In article <GEODESIC%92091314490480@UBVM.CC.BUFFALO.EDU> RHYSLING@PHOENIX.BITNET (THE END IS NIE!) writes:
>Thank-You G[C[C[C Murphy...
>
> I, too, would like to see (whatch my spelling) Imperical evidence of
> functioning Capatalism.... I't don't work so hot for me...
>
> And what is all this buisness with seperating Comunism and Democracey?
> I would pay money for a ticket on a boat like that, given a life
> preserver.
I am a strong believer in capatalism, it has worked fine with me (no I am not
rich, but I am comfortable). I get a great deal of pleasure out of doing a
job well, working hard, being usefull to my clients - employers - whatever.
Since I am now "the boss", I have learned to my great regret that there are
few around with the work ethic my partner and I seem to have accidentally
developed. It seems that in most strata, people are interested in mainly
what kind of benefits they can "get" rather than what kind of benefits they
can "earn".
I know people in nearly every profession that share this old fashoned work
ethic, I passed it on to two of my three kids, and it is the kind of ethic
that would stand up well in the "critical path" view of utopia. I would be
working, sharing, ignoring my family for my clients (well, everyone has
*some* problems) and generating ideas to help businesses succeed whether
I earned extra stuff for it or not. I also know many people who consider
mine a stupid, old-fashoned attitude that earns the disrespect it gets from
much of today's work culture.
The part of Critical Path that bugs me is that when I see people willing to
let others support them without *any* desire to participate in activities
beneficial to society -- in fact some are even willing to *hurt* society and
still feel they have earned a welcome place in it -- I get upset. These people
do exist. They are just a portion of the current "welfare" society. Many
in that system seek and desire employment. Many are unable to work due to
physical or medical reasons. These latter catagories do not bother me.
I have known mothers on welfare who starve their kids, use the ADC money up
on clothes and booze to attract more men. I have seen fathers rescue these kids from the situation - providing food, clothing, love and then well meaning social workers find the child and put them back in the mother's care. I have seen
at least 3 situations like this out of 10 or 12 welefare situations I know about.
I just feel that the world needs to have some kind of a reward and punishment system so that behaviors that benefit society will be encouraged. Critical Path
did not seem to have a system for this. If everyone was as community consious as Fuller, and the members of the internet community, and others wanting to take
a helpfull roll in the improvement of the world, there would be plenty of
everything for all. How would other readers of this topic - and readers of Critical Path, deal with these problems.
