From: jon@Turing.ORG (Jon Gefaell (KD4CQY))
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Our Moderator and Monopolies
Date: 21 Aug 92 20:58:54 GMT
Organization: The Turing Project, Charlottesville Virginia.
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 650, Message 10 of 10

In article <telecom12.649.6@eecs.nwu.edu> Jim Graham <jim@n5ial.chi.
il.us> writes:

> [Moderator's Note: You are correct. I live in a different world than
> many of the readers here. I live in a dirty, very impoverished, crime-
> ridden and rapidly dying inner city. Much of my life has been spent
> drawing welfare from large corporations. And let's face it: we all are
> receiving welfare. Some of us get it from the government or social
> agencies; others of us get it from large corporations or institutions
> and bureaucracies where we show up and spend much time idling every
> day. I don't bite the hand that feeds me and sees to it our little one
> gets new shoes when he needs them, etc. Big business has paid my rent,
> clothed and fed me and my cats for many years. I've no complaints
> about it at all. I have NOTHING against competition. But I have
> NOTHING against legal, lawfully maintained monopolies either. I
> greatly admire the men who started the big companies in the early
> years of this century and only wish I were half as smart and had the
> business acumen of a Rockefeller, a Morgan or a Ted Vail.  PAT]

Well, I'm curious to see whether this will make it to the group, or if
PAT will reply personally, or if it'll make it to the cutting room
floor.

I don't know about you PAT, but in the world I live in, I *WORK* for
my money, and I work *HARD*. I see around me people like you, who
'draw welfare from [the beaurocracy I work for, U.Va.]' and just 'show
up and spend much time idling ...' But, I've got a diferent set of
ethics. I value and admire those far more than 'business acumen'.

Obviously, we do live in diferent worlds, and I think yours is
probably closer to the real thing. In that world, I have to agree with
you, AT&T should have been left to it's own devices, and given
continued monopoly.

But, perhaps like the previous poster, I'd like to give competition
and innovation a chance, I'll go ahead and brave this 'dirty,
impoverished, crime ridden and rapidly dying world' without the
attitude you've adopted.

One more comment while we're airing our personal philosophy. Your
earlier [Moderator's Note;] regarding Amateur Radio (and what can a
person who is not a participant say about it?) show this same
negative, heel biting tendency ... face it, life (and technology,
business, culture... all it's components) is what you make it. It
reflects your state of mind, and the approach you take to it. 'nuff
said ...

'cept this; I very much enjoy both this group and it's participants as
well as the admirable job you in moderating it :) Thank you.


[Moderator's Note: Well, I work for a living also, but I don't know
anyone who is really worth all they get paid. But with inflation and
economic conditions as bad as they are right now, how could we work
for less? You are correct that I haven't hidden my dislike for Chicago
for many years, and if *you* would like to come here and ride the
subway a couple times a day late at night between Jackson/State (a zoo
to be plain about it) and the Loyola/Rogers Park station (robberies,
drug sales, extensive grafitti everywhere and escalators constantly
out of order), then comment on your stay in our fair city, I'll print
that message also.  Thanks for your kind comments about the Digest. I'm
glad you enjoy it.   PAT]