[geeks] Well, crap ...

[Sandwich Maker]

" From: Phil Stracchino <phil.stracchino at speakeasy.net>
" 
" Sheldon T. Hall wrote:
" > Quoth Lionel Peterson ...
" >>> From: "Kevin R. Marshall" <kevin at mpcf.com>
" >>> If everyone made large amounts of money, it would have no 
" >>> value.  So much for Utopia...
" >> I said COULD, not would - I want everyone to have the ability 
" >> to make a lot 
" >> of money, but I agree, if everyone did, it would be 
" >> worthless... (I thought of that after I hit send)
" > 
" > Actually, compared to 40 or 50 years ago, everyone _does_ make a lot of
" > money.  At least they earn and posess a lot of units of currency, albeit
" > currency that is worth about 10% of what it was worth back then.  That's in
" > the USA; it's worse in some other places.

i'm reminded of the classic sf short story wherein terminally ill
prople would give their fortunes to a cryonics co.  in return they'd
be thawed out when they could be cured, and given $1M to start them on
their new lives.

our hero wakes up, and it's so far in the future the loopy 'doctor'
had to learn 'old english' to speak to him, and he learns he wasn't
awakened as soon as he could be cured because of the population
problem.  but the real shocker is after they send him on his way with
the wad of $$$.  he steps into the street and sees a sign in a cafe -
'coffee - $10000'...

" Really, the problem is in large part the establishment of an economy
" based on the idea that you aren't well off unless someone else nearby
" (but not TOO near, don't want Those People lowering the property value)
" is worse off than you.  The idea of *everyone* having Enough Stuff is
" anathema to the status-conscious.  Without a class of people to point to
" and say, "See, we're better than Those People", they don't feel secure.
"  Which is silly in many ways ...  if I buy a Ferrari F40 tomorrow, and
" the next day you go out and buy a Bugatti Veyron, does my Ferrari
" suddenly lose 50mph off its top speed?  Does an 8000ft^2 McMansion
" suddenly become smaller because someone else builds another 8000ft^2
" McMansion down the road?

marketeering.  the consumer society.  capitalist imperialists...

economic:	you're rich if you have more than you need
psychological:	you're rich if you have more than you want

i think the psych is the basis of hindu philosophy - eg. in a
-really-poor- country you can't do much about what you have, so the
only way to become rich is to reduce what you want.

in this country, there's a very well capitalized industry based on
playing the psych angle the other way.
________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Hay                                  the genius nature
internet rambler                            is to see what all have seen
adh at an.bradford.ma.us                       and think what none thought