tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post381112398761476665..comments2023-08-06T02:22:31.490-06:00Comments on clarity2009: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needRelax Maxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-34333342463026311222009-08-06T21:16:07.909-06:002009-08-06T21:16:07.909-06:00I never said that people shouldn't have more t...I never said that people shouldn't have more than they need - just that everyone should have what they need first. You extrapolated.<br /><br />I don't expect you to agree with me.Stephanie Barrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17772217449161603561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-30233057096283183262009-08-06T21:14:37.379-06:002009-08-06T21:14:37.379-06:00Well, poo, my long comment was eaten.
Yes, Shakes...Well, poo, my long comment was eaten.<br /><br />Yes, Shakespeare, who was teaching only at the college level (she was getting her Ph.D.).<br /><br />See, I think of Kansas and surrounds as "midwest" but midwest includes the Great Lakes as well. I'd have been better to specify "Bible Belt" which means it includes the backward states of OK and Texas, too.<br /><br />And evolution is part of biology since it's in action right now (not just our origins but how species change over time - just as they are now). It's scientifically demonstrable and belongs in a science class.Stephanie Barrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17772217449161603561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-75158178074825172212009-08-06T19:38:51.268-06:002009-08-06T19:38:51.268-06:00@Caroline - So true. But thank you anyway. I think...@Caroline - So true. But thank you anyway. I think.Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-62447889113907812752009-08-06T19:24:33.062-06:002009-08-06T19:24:33.062-06:00No, this is not just a ploy to get out of answerin...No, this is not just a ploy to get out of answering your comments.Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-84787296502949260762009-08-06T19:23:59.283-06:002009-08-06T19:23:59.283-06:00That would be Shakespeare? In Kansas?
Stephanie B...That would be Shakespeare? In Kansas?<br /><br />Stephanie B, I have come to a decision not to be arrogant with you any more. Sorry. I will accept that our thinking is simply incompatible on many points, and try to find common ground.<br /><br />Honest.Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-90065716557707380102009-08-06T17:16:46.922-06:002009-08-06T17:16:46.922-06:00Stephanie B, I don't know about the rural scho...Stephanie B, I don't know about the rural schools in western mountain states. If they are like the state I live in, then the resources are stretched pretty thin with the low populations and the distances between towns. I don't know about Oklahoma either, although it seems it should be better. I was defending the Midwest, where population is sufficient and towns are close together. VERY good schools. I'm guessing MD was too. You were an Army brat? That's a lot of schools. Or maybe another reason. Like nobody wanted you. Kidding. :) Kansas, I don't know. My older sister and family lived there once, though she was no longer teaching. I got the impression of flat land, endless cornfields, and quiet desperation from the schoolkids. Can't prove that. No political dogma? Of course you did. Kids absorb without really thinking about it. But I doubt if it sticks - kids don't really care about politics. I think you are xxxx xx xxxx quite mistaken about creationism being taught in the Midwest. If you don't mind my opinion. They are not backward at all. Your stereotyping is resented. Please write that down. :) I have never seen the reason to teach anything that nobody really can prove one way or the other. The biology books are just fine without throwing in theory. Any theory. I don't know how we got here and you don't either. Or perhaps you do. :)<br /><br />I choose to eschew both. As well as big government.Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-83534968303630447652009-08-06T16:10:50.620-06:002009-08-06T16:10:50.620-06:00I love your long comments by the way, but as you k...I love your long comments by the way, but as you know, I also love to tease puppies.Carolinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08726024712032035713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-53939013345883239782009-08-06T15:23:05.719-06:002009-08-06T15:23:05.719-06:00Caroline, I think you are right. I had intentions ...Caroline, I think you are right. I had intentions to be briefer in both posts and comments. I am having trouble living up to that. I guess I will just have to learn to let things go. I'm glad you are being patient. More or less. I will try harder to put my book writing in books. :)Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-15443554064235369692009-08-06T11:15:50.433-06:002009-08-06T11:15:50.433-06:00To be honest, I've never been to school in Por...To be honest, I've never been to school in Portland, Michigan, or the Hamptons. However, I have been to school in rural OK, rural and urban MD, in urban and rural WA (desert side), rural and urban UT, and urban NV. The caliber and quality of the different educational opportunities between those different locale were so significant, well, it boggles the mind.