No, thank you for those kind words. On Oct 7, 8:00 pm, Gaar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Those who don't Learn their History are doomed to repeat it... > > Thanks for this important reminder of who we are, and where we have > been. > > Now it is time for us to determine where we are going, on November > 4th. > > On Oct 7, 5:42 pm, Jim Willis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > The socialists among us are coming out of the woodwork with their hair > > on fire. Were the subject matter of less import this might be amusing. > > The Marxists see the current financial crisis as their opportunity to > > convince Joe-six-pack of the futility and inequities of capitalism. > > > Personally, I just eat this up with a spoon. As these pseudo- > > intellectuals blather and bloviate on a subject they understand much > > as Paris Hilton understands advanced astrophysics they put on display > > the wasted tax dollars we spent on their public education. > > > Firstly, let us not vacillate on the difference between communism and > > socialism. Either ideology is interchangeable and not dissimilar. > > Suggesting a chasm is akin to two fleas arguing over the dog they > > inhabit, both are, “free riding” leeches. > > The wooden dagger to the heart of socialism is that wherever it’s been > > tried, it has failed, including here. More on that in my jaw dropping > > close; stay tuned. > > > You might ask yourself, or have I ask of you, how, in just over two > > hundred years, America leads the world in all fields of human > > endeavor? As the author it is legitimate for me to answer my prescient > > posit thusly; it is our freedoms and capitalism. After all, in its > > most condensed form, capitalism is simply the freedom to engage in > > commerce. > > > Capitalism inspires competition insuring the best goods and services > > to the consumer. It invokes innovation by rewarding it. It is the best > > pricing mechanism known to the world as free markets will always self > > correct. Capitalism regulates supply by linking it to demand. > > > Socialism inspires no one and limits the potential of man by not > > rewarding perspiration and innovation. It rewards success and failure > > equally ensuring mediocrity. It stifles ambition by removing > > competition. It removes ambition, aptitude and ability from the > > success quotient. In short; it is the antithesis of democracy and > > makes comparable brilliant innovation and sub-par performance. > > Besides, America has had its foray into socialism. > > > A group of separatists first fled to Holland and established a > > community. After eleven years, about forty of them agreed to make a > > perilous journey to the New World, where they would certainly face > > hardships, but could live and worship God according to the dictates of > > their own consciences. > > On August 1, 1620, the Mayflower set sail. It carried a total of 102 > > passengers, including forty Pilgrims led by William Bradford. The > > journey to the New World was a long and arduous one. And when the > > Pilgrims landed in New England in November, they found, according to > > Bradford’s detailed journal, a cold, barren, desolate wilderness. > > There were no friends to greet them, he wrote. There were no houses to > > shelter them. There were no inns where they could refresh themselves. > > > And the sacrifice they had made for freedom was just beginning. During > > the first winter, half the Pilgrims – including Bradford's own wife – > > died of starvation, sickness or exposure. When spring finally came, > > Indians taught the settlers how to plant corn, fish for cod and skin > > beavers for coats. Life improved for the Pilgrims, but they did not > > yet prosper! > > > This is important to understand because this is where modern American > > history lessons often end. Thanksgiving is actually explained in some > > textbooks as a holiday for which the Pilgrims gave thanks to the > > Indians for saving their lives, rather than as a devout expression of > > gratitude grounded in the tradition of both the Old and New > > Testaments. > > > Here is the part that has been omitted: The original contract the > > Pilgrims had entered into with their merchant-sponsors in London > > called for everything they produced to go into a common store, and > > each member of the community was entitled to one common share. All of > > the land they cleared and the houses they built belong to the > > community as well. > > They were going to distribute it equally. > > > Bradford, who had become the new governor of the colony, recognized > > that this form of collectivism was as costly and destructive to the > > Pilgrims as that first harsh winter, which had taken so many lives. He > > decided to take bold action. Bradford assigned a plot of land to each > > family to work and manage, thus harnessing the power of the > > marketplace. > > > Long before Karl Marx was even born, the Pilgrims had discovered and > > experimented with what could only be described as socialism. And what > > happened? It didn't work! What Bradford and his community found was > > that the most creative and industrious people had no incentive to work > > any harder than anyone else, unless they could utilize the power of > > personal motivation! > > > But while most of the rest of the world has been experimenting with > > socialism for well over a hundred years – trying to refine it, perfect > > it, and re-invent it – the Pilgrims decided early on to scrap it > > permanently. What Bradford wrote about this social experiment should > > be in every schoolchild's history lesson. > > > "The experience that we had in this common course and condition, tried > > sundry years...that by taking away property, and bringing community > > into a common wealth, would make them happy and flourishing – as if > > they were wiser than God," Bradford wrote. "For this community [so far > > as it was] was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and > > retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and > > comfort. For young men that were most able and fit for labor and > > service did repine that they should spend their time and strength to > > work for other men's wives and children without any recompense...that > > was thought injustice." > > Why should you work for other people when you can't work for yourself? > > What's the point? > > > The Pilgrims found that people could not be expected to do their best > > work without incentive. So what did Bradford's community try next? > > They un-harnessed the power of good old free enterprise by invoking > > the under girding capitalistic principle of private property. Every > > family was assigned its own plot of land to work and permitted to > > market its own crops and products. And what was the result? > > > "This had very good success," wrote Bradford, "for it made all hands > > industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would > > have been." They prospered and what followed was the great puritan > > migration. The rest is history, as it were. Capitalism it seems is > > infectious and an abiding principal of the human condition; provided > > it is to succeed. > > Conservative Springfield 07OCT08 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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