What's with the response to Sandy's victims ?

Why isn't the national guard and the Army all over these places like a rash with generators, fuel tankers, mess facilities with free hot meals, field hospitals, whatever is needed.

It is a question of what you think the role of the government should be.

There is a case to be made that people will remain stupid if stupidity is rewarded.

Many times, the best help you can give people is not to help them.

We already see the results when GREED is rewarded.

We already see the results when GREED is rewarded.

Yes, just look at all those people capitalism / greed has lifted out of poverty.

Oh good, a class warfare food fight right here on the Arduino forum. :roll_eyes:

Lefty

The results I'm talking about aren't class warfare but runaway pollution and catastrophic global warming.

But storms like Sandy are -really- God's plan for the lazy-azz poor because science is just opinion.

It's natural (and right I think) for people to want to better themselves and their situation. It turns into greed when said people have more than they can ever use and yet want even more.

Anyone read the Mexican fisherman story? It's a classic.


Rob

It turns into greed

Without greed, 99.9% of what we rely on daily wouldn't have been available to you and me.

Graynomad:
It's natural (and right I think) for people to want to better themselves and their situation. It turns into greed when said people have more than they can ever use and yet want even more.

Anyone read the Mexican fisherman story? It's a classic.


Rob

Very NSFW comedian, Lewis Black, on Greed:

"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Take his fish away and tell him he's lucky just to be alive, and he'll figure out how to catch another one for you to take tomorrow."

Ah yes but don't confuse wealth creation with greed.

We do need people with the drive to create large companies that in turn produce goods and livelihoods for the vast majority that don't have the vision or the drive and just want a job.

But the wealth created should be distributed more equitably. Yes as the prime mover you should get paid a lot more than the janitor, but at present you have people spending more on a hotel room for the night than others earn in a year. Not that there's anything new in this, it's been the case ever since there was "stuff" to buy.

There are a few that don't follow the greed path, billionaires that still drive their old Chevy and give a large part of their wealth to various causes.

I just watched a documentary on some bloke (I think he is the richest person in China), he still eats with the staff in the lunch room and gives most of his money away.

He has created a huge amount of wealth, given a good livelihood to 1000s of people (presumably or they wouldn't eat with him, either that or they are scared of being fired :)) and not an ounce of greed in sight (as far as one can tell from a documentary anyway).

So I would argue that greed, while as natural to humans as breathing, is wrong and not necessary.

Wanting to better yourself is good, but as I said before once you have more than you need it becomes greed. This is largely semantics though as some people "need" more than others, for example I "need" an Arduino Due while others need health care or a good meal.


Rob

Lewis Black, on Greed:

That typifies a large portion of our society: greed is good as long as you spend it in liberal-approving ways, like hiring an attractive young girl as your ball-washer, or spending it creatively (as defined by Lewis Black. Greed is bad if you didn't do as Lewis Black had deemed good.

Lewis Black, on Greed:

That's good, I've not seen him before.

One assumes that his use for all the money is just a piss take :slight_smile:


Rob

dhenry:

Lewis Black, on Greed:

That typifies a large portion of our society: greed is good as long as you spend it in liberal-approving ways, like hiring an attractive young girl as your ball-washer, or spending it creatively (as defined by Lewis Black. Greed is bad if you didn't do as Lewis Black had deemed good.

America is doomed as long as people like you are able to turn everything into a political issue.

But the wealth created should be distributed more equitably.

What does that mean? How do we define "equity" / "equality"? "equity" or "equality" of what? who defines "equity"? and why?

End of the day, it is a choice of what kind of a society we want: do we want to provide our folks upward mobility or do we want to bring down our producers.

An utopia where everyone is equally rich is a world where everyone is equally poor. If you want to know what capitalism can do for poor people, look to China.

A utopia where everyone is equally rich

That's not what I said.

If you want to know what capitalism can do for poor people, look to China.

You mean the millions of farmers being screwed and cheated from their land by the town's officials so said officials can get in on the property boom?

do we want to provide our folks upward mobility or do we want to bring down our producers.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

@wizdum
We sometimes get questions about taking Arduino projects through the airports, how do you go with that Bomb Prop project of yours :slight_smile:


Rob

When our port cities and all the land now 20 ft or so above sea level is below sea level, that's a good time to admit that just maybe things got pushed a bit too hard.

What's that, about HALF the world population displaced? Not to worry! The ones who can't afford to move and push someone else off higher ground don't count!

Really, how many of RMoney's 47% had jobs/careers and homes before the Bush tax cut borrow and spend economy took them away? Something like half, in the name of realized profits. What a great deal when you get to cut so many people down and then insult them to boot. How many pensions robbed? How many people saw their life savings evaporate in the Wall Street Casino? But now they're all just lazy losers that never took responsibility? What a crock!

What a crock!

[+]

RMoney's 47%

In that event, Romney's 47% should all get together and redistribute wealth amongst themselves - all of their problems solved.

Just leave the rest of us out of that.

So now it's creeps who villainize the latest victims of industry gone too far. That just goes to show what kind of country we could have.

villainize

I see those "victims" more as blood sucking leeches that you cannot get rid of.

It is never fair for them to own up to their own decisions. Fairness to them is really to take money from others and put it into their own pockets.

The democracy they practice is nothing more than three wolves voting to eat that poor rabbit. 100% democratic, and 100% wrong too.

Yes, you should take your money and leave. Find a nice totalitarian country you can be happy in.