Born Losers

[Superman]

Before I begin, one of my favorite quotes:

"Leaders are made; they are not born. They are made in the same way anything else is made in this country, by hard work. That is the price we pay for that goal......or any goal."

Okay. Genetics. We are finding more and more that the "way" a person is often is determined by heredity. Genetics. That's what determines eye color and hair color. And it also seems to be responsible for some behavior. Of course, a lot of behavior is learned, and perhaps we will deal with that in a moment. Here, let's notice that some folks have what appears to be a natural tendency toward competitiveness. Goal-setting. Achievement. Certain other people seem not the slightest bit interested in competition. Call them "wimps" or "suckers" or whatever, but they honestly just don't have that competitive fire. Perhaps genetics are to blame, and perhaps environment has played a role. For whatever reason, these people are just not going to go out there and reach for the brass ring.

If commercial activity is how we keep score in America (it is, and you know it is), then what do we call these people?

Born losers?

Perhaps they make good stepping stones for the folks who are in the race. Are they just that? Means for the rest of us to use in our quest for victory?

Oh yeah. Our "system" is not about what's fair. I've heard that a LOT lately. Life is not fair......got over it. Okay, then I guess society in America is not about fairness. It's about competition. And yes, there are losers. And winners. And this nation is for the winners. The losers are.......losers. This is a nation of the winners, by the winners and for the winners. And perhaps Americans who lack this competitive gene should move to countries that take better care of losers. 'Cuz America is a contest, not a community.

[Moneyguy1]

Winning is everything, Supe...

The end justifies the means..

Morality has no place in the competitive world...

Me first and to He!! with everyone else and what THEY want..

We just have to change our thinking.

[legion]

Is it moral to help someone to be a loser?

Is it moral to prevent someone from realizing their potential by making them comfortable and mediocre?

[on-ramp]

America is a playground for the rich. and the rest of us are taxed to death.. the top 2% always find ways to take more and more money from the rest of the 98%..we are living in an elitist society.

[Nostril Cheese]

Hmm.. and I was thinking of the Billy Jack movie

[legion]

Is it moral to cap what the most productive members of society can reap from their own efforts--to support those who produce nothing?

Is it moral to cut a marathon runner off at the knees so that a couch potato has the option to walk?

[on-ramp]

Originally posted by legion
Is it moral to cap what the most productive members of society can reap from their own efforts--to support those who produce nothing?

is it "moral" for Bill Gates to amass 40 Billion Dollars? Did he discover the cure for cancer?

what was his achievement for such large wealth when we still have a homeless population in this country, in the millions.

[legion]

Bill Gates' company produced something that people were willing to buy. Most computers in the world run Windows. A means for making people all over the world more productive is worth more money than a cure for cancer. That's life.

Oh, and nice dodge.

Soís perdedores.

[techweenie]

When I saw the thread topic, it brought an image to mind:

[Dantilla]

I think it is moral for Bill Gates to earn whatever. His foundation is now one of the biggest charities around. He founded a company that employs thousands of workers. Why is it immoral?

Serious question: How would you or I benefit if a big chunk of his money was confiscated?

[Moneyguy1]

Is it moral to let others rise to a level where they are comfortable without the same kind of insanity evidenced by those who vie for "Bootlocker in Residence" for The Donald?

Is that kind of "success" the ultimate goal? Should it be? Is success to be measured only in the amount of wealth and the number of toys? Is there more to our existence?

Our society, for most people, sets limits. Not everyone is capable of reaching the top and many understand this. Some do not. There will always be the fortunate few who hit on something. Many years ago, there was a very funnly short story about the world going through a cloud that increased everyone's I.Q. 100%. The idea of the story was that society broke down because there was no one to do things like pick up the garbage.

legion......sometimes your "arguments" reek of a two tiered society.....You and everyone else!!! A bit too elitist for my taste.

[Racerbvd]

OK, I was born a loser, a runt, skinny, uncoordinated, dyslexic, my sister & brother were born with the high IQ, making straight As was easy for them, I struggled to make Cs, they are very artistically talented, I can't even draw a straight line, brother a star football player (who could have gone pro, if smoking Pot wasn't more important to him) and sister lettered in everything also too while I rode the bench. I started racing BMX when I was 10, to this day, the one thing that I'm most proud of is when my father told me, a month or so before he died, how proud he was of me, he said when I started racing bikes, he expected me to quit, since I was so much smaller than everyone one else, and was on a used piece built bike (if I paid & built my bike, they would take & pay for my local races) and I ended up earning State & National championships, sponsors, all without my father's buying me everything, then when he cut me off before college, I worked my ass off to pay for it. I was a successful businessman and multi BMX champion, on state, national & international level before he died. He told me that he didn't expect me to do what I ended up doing and how proud of the man I grew up to be. If I could make it, anyone could, and when losers like off-ramp whine about what others have, I laugh, as I went from nothing to something, and did it without the government giving it to me by taking away from someone else. My father was proud of me because I refused to give up or in, and made something of myself, and the one thing I cherish most is when he told me how proud he was of me because I was the one he didn't expect to be anything. Off-ramp, you do know that most of the taxes are paid by those you say get everythinbg, I'
m sorry you are such a loser and so weak minded, if you would open your mind, you might make more than $28K (I truely hope you were joking about that amount) and get the hate and envy out of your system

