Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Barstool Economics (was RE: Are Ferraris Losing Their Good Looks? )

[Steve Jenkins (steve]

Ric:

You reminded me of something with this post.

You guys wanna know why three of the cars in my garage are a 328, 512TR, and
an F40?

I grew up in a low-income family. I rarely got new clothes - we always got
them af thrift stores. My mom had no shame in it, and neither did I. I'm
still not ashamed. I grew up in rental houses and learned to drive on a used
car. I grew up very happy.

When I was in high school, I had a torn-out page from a car magazine showing
Ferrari's new 328 GTS taped to the inside door of my locker. During every
break between periods, I would go to my locker, open the door, get my
book(s) for my next class, look at that red/tan 328 GTS, and promise myself
that I would buy one before I turned 40. I also realized that I better try
my hardest next period if that was ever gonna happen, because nobody else
was gonna get it for me.

When I was an undergrad student (tuition paid for by low-income Pell grants,
scholarships, and Stafford Loans), I had a photo of the white Miami Vice TR
taped above my desk in my dorm room. Every time someone would stick their
head in my room and say "Come on, Steve! Let's go party!" I would look up at
the TR for inspiration and say "Sorry, guys - I have to study." That TR
poster had been upgraded to a red/tan 512TR poster by the time I graduated.
I swore to myself that I would own one before I turned 40.

When I went to grad school in 1994 (also on scholarships and Stafford
Loans), I placed a page that I removed from a car calendar that showed red
F40 above the desk in my apartment. At 1AM, 2AM, 4AM, etc., I would stare at
that F40 as motivation to stay awake and work on my assignments. I didn't
sleep much for those two years - and I stared at that photo A LOT.

After some entrepreneurial success, in 1997, I bought a red/tan 328 GTS. In
2000, after selling my second company, I bought a red/tan 512 TR. In 2004,
after co-founding my third company, I bought an F40. I've also owned a
Mondial and have a 348 Spider and Maserati, but EVERY time I get into the
328, the 512, or the F40 - I am transported to my locker, my dorm room, and
my college apartment. And I literally feel like a kid again.

Some people have asked do I feel bad that I didn't "party" more in high
school or college. Aww... I missed out on a few years of partying. Boo hoo.
But in return, I get many more decades of financial freedom, travel,
comfort, and driving pretty much any car I want. I missed the short-term
party, but I'm still hanging out at the after party. :)

Is it selfish for me to feel like I worked hard for what I have, and not
want to share that with the long-haired stoners who sat next to me in
biology (my high school was filled with Jeff Spicolis), who are STILL
pumping gas for a living?

I love the American dream. I'm an immigrant (ok... from Australia... but
still) from a poor family who put myself through college, started
businesses, hired employees, paid taxes, and am still doing more of the
same.  

But the American dream is quickly becoming the Marxist dream. And I'm not
going to let Joe Biden to tell me I'm actually being "patriotic" by paying
my "fair" share. I've paid more than my fair share for a very long time. I
got audited for tax year 2003, and after 14 months and $9K in attorney and
accountant fees, the IRS sent me a letter saying "Well, what do you know!
You filed your tax return correctly and don't owe any additional tax for
that year!" No kidding. I've never cheated on my taxes, and I never will.
But I'm not going to pay a red cent more than I have to, either. And if you
think I'm gonna sit idly by and watch Obama Hood and his band of Merry Men
take from the industrious and give to the couch-potatoes, you got another
thing coming. :)

My heart belongs to America... But my assets will soon be singing the Cayman
national anthem (are there steel drums in that?)

SJ

-----Original Message-----
From: Ric Rainbolt [mailto:ricrainbolt [at] gmail.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 5:51 PM
To: Steve Jenkins
Cc: The FerrariList
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Barstool Economics (was RE: Are Ferraris Losing Their
Good Looks? )

At 05:50 PM 11/12/2008, you wrote:

>I fully agree our system is not fair and it really is a form of charity 
>to a large extent, no question.  It seems the arguments here are based 
>on just the numbers, but what is missing here is any compassion for 
>your fellow man.  Sure I work hard to provide for my family and I worry 
>about their financial security and future but I also recognize that I 
>live in a society with other people and reading this I recall an old 
>adage my parents used to tell me: "the world needs ditch diggers too"...

And therein is the basis of the problem. This is a worldwide epidemic of
misconception, IMHO.

Compassion for my fellow man is NOT to support someone who doesn't bother to
get an education, or bother to not drink beer that costs more than his gross
wages. Is it MY fault that he's a ditch digger? 
Perhaps I spent years honing my profitable technical skills while he skipped
school and drank his way into his situation? Now I'm literally robbed to pay
for his misdeeds or lack of proactive foresight.

It should for ME to decide when to allow the gift of charity to emanate from
MY compassion. I do NOT want to have money taken BY FORCE by large
bureaucracy and given willy-nilly to whoever makes up the best boo-hoo sob
story. I've lived around and worked with MANY fully able-bodied individuals
that were taking money from the system via systematic fraud (workmans comp,
Medicare, etc.). Then there's the whole part about federal funding for all
kinds of crap that I would NEVER EVER support if given a choice in the
matter. I give many thousands to charities each year... ones of MY choosing.

There is NO charity in someone taking my money to give to someone else (and
in many cases, keep some for themselves for being so righteous). That's
playing shift-the-burden-of-my-guilt complex. Far too common.

RR 

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