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

[Dan Warlick (edwf430]

Steve,
That was fucking beautiful, worth copying and saving as a word doc. That my 
friend is EXACTLY what this country is about. ....BTW, it's time to trade me 
the 512TR for a red/tan 512M.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Jenkins" <steve [at] stevejenkins.com>
To: "Daniel" <edwf430 [at] att.net>
Cc: "The FerrariList" <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 8:46 PM
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Barstool Economics (was RE: Are Ferraris Losing 
TheirGood Looks? )


> 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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