[Moneyguy1]

Byron

Seriously...congrats on your success. Please keep in mind that along the way people helped you. They deserve credit as well. One of them is your father. Without his support, would the journey been as pleasant or fulfilling?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally posted by Racerbvd
OK, I was born a loser, a runt, skinny, uncoordinated, dyslexic, my sister & brother were born with the high IQ, making straight As was easy for them, I struggled to make Cs, they are very artistically talented, I can't even draw a straight line, brother a star football player (who could have gone pro, if smoking Pot wasn't more important to him) and sister lettered in everything also too while I rode the bench. I started racing BMX when I was 10, to this day, the one thing that I'm most proud of is when my father told me, a month or so before he died, how proud he was of me, he said when I started racing bikes, he expected me to quit, since I was so much smaller than everyone one else, and was on a used piece built bike (if I paid & built my bike, they would take & pay for my local races) and I ended up earning State & National championships, sponsors, all without my father's buying me everything, then when he cut me off before college, I worked my ass off to pay for it. I was a successful businessman and multi BMX champion, on state, national & international level before he died. He told me that he didn't expect me to do what I ended up doing and how proud of the man I grew up to be. If I could make it, anyone could, and when losers like off-ramp whine about what others have, I laugh, as I went from nothing to something, and did it without the government giving it to me by taking away from someone else. My father was proud of me because I refused to give up or in, and made something of myself, and the one thing I cherish most is when he told me how proud he was of me because I was the one he didn't expect to be anything. Off-ramp, you do know that most of the taxes are paid by those you say get everythinbg, I'
m sorry you are such a loser and so weak minded, if you would open your mind, you might make more than $28K (I truely hope you were joking about that amount) and get the hate and envy out of your system

Byron, you achieved the greatest success of all: your father was proud of you. Not much is as important IMHO.

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by on-ramp
is it "moral" for Bill Gates to amass 40 Billion Dollars? Did he discover the cure for cancer?

what was his achievement for such large wealth when we still have a homeless population in this country, in the millions.

Ahhn.... the computer you are typing on probably has his OS on it and I can almost guarantee that the server putting out this bulletin board does.

Might stop drinking decaf and go back to the hi-test stuff for a while...

[Racerbvd]

Originally posted by Moneyguy1
Byron

Seriously...congrats on your success. Please keep in mind that along the way people helped you. They deserve credit as well. One of them is your father. Without his support, would the journey been as pleasant or fulfilling?

OK, who helped me?? My father cut me off in high school, I lived on my own my Senior year in high school, as my father went back to sea at age 60, my mother moved to Texas to take care of her father, but my father had told me that if he thought I was screwing up, after I turned 18, he would take me out & kick my ass (merchant marines can do that). I did better my SR year living on my own than (grade wise) than the first 2 in high school. Did my father help me, yes, he forced me to do it on my own, I got the jobs myself, I put myself though college, I didn't have anyone holding a net for me, no one expected me to do anything, yet today, I'm some what successful and respected in my fields of business, I work long hours. I was told that I couldn't do, yet I chose to do!! So if you concider people telling me that I will never own a porsche, and that I'll never earn X amount of dollars or do this or that, then you are correct on them helping me. I earned and worked for my BMX titles, no one helped me, again, everything was against me. Shaun, you are correct, nothing means more to me than that, because my father was a very hard man, and I earned his respect, and there is no greater moment in my life than him telling me that he was proud of me, of course I didn't know that until I was 28 years old, but I did learn it. You have taken risk and built a business, you know where I'm coming from.

[JCF]

The founders of this country had a different view ( well except for Hamilton).
Something about The way to best judge a nation is how it treats it's weak , poor and unfortunate ?
This country is starting to resemble more and more the old mother country.
The idea of might makes right is the basis of fascism not American democracy.

[cmccuist]

The US spends between $400 and $500 billion/year on welfare programs. There are 23 different ways to get food stamps. If you take Medicare, prescription drug programs, social security and all other types of government cheese to thier logical conclusion, you have what was the former soviet union.

No other country or government in the world could have produced a Bill Gates - or a Racerbvd for that matter - where personal hard work, innovation and initiative are rewarded.

[on2wheels52]

I hope most people's life isn't as dualistic as winner/loser. I like to think I've found an existance somewhere in between.
Jim

[red-beard]

Just remember this:

50% of all people are 100 IQ, or less. 50%.

Think about it.