>From: "Bill Douglass" <douglassbill@hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: extropians@extropy.org
>To: extropians@maxwell.kumo.com
>Subject: John Stossel special re-airing tonight
>Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2000 12:21:53 CDT
>
>There's a John Stossel special re-airing tonight, on ABC at 10:00PM EST.
>It's titled "Is America #1?"
>
>For anyone not familiar with Stossel's specials, I've found they're a great
>way to introduce people to ideas of liberty. Toward that end, probably the
>best thing on TV since Milton Friedman's "Free to Choose" series in the
>70s,
>IMHO.
>
I am watching this now. I have always liked Stossel's mindset. However, this
is in large part (at least so far), pro-business propanganda.
I do agree there are some great points about bureaucracy. Yes, it is
stifling.
But this libertarian viewpoint misses part of the big picture.
As always, business media has taken the most salient and obvious points and
pushed them to the forefront.
What they don't mention is that immigrants come here because *capital* is
here, and that is where the work is. The capital is here in large part
because of the stability of America. Yes, less paperwork helps. But that is
only part of the story.
Also, if you looked carefully when the immigrants were shown being sworn in,
you could see that *most* the new immigrants were *old*, and if *was* their
own retirement *they* were thinking of, I assure you, a retirement paid for
by tax dollars *they* never paid.
People thinking of their retirement are mocked. Again and again I see the
face of propaganda the likes of which I have not seen since the good old
days--buy some war bonds, anyone?
But I have only to look at the cold numbers: the capital workplace is
inherently *competitive*: by virtue of the nature of competition, some will
succeed, and some will fail. There is a premium on being in the upper half.
But no matter how hard you work, half will be in the bottom, and half will
be in the top.
He is talking now of the new jobs, and how much easier they are than the old
steel mill jobs, but the old guy talking about it no doubt bought his home
from the steel mill money.
Yes, AMerica is the best for poor people who want to escape poverty. And it
would be even better for them if those poor people could find or tyes even
steal, a million dollars, But those kinds of windfalls are hard to come by,
but they can, however, low bid for jobs in America, are thereby benefit from
the capital that generates jobs here, even though that capital is here
because we AMericans built this country as one in which capital could be
safe, and the old immigrants can find a retirement. Will, that's great for
them, but what does it do for me?
There is much more to this area, but I must compete, yes, even on a Friday
night, there are API's to learn, etc.
And yes, as a person who hopes to benefit from the future power of medical
science, cutthroat capitalism is best, so I will stand by, though not
without protest, for I am a natural contrarian and sardonic observer.
Whenever I am in a room where everyone is ignoring the pink elephant, I
cannot help but point it out.
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