Say Anything Blog

Encarta describes greed as: an overwhelming desire to have more of something such as money than is actually needed.

There is no bigger Hannity wannabe than this idiot, Stossel. He has been exposed as a liar and a fraud time and time again. It is telling that his story shows up here.

If Stossel gets under Bob’s skin that much, he must a logical, common sense type of person.

Attempting to purge greed is one of the dumber ideas humanity ever came up with, leading to things like that economic powerhouse known as the Soviet Union.

Leave it to the leftists to once again completely screw things up.

Gimme my gravatar back!

" greed in other words, gets people to cooperate with each other."

Cooperation, that explains my cable bill, and my cell phone bill.

rbb wrote: "Encarta describes greed as: an overwhelming desire to have more of something such as money than is actually needed."

The key phrase here is "...than is actually needed."  Who decides what is actually needed?  The individual, or some govt a-hole in an office somewhere?  That is the difference between a free country and a "socialist worker’s paradise" like France.

Enlightened self-interest is not greed.  It is the natural impulse of the human being.

Woof: You cable bill is a result of a govt enabled monopoly, like all the other public utilities.  If you don’t like your cell phone bill, either talk less or go to another company.  You are not a helpless victim there. 

WOOF,

Your cable bill goes up because there is no competition.  In most locales, cable service is a "franchised" monopoly.  You can’t switch your service from Comcast to Charter or Adelphia.  Recall Rob’s post last week about local and country politicos upset at the possibility of losing that revenue if the industry is de-regulated?

As for your cell phone bill, that’s simply a matter of talking too much, syaing too little, and taking way to many minutes to do so. 

Bob sez about John Stossel, "He has been exposed as a liar and a fraud time and time again."

Got any factual documentation to back that accusation up with, Bob?  Better yet, how about going through Stossel’s Townhall article and demonstrating where he’s wrong.  If you’ve got something more substantial to offer than an adolescent temper tantrum, let’s see what you’ve got!? 

In markets where there are few choices cooperation replaces competition.

Limited competition in the cell phone arena. Would my bill be much different if I used Tmobile or Cingular?

The key phrase here is "...than is actually needed."  Who decides what is actually needed? 

Certainly not Rush Limbaugh.  I mean...2000 pills??  I’d also guess the folks who waddle out of Wal-Mart with a SuperSize Slurpee and a Foot Long Hotdog and broken arches.

The simple mistake those of you hyperventilating over the great wisdom of Stossel’s comments are making is that greed isn’t necessarily the motivator at all behind business or profit.  There are many others.  In the case where greed is involved, it can work out or it can turn into price gouging, as we see now with the oil companies. 

Things become so simple when you take off those fogged up glasses and see things from the light of common sense.

The Stossel Treatment

Stossel Fabricated Data on Organics, Researchers Say

Sorry, Bob.  All that "FAIR" article does is point out that there are people who disagree with Stossel.  I’ll gladly acknowledge that.  After all, the whole point is that Stossel doesn’t buy into the liberals MSM make believe.

How about just taking this particular Stossel article, which is the point of the post anyway, and show me where John Stossel is mistaken in what he says (and what Dr. Walter Willimas says.  And Sowell and Friedman as well.)  Thew link is posted.  Read through it, and tell me where Stossel is mistaken, or worse, lying.

That shouldn’t be too difficult, now should it? 

If you really want to get excited about greed, rent the movie Wall Street and get off on Michael Douglas’ take on greed.  Inspirational.

How perfectly fitting, Diane!  Bravo!

Confronted with the discomfort of reality, and your own dhimminished capacity to deal with it, you beat a hasty retreat to the "safety" of Hollywood… and even more make-believe.  A movie.  Perfect! 

Woof: I don’t know.  Do the research;  it’s your bill.  My priority is reception and sound quality, so I use Verizon.  I believe TMobile is the low-price leader.  When you have choices, whine about the number, Vic.

"Greed" is a subjective term.  People wanting the best for themselves and their families is not greed, unless you are a leftie.

If you really want to get excited about greed, rent the movie Wall Street and get off on Michael Douglas’ take on greed. Inspirational. diane on April 29, 2006 at 11:43 AM

How perfectly fitting, Diane! Bravo! Confronted with the discomfort of reality, and your own dhimminished capacity to deal with it, you beat a hasty retreat to the "safety" of Hollywood… and even more make-believe. A movie. Perfect!"

