[Rhodes22-list] Reality Check

[Gardner, Douglas (LNG-DAY)]

Hi Roger, 

You are only partly right.  It goes on all the time and both parties ignore
it. There is serious wealth and privilege entrenched in BOTH parties. I have
absolutely no problem with the accumulation of wealth.  What I have a
problem with is the use of that wealth to obtain rights that other citizens
don't enjoy.

However, I'm reminded of another humerous story (this one true) about a
(conservative) graduate student in the English department at Purdue.  He
asked to borrow an english professor's copy of Marx (for some reason, there
is a greater likelihood of finding a marxist in the english dept of a
university than just about anywhere else on the planet).  When asked months
later to return it, he replied: "My need is greater than yours" and turned
and walked away.  The flabbergasted professor had absolutely no retort.

For what it is worth, my philosophy of government is to provide a level
playing field as well as basic infrastructure and a safe and secure
environment so that individual citizens can excel.  I have serious issues
with failures of BOTH parties to support these fundamental goals.  Just look
at public education as an example.  It does not provide a fair and equal
education to all citizens, nor do the political parties seem to have any
intentions to actually fix it.  They do a lot of finger pointing, though.
Go figure.

--Doug
(getting grumpy with political season coming and no worthy candidates to be
found on either side)

-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org]On Behalf Of Roger Pihlaja
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 7:04 AM
To: stan; The Rhodes 22 mail list
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Reality Check


Paul,

Interesting story; but, it grossly oversimplifies the issue.  Imagine if the
young woman from a wealthy family now uses her family's wealth and status as
a form of "currency" to open doors for her to gain opportunities not
available to her classmates.  Imagine if she used her influence to somehow
affect the system such that she stayed on top and the the rest of her
classmates were held down.  This is the dark side of ambition and greed.  It
goes on all the time and the Republican Party completely ignores it.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

----- Original Message -----
From: "stan" <stan at rhodes22.com>
To: <paul at mi.chtechnology.com>; "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
<rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 6:30 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Reality Check


> glad you said "fictional"
>
> ss/gbi
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Paul Grandholm" <paul at mi.chtechnology.com>
> To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2003 8:42 AM
> Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Reality Check
>
>
> WARNING!!!  The following post contains political content.  It is just a
> fictional humorous story and is not meant to offend anyone (although it
> probably will).  If you are easily offended by such things, stop reading
and
> delete this message NOW.  However, if you enjoy political debate and can
> participate without getting personal, feel free to respond.
>
>
> A young woman was about to finish her first year of
> college. Like so many others her age she considered
> herself to be a very liberal Democrat and was for
> distribution of all wealth. She felt deeply ashamed
> that her father was a rather staunch Republican which
> she expressed openly.
>
> One day she was challenging her father on his beliefs
> and his opposition to higher taxes on the rich & more
> welfare programs. In the middle of her heart felt
> diatribe based upon the lectures she had from her far
> left professors at her school, he stopped her and
> asked her point blank, how she was doing in school.
>
> She answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA,
> and let him know that it was tough to maintain. That
> she had to study all the time, never had time to go
> out and party like other people she knew. She didn't
> even have time for a boyfriend and didn't really have
> many college friends because of spending all her time
> studying. That she was taking a more difficult
> curriculum.
>
> Her father listened and then asked, "How is your
> friend Mary."
> She replied, "Mary is barely getting by", she
> continued, "all she has is barely a 2.0 GPA" adding,
> "and all she takes are easy classes and she never
> studies." But to explain further she continued
> emotionally, "But Mary is so very popular on campus,
> college for her is a blast, she goes to all the
> parties all the time and very often doesn't even show
> up for classes because she is too hung over."
>
> Her father then asked his daughter, "Why don't you go
> to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct a 1....0 off
> your 4.0 GPA and give it to her friend who only had a
> 2.0." He continued, "That way you will both have a
> 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair equal
> distribution of GPA."
>
> The daughter visibly shaken by the fathers suggestion
> angrily fired back, "That wouldn't be fair! I worked
> really hard for mine, I did without and Mary has done
> little or nothing, she played while I worked real
> hard!"
>
> The father slowly smiled and said, "Welcome to the
> Republican Party."
>
>
>
> ========================
> Paul Grandholm
> C&H Technology
> GrandPower Components Div.
> ========================
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