At 05:49 PM 10/8/2008, Scott Nicholson wrote:
.... He said he couuld trace our current financial crisis on our "mistaking freedom for consumerism". I agree with him... We've shifted to a mindset wherein it is our birthright as Americans to rabidly consume...often beyond our means.
One of the funniest cartoons I ever saw, Scott, was a view of the ocean with a ship upended, sinking in the distance and several lifeboats scattered about the surface of the water. The nearest boat was populated entirely by dogs, a few boxes marked "survival rations" strewn about the floor of the lifeboat. One of the dogs was standing with his paw in the air, soliciting the others to vote: "Everyone in favor of eating all the food now raise your paw." That's what I see the US economy as--at least, or especially, those running the financial institutions and several other in high-finance be it Wall Street, Insurance, Bonds, or whatever. It's "Get all the profits and money NOW, no matter how it may devistate the world's atmosphere and society because the artificially inflated US economy bubble is eventually gonna bust and we better get all we can out of it while we can." The word greed is probably not sufficient to describe the condition fully--perhaps shameless, unsympathetic greed would get closer but still not close enough. I would remind everyone who may not be paying close attention that while greed is not unique to either the Republicans or the Democrats, the majority of the high-finance mogals are staunch Republicans and support the conservative, do nothing to inhibit our greed while we steal a million or two, let the middle class taxpayers shoulder the resultant burden and suffer the conseqeuences, sorta really dumb-ass overly intelligent idiots who think that raping the system and screwing up everybody's lives is a fun and competitive game: He who dies with the most money wins.
I would gladly vote Libertarian if I thought it would do any good except for the fact that I could never, with a clean conscience, vote for the sort of person who would run for public office.
--Ediger --------------------------------------------------------------------- Give this to a friend: ot-subscr...@texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: ot-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: ot-h...@texascavers.com
