$kip wrote:
> "Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>$kip wrote:
>>
>>
>>>"Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>>news:[email protected]...
>>>
>>>
>>>>$kip wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>"Mark Leuck" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>>>>news:[email protected]...
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>"Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>>>>>news:[email protected]...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Are you happy for all the people in the US working for <$6/hour at
>>>>>>>crappy jobs where they are treated as disposable workers?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>If someone is working a $6 an hour job it's their fault for not trying
>>>>>>to
>>>>>>improve themselves, you also seem to ignore the fact that personal
>>>>>>income
>>>>>>has continued to climb not fall
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>They can not afford recumbent bicycles, and they are likely working at
>>>>>>>two or three jobs, so they have no time to ride.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>They likely do not know what a recumbent bicycle is, most people don't
>>>>>>regardless of their personal income
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Yes, it is a great country for those born into the lower classes.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>You continue this rant about people in lower classes getting the screw
>>>>>>as if
>>>>>>they are totally helpless, instead you will find many who are now
>>>>>>considered
>>>>>>wealthy were once dirt poor (including many in my own family). They
>>>>>>worked
>>>>>>for what they have.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>It must be painful to sit around feeling bitter all the time Tom
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Six months ago I had some fencing work done by a Big Box Store who
>>>>>subcontracted the job to another smaller company. The installation crew
>>>>>leader for the subcontractor was Mexican, in the USA a little over a
>>>>>year. In about 15 minutes of arriving at the job site he had uncovered
>>>>>all the Big Box Store sales guy's mistakes and sent one of his guys to
>>>>>exchange the wrong parts and get the right ones. I was favorably
>>>>>impressed by the way this guy ran the job.
>>>>>
>>>>>Fast forward nine months. This guy stops by to see me again, tells me
>>>>>he had started his own fencing business, and would like to have my
>>>>>future business. I told him I would be glad to consider him for future
>>>>>work. He asked if he could use me as a reference and I said sure. He
>>>>>then asked for the names of anyone I knew likely to need fencing work
>>>>>done. I didn't know anyone at the time, so he left his new business
>>>>>card and said we would stay in touch.
>>>>>
>>>>>The point I'm trying to make is that Tom doesn't seem to have the
>>>>>foggiest notion of this kind of thing or any appreciation of someone
>>>>>working towards ownership. Clearly it's outside his mindset.
>>>>
>>>>Why are you dealing with people who business is selling stolen goods?
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>No. We were just enjoying a bit of good natured sword play.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>I could give a more serious reply on how the US system had made the wrong
>>>>choice by equating material possessions with quality of life, but it
>>>>would be like casting pearls before swine, I am afraid.
>>>>
>>>>--
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>If you are finding your four expensive recumbents are having a negative
>>>effect on your quality of life, I would be willing to relieve you of the
>>>burden of their possession.
>>
>>I don't own a big house, a motor vehicle less than 10 years old, my TV is
>>so old that it has 300 ohm terminals (no 75 ohm coaxial input, and not it
>>is not cable ready), I have no expensive clothes, no DVD player, no
>>microwave oven, almost no furniture, I last paid for going to a movie over
>>5 years ago, I almost never eat at restaurants, I have never taken a
>>formal vacation trip, and am conserving periods by making this one long
>>sentence; in fact some of my cow-orkers (sic) spend more eating out a year
>>than I paid for all my bikes and trike; and I could add to this list if I
>>thought about it some more.
>>
>>--
>>
>
> So I presume the above is an adequate rationalization for you to have more
> very expensive recumbent bicycles than you need and still not have the
> quality of life issues you say others would have with similar material
> possessions.
>
> I understand Ed Dolan's explanation of his voluntary poverty, but I clueless
> about yours. Ed said he had a greater interest in listening to Beethoven
> than he had in making money and was willing to make the necessary sacrifices
> toward that end, but you, on the other hand, have been working as a civil
> engineer with a professional engineering company since graduating from
> college several years ago. With your education and your intellect you
> should be in the upper percentile of wage earners in your age group by now.
Hint number one: I made the mistake of trying to get medical help for
certain chronic conditions and ended up paying over $4,000 in uncovered
costs in less than a year. My insurance "provider" (I use the term
loosely") had so many exemptions and deductibles that they ended up
paying about 20% of what I was billed. [1] Ask me why I hate the
for-profit medical industry [2].
Hint number two: Civil engineers in mid-sized cites in the US with 5
years of experience and a graduate degree typically have salaries of
less than $45,000/year. With the hours expected, this can easily work
out to less than $20/hour.
Hint number three: Not having affluent parents to pick up the bill, I
had to borrow a substantial amount of money for higher education. I am
well on my way to paying off these loans 3 to 4 years ahead of schedule.
As for the Earth Cycles, I was not looking to buy a Sunset (I had just
sold the Wishbone RT to reduce the number of bicycles) when someone made
the point of personally contacting me when a certain red Sunset came up
for sale. I had no choice but to provide a home for an orphan.
I was not looking to buy a Dragonflyer, but someone chose the "buy it
now" option on an eBay auction [3], in the belief that it would be an
appropriate trike for me. Again, I had no choice but to adopt another
needy orphan.
[1] Note that over 50% of personal bankruptcies in the US are from
medical expenses, and most of these people were employed with "health
insurance".
[2] No, not the individual doctors, nurses, etc. who earn their
financial compensation, but the corporate entities.
[3] Much to the dismay of Larry Varney, as was documented on this very
Usenet group.
--
Tom Sherman - Earth
