Duck Rodgers
Well-Known Member

I'm a Raiders fan and everything.....but arresting anybody wearing Raiders gear is probably the best way to keep the peace.
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I'm a Raiders fan and everything.....but arresting anybody wearing Raiders gear is probably the best way to keep the peace.
And I wasn't making a comparison between the United States and third world poverty, so there's no reason to bring up Sudan or the 1300's or anything else. I was comparing the life styles of those living near the median income level 50 years ago with those living near the median income level today. My opinion is that that even though the lower end has not kept up in measurements of income/wealth over the last 50 years, they haven't lost as much in functional living standards.
This is what makes being a libertarian so easy for me. People aren't starving. People have clothes to wear. People with little money have an easy time getting fat. People who work at all generally have a place to live.
Why are living standards better today than they were 50 years ago, even with greed and capitalism playing so large a role in what we have done over that period of time?
Greed. It annoys me when people use that term. I consider eating to be the greediest thing a person can do. Once food is consumed it can't do any good for anyone but you (the person who ate it). It is the essence of our lives. Anything we consume gives us life and that power is denied all other people in existence. Anyway, I still eat my dinner. I absolve myself of the guilt. I refuse to feel greedy for not giving up the earned spoils of my own labor to others.
So what is greed? Do I have it wrong? Is it ever okay to take? Should we all hang ourselves on a cross? Can I live an be happy if there is suffering in the world? Am I greedy if I seek happiness when others are sad?
While I think it's funny, I also notice Will Smith's hand and arm have strangely faded to a very "white" hue. Weird.
Senior banker Lucas Papademos has been officially named as Greece's new prime minister, after four days of intense talks to form a coalition government.