From: Chen Yixiong, Eric (cyixiong@yahoo.com)
Date: Sat Aug 11 2001 - 21:42:24 MDT
In reply to: Phil Osborn: "Theory of Reparations"
<< << Phil - But if we had the opportunity to directly invest in individuals worldwide, through financial mechanisms such as Massachussetts Trusts, then a vast network of information resources and companies would quickly emerge on the net to serve that investment option, looking for the individuals most likely to be good investments - the kid in Africa or Laos with a high IQ, a positive attitude, and a good family, but no money for education, or the small businessman or woman who has all the skills and willingness to work, but lacks the capital. >> >>
<< This idea does not seem very new to me: I thought of it 2 years ago in an educational context, and recently made a demo of it as a student project. (http://homex.coolconnect.com/user/ericchen/LIS/) >>
Well, I tried. Did you know that your site is almost impossible to reach. The alleged picture on the page above never showed up at all, was still loading after twenty minutes, with a T1 line. So I clicked on the underlined text, and that page also never finished loading, even after 20 minutes. Anyway, good to know that someone else is thinking positively, that not everyone has Molloy's mentality. I've had this idea for a couple decades.
<< If you have a million dollars, then you can implement it. If anyone really implemented it, then I would love to join it. This could also provide a model for educational system in the Sociologistics Project. >>
The major problem is not money, but getting it right. This is a project that one person could start on a shoestring. But, the hard part is coming up with a concensus on what a real social contract should include. Those who are socialistically or altruistically oriented may want to throw in all sorts of conditions that more ruggedly individualistic types would find abhorent. Once that camel gets its nose in, then every religious nut follows. I envision a very limited contract that spells out a set of rules by which disputes are to be resolved - essentially a commercial document.
But, a lot of businesses will really want something like the Uniform Commercial Code to clarify common business relationships in advance. This can be a separate agreement, of course, but it still has to be compatible with the basic contract.
<< The collective solutions to these problems are often worse than the problem, sucking good money from taxpayers or contributors and ending up giving it to dictators who use it to make matters worse, which gets them more money. The micro-loans program, which has brought the critical assessment information down to the local level, on the other hand, has been very successful. >>
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