Were we to use more than 1% of my claim checks on ourselves, neither our happiness nor our well-being would be enhanced. The reaction of my family and me to our extraordinary good fortune is not guilt, but rather gratitude. In short, fates distribution of long straws is wildly capricious. Ive worked in an economy that rewards someone who saves the lives of others on a battlefield with a medal, rewards a great teacher with thank-you notes from parents, but rewards those who can detect the mispricing of securities with sums reaching into the billions. My being male and white also removed huge obstacles that a majority of Americans then faced.) My luck was accentuated by my living in a market system that sometimes produces distorted results, though overall it serves our country well. (For starters, the odds against my 1930 birth taking place in the U.S. Both my children and I won what I call the ovarian lottery. My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest. The asset I most value, aside from health, is interesting, diverse, and long-standing friends. Too often, a vast collection of possessions ends up possessing its owner. I like having an expensive private plane, but owning a half-dozen homes would be a burden. Some material things make my life more enjoyable many, however, would not. Hitler used the same attitude to persuade the Germans to subjugate themselves to the "Fatherland." Michael J. Fast food establishments should be torn down and replaced with bars that serve carrot juice and alfalfa sprouts, since - "it's in your best interest." This paternalistic attitude that "the government knows best" and that you are merely a helpless child is insulting and reprehensible. Drinking alcohol may or may not have negative side effects, but even if it does, the government has no authority to prohibit you from consuming it, even if it is "in your own best interest." Since when do we let the government decide what is or isn't good for us? What the hell does Congress know about nutrition, anyway? (For that matter, what does Congress know about the Constitution?) If the government can use force whenever something is "in our best interest" then government should force everyone to wake up at 6am every morning for calisthenics in the front yard. Cigarettes may not be healthy for me in the long run, but I have the freedom to smoke them anyway. If I own a pile of wood, I can set fire to it even if it is currently nailed together in the shape of a barn. I have the right to do whatever I wish with my property.
0 kommentar(er)
