[angkor]

Let me acquaint you with some contemporary facts:

In over a decade of international travel and reading, the views you espouse are held mainly by avowed communists, socialists, and statists.

Most recently that mantle is being held by psychotic Islamists (read the PLO founding documents or thae statements of bin Laden). Plain and simple. They are murderers and socialists.

Americans and their supporters are being murdered out of jealousy Plain and simple.

That is the way of totalitarians, whether named Hitler ("the Jews") Arafat ("the Jews") or Amin ("the Indians") or Mugabe ("the Whites") or bin Laden ("the Americans, the Jews").

[Billy_bob_bob]

You really don't know just how far off the mark you are. First of all, I have repeatedly stated that the only difference between first and third world nations is that the first world nations have the social and legal infrastructure necessary for the creation and protection of wealth. Period. There is no other difference. This is why resource rich nations like Mexico are poverty stricken while resource poor nations like Japan are rich. It is entirely due to free enterprise and rule of law.

Now, if you allow the legal system to become corrupted by money, and if you allow the political system to become corrupted by money, then you have VIOLATED the social contract that we all live by. That violation will result in anger on the part of the average person. I do not advocate it, I fear it, because I know the want and despair that is spread by Communism.

That having been said, perhaps now you can understand my concern about the activities of some of the ruling elite of this country. I've personally been seriously shafted in some of my dealings in Silicon Valley, I've seen things that would make your hair stand on end. You see, I believe in property rights, including intellectual property rights. I also believe that people who create wealth should partake of some of that wealth. Do you disagree with that premise?

What I DON'T believe in is the sort of "lassez-faire" economy where rule of law is circumvented via corruption and the political system of redress is totally short-circuited by big money contributions.

What is really funny about the "jealously" argument you are making is that I'm rather well off, thank you. Twenty-five years of frantic workaholism has paid off for me, and I now have some free time. I like private enterprise, I like the free market. I don't like corrupt greedheads who lie, cheat and steal at every turn perverting the whole idea of the free market until the average lemming is SCREAMING for socialism! I don't want Communism! I want free enterprise, with a functional legal and political system that can act to curb the excesses of the free market. I hope I have made myself clear.