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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Liatris Spicata who wrote (38080)	10/11/2000 8:51:35 PM
From: Tommaso	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

What in the world does this have to do with AMAT?

To: Liatris Spicata who wrote (38080)	10/12/2000 8:24:46 AM
From: michael97123	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

OT "I would suggest to you that your existence does not impose any moral imperative on me to act on your behalf. Your existence only obliges me to refrain from acting in a manner that intrudes on your rights" These debates on this thread are interesting. Many of "us" capitalists have adopted the beliefs of Ayn Rand. It is really a survival of the fittest mentality. Government would be minimized to essentially police functions and the less fortunate would be at some point be allowed to starve if private charities could not do the job. To me capitalism is a means to an end ,not an end in itself. We harness human nature(greed) for common positive good whether it be trickle down or wealth redistribution of some sort when called for. The trick is to find the balance and NOT to go to extremes. Lets not kill the golden goose of capitalism on one hand. On the other, lets not adopt the cold, survival of the fittest theories of Rand. To our credit, our political systems operates in the middle ground for instance allowing me in 1960 to support change with Kennedy, and in 1980 support change with Reagan. It's a pendulum folks which sometimes swings too far in one direction. Thats why parties in power change frequently in a democracy. In a way this market decline can become a cathartic event that gives us a chance to be less smug and sanctimonious. Last year we(including moi) were all genius's. Now we have been humbled. The folks on the bottom of the economic ladder, those working at low wages or minimum wage particularly, have been humbled for sometime now. And actually the Bush tax cut(too large) addresses this problem by moving millions of the low income off the tax roles. Gore's tax cut is aimed at the middle class with little or no concern for the poor(he will give them services) or the so-called "rich"(abandonment of lower rates as enacted jointly by both parties in 1986). But I still havent made up my mind in this election. Narrow definition of national interest abroad, a tax cut that is just too big, and a less than intelligent appearance by Bush concern me greatly. On the other hand I can't stand Gore's pandering and anti-business populism. Mike