Why thank you, Batty!  Crumpets warm, plenty of yarn?

What John Stossel doesn’t say about that steak.

Greed had that downer cow  grown on price fixed feed (Archer Daniels Midland),

cut up with Chinese Knives (slave labor), by illegal immigrants who

would be fired and tossed out on the street if disabled by their dangerous work 

into the US health care industry. Maybe to the criminal Health Care of America (HCA).

Majority leader’s Senator Frist’s family operation (1.8 Billion dollar criminal fine) for medicaid fraud. 

Nobody went to jail. 

Delivered by a sleep deprived truck driver, trying to make a living while buying $3 diesel,

if he doesn’t crash into Stossels hummer on the way. 

Majority leader’s Senator Frist’s family operation (1.8 Billion dollar criminal fine) for medicaid fraud. 

Nobody went to jail. 

WOW!!  Rush got off cheap.

"Those areas where people are motivated the most by greed are the areas that we’re the most satisfied with”

A little broad doncha think? Exxon, Halliburton, Enron, WorldCom, Duke Cunningham, Jack Abramoff, among others comes to mind as greedy and just look at all the good they have done in the world. To be sure, there are those who do well for themselves and contribute back to those from whom the entrepreneurs’ wealth originates.

"where people say we’re motivated by ‘caring’…"are the areas of disaster in our country”

Again, Stossel is a slave to the broad stroke. Is he discounting Christian out reach programs, meals on wheels, Muslim outreach programs, community centers that help our elderly. It is a fox technique. Say a few things that kind of make sense and slam everyone who disagrees and out of the main stream.

“Greed gets people to cooperate.”

I would argue greed gets people to manipulate.

He goes on to describe a supply chain and pass it off as greedy people out to get theirs. Come on now. How many of those thousands of people would call themselves greedy.

Rosanke and the others don’t particularly care if some TV correspondent gets his steak, yet they cooperate to make it happen, motivated by self-interest—what many call greed.

This is another borrowed fox trick. The “some say” line of attack. It proves nothing.

Does anything get done based on "human love and kindness"? Well, a nonprofit group called City Harvest collects donations of restaurants’ surplus food for the poor. But where does that food come from? Greedy people like Virgil Rosanke produce it, and greedy restaurateurs buy it. Kindness can only give away the goods self-love provides.

It seem as though he is slamming/discounting goodness, human kindness, compassionate conservatism and frankly everything that Jesus is supposed have been preaching about. Don’t the Christians have greed up there as one of their 7 deadly sins? Will Stossel rail against government funded faith based organizations or will their good deeds be deemed as a greedy grab for a good seat in heaven?

Kindness can only give away the goods self-love provides.

What kind of goods does your self-love provide, bat one?

The two sides are talking about two completely different things here.

While Walter Williams’ word on Economics is as good as gospel, what he is labeling as ‘greed’ is actually ‘self-interest.’  I don’t think it does the English language any good to try to deem them to mean the same thing.

While I understand why this is done, it don’t make the argument any easier.

I have no problem with someone if they were to say that ‘self-interest’ is good and ‘greed’ is less good.   They are two different terms to describe two levels on a scale.

As Stossel points out, self-interest, greed in other words, gets people to cooperate with each other.

No. Rational self-interest ensures cooperation; rational self-interest is "good." If we were really to pursue our own self-interest no matter what, we’d just murder the owner of the Weise family farm and steal all his cows, and then we could eat all the steak we want without ever paying for it. If eating steak is in our self-interest, why wouldn’t we do that?

Slavery was done out of self-interest. Capitalism works out of rational self-interest. If we wanted cheap goods it’d be greedy--selfish--to enslave certain less intelligent people under threat of physical violence to make them for us. But this isn’t "good" because it isn’t "rational."

There are certain things that are wrong even if they do increase our happiness--rape, murder, enslavement, etc. Those actions are selfish, and they are also wrong.

If pursuing profit is greed, economist Walter Williams told me, then greed is good, because it drives us to do many good things.

When a woman has an abortion, she’s being really greedy--she’s preventing her child from being born so she can save money (or look good in a bathing suit, whatever the case may be). But I don’t think you’ll find anyone who’ll say what she’s done is "good" because it was done out of self-interest. No one will that the woman’s abortion "will get people to cooperate with each other." When John Doe selfishly rapes a woman, sure, he gets happier, but in doing so he directly harms someone else. This is not "good."

