benefits by how much income a person had on their life?

 

[Almond_Dragoon]

Quote from Yannis:

No, we manage them better and make sure they are temporary until people can get back on their feet, and that these programs reward good, honest, hard-working Americans who WANT to make it on their own. Minimum requirement, each recipient, and, primarily, their congressperson, have to say a simple "thank you" to those who make it possible. That's not too much to ask, now, is it?

Yannis, you have been elected Pres. of USA. by way of a sweeping mandate.

You must manage those programs that you so eloquently said needed revision.

I, the Congressman, ask you, how do you define, "on their feet?"