A Child's Garden of Grass????

Yes.... but as history tells us, people rarely confess. Clinton could have done the very same thing..... apologized and everything would have not been so gut wrenching for the country. What a debacle that was....

America has a preference to forgive, but you have to admit it, and not just because you have been cornered. It only works before the trap springs tight.

In short, it's all about the money. Never trust those who stand to profit. They're the bad guys, plain and simple. And every politician stands to profit by making laws that restrict our freedoms, and keep us subserviant to them and their ideals.

Weed really represents everything that they're afraid of. Atleast that's the way I see it.

Oh and serious respect to all you veteran tokers. You guys kick ass.

You don't work for profit?

Hahahaha!!! I suppose you have a valid point there! My labors are a means of survival, not of exploitation, or domination though. That and the occasional favors for friends and family. Man you guys are sharp!

The vast majority of the time, ppl who reap big rewards, take the big risks.

Risk must always be rewarded,else innovation becomes a rarity. Bad risk taking resulting in failure must be allowed to unfold without bailouts. How else do we learn?

Very true. And I do agree. I think that I heard it best when a former coach/ econ teacher compared the stock market to "legalized gambling".

However, my main concern is for the folks caught in the middle. Usually, there is a fair amount of backlash from both, either the successful gaining way too much privallage and influence in the area, or the unsuccessful risking it all to try and amount to something and failing.

So what do we do?

There are always ppl caught in the middle. what is truly needed is a serious attempt to make sure that by the time anyone graduates from high school, someone has actually taught them economics. Not how to balance a checkbook kind of economics, but how the business world of which they are about to enter.... truly works.

Ppl caught in the lurch in the last real estate govt induced debacle, either did not read the contracts they were signing or simply ignored what it said, or plain didn't understand what they were signing.

The answer to that scenario is to NOT sign that contract.

I went in to borrow against all my land equities at the top of the bubble. I saw it coming.... so while ppl were out there signing balloon contracts on over valued land, when the horizon was full of red, I borrowed at an extremely low rate and invested it all into upward economic vehicles. Never hold equity in a falling market.

I negotiated that loan as well. All things are negotiable. Through cagey maneuvering i got that bank to slide a 1/2 point off my interest. The banks were in that kind of mood. But you have to perceive it first to take advantage of it.

I took a risk.... an informed calculated risk.... and I was richly rewarded. My neighbor has lost 1/2 his investment in the last 3 years. I have tripled mine, although to look at the two properties, you would never know it.

Education is the key.

Education absolutely needs to be improved. Enough can't be said about that so I'll not waste my time on it.

But my "socialistic" views on capital and government, come directly from my own expirences. To me, poverty in one way or another represents all that is wrong in the world today and in my mind, there's no problem that can't be fixed by getting rid of poverty. Well, even if I'm wrong, it's still food for thought eh?

That's a nice feel good way to look at the world but not truly realistic. But a common one, and for good reason. Ppl like to feel that way, it's understandable.

If the world woke up one day and adopted the US Constitution and capitalist methodologies and rule of law, you would see such an improvement in the world.... you would literally burst into tears of joy.

It is the socialist systems which hold ppl back. The USA going socialist is only going to dim the light for all. It's all about to get a bit darker in the world..... mark my words.

Well that's cool, in a half a page the conversation is now on politics, corrupt presidents, and fucking Nixon. Just because someone posted a picture... god damn is it possible for people to NOT say anything if just ONE WORD about politics, religion, or race comes out?

Quit smoking yourselves retarded and stay on point about the old days!

Damn old people with your fuckin' Alzheimer's hahahahahahaha

Benassi said:

Well that's cool, in a half a page the conversation is now on politics, corrupt presidents, and fucking Nixon. Just because someone posted a picture... god damn is it possible for people to NOT say anything if just ONE WORD about politics, religion, or race comes out?

Quit smoking yourselves retarded and stay on point about the old days!

Click to expand...

Practice what you preach. No one forced you to look at this, or post your comments to a conversation you weren't even a part of. If you don't like it, then keep out of it. You don't have to be involved, and you definatley don't have to say anything. Just because you disagree doesn't mean you have to act like an ass. Just leave us be and we'll return the favor. I don't come into your threads and act like a fucking moron, so don't come into mine and do it. It's just that simple.