<br /><br />I might also add that I never learned any political dogma at any of those schools, at least not that I can recall. I do feel that a school system that eschews evolution for creative creationism (or whatever they call it these days) gets a black mark and that was (and perhaps still is true) of many schools in the midwest.<br /><br />My sister used to teach in Kansas.Stephanie Barrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17772217449161603561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-51095154044829890352009-08-06T08:54:43.670-06:002009-08-06T08:54:43.670-06:00Max... are you making up for your short(er) blogs ...Max... are you making up for your short(er) blogs with long(er) comments?<br /><br />Just wondering :)Carolinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08726024712032035713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-89945884296042980762009-08-06T07:58:54.009-06:002009-08-06T07:58:54.009-06:00@Stephanie B - Well, you did say it. But it was in...@Stephanie B - Well, you did say it. But it was in a comment on another post, so I suppose it shouldn't be allowed as evidence. As I recall, what you said was that if a person made $17K a year, that was ok, but if he took in $370M a year that would be outrageous (by your personal standards) and therefore the extra part should be fair game for the rest of us to feed upon. Or something like that.<br /><br />As for education, I realize my remark was influenced by my (probably arrogant) attitude that the NW Seaboard from Seattle down to below San Francisco is inhabited by a special breed of unusual people, and I shouldn't have inferred that because although I do think that colors the type of education their children get, my main intent was to defend rural Michigan (or Ohio or Iowa or you name it) schools, because those schools are and have always been the very best our nation has to offer, both in beautiful campuses and up-to-date facilities, and in the very best and brightest teachers who just don't want to live or teach in cities. So I DO apologize for the Portland inference. Sometimes I can't stop myself and I look foolish. Not often.<br /><br />And I will hear about it from other quarters, so no need to pile on just yet. :)Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-16452027454343974682009-08-06T05:53:42.306-06:002009-08-06T05:53:42.306-06:00"You just believe that everyone should get wh..."You just believe that everyone should get what they need and not have more than they need." Do I? Where did I say so? Interesting notion because I don't think I think or said that.<br /><br />It isn't just the liberal parts of the country that get a limited education. I went to ten different schools in eight states growing up.<br /><br />And I think you're wrong on your points. I will concede that big government may not be the way to do it. But state government hasn't impressed me either.Stephanie Barrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17772217449161603561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-56535551287631582732009-08-05T21:45:33.475-06:002009-08-05T21:45:33.475-06:00@Ettarose - Hi, Ettarose. :)
@Stephanie B - It ne...@Ettarose - Hi, Ettarose. :)<br /><br />@Stephanie B - It never occurred to me that you might be a communist. None of my business anyway. You just believe that everyone should get what they need and not have more than they need. And the government is the one to enforce it.<br /><br /> I even respect your opinion that the 10th amendment is a bad idea, although I don't agree with you.<br /><br />You SHOULD be made aware that rural Michigan students get a HELL of a lot better education than students in Portland city schools. At least they are given all sides of an issue to think about and not brainwashed into one philosophy. So that much is coming to pass. We still have the rest to work on though.<br /><br />Big government is not the answer. And uniformity doesn't guarantee much but mediocrity - everyone is the same and get the same. That is always our main point of disagreement. But we have one thing in common, and that is I also want to have a safety net for those who are not making it.Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-87480029647654443612009-08-05T21:27:16.304-06:002009-08-05T21:27:16.304-06:00@Descartes - I remember one time we were discussin...@Descartes - I remember one time we were discussing alternative history. What might have happened if so and so had happened differently. How might our lives be different.<br /><br />When I think of that, one of the things I immediately think of is "What if JFK hadn't been assassinated?" And the reason I think that is not so much what he may have been able to accomplish, but that if he had lived JBJ would never have become president. We owe that to Lee Harvey Oswald too.