CE Volume 3

[Proud]

that boy can play a guitar, he must know his politics

[Meursault]

Is there anything that has to do with keeping the rich from getting richer and poor getting poorer?

[Proud]

all poor people choose to be poor, and all rich people choose to be rich. rich people always earn their money through hard work, determination, and talent. poor people lack skills, drive, commitment, and in some cases, sanity.

[stratman19]

Is there anything that has to do with keeping the rich from getting richer and poor getting poorer?

No Shane, there isn't. We live under a capitalist system. Under such a system, there will always be winners and losers. There also exists under such a system, incredible opportunities as well.

[Meursault]

Everything makes sense now!

[Meursault]

But i'm curious, what kind of things are done to ensure that people born into poverty within the United States are given equal oppurtunities as those born in to middle to upper class families?

[Proud]

looks like we agree on something, sir strat.

this isn't a communist or socialist country... people, to one degree or another, have to fend for themselves and have to accomplish things on their own.

HOWEVER, i do believe in social programs to give poor people a chance to improve themselves... some people get born into awful situations, and they deserve a chance to work their way out of them... we've even had presidents from not exactly the wealthiest backgrounds (anyone remember nixon's famous speech?). i'm not exactly from a poor background myself, but certainly lower middle class... i was given some money to go to school last year (not too much this year though, thanks to a certain somebody), and without it, it'd be hell for me to get by. people deserve chances, and chances only. no shoving people into mansion doors, but no shoving them into sewers.

[samplestiltskin]

I just wish someone would give me a job. Don't they know I'd work my ASS off for a chance at any kind of income? Please somebody, let me be your slave for money!

[Proud]

hey, you could always work retail and make next to minimum wage, like i do!

[Rit]

or you could always take drugs to make music to take drugs to...

[Rit]

Meurshane had a good question.

[strat-0]

Meursault said:

Question: Correct me if i'm wrong, but in the constitution isn't something written to the effect that monopolies or big businesses were to be prevented?

Perhaps you're thinking of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, Shane, or many of the others that followed. But the goal of it isn't to thwart big business.

What is the government if not the biggest and most powerful monopoly?

[Rit]

wouldn't banks be the biggest and most powerful monopolies, at least in theory? or am i way off base here?

[rockysigman]

There's nothing specific in the Constitution about monopolies per se, but one of the main purposes (at least in the minds of some of the founders) of adopting our Constitution was to protect minorities (namely political minorities, but the concept could easily be applied to minority groups of all types) against the tyranny of the majority. This is why there are so many aspects to our system of government that are not forms of direct democracy (the electoral college, appointed rather than elected judges, the original method for electing Senators). A whole lot of the Federalist Papers hit on this directly.

Certianly a capitalist system inherently must have winners and losers, but it was a concern of many of the founders (most vocally Madison) that even the losers were not denied their rights or their chances to become winners.

[chrisfan]

Meursault said:

Is there anything that has to do with keeping the rich from getting richer and poor getting poorer?

The whole thing is on line if you just want to read it.