WTF happened to "Ask not what your country can do for you,

[MikeMike]

Honestly, what happened, everyone, i mean EVERYONE is now asking what the country can do for them...

"Are you a politician asking what your country can do for you or a zealous one asking what you can do for your country? If you are the first, then you are a parasite; if the second, then you are an oasis in a desert." Khalil Gibran

all this country wants is stuff done for them, yet no one seems to want to do anything for the country...

 

[alphatarget1]

Sad but true... thanks for pointing that out. JFK was a wise man.

 

[MikeMike]

Originally posted by: alphatarget1
Sad but true... thanks for pointing that out. JFK was a wise man.

he wasnt the first to say it.

 

[her209]

Sounds socialistic to me.

 

[JS80]

it's really the same shit, different side of the coin. you can use that line to convince people to raise taxes. "come on help your country pay more taxes."

 

[MikeMike]

Originally posted by: JS80
it's really the same shit, different side of the coin. you can use that line to convince people to raise taxes. "come on help your country pay more taxes."

yea, but EVERYONE is asking what the country can do for them to bail them out... not, hey, what can i do that would make the country and myself in a better position... in todays world, it is all about ME, there is no community feeling anymore, there is no suburbs in which people know everyone on their street. It is an individualistic society that is slowly going more and more away from getting to know people.

 

[IronWing]

Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE

Originally posted by: JS80
it's really the same shit, different side of the coin. you can use that line to convince people to raise taxes. "come on help your country pay more taxes."

yea, but EVERYONE is asking what the country can do for them to bail them out... not, hey, what can i do that would make the country and myself in a better position... in todays world, it is all about ME, there is no community feeling anymore, there is no suburbs in which people know everyone on their street. It is an individualistic society that is slowly going more and more away from getting to know people.

Yep. Turn off your TV and go outside. Marketing is not culture.

 

[alphatarget1]

Originally posted by: JS80
it's really the same shit, different side of the coin. you can use that line to convince people to raise taxes. "come on help your country pay more taxes."

I don't think JFK really meant that. To me it meant hard work to improve lives of everyone. That obviously doesn't mean the wall street crew try to create money out of thin air and burning all of us in the process, or the welfare leeches that do nothing that contributes to society.

 

[nullzero]

A lot of people are Fed up with this country. Government today is more intrusive in their lives and wastes tax payers money left and right.... I am sick of giving tax dollars to pay for these pompous government employees that think they are above the law (senator tax cheats etc.) Not to mention this country has a serious illness of deficit spending.

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: alphatarget1

Originally posted by: JS80
it's really the same shit, different side of the coin. you can use that line to convince people to raise taxes. "come on help your country pay more taxes."

I don't think JFK really meant that. To me it meant hard work to improve lives of everyone. That obviously doesn't mean the wall street crew try to create money out of thin air and burning all of us in the process, or the welfare leeches that do nothing that contributes to society.

You can't compare the Wall Street people who were *partly* to blame for doing things bad for the country for greed, and most people on welfare.

Some people on welfare are acting greedil, but as much as you may not find it ideologically convenient, studies show most use it as intended, to get productive again.

Regardless, the humanitarian benefit of a few crumbs for the poor is not at all comparable to the high-end greed.

However, the blame isn't all on Wall Street - the *system* was flawed in allowing and rewarding these behaviors, and theree were competitive presssures to do them.

Those who don't take advantage of the opportunities are placed at a competitive disadvantage, and can lose market share if not go out of business.

It reminds me in a way of a type of farm journalist Sam Dolandson runs; it gets a government subsidy. Donaldson spoke out that the subsidy should be repealed - and was attacked for hypocrisy because he accepted it. At first it had the sound of 'scandal', and admittedly my first reaction was the wrong one that he was 'caught' - but think about it, and there's no hypocrisy - as he explained, he wants it repealed for everyone including himself, but while it's there for his competition, to be competitive he needs it too.

That's what's insidious about the lack of the government doing its role to regulate the system to serve society, responsibly profiting the firms, and preventing harmful business.

It's a big mess - government isn't perfect, and some excess in regulation may lead Wall Street into a tirade against over-regulation, leading to de-regulation,leading to the pendulum going too far the other direction and the most aggressive people leading the industry ino the ditch for society, even while some firms may see the problems and not want them happening - or perhaps they do and take the profit.

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE

Originally posted by: alphatarget1
Sad but true... thanks for pointing that out. JFK was a wise man.

he wasnt the first to say it.

But you can't prove who was, or that he got it from anyone else.

I'm very familiar with the history of the phrase in his speech, and the important thing is that he chose to say it in his Inaugral Address.

However, it's far from one of my favorite things Kennedy said. I don't object to it, it's oddly inspiring, especially to selfish Republicans;I just find it less notable than other quotes.

 

[alphatarget1]

Originally posted by: Craig234
You can't compare the Wall Street people who were *partly* to blame for doing things bad for the country for greed, and most people on welfare.

Some people on welfare are acting greedil, but as much as you may not find it ideologically convenient, studies show most use it as intended, to get productive again.

Regardless, the humanitarian benefit of a few crumbs for the poor is not at all comparable to the high-end greed.

Two wrongs don't make a right. I see greedy CEOs screwing shareholders/taxpayers over and I call them out on it, likewise I equally despise the poor and lazy unproductive people on their lack of willingness to contribute to the society in a meaningful way.

Originally posted by: Craig234
That's what's insidious about the lack of the government doing its role to regulate the system to serve society, responsibly profiting the firms, and preventing harmful business.

Proper regulation (not over/underregulate) is the key to sustainable growth. It won't surprise me that a government controlled solely by Democrats will tend to overregulate and choke business growth that will be key to economic recovery.

 

[Jaskalas]

Originally posted by: Craig234
But you can't prove who was, or that he got it from anyone else.

I'm very familiar with the history of the phrase in his speech, and the important thing is that he chose to say it in his Inaugral Address.

However, it's far from one of my favorite things Kennedy said. I don't object to it, it's oddly inspiring, especially to selfish Republicans;I just find it less notable than other quotes.

Selfish?

Oh I see, must be selfish to believe that we are in fact, not government property.

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: alphatarget1
Two wrongs don't make a right. I see greedy CEOs screwing shareholders/taxpayers over and I call them out on it, likewise I equally despise the poor and lazy unproductive people on their lack of willingness to contribute to the society in a meaningful way.

And IMO yoiu are ignorant about the poor and our economic system's role for the poor.

I'm not going to try to correct that in a few sentences - but go read 'nickled and dimed'.

 

[StageLeft]

Don't forget, countries are not gods and they are not sentient. They should, like government, be there to serve the people. That is the point of them, not the other way around. This is something a lot of crappy countries have convinced their citizens to not remember.

 

[winnar111]

I may not be rich today, but I will be soon, cuz we got Barack Obama.


People like that happened.

 

[Moonbeam]

Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE
Honestly, what happened, everyone, i mean EVERYONE is now asking what the country can do for them...

"Are you a politician asking what your country can do for you or a zealous one asking what you can do for your country? If you are the first, then you are a parasite; if the second, then you are an oasis in a desert." Khalil Gibran

all this country wants is stuff done for them, yet no one seems to want to do anything for the country...

You are full of crap. I am absolutely convinced the rich want to contribute more by paying more taxes.