<br /><br />When you ask the question of who was the worst president in history, many people automatically assume Jimmy Carter. Those people don't remember LBJ.<br /><br />I can't wait to hear about the greatness of the voting rights act. Let 'er rip.Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-86964600180880084042009-08-05T05:42:43.850-06:002009-08-05T05:42:43.850-06:00Relax Max, did you assume I was a communist? I...Relax Max, did you assume I was a communist? I'm not. Communistic concepts can work on a very small scale - see a number of primitive cultures that have pulled off effective communism, but generally not in a group larger than fifty or so - communes as it were.<br /><br />But I think the system is worthless on a large scale because they are completely dependent on a total benevolent government without providing the means to make it. No balance=failure.<br /><br />No system that must sacrifice the truth to "succeed" gets points from me.<br /><br />I don't want total socialism; I agree a mix is best. I suspect the difference isn't that we don't think a mix is best; it's that we won't agree on the proportions.<br /><br />I think, in this world of communication and international commerce, that state governments having as much power as they used to have (and the agrarian model that is almost entirely invalid today, was a big part of that - as valid as apply communism on a large scale in my opinion) has outlived its usefulness. <br /><br />I want people to be treated reasonably and humanely, that the government should be part of the process to make sure that happens - but, if I think that, that process should not vary from state to state, from location to location. I should get as good an education in rural Michigan as I do in Portland Oregon, and vice versa, for example. That is why I tend to favor federal control over local control. And, yeah, I include health care in that.<br /><br />In my opinion.Stephanie Barrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17772217449161603561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-78827885239554142752009-08-04T21:31:05.270-06:002009-08-04T21:31:05.270-06:00There are entirely too many ism's for anyone. ...There are entirely too many ism's for anyone. How about lazyism, greedism, povertyism, I know I don't make much sense but then what does? What country is run the best way for the people? Is there one? I don't think there is. China in my mind has a long way to go to make a perfect country, especially to the female's and anyone else who disagrees. Why don't I just end this by saying, Hi Tom!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13178737973585191754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-91000472757801370322009-08-04T20:24:35.957-06:002009-08-04T20:24:35.957-06:00Teahouse of The August Moon is one of my favorite ...Teahouse of The August Moon is one of my favorite films, despite the fact that Marlon Brando didn't quite make the cut as a Japanese peasant. It's the story of how Communism saves the day-one for all and all for everyone.<br /><br />I tend to think that the trouble with the world is that we have a few billion too many people running around. But then, I have no interest in standing at the head of the line to correct the problem.<br /><br />I have never liked the idea that The Government should take of those that can't take care of themselves. I tend to view the Decline of America as starting during the FDR years and really getting a boost during the LBJ years.Descarteshttp://www.ifyouwriteit.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-81421874297841998052009-08-04T19:44:14.390-06:002009-08-04T19:44:14.390-06:00Janet, I think everything you write is intelligent...Janet, I think everything you write is intelligent, regardless of what time it is.Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-70850128986692328552009-08-04T19:40:11.129-06:002009-08-04T19:40:11.129-06:00It was 8 am when I read it. For me that's earl...It was 8 am when I read it. For me that's early. I'm not intelligent until after 10.Janethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02190489990653412687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-41300926148412772442009-08-04T18:35:26.630-06:002009-08-04T18:35:26.630-06:00I guess some of the hippies of the late 1960s trie...I guess some of the hippies of the late 1960s tried communism. But when they got fed up they just wandered off the commune. They needed a dictator.<br /><br />Israel tried it without a dictator. But it sort of fizzled when the wide-eyed jewish American love children stopped thinking it was cool to work in the dirt. So. Kibbitz? Is that what they called the communes in Israel? No, "Kibbutz". Heh.Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-81654187286556515582009-08-04T18:24:58.161-06:002009-08-04T18:24:58.161-06:00@Stephanie B - Why am I not surprised?
