To: George Coyne who wrote (149539 ) 5/30/2001 10:29:20 AM From: Johannes Pilch Respond to The liberal message will be more generally accepted, I think, because fewer and fewer Americans appreciate their individualism and independence. I gotta tell you guy, Americans are growing weaker in spirit. I see it all the time. Everybody wants something for nothing. Fewer people get pleasure from being able to say they fully paid for a thing, or that they made it with their own hands.Grapes of Wrath portrays a starving family that enters a store looking to purchase a dime-loaf of bread. The woman behind the counter scornfully tells the starving head of the family that she only has fifteen cent loafs. The man asks if he could buy ten cents of a fifteen cent loaf. The woman, after some severe prodding from the cook (who seems her partner in their little dive) tells the man she'll sell him the loaf for ten cents. The man refuses to take it at that price because he considered it robbing the woman. And he certainly would not take charity. To get the man to take the loaf for a dime, they had to go through a bit of artful talk. He finally took the loaf. Looking down at his two hungry and worn children, he asked if the candy he saw on the counter was "penny candy." The candies really cost a nickle each. But the woman, by now knowing the nature of these people, said they were two for a penny. The man bought two pieces for a penny and left the store, dignity intact.
