From: Elizabeth.Mccoy@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Elizabeth Mccoy)
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
Subject: Re: Belated greetings, and other topics (was Re: Rhetoric: The...)
Date: 8 Apr 92 22:42:00 GMT
Organization: Syberites, Inc.

T'Kee notices Sea Wasp ascending to vast heights upon soap boxes, and
then his descent... Since the soap boxes are still there, the
cat-centaur decides to climb up there herself (save them the trouble of
appearing under her...) and address the same fellow that Wasp did...
(Mentor, was it?)

>  "Start by recognizing that everyone has equal rights. Evryone has an
>equal right to (to quote the US declaration of independence) 'life,
>liberty
>and the pursuit of happiness' and to the natural resources of the
>planet.
>Actually giving everyone their 'share' is infeasible, but recognizing
>the
>right is not. We plan to levy people on the amount of natural resources
>they control over and above their rightful, equal share. This levy
>would
>then be redistributed as compensation to those with less than their
>share.

"Ugh. That looks messy."

"Anyway," she says, looking mournful as only a feline can, "how are you
going to define computers? They're silicon, which is basically sand,
right? And sand is pretty cheap...  If I have a PowerBook and a
non-luggable/portable Mac, do I have more than my fair share? *I* don't
think so! 
	"I'm married -- what if I have less than my 'fair share' and my
spouse has more?  What if we have kids?
	"Is intelligence a natural resource? Considering how useful
inventions can be, I bet some people would think this.  Does this mean I
can't have my spouse? Or do we go for the lobotimies so that we don't
have more sense than the 'danes?"

T'Kee considers a moment.  "Yes, that last point is a bit strained. 
Perhaps what I'm looking at is the unfairness of taking away what
someone has worked all his life for -- my spouse has a high-paying job,
and lots of nice things, but *none* of this is inherited; his parents
are school-teachers <were -- they're retired>, his education was paid
for via scholarships and work.  He's been with a large company for 13
years now.  He's a *hell* of a lot better off financially than my
family! And I think he deserves to be.  I'd think that even if I weren't
utterly in love with him, honest. :-)
	"I think that some jobs ought to have the same financial worth
as what my VSO does <computer stuff> -- maybe teaching, if you can make
sure that it goes to the *teachers* and not the 'teachers.'"

	"Further, if no-one has more money than anyone else, how do you
build space shuttles?  Can you *really* get that many people to agree on
how it should be built -- enough so that they'd pay for it?"

	"How do you *keep* things in balance?  I mean, people are going
to have bad luck, pay too much for something, etc.  Do you give it back
to them?  What if somebody *wasted* it gambling?  What if they don't
have enough because they keep *breeding*?  What if they keep splurging
on RPGs/computers/model airplanes?  What if the person can't work? What
if sie's crippled? What's the difference between someone who can't work
and won't work? I think cats deserve food and shelter and care -- I'll
spend my money on that if I know that I can!"

	"I'll be the first to admit that the current situation ain't
fair to a lot of folk, but I don't think that penalizing the successful
is terribly good either."  

	"Yes, you're talking to someone who went from 'struggling' to
'comfortable', and who is unwilling to give up much!  Come up with a
system that I don't have a vested intrest in disliking, and I'll be a
lot happier!  I don't *want* people to have less money than they need to
live, or teach their kids, or support cats.  But don't steal the
possibilities from my unconcieved children, either."

--E_McCoy@unhh.unh.edu aka T'Kee the Politically Uncorrect Cat-Centaur
--
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