People, pe...@Stephanie B - Why am I not surprised?<br /><br />People, people, people. Can't we just all get along?<br /><br />(Is that copyrighted by Rodney King?)Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-70017417514687350242009-08-04T18:22:46.113-06:002009-08-04T18:22:46.113-06:00@Canucklehead - "Save it from itself"???...@Canucklehead - "Save it from itself"?????<br /><br />Maybe. But I can't see how lumbering drunkenly down a path littered with socialistic bear traps is going to "save" us. But I'm always aware I may be wrong. I respect your thoughts. (Another example of what an idiot I am.) :) :)<br /><br />@Caroline. Sigh. CarolineCarolineCaroline.<br /><br />Sigh.<br /><br />:)<br /><br />You, I will listen to. So you better be right.Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-15801702931322157402009-08-04T18:15:25.991-06:002009-08-04T18:15:25.991-06:00And I'm not sure where this is going, actually...And I'm not sure where this is going, actually. I just have an uneasy feeling we may not be on the right road anymore. Or maybe we have just changed our destination. That happens, as generations pass.Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-71588661825130201762009-08-04T18:12:04.692-06:002009-08-04T18:12:04.692-06:00@A. - Motivation. Incentive. Yes. It is hard to gi...@A. - Motivation. Incentive. Yes. It is hard to give your all and work your best when your only reward is knowing someone who is not really working is being fed by your labor. That gets old quickly. But if everyone does just a LITTlE bit of that free labor, then the poor get taken care of.<br /><br />@Janet - It's not early. :)<br /><br />@Stephanie B - Wow. That was pretty thoughtful.<br /><br />Of course I disagree with you that distribution of wealth needs to be "reasonable" or "fair" by your definition. Or by the government's definition. (Unless you live in communist state. Then of course you are right.) To me, "fair" means what you've earned. Sorry. And I DAMN sure don't believe in REdistribution of wealth. But you knew that about me, I'll bet. :)<br /><br />I hasten to add that everyone deserves the necessities of life, and we should all contribute to making that come about. Government, I suppose, is useful in MAKING us do that. It probably wouldn't get done voluntarily.<br /><br />Of course pure capitalism isn't the answer. What a thought! ::shudder:: I will admit a teaspoon of socialism is needed. Not 10 gallons, though<br /><br />I also think totalitarianism is necessary for communism to work even a little bit. That's why there is always a dictator. People won't live under that system very long unless forced to do so. That's my point. Take away the dictator and the people run for freedom. I mean, if the old system was communism. I've never seen communism tried without a totalitarian government, and I don't believe it will ever happen.<br /><br />That sort of is my whole point here, Stephanie B, that it is simply not the "nature" of our species to be constantly under the yoke of government and always suppress our individualism. Of course, having a national health care program is hardly the same as "being under the yoke of government".<br /><br />What is it you REALLY believe? That big government is the ultimate answer? Do you know? You are arguing both sides of the question here, in case you haven't noticed. That is shockingly close to MY belief that a little of both is needed, so watch out. :) :)Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4148507369837201034.post-9385161961588276582009-08-04T16:06:42.092-06:002009-08-04T16:06:42.092-06:00Well, I am a believer in the right amount of socia...Well, I am a believer in the right amount of socialism, as I have said before. I don't believe we should just let the poor roll over and die, for goodness sake. But I think the danger of too much socialism is that you end up like a little worker bee with no soul or hopes or dreams.<br /><br />I believe rewarding excellence produces more excellence. So I am against communism. I believe in equal opportunity, but reward in proportion to ones actual value. Maybe values is the wrong word. So we will differ there, I'm sure. More on that in future posts.Relax Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01051381168322495999noreply@blogger.com