[extropy-chat] Why I am No Longer a Libertarian Either...

The Avantguardian avantguardian2020 at yahoo.com
Tue Jul 26 00:55:23 UTC 2005



--- Al Brooks <kerry_prez at yahoo.com> wrote:

>  I don't know the wealthy but I'm becoming convinced
> the situation at the bottom is too complicated &
> intractable. The more you peer directly into it the
> more it appears as a result of near-chaotic thinking
> at the bottom, and a self-perpetuating morass in
> general. No exaggeration. 
> How many generations would it take to change it? 3,
> 4, 5?

Once about 15 years ago after I got out of the
military but before I started college, I was working
as an assistant manager at a videotape rental store in
downtown san francisco. There was a homeless guy who
pan-handled on the corner a few buildings over. Every
day when I was walking home from work, he would ask me
for change.
     One day it turned out that I had to let one of
the clerks at the store go and it left me short
handed. The manager put me in charge of hiring a
replacement for the vacant position. On the way home
that night, Darryl the homeless guy did the usual
routine of asking me for change. I asked him if he
wanted a job instead. He said yes, thats why he was
homeless because he could not find work. I told him I
would give him a job, he just had to show up by noon
the following day at the video store less than a block
away. It did not pay great but, it was significantly
more than minimum wage and would get him off of the
street. He said he would be there and seemed to be
enthusiastic when I left him that night. 
     The next day, noon rolled around and Daryl never
showed up. I ended up hiring someone else for the job.
That night as I was walking home, I saw Darryl on his
usual street corner. He saw me but this time he didn't
ask me for change nor did he ever ask me for change
again. We didn't really talk much after that incident,
it was awkward for the both of us.
     I am not going to pass judgement on the poor nor
will I say that Darryl was "typical" of the homeless,
but the sheer depth of the problem is nicely
illustrated by my own experience. Say what ill you
will of the "system" as it stands, it still allows for
people to succeed if they are willing to work at it. I
am doing science at a big university now, but I was
not always part of the middle class. Sure, there was
adversity I had to overcome to get to where I am, but
it is hardly impossible and I don't think I am all
that special or exceptional because I made it. 
     Anyone can make it here in America, if they WANT
to. The guy Darryl was supposed to replace was an
immigrant from Nicaragua named Mitch. He quit his job
at the video store to start his own carpet cleaning
business with a friend. Last of I heard of him, this
guy had about half a dozen vans and a dozen employees
cleaning carpets in San Francisco for him. In this
world there are Mitches and Darryls, and the Mitches
should not be blamed for or have to spoon feed the
Darryls, especially when the Darryls are perfectly
capable of contributing to society but instead choose
not to.
      

The Avantguardian 
is 
Stuart LaForge
alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu

"The surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't attempted to contact us." 
-Bill Watterson


		
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