And that’s the case we have here, with Stossel’s article. I have no doubt that when John Stossel eats that Porterhouse steak he increases his happiness. But again, just like the rapist and the abortionist, this comes at an extremely high cost--in this case, the death of a cow. It is not rational to kill others to increase your happiness. What he’s doing is wrong. Self-interest without rationalism is blind; rationalism without self-interest is inefficacious. You need both.

...Your cable bill goes up because there is no competition.  In most locales, cable service is a "franchised" monopoly.  You can’t switch your service from Comcast to Charter or Adelphia....

As an example, let me tell you about cable service in two different Maryland counties located next to each other. In Baltimore County, for what ever reason, the county government will allow only one cable company, Comcast, to operate within its borders. In neighboring Anne Arundel County, the County governent allows competion with several companies, including Comcast, competing for business. In Baltimore County for about $70.00/month you get great cable service from Comcast, in Anne Arundel County you can get great service from Comcast for under $ 35.00/month, less if you signed up during special promotion offers. When I lived in Anne Arundel County, every couple of years I switched cable providers for a better deal. Same service at half the price; government monoply verses free competition. When Anne Arundel County was opened to competition, for a while, there were inconviences when each company was digging up the County to install their own lines, but no pain, no gain. 

Dave: You started out great, but then lost it in the end.

Robert108: So you believe it is rational and "good" to kill others to increase your happiness?

Dave: No, I don’t believe that it is rational to kill people to increase my happiness or for any other reason than to stamp out terrorism.  I’m not confused, as you are, between people and animals as food.  You know better than to try that flawed analogy stuff with me.

BTW, "increasing happiness" is your meme, not mine.  Happiness is subjective.  A nice rare filet mignon makes me happy.  It doesn’t make you happy, I assume from your writings.  The difference between us(one of them) is that your not eating a filet mignon has no effect on my happiness, while my enjoying a filet mignon in the privacy of my home makes you unhappy. 

e difference between us(one of them) is that your not eating a filet mignon has no effect on my happiness, while my enjoying a filet mignon in the privacy of my home makes you unhappy. 

And Rush hoarding and using illegal prescription drugs makes him happy but makes people who have to drive on the same roads as him unhappy. 

Wrong thread.  Any evidence of Rush driving under the influence?  I guess you made that one up.

"And Rush hoarding and using illegal prescription drugs makes him happy but makes people who have to drive on the same roads as him unhappy."

Diane,

Would you be good enough to provide the URL for the news story reporting tht Rush was arrested for DUI, please.  If you had actually listened to his show, thus knowing what you’re talking about for a change, you’d be aware that he rarely drives himself.

Talk about busted. 

Excellent point, Doc.  I’ve got work to do to prepare for Monday.  I’m also going to go see U93 tonight.  Somebody throw a cover over the cage and hit the lights on your way out.

Make sure you take Rush’s keys before you leave and find a designated driver. 

docdave: Why do you keep a parrot around?  They don’t do anything useful and they crap all over the place.  Answer: for entertainment.

I don’t care what Encarta says, greed is expecting more than you earned. Liberalism is the purest and most sickening form of greed there ever was or ever will be. Too lazy to steal for themselves, they demand that the government does it for them. Someone who steals for himself will put forth the effort, a liberal is too lazy to do that. Theft by proxy is still theft.

"Liberalism is the purest and most sickening form of greed there ever was or ever will be. Too lazy to steal for themselves, they demand that the government does it for them. Someone who steals for himself will put forth the effort, a liberal is too lazy to do that.”

The most sickening form of stealing, in my mind, is the thievery by politicians on both sides, who give themselves numerous perks and raises, fly and drive around on our nickel, take bribes, tax us without representation, influence peddle, and the rest of their lazy-man’s way to riches and people like you on this blog defend it, as long as it’s RepubliCON.

Agree theres only 1 party and its called the Puppet Party. So who you gonna vote for? Puppet #1 or Puppet #2?

You are the sickening type of trash there is Diane, show me one instance where anyone at this blog defended any politician who taking bribes regardless of party, You are a liar. Here’s another definition for you lefties out there:

par·a·site (pr-st)
n.

