a portrait - Ellen DeGeneres (link fix)..And an photography idea at the end of the my rant.

Bill Graham wrote:

You must be a socialist. ... throw everything in a huge pot, and then divvy
it up

China has been in its current form for about a quart as long as the US
and they seem to have enough left over to lend money to the US.
Go figure.

w..

"Peter" wrote in message
...
"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...

"Peter" wrote in message
...
"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...

"Peter" wrote in message
...
"Dr.Smith" wrote in message
...

"Bill Graham" wrote in message
news


My father just turned 74 and is still working. He was able to retire
back in the 80's, but after 6 months of fishing, hunting, and
golfing, he could not stand not it anymore. He was born the son of a
real blacksmith. He lived in Stanley, Oklahoma (now just a name on a
map). He would wake up well before first light and do his chores
mostly tending live stock. After his chores he would eat breakfast
that was cooked on a wood stove. Breakfast consisted of fresh eggs
(he had collected), a little meat from a smoke house, that his father
and uncles kept, and milk from cows. After breakfast my father would
have to catch the bus to school. The bus at that time only ran on
the main highway,. My father would have to cross the Kiamichi River
either by horse or by row boat, depending on the depth. He had 11
bothers and sisters. His father kept all the kids fed and sheltered,
but died around 1943. My father as well as the older kids helped
support the family with farm work, hunting, trapping and pulpwood
cutting. This was back when Sears and Roebuck would send buyers
around the country to buy animal skins for their clothing. After
highschool he did get a senior trip....to Korea. Senior trips were
riskier in those days, not because of lost luggage and scant
cellphone coverage, but due to people trying to kill you. One of his
older brothers (an uncle I will never know), I believe was killed
while on 'vacation' in Europe during the first half of the 1940's.

I could go on, but I only discuss my fathers teenage years so as to
point out how much easier teenagers have it today. A teenagers life
today is so damn easy, they have to create their own hardships
(cyberbulling, druguse, teenage pregnancy, boredom, etc). The types
of hardships my father faced were not actually that uncommon for many
his age. I will admit that because of him, I had things easier, but
to this day he and I have little patience for those who believe that
they are owed healthcare, transportation, entertainment, food,
shelter, money (or other resources), etc. just because they were
born. This country can easily support the elderly, truly sick,
mentally retarded, and those who really cannot support themselves,
and as a first world nation we should, but we have far too many who
are on the public dole simply because they can be. I often use the
term "MIDNIGHT BASKETBALL", for all those who remember it, as a
metaphor for all that is wrong with the 'NANNY STATE'. There is a
foodbank on my way to work and I see too many cars with loud stereos
worth more then the rest of the car, and oversize rims pulling in
there. This has to end!

As far as the $4000 dollar subsidy for getting trading a 'clunker' so
that it could be crushed. First off I have three vehicles, one
motorcycle bought new in 1998, one truck bought used in 2005, and one
motorcycle bought used in 2007. I maintain all three, take care of
them, and keep them road worthy. Why in the name of H)*ll am mine or
anybody else's tax money going to help others buy new cars. Second,
those 'clunkers' are what the working poor and just plain poor people
buy to get them around for a couple of years till they reached a
station in life that they could buy a new car. By reducing the
number of used cars on the lots, the price is higher than what it
would have been otherwise. Some who might have been able to just
afford a used car now could not. Real, real smart (sarcasm). Supply
and Demand.

Sorry for the venting.

BTW I have a Nikon D50 with many accessories. I may have to take
some pictures of the BS I see and post them in a
binaries/photography group. Hey lets all do that!