CrackerJax said:

That's a nice feel good way to look at the world but not truly realistic. But a common one, and for good reason. Ppl like to feel that way, it's understandable.

If the world woke up one day and adopted the US Constitution and capitalist methodologies and rule of law, you would see such an improvement in the world.... you would literally burst into tears of joy.

It is the socialist systems which hold ppl back. The USA going socialist is only going to dim the light for all. It's all about to get a bit darker in the world..... mark my words.

Click to expand...

I respectfully disagree. All this counrty has known is capitalism. And as history will show us, government has gotten bigger, and our rights have gotten trampled in the process. Meanwhile corporations have bought government offices and keep us all slaves to the dollar.

But the world is going to get a lot crappier before it gets better.

You have not known truly free markets. You HAVE had "some" form of Capitalism.

It's quite simple...

Capitalism follows human nature much better than any other system. People typically think of themselves first (self preservation). It then radiates out to Family, extended family, friends, town,state,country,globe. But the person in the center is the individual person.

Human nature also dictates that like Pavlov's dogs, humans like to be rewarded and will follow patterns which lead to rewards. In today's world that can lead to many things... love, money, respect, partying (woohoo!).
In economics however, it is accumulating wealth. Some ppl are satisfied with not much wealth, others want much much more.
But typically wealth just doesn't descend down upon you like raindrops in a spring shower. You sometimes have to take risks and work very hard to build an opportunity to get your reward. If you succeed, you should be rewarded. If you fail, you must learn your lesson and reset.

Capitalism is the best vehicle for allowing the MOST ppl to have access to taking risks (informed or uninformed) for receiving that reward.

Socialism does not. Communism, it is practically non existent. Certianly, not within the individuals control.
That's the last point. People like to feel as if they have control over their lives. Capitalism again for the very same reasons gives the MOST people control. Most ppl who don't control their lives in the USA have given up that control on their own. No one has taken it from them.
Socialism/Communism don't work with those parameters. The entire premise is that the State can do better than the individual. Never forget that Europe never had a flourishing democracy in their history. They visit us, but that's as close as they can get to it. They have gone from Old World Monarchy to cataclysmic wars, to Socialized Democracies.

When people have control and are allowed access to markets so they can apply their trade and get their reward, they are made happy. Happy people are a productive people. This is one of the reasons why the USA consistently outperforms other nations. And so, in that reward system which is very accessible, ppl are made happy and productive. They can take care of themselves, their family, friends, town, state, country.

Des it work that way always? No.....

That's because this entire process involves humans with all of their quirks, foibles, and faults. it's an imperfect world. We are imperfect beings. Capitalism is imperfect.

But it's a hell of a lot better than any other system. by far.

Don't ya just hate it when soneone joins a thread at the end, and never ever read the begiinning of the thread or the first post?


I have a new thread, a Tutorial, on Bubbleponic growing in a closet, and this weekend, I was asked about smoking males and growing indoors in soil in my DIY Tutorial on Bubbleponics.. Niether person had even read the thread, they just wanted to ask unrelated questions.

Hating doesn't get you anywhere. Tolerance is the key...

CrackerJax said:

You have not known truly free markets. You HAVE had "some" form of Capitalism.

It's quite simple...

Capitalism follows human nature much better than any other system. People typically think of themselves first (self preservation). It then radiates out to Family, extended family, friends, town,state,country,globe. But the person in the center is the individual person.

Human nature also dictates that like Pavlov's dogs, humans like to be rewarded and will follow patterns which lead to rewards. In today's world that can lead to many things... love, money, respect, partying (woohoo!).
In economics however, it is accumulating wealth. Some ppl are satisfied with not much wealth, others want much much more.
But typically wealth just doesn't descend down upon you like raindrops in a spring shower. You sometimes have to take risks and work very hard to build an opportunity to get your reward. If you succeed, you should be rewarded. If you fail, you must learn your lesson and reset.

Capitalism is the best vehicle for allowing the MOST ppl to have access to taking risks (informed or uninformed) for receiving that reward.

Socialism does not. Communism, it is practically non existent. Certianly, not within the individuals control.
That's the last point. People like to feel as if they have control over their lives. Capitalism again for the very same reasons gives the MOST people control. Most ppl who don't control their lives in the USA have given up that control on their own. No one has taken it from them.
Socialism/Communism don't work with those parameters. The entire premise is that the State can do better than the individual. Never forget that Europe never had a flourishing democracy in their history. They visit us, but that's as close as they can get to it. They have gone from Old World Monarchy to cataclysmic wars, to Socialized Democracies.

