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You have a good point, but as lil' Johnny broadband grows up, I'm sure he would appreciate Steve's legislation a little more... But in all honesty, someone needs to help the politicians in this country a little. I'm not sure if their thesauruses are faulty or if their mothers never bought them dictionaries, but rights and luxuries aren't the same thing. Maybe we could make ownership of a dictionary and a copy of the constitution a prerequisite for political office?

Everyone has a right to the internet? What luxury should we gain a right to next? Everyone has the right to a 16oz. Porterhouse w/ a good micro-brew IPA every Thursday night? This is more ridiculous than most of the things I've heard in the last week, and I've even been reading the news.

I don't really believe in true altruism... You would have to benefit somehow for any action you undertake. No one is going to take a political stance that will only hurt themselves on purpose. Most of the "wordsmiths" make quite a lot less than the number oriented workers. It would benefit the non-number people to be in a socialist society (as long as there are people in that society that make more, of course) more than the rest. Also, what causes there resentment to society? Is it socialized as the essay suggests? Or is it innate? I don't believe it's innate. I've witnessed some common trends between his hypothesis and the thought patterns of some "intellectuals" in society.

The Supergroups (Zeppelin, Cream, the like) have always done it for me. Rush is another favorite. Right now I'm on a jam band kick though. I can stand to listen to that stuff since I really don't pay attention to lyrics... It's all about the melodies and rhythms.

I love StumbleUpon. It is the greatest stress relief I can get in the shortest amount of time. I found this earlier today, and finally found time to read the thing. It's fairly interesting. And I do know that the "Intellectuals" written about in this essay do not portray the intellectuals that frequent this forum. "Why Do Intellectuals Oppose Capitalism?"

Hello! Personally, I'm partial to the sound of my neighbor's dog barking all night. Sooo relaxing...

Ha, good point... I could have used the search function. I will definitely try to contact him. And I'm already in school... I'm actually going for a degree in statistics, a degree in economics, and a minor in math (I would major in it, but I don't like the idea of taking modern algebra). Depending on how the economy looks in 2011, I might stay for an extra year and add industrial engineering to the bill.

Hello! I've been reading on this forum for a few months, and I feel that this is a place that I can debate and discuss things with people without the risk of an aneurysm... It was quite a feeling to find logic online! Anyway, here's something non-related. Is anyone on here an actuary? I've been looking into it and my school doesn't really have a program for it... We have the required classes, but it's not recognized as a degree. I'm looking for some info about tests and job prerequisites. Anyone have any?

I have always believed that human nature supports capitalism. Many members have already made good points about this. My argument for capitalism vs. communism has always involved fairness. If you provide a good for someone, you expect to be compensated for it. If you don't get some sort of benefit from the action, you won't carry it out. That's human nature. Under communism, you have to rely on the government to compensate you. If you get especially good at providing some random good, you still get the same amount of benefit as someone that sucks at providing the good. Because of human nature, you wouldn't be inclined to work hard. You can just produce like the other schmuck that isn't as good as you and get the same benefit. Under capitalism, you have incentive to work hard. You can benefit more from beating your competitors. Because of this constant competition, everyone has to constantly innovate, and progress is made quickly. You are compensated fairly for what you produce. Fewer people fail. Unemployment is driven down. You get back what you put in. The system is at its fairest point. Central planning cannot possibly help provide for the somewhat random undertakings of the individual. It also cannot, as someone else has already stated, rewire the brain in order to make us work for the "greater good." Capitalism all the way.