[Rhodes22-list] Mo Gubmint - Reality check

[Brad Haslett]

Chris,

The military is a "one trick pony", it exists for only one purpose and
produces only one product.  Pay is based on rank, and rank is based on time
and merit.  The guaranteed services you refer to are quickly taken away if
you don't perform (ie, get booted out). It is hardly a model that can be
applied universally to an economy as diverse at the US. What the military
did do in advance of the country at large is end government sanctioned
discrimination.  It was done quietly and almost overnight by President
Eisenhower when he had mess halls redecorated - the 'Whites Only' signs came
down for re-painting and were never put back up.

Socialism has never worked long term, at any time, at any place.  The
Utopian communities in the US failed (New Harmony, IN, The Farm, TN, the
Pullman plant in Chicago, etc.) nor did the kibbutzes in Israel in their
original form. Europe is struggling with the burdens of an entitlement
society that can only be sustained by immigrants (and in their case, Muslim
immigrants who don't assimilate).  Only in Norway, Sweden, and Finland do we
still see  socialism working in some sustainable fashion and even in those
countries, the working populace is asking for reform.

Communism has been a dismal failure worldwide - not even worthy of
discussion.

But, back to the issue.  We have "free" education already.  The model here
in Memphis and in other places I've lived, like Little Rock, are hardly a
model for success.  The opponents of leaving good schools alone or opposing
schools that work (charter schools) seem to prefer the equality of everyone
failing versus some escaping failure.  The same mindset applies to health
care.  Some would prefer that everyone have sub-standard health care, ala
Europe, rather than some have excellent health care.

There are solutions to education, health care, and poverty.  Dumbing
everyone down, sharing long waits for access to medical facilities, and
removing incentives for hard work hasn't worked anywhere else. Why do we
insist on "re-inventing the wheel" here?

Brad

On Mon, Mar 10, 2008 at 12:10 AM, Chris Geankoplis <napoli68 at charter.net>
wrote:

> Brad Wrote:
> inequities, we'll never make progress. If you want a working model for
> > equality, social justice, and economic fairness, study the US military.
> > Sorry for discussing the uncomfortable realities amongst polite company.
>
> Brace your self boys and girls, but the military is as close to a
> socialists
> government as you will find in North America, that from My careeier
> military
> Dad quoting one of the more consertive generals of his time....I think it
> was Le May of all people.  Wow guarenteed government housing, guarenteed
> government health care and government education for all.  Oh and you get
> paid pretty much the same as the next guy in the fox hole.
>
> Chris G
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Herb Parsons" <hparsons at parsonsys.com>
> To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2008 11:10 AM
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Mo Gubmint - Politics & Educatio
>
>
> > I'll precede this by saying that I'm NOT proposing that the military has
> > always been a shining example of racial equality, or that they're
> > somehow "perfect" today; but I WILL say they've typically been ahead of
> > the curve compared to the rest of us.
> >
> > That said, I had to smile about the statement below. I grew up in a
> > military family. I didn't know anyting about racism until my mother was
> > divorced form my officer step-father, and felt "free to express her
> > beliefs"
> >
> > It's difficult to try to convince yourself that "they" are somehow
> > inferior, when you have to salute them and call them sir. All of the
> > military bases I ever lived on were (from what I could see) race-neutral
> > when it came to housing, use of ameneties (no "white only" NCO clubs or
> > swimming pools).
> >
> > Brad Haslett wrote:
> > > inequities, we'll never make progress. If you want a working model for
> > > equality, social justice, and economic fairness, study the US
> military.
> > > Sorry for discussing the uncomfortable realities amongst polite
> company.
> > >
> > >
> >
> > --
> > Herb Parsons
> > S/V O'Jure - O'Day 25
> > S/V Reve de Pappa - Coronado 35
> >
> >
> > __________________________________________________
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> >
>
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