Anything I have today I got by working for it. I am 73, still working
part time, in the last 2 months I averaged 85 hours per week. I
dislike the freeloaders too, perhaps even more than you do. I am in
the fortunate position of working because I want to. (I only mention
this to put my POV in perspective.)
It is too easy to forget that for every person who plays the system
there are at least 20 to 30 who are in genuine need. As a human being
I cannot enjoy what I have Much of the cause is that it would cost
more to do a 100% police job on everybody, than to let a few chiseling
*******s slip through the cracks.
We supposedly live in a civilized society. Part of the price we pay
for civilization is a recognition of the moral obligation to help
those in need. Part of this obligation is paid for in taxes. Other
parts can be met by simple acts. I don't know you at all, but I wonder
how much time you spent helping Katrina, victims, or other
unfortunates. There was one individual I ran into a few times and each
time he would plead hunger and ask for money. I would not give him
money, but offered to buy him a sandwich. Turned out that this poor
guy was simply very hungry and was quite grateful when I would buy him
a sandwich or salad so he would have something decent to eat, for at
least one meal. I was a reliable source for him every time I saw him
and didn't think twice. It was just something I did.
It's all too easy to pin labels as an excuse for not meeting our moral
obligations. I suspect Bill Graham is not at all like his namesake. I
don't know what you do in that sense, but hope you do your share. I
don't pretend to be generous, nor do I give up all my luxuries. Too
many do absolutely nothing. When I express outrage at the recently
strongly suspected Goldman Sachs ripoff and the answer is that we
should eliminate welfare and allow smoking anywhere, I strongly
suspect less than noble motives.


--
Peter
I don't agree that, "For every person who cheats the system there are
30 or 30 in need" As a matter of fact, I saw a statistic that says less
that 2% of the people on welfare have some disability, either physical
or mental. This why I would like to cut all those deadbeats off and pay
the ones who really have a need 50 times as much money as they are
getting now. For starters, I would be still giving away the same money,
but it would be going to a much better use.


Share it with us. Might make for an interesting analysis.
How does your "statistic" define disability?

BTW how much money do you really "need."

I do agree with you on one thing though. As my grandmother said. "rich
or poor, its good to have money."
And: "it's better to be rich than poor."
Now please state whether rich only means lots of money. Or, does it mean
that you can walk around with a sense of inner peace without consistent
bitter feelings, because someone may be depriving you of the ability to
have five magnums of a fine cognac on your shelf, instead of four.

--
Peter
I am only speaking of money.....My money.

rant snipped


How sad!

--
Peter
Well, if wanting my own money is sad, then lets see you eat nothing for a
while.....I think that will change your mind. You must truly be a socialist.
You want everyone to throw everything they own in a huge pot, and then divvy
it up amongst themselves equally.....That will surely create a lot of
incentives to work hard, and develop new products.......Thanks, but no
thanks.....It's high time I bow out of your company.....You are a nut.

"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...

"Peter" wrote in message
...
"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...

"Peter" wrote in message
...
"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...

"Peter" wrote in message
...
"Dr.Smith" wrote in message
...

"Bill Graham" wrote in message
news


My father just turned 74 and is still working. He was able to
retire back in the 80's, but after 6 months of fishing, hunting,
and golfing, he could not stand not it anymore. He was born the son
of a real blacksmith. He lived in Stanley, Oklahoma (now just a name
on a map). He would wake up well before first light and do his
chores mostly tending live stock. After his chores he would eat
breakfast that was cooked on a wood stove. Breakfast consisted of
fresh eggs (he had collected), a little meat from a smoke house,
that his father and uncles kept, and milk from cows. After
breakfast my father would have to catch the bus to school. The bus
at that time only ran on the main highway,. My father would have to
cross the Kiamichi River either by horse or by row boat, depending
on the depth. He had 11 bothers and sisters. His father kept all
the kids fed and sheltered, but died around 1943. My father as well
as the older kids helped support the family with farm work, hunting,
trapping and pulpwood cutting. This was back when Sears and Roebuck
would send buyers around the country to buy animal skins for their
clothing. After highschool he did get a senior trip....to Korea.
Senior trips were riskier in those days, not because of lost luggage
and scant cellphone coverage, but due to people trying to kill you.
One of his older brothers (an uncle I will never know), I believe
was killed while on 'vacation' in Europe during the first half of
the 1940's.

I could go on, but I only discuss my fathers teenage years so as to
point out how much easier teenagers have it today. A teenagers life
today is so damn easy, they have to create their own hardships
(cyberbulling, druguse, teenage pregnancy, boredom, etc). The types
of hardships my father faced were not actually that uncommon for
many his age. I will admit that because of him, I had things
easier, but to this day he and I have little patience for those who
believe that they are owed healthcare, transportation,
entertainment, food, shelter, money (or other resources), etc. just
because they were born. This country can easily support the
elderly, truly sick, mentally retarded, and those who really cannot
support themselves, and as a first world nation we should, but we
have far too many who are on the public dole simply because they can
be. I often use the term "MIDNIGHT BASKETBALL", for all those who
remember it, as a metaphor for all that is wrong with the 'NANNY
STATE'. There is a foodbank on my way to work and I see too many
cars with loud stereos worth more then the rest of the car, and
oversize rims pulling in there. This has to end!

