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

[Charles Perry (charles]

Not that I'm completely insensitive, but with examples one and three,
people used to depend on family to help out in such situations, in
addition to the community based aid Ric described. 

I guess a lot of one's perspective depends on where you live in the
country, but here in SC, where we're excited when we get bumped up to
49th in education every so often, example 1 below is not an exception -
it's culturally accepted here and few moms in that socioeconomic group
ever _expect_ to have a father for their child. I was working in a
Children's Hospital we recently helped build a couple of weeks ago and
one of the women in the lobby was excited at having become a grandmother
- at age 36. Tell me how that family will ever contribute to their own
or society's well being when reproduction is more accepted than
education? And unfortunately, that's the norm here, not the exception.

For example two, Americans seem to have developed an attitude that they
should never have to re-train or relocate if they have a plant issue
like that. That's what people with a work ethic do when their other
options disappear - they gain new skills, or they move to where their
skills are still required. If you won't do either of those things, then
why is McD's a punishment? People still need McRibs. I fully support
government programs that provide for things like skills training, but
they are far in the minority, both in quantity and funding, to
entitlement programs.

Our nation already has one of the lowest savings rates in industrialized
nations. A lot of that is because of our consumerist style where we'd
rather have a flatscreen TV than a savings account, but a lot of it is
related to taxation as well. If you're taxed so highly that it's all you
can do live check to check, you never have the opportunity to save
enough that you don't depend on government programs later in life. A
recent survey indicated that something like 86% of Americans are
counting on winning the Lottery for their retirement. Aside from saying
horrible things about this country's math education, it says a lot about
how much we have, as a culture, flushed the concept of personal
responsibility...

-- charles


-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Fleischer [mailto:themightytoe [at] gmail.com] 
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2008 11:48 AM
To: Charles Perry
Cc: The FerrariList
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Barstool Economics (was RE: Are Ferraris Losing
Their Good Looks? )

I agree with Ric on that point also, but the piece he is missing:

The teenage mom struggling to raise her kid when their dad left them?

The father who lost his job at the local plant, mostly due to poor
management by his company, and finds the only job available to him is to
serve burgers at local McDonalds as his skills are no longer useable or
marketable and his saving will only last him a year?

The pensioner, who's lifes savings were stolen away by some shady
doctors or Enron executives?

What is your answer for them?  Fuck you, your screwed?



Brian E. Buxton wrote:
> I would have to agree with Ric here.  Having "compassion" for someone 
> who is living a life based on the consequences of their own decisions 
> allows that person to not be required to take responsibility for their

> decisions.  If they are poor or can't pay their own bills then someone

> else will!
>
> B
>
>
>
> Ric Rainbolt wrote:
>
>   
>> 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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