[Alberta's Child]

Unfortunately for you, I don't live in Canada. In fact, I'm sitting here in Manhattan as I type this.

New York City is more similar to a Third World sh!t-hole than a bastion of capitalism. You either have a lot of money in this town, or you don't have any. But you'll never starve no matter how poor you are, because this city has social services and taxpayer-funded financial support for every misfit and dysfunctional creature who washes up in the harbor.

The sheer energy, desire to succeed, and capitalistic fervor of New York's peoples (even the immigrants from Africa) has to be seen to be believed. Its not the government that runs the businesses in New York.

The "capitalistic fervor of New York's peoples" is a function of the city's chaotic environment and unwillingness to admit that a huge number of these immigrants have no business being here in the U.S. Most of these hard-working immigrants oeprate in a black market economy that has nothing to do with capitalism and everything to do with a social order that is collapsing before our eyes.

You might consider the Chinese guy selling pirated CDs on a street corner to have "capitalistic fervor," but I sure as hell don't. In fact, I find it bizarre that anyone could even keep a straight face while using such a term to describe someone who sells stolen goods at a "retail site" on a government-operated right-of-way. And I'd say the same thing about the bodega owner who hasn't filed a W-2 form in years, the African immigrant who contracted anthrax a couple of months ago from the animal skins he was importing (illegally) for the bongo drums he was producing in his basement, etc.

[Jameison]

"Unfortunately for you, I don't live in Canada. In fact, I'm sitting here in Manhattan as I type this. "

We went through all that before.
You don't live in New York.
Don't see why you feel the need to keep up this ridiculous charade.
But hey, you have your own burdens to carry I suppose.

[Jameison]

"New York City is more similar to a Third World sh!t-hole than a bastion of capitalism"

Groan.
Try not to burst a gut , will you?
Again, you have no idea what you are talking about.

"You either have a lot of money in this town, or you don't have any"

Most New Yorkers, neither have too much money, nor too little money. It's just about right.
Plus, pay checks in New York are some of the highest in the country (and on the planet (of course rents are high too, but food and transportation are cheap.



" But you'll never starve no matter how poor you are, because this city has social services and taxpayer-funded financial support for every misfit and dysfunctional creature who washes up in the harbor. "

Now you are beginning to sound like Hitler, only thing is, you don't have anywhere near the power he had, which is not a bad thing.

[Jameison]

"The "capitalistic fervor of New York's peoples" is a function of the city's chaotic environment and unwillingness to admit that a huge number of these immigrants have no business being here in the U.S. "

New York City probably has more legal immigrants than anywhere else in the country, from anywhere from the Czech Republic, to Germany to Russia to Hong Kong to India, and they have brought with them new dynamism, fresh ideas, and skills that have helped keep our economy humming.
As far as I am concerned, every legal immigrant, even those thin models we keep importing from the Czech Republic, have a business being here.
They help keep out fashion understory going, making it one of the best on the planet.