Enjoy Capitalism

surferdude

Abookamongstthemany wrote:

Man, can't people be happy with just giving and knowing it's helping out a whole lot of families that dearly need it? I don't really mind that some of them will take advantage of the system. There's always somebody taking advantage of every system. It's makes me feel good to know that it will be helping out plenty of good people who will greatly appreciate it.

I'm happy to give and don't cheat on my taxes or participate in the underground economy. But some posters were mentioning how this applies to the golden rule and i was just, rather harshly, pointing out that it doesn't. The golden rule places a responsibility on both parties, our current set up places all responsibility on the rich while chastising them for being rich in the first place.

Abookamongstthemany

surferdude wrote:

I'm happy to give and don't cheat on my taxes or participate in the underground economy. But some posters were mentioning how this applies to the golden rule and i was just, rather harshly, pointing out that it doesn't. The golden rule places a responsibility on both parties, our current set up places all responsibility on the rich while chastising them for being rich in the first place.

It's not so much chastising the rich as it is being aware that as humans we need to help each other out. When you've got more than you could ever spend and others are going without the bare neccessities...it's time you try to make life a little easier on the less fortunate.

chadwick

Abookamongstthemany wrote:

It's not so much chastising the rich as it is being aware that as humans we need to help each other out. When you've got more than you could ever spend and others are going without the bare neccessities...it's time you try to make life a little easier on the less fortunate.

simple as that.
amen.

surferdude

Abookamongstthemany wrote:

It's not so much chastising the rich as it is being aware that as humans we need to help each other out. When you've got more than you could ever spend and others are going without the bare neccessities...it's time you try to make life a little easier on the less fortunate.

So paying taxes isn't enough in your books. You think you have some sort of moral responsibility to tell others how to live. If you think this is the right thing to do with "excess" moeny then why don't you bust your asss to make more "excess" and be a shining example to the world.

Abookamongstthemany

surferdude wrote:

So paying taxes isn't enough in your books. You think you have some sort of moral responsibility to tell others how to live. If you think this is the right thing to do with "excess" moeny then why don't you bust your asss to make more "excess" and be a shining example to the world.

Most of these people know shit about busting their ass.

and we all tell people how to live to a certain extent...it's called laws. And I just don't think it's right to be so well off and leave other members of society to suffer.

hsewif

Abookamongstthemany wrote:

Man, can't people be happy with just giving and knowing it's helping out a whole lot of families that dearly need it?

It's funny to read this because I was just talking about something similar myself.

I'm going to a fundraiser tomorrow night for Jazz for Youth. Last year, they had an impressive open auction... people were paying thousands of dollars for jewelry, bottles of wine and cruises in Spain. In the middle of the hoopla, an item came up and not a single person bid on it, the room was completely silent (until my husband raised his number and bid/won at the last second. )

It was to feed 150 kids every day for a week before their summer camp.

I realize that in the end, all of the money goes to the same Charity... I just thought it was odd that no one wanted to give their money and not get something physical in return. It's like a 'good feeling' wasn't enough....

jlew24asu

Abookamongstthemany wrote:

Man, can't people be happy with just giving and knowing it's helping out a whole lot of families that dearly need it? I don't really mind that some of them will take advantage of the system. There's always somebody taking advantage of every system. It's makes me feel good to know that it will be helping out plenty of good people who will greatly appreciate it.

I don't want to wake up everyday and go to work, start my own business, innovate, and bust my ass to accomplish my goals just to have to turn it around and give it all to someone who is too lazy to do it themselves. yea thats right, those are the people you claim who "take advantage of the system". sorry I dont have a sign on my head that says jackass.

I get much happiness by helping others with my money. But I would like to choose who gets my financial help. and not be forced to do so.

hsewif

Abookamongstthemany wrote:

It's not so much chastising the rich as it is being aware that as humans we need to help each other out. When you've got more than you could ever spend and others are going without the bare neccessities...it's time you try to make life a little easier on the less fortunate.

I could be wrong but I think that if you took the world's wealthiest people and made them give up 1/2 of it, it would barely put a dent in what you'd like to see accomplished overall. If they divided their wealth among the world's poorest, how far would it go? and for how long? is that enough money to change everyone forever?