As far as the $4000 dollar subsidy for getting trading a 'clunker'
so that it could be crushed. First off I have three vehicles, one
motorcycle bought new in 1998, one truck bought used in 2005, and
one motorcycle bought used in 2007. I maintain all three, take care
of them, and keep them road worthy. Why in the name of H)*ll am
mine or anybody else's tax money going to help others buy new cars.
Second, those 'clunkers' are what the working poor and just plain
poor people buy to get them around for a couple of years till they
reached a station in life that they could buy a new car. By
reducing the number of used cars on the lots, the price is higher
than what it would have been otherwise. Some who might have been
able to just afford a used car now could not. Real, real smart
(sarcasm). Supply and Demand.

Sorry for the venting.

BTW I have a Nikon D50 with many accessories. I may have to take
some pictures of the BS I see and post them in a
binaries/photography group. Hey lets all do that!



Anything I have today I got by working for it. I am 73, still working
part time, in the last 2 months I averaged 85 hours per week. I
dislike the freeloaders too, perhaps even more than you do. I am in
the fortunate position of working because I want to. (I only mention
this to put my POV in perspective.)
It is too easy to forget that for every person who plays the system
there are at least 20 to 30 who are in genuine need. As a human being
I cannot enjoy what I have Much of the cause is that it would cost
more to do a 100% police job on everybody, than to let a few
chiseling *******s slip through the cracks.
We supposedly live in a civilized society. Part of the price we pay
for civilization is a recognition of the moral obligation to help
those in need. Part of this obligation is paid for in taxes. Other
parts can be met by simple acts. I don't know you at all, but I
wonder how much time you spent helping Katrina, victims, or other
unfortunates. There was one individual I ran into a few times and
each time he would plead hunger and ask for money. I would not give
him money, but offered to buy him a sandwich. Turned out that this
poor guy was simply very hungry and was quite grateful when I would
buy him a sandwich or salad so he would have something decent to eat,
for at least one meal. I was a reliable source for him every time I
saw him and didn't think twice. It was just something I did.
It's all too easy to pin labels as an excuse for not meeting our
moral obligations. I suspect Bill Graham is not at all like his
namesake. I don't know what you do in that sense, but hope you do
your share. I don't pretend to be generous, nor do I give up all my
luxuries. Too many do absolutely nothing. When I express outrage at
the recently strongly suspected Goldman Sachs ripoff and the answer
is that we should eliminate welfare and allow smoking anywhere, I
strongly suspect less than noble motives.


--
Peter
I don't agree that, "For every person who cheats the system there are
30 or 30 in need" As a matter of fact, I saw a statistic that says
less that 2% of the people on welfare have some disability, either
physical or mental. This why I would like to cut all those deadbeats
off and pay the ones who really have a need 50 times as much money as
they are getting now. For starters, I would be still giving away the
same money, but it would be going to a much better use.


Share it with us. Might make for an interesting analysis.
How does your "statistic" define disability?

BTW how much money do you really "need."

I do agree with you on one thing though. As my grandmother said. "rich
or poor, its good to have money."
And: "it's better to be rich than poor."
Now please state whether rich only means lots of money. Or, does it
mean that you can walk around with a sense of inner peace without
consistent bitter feelings, because someone may be depriving you of the
ability to have five magnums of a fine cognac on your shelf, instead of
four.

--
Peter
I am only speaking of money.....My money.

rant snipped


How sad!

--
Peter
Well, if wanting my own money is sad, then lets see you eat nothing for a
while.....I think that will change your mind. You must truly be a
socialist. You want everyone to throw everything they own in a huge pot,
and then divvy it up amongst themselves equally.....That will surely
create a lot of incentives to work hard, and develop new
products.......Thanks, but no thanks.....It's high time I bow out of your
company.....You are a nut.


I am devastated.

--
Peter