[Rhodes22-list] Political - this made me think of Obama and some members of this forum

[Brad Haslett]

Ed,

Lately, I've woken up some mornings thinking I've found myself in an
alternate universe - or at least a different country.  Grown men and
women really believing in Santa Claus, or the Tooth Fairy, or Chairman
Mao, supposedly sane and rational people are thinking that you can
punish the most productive citizens of a society and somehow, everyone
will benefit.  Here we are as a nation facing a serious economic
crisis, basically an issue of fear about the safety of capital, and
one candidate is talking about punishing capital by raising the
capital gains tax?  This is not a theory anymore than gravity is a
"theory". Punish capital and  you have less of it to work with -
pretty simple concept to grasp.  Here's a man who has spent his whole
career practicing "Robin Hood" economics and social policy and has
nothing to show for his efforts. Absolutely nothing! He won't even
lift a finger or spend one solitary buck to help his own brother
living in poverty.  And this is the man who is going to save the
world?

Last night I started a new book, an autobiography of Chairman Mao's
interpreter, whose family escaped the Japanese assault on China, ended
up in NYC, and he eventually graduated from Harvard.  Like a lot of
elder Chinese I have met over the years, many now deceased, they left
the US in the 50's to build the "New China" only to be eventually
persecuted for their education and insight to what was really
happening.  The current "elite" among the so-called "intelligentsia"
think they can escape history and somehow, this time, things will be
different.  Amazing!

If you'll notice, no one on this list has taken me up my offer for a
tour of the Gulf Coast (or China for that matter) for a dose of
reality.  No wonder so much of the internet consists of porn.  Fantasy
is so much more attractive than reality.

Orwell was prescient, he just got the year wrong.

Brad





On Wed, Oct 8, 2008 at 7:11 AM, Tootle <ekroposki at charter.net> wrote:
>
> "Nowhere at present is there such a measureless loathing of their country by
> educated people as in America. -Eric Hoffer
>
> After reading this quote, I first thought, Aha! Obama, then I thought of a
> couple of his acolytes on this forum.
>
> Thomas Sowell's most recent column speaks about the issue of executive pay.
> He said, "Politically imposed limits on the pay of CEOs is one of the most
> penny-wise and pound foolish things that can be done."  "Congress itself is
> a classic example of what can happen when penny-wise policies restrict the
> caliber of people who can be attracted."
>
> Just think Obama of Obama's comments on rural Pennsylvannians.  Sometimes,
> we do get insight into his thinking.
>
> Ed K
> Greenville, SC, USA
> http://www.nabble.com/file/p19877443/Saturday%2Bdebate.gif
> Saturday+debate.gif
> --
> View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/Political---this-made-me-think-of-Obama-and-some-members-of-this-forum-tp19877443p19877443.html
> Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>
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