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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Grainne who wrote (22396)	5/28/1998 5:57:00 PM
From: Jacques Chitte	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 108807

I fear that is so. While I applaud those who would feed and clothe the poor, it seems to me that doing that comprehensively can bankrupt any economy. Russia proved it. By installing a complete safety net for the poor and unemployed, it removed a lot of disincentives inherent in being poor and unemployed. While these disincentives are necessarily cruel, I also think they're an indispensable part of a productive society. And the nonproductive ones don't last. It ends up a balancing act. How much kindness can we afford? Because every diversion of resources to those who didn't earn them breeds a new group of people who will seek the entitlement. I sure don't know where the balance lies between a strong society and a compassionate one. Maybe that's why my feelings about crime always come back to a policy of disincentive. Nothing motivates like the real risk of an unpleasant situation.

To: Grainne who wrote (22396)	5/28/1998 7:01:00 PM
From: Grainne	Respond to of 108807

I'm going through my bookmarks, trying to delete as many as possible, definitely including both of these. They are about Frank Sinatra, one a story about a possible illegitimate daughter, and the other one a very refreshing (to me, at least) comment on his life, wickedly written. irish-times.com irish-times.com

To: Grainne who wrote (22396)	5/28/1998 7:51:00 PM
From: Lady Lurksalot	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

CGB, You write, "people who work in bars tend to be unqualified for jobs which require more skills." I gotta take issue with this one. Many people have taken abandoned their skilled professions for work in restaurants and bars because they can make so much more money at those jobs. Still others merely moonlight for added income. Yup, before you ask. I know of several from various professions, including nursing, teaching, computer programming, and others. Holly

To: Grainne who wrote (22396)	5/28/1998 9:32:00 PM
From: jbe	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 108807

..."people who work in bars tend to be unqualified for jobs which require more skills..." You have no doubt already taken your lumps for this one -- but here are some more. Normally, I don't set much store by anecdotal evidence, but in this case I think the evidence is persuasive. My oldest son tends bar (mostly at banquets) as a way of supplementing his teacher's income, which is not (alas) hefty enough for child support. He has a master's in History, and all kinds of other qualifications, but nothing fits his teaching schedule better than occasional bartending.( Many other teachers do the same thing, padding the family budget by waiting tables or tending bar at night, on weekends, during summer break, etc.) One of my future daughters-in-law also tends bar, in a rock music club (so her ears, as well as her lungs, suffer!), to put herself through graduate school (African Studies PhD program). In her case, it's practically a full-time job. Next time you're at a banquet, or in a bar, ask the bartender who/what she/he really is. You might be surprised! jbe