An organism that grows, feeds, and is sheltered on or in a different organism while contributing nothing to the survival of its host.

In other words, one who enjoys the benefits of living in our society while lying through their teeth about it in order to further their own agenda. LIBERALS like Diane. Pure sub-human trash.

In other words, one who enjoys the benefits of living in our society while lying through their teeth about it in order to further their own agenda.

Wouldn’t anti-abortion advocates fit that classification?

Anyone who actually believes, or expects us to believe, our government staged the 911 attacks on the WTC… would lie about anything! I have come to the conclusion that these Bush bashers are either watching Michael Moore’s fiction movie too much OR, they are just completely insane??? Quite possibly both. The MSM has passed out so many lies and hatred for the Bush administration. People have no perspective of reality! Buying into these ideas (lies) without facts is what Nancy Pelosi and all the Liberal way off the edge wacko’s wanted and it is time people get a grasp on REALITY!

I don’t get your reasoning on tha Dave, but I’m not an anti-abortion advocate. I look at abortion as a form of liberal population control. Who better to judge the value of their own children? I know of several liberals commenting in here on a daily basis that make a very strong case for abortion, mostly their own.

bullwinkle, you have a sickening, dirty foul mouth and you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.

If you don’t defend it, I’d like right now for you to denounce any Republican who does these things.

And I’d like to hear your opinion of Rush Limbaugh and his illegal prescription mess.

You ‘folks’, you clean, religious Republicons, have never stopped calling me names like bitch, clut, liar, parasite, since I came to this board.

I have never met such disgusting human beings, ever, anywhere, except for the ones like you, Republicon NeoCONS, in the real world.  Your leaders Bush-Rush and the rest show the type of people they produce. 

If I didn’t want to make you deal with reality, I’d not spend a minute here because the foulness of you mouths and minds is really below what I deserve to deal with.

However, I’m tough, so I’ll stick around for awhile.  The names you call me only assure me I’m in exactly the right place on these issues.

Tom DeLay:  Indicted

Let’s start right here. 

What about Tom DeLay, you foul-mouth nasty-spirited little man? 

And, if you’re honest enough, if Rush was a Democrat, what would you be saying about him?  Would it be different than those here who are defending him? 

That moldy cardboard box you live in must get really uncomfortable at times.

diane has no business criticizing anyone for being foul-mouthed.  She is the champion of that approach.

If Rush were a Dem, he wouldn’t be a success, but more importantly, the leftie prosecutor wouldn’t have persecuted him.  An indictment is not a conviction, in case you don’t know that.

Robert108, The Junkie’s Champion to the Rescue!!!

(I hope your theme music is as good as Shaft) 

Tom Delay has not been convicted. Only charged. The prosecutor, Ronnie Earl is known for going after conservative politicians just for sport. Usually with for trying to bring the GOP down.

the truth:  Over Earle’s 27-year tenure, his Public Integrity Unit has prosecuted 15 elected officials, including 12 Democrats.” [Los Angeles Times, 5/15/05]

Yes, Ronnie Earle uses his office to go after all his political rivals.  For most of his career, Texas has been dominated by Dems.  Only recently has he started targeting Republicans as well.

the truth:

EARLE HAS REPUTATION FOR RESPECTING THE RULES: “‘One of the things I admired most about Ronnie was his indefatigable ability to go and meet with groups all over town all the time–right-wing groups, left-wing groups, the Rotary,’ says Bill Reid, an attorney who retired from Earle’s office in 1997. ‘He’s not a bloodthirsty prosecutor who wanted to get notches on his gun. There are some who have a reputation for walking close to the line in terms of evidence and rights, but there was never a push or inclination from him that we ought to bend the rules. Working for him, I was doing what I wanted to do, and I could go home and sleep at night.’” [Los Angeles Times, 5/15/05]

CV...That is good to know. However he had made it clear that he wants to bring down the GOP. The guy is a real creep. I don’t think that he is real popular with Dems either. He is obviously in it for money and to attract attention to himself. He is planning to retire soon. Most likely getting ready to write a book. Typical scum bag parasite on the earth guy. I live in Texas and believe me he is a jerk!

He worked for Earle;  what do you expect him to say?  Certainly not the truth.

CV...That is nice that you are fond of him. No one else I know cares too much at all for him. I have a great deal of friends who are Dems and they too think he is an embarassment. Really!