Abookamongstthemany

jlew24asu wrote:

I don't want to wake up everyday and go to work, start my own business, innovate, and bust my ass to accomplish my goals just to have to turn it around and give it all to someone who is too lazy to do it themselves. yea thats right, those are the people you claim who "take advantage of the system". sorry I dont have a sign on my head that says jackass.

I get much happiness by helping others with my money. But I would like to choose who gets my financial help. and not be forced to do so.

There's just too many that are going with out. I'm not overly worried about someone getting over on me...in the grand scheme of things it's just not as important to me as all people having access to healthcare. They need something they can be sure of, that's stable not just hope that people are feeling charitable this month. I wish I wasn't forced to pay for the amount I do in defense but others claim we need it.

Abookamongstthemany

hsewif wrote:

I could be wrong but I think that if you took the world's wealthiest people and made them give up 1/2 of it, it would barely put a dent in what you'd like to see accomplished overall. If they divided their wealth among the world's poorest, how far would it go? and for how long? is that enough money to change everyone forever?

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1222-04.htm

Ahnimus

lucylespian wrote:

And as I pointed out, everything in the world will have a spectrum described by a bell curve.

All that original pic is , is the extremes of the curve.
If "normal" can be defined as within 2 or 3 standad deviations from the mean, both those kids clearly lie beyond that at either end, but sadly, you actually must have those extremes for the whole system to exist. It is inescapable !! To pretend otherwise is to try to re-define the Universe. (Fuck, I sound like ahnimus now)
It's also true that any individual's worst enemy is another member of it's own species. Nothing else competes quite as precisely for the resources you need and have access to.

Is that a bad thing? To sound like me. Very wise statements Lucy.

lucylespian

Ahnimus wrote:

Is that a bad thing? To sound like me. Very wise statements Lucy.

Nah, I was just taking the piss out of myself for the hell of it.
Where you been, on vacation ??

Actually there's an old joke about that...


Where's your bin ?

I bin in jail.

No mate, where's your wheelie bin ??

Yeah bloke, I really bin in jail !!

catefrances

lucylespian wrote:

Actually there's an old joke about that...


Where's your bin ?

I bin in jail.

No mate, where's your wheelie bin ??

Yeah bloke, I really bin in jail !!

i hope you applied the appropriate accent when you posted that lucy. or not

cincybearcat

So, who determines how much is enough and how much is too much and who gets what from whom?

Sounds pretty scary to me.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

cincybearcat wrote:

So, who determines how much is enough and how much is too much and who gets what from whom?

Sounds pretty scary to me.

this entire fucking thread is fucking ridiculous.....

i especially like when i read how we would be better off living as communists......

just FUCKING RIDICULOUS........

jlew24asu

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

this entire fucking thread is fucking ridiculous.....

i especially like when i read how we would be better off living as communists......

just FUCKING RIDICULOUS........

thats cuz you dont care about your fellow man....

you should share your paychecks with your neighbors.....

speedy mcgreedy.....

surferdude

jlew24asu wrote:

thats cuz you dont care about your fellow man....

you should share your paychecks with your neighbors.....

speedy mcgreedy.....

What makes you think Speedy doesn't do this already through charitable donations? It's not hard to believe that the capitalistic system makes the best use of resources (proven over and over again) and still believe in a distribution of income via taxes and charitable donations. It's not a hard concept, it baffles me that so many on this board don't get it. It's not an either or proposition.

Rushlimbo

After I give my tithe to church to pay the electric bill for the stadium size lecture hall i dont have anything left to give to charity.

Abookamongstthemany

surferdude wrote:

What makes you think Speedy doesn't do this already through charitable donations? It's not hard to believe that the capitalistic system makes the best use of resources (proven over and over again) and still believe in a distribution of income via taxes and charitable donations. It's not a hard concept, it baffles me that so many on this board don't get it. It's not an either or proposition.

Yeah, the best use of resources if you're one of the lucky ones....doesn't seem to much like the best system for those going without. It's just not working for me when I see so many impoverished throughout the world...but if you feel this is the best it can get..that's on you, don't expect me to agree. Most of the world's wealth is owned by a small percentage while a huge, huge number have shit...oh yeah, the best!

Abookamongstthemany

http://money.guardian.co.uk/news_/story/0,,1965033,00.html

http://www.worldsocialism.org/articles/who_owns_the_world.php