When people have control and are allowed access to markets so they can apply their trade and get their reward, they are made happy. Happy people are a productive people. This is one of the reasons why the USA consistently outperforms other nations. And so, in that reward system which is very accessible, ppl are made happy and productive. They can take care of themselves, their family, friends, town, state, country.

Des it work that way always? No.....

That's because this entire process involves humans with all of their quirks, foibles, and faults. it's an imperfect world. We are imperfect beings. Capitalism is imperfect.

But it's a hell of a lot better than any other system. by far.

Click to expand...

That's a very well thought out statement. Kudos.



And since I was a psych major, (before dropping out), I have to say nice use of Pavlov's dog in your analogy.

Let me start of by saying that you are correct about any government or economic system being flawed because people are flawed. I do agree with you there.

However, I have to disagree with you in that self preservation is human nature. I would argue that this is a gross simplification of human behavior. I mean, look at firefighters. Self preservation says not to run into a flamming buliding no matter what. Yet they do to save others, who odds are, complete strangers. If these people can overcome the basic instinct of self preservation, as well as those who preform similar selfless actions, then why can we not have a system that does the same?

And as far as people having control in their lives under a socialist system, would doctors still not be doctors, would lawyers still not be lawyers, etc? People would be free to choose their own professions. Not similiar to a stalinistic regime.

In a Capitalist system, the only thigs that are held as valuable, are things that are marketable. The price of something is only designated by how much someone is willing to pay. With this system in place, many things have been neglected in our society. Music and art are not marketable, business degress are looked upon with more loving eyes then the two afore mentioned career fields. Music and art of yesteryear have gone with the way of the hippie. All new music that is churned out today is made due to it's marketability. No look is given to artistic quality. Capitalism takes away the peaceful things in life that have no marketable value and promotes "competition" or in otherwords, conflict.

The firefighter senario mentioned before shows human nature at it's climax in my opinion. They, among with other civil servants, are the ubermench(Neitchze's superman) of mankind in my eyes. Unfortunatly, these heroes are the exception, not the rule. Corporate greed has manifested itself into the minds of the average citizen. They only live to amass their own wealth. I see this everyday in society. The average joe will not help another person out unless there is some sort of monetary compensation for him.

You occaisionally see the average citizen step up to the plate, but as the old saying goes, "It takes a tragedy..."

Food for thought eh?

Firefighters... mm.. okay, but it can be said that it takes a lot of training to put the mindset in place for a firefighter to risk his/her life. This is exactly why we have basic training (think Pavlov again) in our military. We train them by breaking down the individual and rebuild them to follow orders.... even though it may mean their early demise.

It's all in the amount of training...... but self preservation is built into the primary core of who you are. It is what makes species survive in the long run. It takes training to overcome the drive for self preservation.

CrackerJax said:

Firefighters... mm.. okay, but it can be said that it takes a lot of training to put the mindset in place for a firefighter to risk his/her life. This is exactly why we have basic training (think Pavlov again) in our military. We train them by breaking down the individual and rebuild them to follow orders.... even though it may mean their early demise.

It's all in the amount of training...... but self preservation is built into the primary core of who you are. It is what makes species survive in the long run. It takes training to overcome the drive for self preservation.

Click to expand...

A very true statement. Firefighters as well as members of the military do have quite an extensive amount of training. For example, a friend of mine, a Marine, once commented to me about his training and how he was trained to run toward the sound of gun fire, not away from it.

However, there are plenty of regular, everyday people who put themselves in harms way to help others, who they probably don't know, when the situation presents it's self. Let's say hypothetically, that you or I were to be placed in a situation where someone, a complete stranger, is in mortal danger, and probably going to die if no one steps in to help. However getting involved may mean getting killed. What would you do?

Myself, I would go help them. I wouldn't even have to think about it, it would be like an instinct to me. And I can asure you I have had no training for such a thing, military or otherwise. That's just who I am.

Something else to consider, is have I been conditioned to think that way by an outside source, or is that part of my nature? If I have been conditioned, what have I been conditioned by and how? If I haven't, then could my response be based on genetics, or is it rooted in religion or philosophy, ( like my soul or karma),? Is there yet another explaination, or none at all?

Unsubscribed