Earle is doing his job . . . He hasn’t made it clear he’s against the GOP  . . . he’s made it clear that he’s going to prosecute violators of the law and abuses of power.  Simple.  Dems whined about his bullheaded prosecutions in the past and pubs whine about it now . . . fact is, the guy’s good, honest, and doing his job.

Robert, it’d help if you possessed a passing familiarity with that term, truth.

CV...I am all for doing his job. BUT, many believe he has abused hid power. We’ll see what he comes up with. If Tom Delay is guilty he should be prosecuted. I have a feeling if he wanted to he could take alot of others down too????

"many believe"  is a real cop-out phrase, abused by the right.

Many believe a lot of things.  

Let’s let the legal system form beliefs in this case. 

CV...Exactly. The point was Tom Delay had not been convicted by the courts yet. So diane’s point is still in the lame phase.

Agreed. 

But attacking Earle is just as partisan and destructive and that’s all I’ve seen from the right since the beginning of this investigation . . . which is funny, since in the 90’s Earle was being attacked the same way by Texas State Dems.  Partisan hackery.

maybe he was singled out for abusing power and breaking the law.  perhaps you should unleash the other half of that brain.

CV...It may sound partisan. BUT it is more like being irritated by the kid who is always trying to get everyone in trouble. Republicam and Democrat alike???? I don’t mean to be rude to you. I know you worked for him and evidently like the guy. I kind of think that everyone has something good in them, hopefully!

"Maybe".

Shouldn’t that be the job of the justice department . . . root out corruption and keep checks and balances alive?  Shouldn’t that be one of the roles of a prosecutor?  If you don’t like rocking the boat, perhaps a third world dictatorship would be more pleasant?

CV...If the intentions of the prosecutor is truely for good reason? Look at what he did to Kay Bailey Hutchinson? ...

Call a parasite a parasite and see what it gets you?

bullwinkle, you have a sickening, dirty foul mouth and you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.

I fail to see anything foul in telling the truth. If liberalism doesn’t meet that definition I don’t know what does. Liberals just can’t stand the truth. I didn’t cuss her or call any of the names that fit her so well so she has nothing to complain about.

The job of a prosecutor is to prosecute real crime, starting with probable cause.  Period.  Film crews and witch hunts for political opponents are not part of the job.

Read it and weep diane. Notice the date.

 http://randomnumbers.us/?p=703

As far as Rush Limbaugh goes I surely haven’t defended him, or talked about him at all, ever. He’s not an elected official so who cares what he does? I don’t like him, never have, never paid him any attention.

Diane said Tom DeLay had been indicted.  True/false??

Tom DeLay:  Indicted

Let’s start right here.

Why was that lame?

 Answer;  It wasn’t.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/28/AR2005092800270.html

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/09/28/delay.indict/

etc.

 I didn’t cuss her or call any of the names that fit her so well so she has nothing to complain about.

Like wife, daughter, homeowner, taxpayer, not a drug addict and never arrest or indicted or even received a traffic ticket, voter, not charged with drunk driving like Bush, studier of issues, thinker, good citizen.....those names?

You’re a sick little man.

And Bobby...show me one time I used a foul name here for anyone like bitch, slut, or the ones thrown in my direction...and I will apologize.

But I doubt I need worry about that, do I?

Yes, diane, it’s all about you and your victimhood.  What a phony!  Whatever name you use, and whateve lies you tell, we are on to you.

I thought so.   Guess no apologies are needed since Bobby bombed out again.   LOL

Whatever your name is:  Every time I have called you on your hatespew, your foulmouthed insults and your juvenile namecalling, you have justified it with claims of victimhood.  Your promise to apologize is a lie, just like all your other lies.

 Your promise to apologize is a lie, just like all your other lies.

I don’t like calling people liars, Bobby, but you’re coming close to making me want to break my habit.

And Bobby...show me one time I used a foul name here for anyone like bitch, slut, or the ones thrown in my direction...and I will apologize.

Still waiting.

Actually, considering your annoying tendencies to simply whimper and name-call, I’m going to have to just ignore you it looks like.  I’ve given you every chance but you apparently are incorrigible.  You are using up valuable time and threads being just plain silly.

That’s about where I’m at with a few others as well.

Whatever your name is: You have no credibility.