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Gary
Social climber
From A Buick 6
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It is our choice how we think about ourselves.
Very true. I was never happier than as a barefoot hillbilly kid running around the bottoms of southern Indiana. All I needed to be as rich as Croesus was a good dog.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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I have NO thing
And Nothing,
Magic sustains
four of us from day to day
no plan no travel
Why do I climb?
because I still can
and so
in the case of small rocks,
if they had any value ,
In small rocks and the knowledge of how they lay
and where they are
I am very wealth ,
Some say publish throw up your lines on the rocks,
If i monetize them
my wealth will begone and the pennies that I put in my pocket
would only last till i spent it on trying to find more rock
on my own
for myself
again
and
again,
Rinse and repeat.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Any one of us is poor and wealthy at the same time, depending on what you are comparing yourself to, right?
I would state it slightly differently, Moose. It depends on your standard of measure. I'm not big on measuring what I have compared with that of others. I grew up in a family significantly less financially wealthy than almost everyone else I went to school with. We lived in a lower-income outskirt of a high-income area of town. While I knew I didn't have the money to do what most of my friends and classmates could do, I never felt particularly deprived.
My story sounds somewhat like madbolter1's in that regard. But I knew I was rich in home life. My father worked twelve hour days six days a week, but he spent his spare time with us, not at the golf course or tennis courts. He and my mother loved to read, and enjoyed working puzzles, and making music. I know he struggled to pay for piano lessons (because my teacher had to remind me to remind him to pay her rather too often), and we couldn't afford expensive trips or toys, but that led to its own reward.
In particular, the only vacation we took was a couple of weeks of camping in Yosemite in August. From that grew my love of the mountains, my exposure to climbing, and, now 48 years of one of life's great joys.
I agree with Gary, though, that empathy for those less materially fortunate is a necessary condition for true wealth. To me, though, the key is contentment, and that doesn't depend on what others have that I lack. There's a good reason that one of the Ten Commandments (or in this day and age, the Ten Suggestions?) condemns coveting. Coveting and contentment don't go together well.
John
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Banquo
climber
Amerricka
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Topic Author's Reply - May 5, 2015 - 03:13pm PT
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I am wealthy because I have brass balls for protection while climbing.
One regular set and one offset set.
Are you looking at my balls?
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Gary
Social climber
From A Buick 6
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To me, though, the key is contentment, and that doesn't depend on what others have that I lack.
Worth repeating.
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madbolter1
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
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Are you looking at my balls?
Now that is a funny picture. Well done!
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Right you are, Moose!
John
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yanqui
climber
Balcarce, Argentina
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In the face of decades of liberalism
I sure hope you're talking about Norway, Sweden, Finland or Denmark and not the US. Because if you think Ronald Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton and Dubya represent "decades of liberalism" we mean something entirely different when we say this word. Even a new wave Democrat like Obama has moved so far away from classical American liberalism that he makes an old school progressive conservative like Eisenhower look like a true blue Socialist.
As far as I understand the term, "decades of liberalism" could possibley refer to the consecutive presidencies of FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, JFK and LBJ, but classical American liberalism, or at least it's political manifestation in national politics, pretty much died after that (although, Noam Chomsky, a person who's political/economic ideas don't generally seem very interesting to me, did make the interesting comment that Nixon was the last progressive American president).
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two-shoes
Trad climber
Auberry, CA
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yanqui, I hear you!
We used to call Clinton a Republicrat.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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yanqui, nice post. Chomsky is an idiot, he should have stuck to linguistics
and left economics and politics to the adults.
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madbolter1
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
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Even a new wave Democrat like Obama has moved so far away from classical American liberalism that he makes an old school progressive conservative like Eisenhower look like a true blue Socialist.
You can say that with a straight face, given Obumblecare?
Seriously?
The fact that people like you can see OBAMA as "centrist" just makes my point in spades!
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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It's strange how climbers seem to have no problem tackling the challenges and risks of climbing, yet many seem to think doing the same in regard to economic challenges is impossible. It seems we are a country rich in excuses, but poor in work ethic. If you have the ability to work a route or boulder problem and improve your skills and ability, the same approach can be applied to whatever field or fields you work in. Also worth noting is don't be surprised if you pop off a few times on the journey.
I'll give an example to counter Mad Bolters student. The wife of one of my good friends is black, grew up in a poor caribean country and is now a multi millionaire. She worked many long and hard years in assisted living homes, gained her certifications, bought and started to run her own assisted living home and I think they are now up to about a half dozen homes. I'm sure she's encountered plenty of racism and sexism not to mention the challenges of her clients and essentially being on call 24/7.
I see the biggest problem in this country is so many people that started out middle class and are afraid to risk that comfort level by themselves in the position of the potential to fall.
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madbolter1
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
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I totally agree, Paul, and I don't take your example as a "counter" to my example. In fact, I've said that (the many) examples like yours are the proof that the "poor" are not "locked by conditions" into their poverty. In this country, the common denominator of not getting out of the hole is character. In this country, regardless of "starting point," it is possible to move up. There's no guarantee of success in any venture. But neither is this country set up to guarantee (or virtually so) that entire races, classes, etc. are kept down.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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I love ST, where else can you get such pearls of wisdom from savants who have only worn the shoes of the priviledged class.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Amen, Paul. The current left relies on victimhood to justify its exitence. If people extricate themselves from victimhood, the left would be out of a job -- and the left wants to stay employed.
It's therefore not surprising that leftist economic proposals have the effect of perpetuating victimhood. After all, if people learn that they already have the power to escape the economic traps the left alleges to exist, they wouldn't need the left anymore.
In my less-than-humble opinion, the leaders of the left have much to answer for in the worsening state of the people they purport to champion.
John
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yanqui
climber
Balcarce, Argentina
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Seriously?
The marginal tax rate for the wealthiest when Eisenhower was president was over 90% and the corporate tax rate was around 50%, numbers that were publically defended and justified by Eiesnhower. Eisenhower used taxes to expand Social Security and unemployment benefits, improve benefits and retirement programs for Federal employees, increase Federal aid for medical care of the needy, expand Federal aid for the construction of hospitals, start the largest public works project in US history, and begin a peaceful space program. On the home front he raised the Federal minimum wage, expanded workmen's compensation and retirement benefits as well as lobbying for legislation to "more effectively protect the rights of labor unions" and to "assure equal pay for equal work regardless of sex." Eisenhower promoted and expanded antidiscriminitation policy as well as recommending to Congress "the submission of a constitutional amendment providing equal rights for men and women."
In a letter to his brother in 1954 Eisenhower wrote: "Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are...a few...Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."
And you come back to me with Obamacare? All I can say is:
Seriously?
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Gary
Social climber
From A Buick 6
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...the leaders of the left...
What left would that be? Romneycare, which guarantees profits for private insurance companies by mandating everyone purchase private insurance is considered "Marxist" in this country.
There is no "left" in America anymore. There is far right and right of center, that's it.
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madbolter1
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
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And you come back to me with Obamacare?
That's a question?
Look, Obumblecare is the biggest expansion of federal socialism in our lifetimes. It's akin to the creation of Social Security, which has taken decades to be recognized as the pyramid scheme it always was.
Your factoids about Eisenhower are largely not even "left". LOL... anti-discrimination legislation is now "left"?
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Gary
Social climber
From A Buick 6
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...the biggest expansion of federal socialism in our lifetimes...
Lining the pockets of capitalists is socialism. I see now.
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